1. "I need to burn the (usually an expletive)_______ I ate"
If you treat training as a punishment you give yourself, you will rob yourself of 2 good experiences: the enjoyment of food and the enjoyment of exercise. You can't hate yourself every time you eat something, and then punish yourself for it - that's not a normal emotional state.
What to say instead: Instead of looking at food as a reason to exercise, think about the way exercise makes you feel. For example, if you've been sitting all day and haven't gotten around to moving much, the movement and energy that exercise will instill in you will be exactly what you need. You can say, for example: "It feels wonderful to move your body and let the endorphins flow."
2. "You've lost so much weight, you look amazing!"
You may feel that complimenting someone on their appearance is a good gesture, but what you are doing is simply glorifying their weight loss without giving it context. If you don't know the person personally, you can't know why he goes to the gym and why his body has changed like that. It is possible, for example, that he suffers from depression or anxiety that causes him to lose his appetite, or perhaps the weight loss was due to an illness he had. In such situations, the result - losing weight - is not always desirable, and this comment can actually hurt.
What to say instead: offer a compliment unrelated to looks. For example: "You are really consistent and invest in all the training. You work hard, well done to you.'
3. "I feel fat"
"Fat" is not a feeling. When people say they feel fat they actually mean they are worried they are unhealthy, uncomfortable or bloated, and using this phrase to express such things is negative and unnecessary. You understand your situation, giving it a punitive word to "punish" yourself only helps for a few moments (just like that bad food we sometimes eat) but doesn't help solve your problem.
What to say instead: Find another way to describe your feelings. Do you feel tired? Maybe you are frustrated? Don't use the word "fat" to describe how you feel. Tell the truth, you feel unattractive and/or unhealthy, too big to your liking. No matter what emotion you're dealing with right now, use your training to deal with it, and try to find the root of the problem that leads to the difficulty that accompanies it.
4. "I need to lose weight by..."
There is an event or vacation on the horizon and you want to look your best, but what you tell others is that only thin people are allowed to look beautiful at the event or only thin people deserve to bathe at the beach. This sentence glorifies a slimmer figure than yours, and you may not really be as big as you feel, but you may make others feel that they are.
What to say instead: instead of emphasizing the external result you wish to win, emphasize the internal result - the self-confidence you will receive. It will make you feel stronger than you knew you could be.
5. "I have to start exercising"
Beware of any sentence that includes the a word like "should" or "have to" or "need". This usually means that there is one good and right thing and one bad thing, and in this case exercising is the right thing. Fitness training is indeed useful and important, but someone who doesn't exercise is not a less good person than someone who does. Such a statement may make you feel inferior to others, and it will not motivate you to start exercising, but will only create in your head the thought that you are not as good as others.
What to say instead: A simple "I want to exercise." This opens a huge door for you to take the first and important step towards maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Making it your choice. By saying you WANT to do these things because you WANT to feel more healthy or more in shape or stronger gives you the agency and is actually more accurate, since no one can make you do these things, they are always your choice.
6. "If I can't exercise for (X amount of time), it's not worth it"
An "all or nothing" approach does you no good. You may wish you had a whole hour to devote to training, but you can't squeeze it into the schedule, and that's okay. You are allowed to go to the gym even for a half hour workout, and just do it more frequently. The truth is that it doesn't matter even if you only move your body for 10 minutes - the main thing is that you do something.
What to say instead: Just think about the way you'll feel after you know you've done something, even if it's just something small. You will experience inner peace and be ready to invest more the next day, instead of suffering from feelings of guilt that will only trample your motivation level.
7. "____ is not really exercise"
Is there a certain movement that the body does without having to exert force or energy? Every movement counts, and it doesn't matter if it's running, lifting weights or cardio. Even low intensity training such as walking, swimming or dancing benefits the body in many different ways, and such activities are no less important than weight lifting or toning the core muscles.
What to say instead: Just remember that movement is movement, and your body doesn't really care what you did to make it move - it just wants to move. Even standing burns more calories than sitting does. If you're mindful and consistent enough, it all adds up. We've all seen active people who do not exercise but stay in good shape because they are naturally energetic and expend a lot of energy moving around.
