Are you scared of getting fat?
Pocrescophobia….pocre what?
I have recently stumbled on a limiting belief I have about myself that has been driving me, or more to the point…pushing me past the point of what I need to do to stay in shape.
I have a fear of gaining weight. Getting FAT! And it has a name…POCRESCOPHOBIA.
I actually believe many women have this (and probably men) phobia of getting fat, that was formed many years ago, maybe a s a child, maybe as a teen or older from a comment made or a situation where you took on that comment/situation as the truth, which now subconsciously drives you. Trouble is, it’s usually not true, and you never find peace because you are always feeling resistance, and being pushed way beyond what you really feel you need to be doing.
So I can actually pinpoint where this belief was formed. It was my grandfather who was telling me I was chubby. To be honest he wasn’t a very nice man, so he wasn’t being light hearted about his comments…he meant it. He was calling me was fat.
Which I wasn’t.
But I believed him.
And that stuck with me for the next 40 odd years.
I was petrified of getting fat! And I was a little chubby in my early teens, but once I discovered exercise, and started teaching group fitness AND doing a body building competition, I was addicted to exercise. I had found the “answer” to getting fat, I had discovered the fuel for my phobia. I lived for exercise, but for all the wrong reasons.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it. Absolutely love it, but I’ve learned to understand that the driving force for me was not my love of exercise, but my fear of getting fat.
And you know what that leads me to believe…
“That no one will ever love me because I am fat and chubby.”
I had a partner once tell me that “I might look really good at 45, but I don’t know what you’ll look like at 50, so maybe I need to be with someone younger”
Hmmmmm…. Bullshit! Yeah but I believed him…that phobia kicked in again.
About 3 years ago I was teaching 10-12 group fitness classes/week. I was doing crossfit 5 times and week, and extra training on top of that AS well as starting at 5 most mornings with clients or classes.
I had a friend tell me…” Chrissie, you are doing too much! You will burn out”.
My answer…” No I’m fine, I’m strong”
I burnt out.
But that didn’t really stop me and I just kept going. Adrenal fatigue and all. And now I realize it was my fear/phobia that kept me going, even when I felt like shit, I was tired, sick, injured…I just kept going because I WAS SCARED OF GETTING FAT!
Fast forward to now, present day.
It’s been interesting as I am discovering who I am and what makes me tick.
Going through menopause can play havoc with your hormones, your weight, and your fat distribution.
Guess what…I was totally shit scared of menopause for this reason. Getting fat! That’s all I heard about, and that’s all women complained about when they went through hormonal changes, they got fat and frumpy. And I didn’t want to be that person.
I can tell you now… That is a lie! Simple changes to what you are doing will keep the weight off and you do NOT need to get fat! It is NOT an excuse.
Tell you something else really interesting.
I have had niggling injuries that have got worse of the last few months. Which has stopped me from doing all the exercise I use to do.
A knee injury and Achilles tendonitis has stopped me from being able to run too often.
Has stopped me from doing cross-fit
Has stopped me from doing a good leg session.
And stopped me from teaching my Beloved Body Pump more than once a week.
So, I asked myself this question…” Ok universe, ok Chrissie, what are you really trying to tell me?”
And I am realizing that I DON’T need to do a gazillion classes/week, or my favorite cross-fit workouts or the intense leg sessions to keep weight off, to be in shape and to stop the fat gain.
I’ll get back to them, but I don’t NEED to do them. Right now, I need to concentrate on other things.
I’ll stay in shape, I’ll keep the fat gain away NOT because I am scared of it, but because I am smarter than that, I value and honor my body, and I have learned to balance my life with other forms of exercise, relaxation and peace in myself.
Peace out…
Chrissie
PS : If you are like me and want to know how to get on top of your weight, your life, and your limiting beliefs around you weight, then click on the link below and book in a free strategy session with me where we can discuss what steps you need to take to get your weight, your life, and start to reinvent you! Go on…do it!