Any hint of “prove you’re a worthwhile person by how much you can make yourself endure” or “not being fat is the most important thing in the world”[1] is apt to be demotivating.
I’m sure it is demotivating to be exposed to the implication that you “ought” to have different goals than you do. I find it dispiriting when I’m under social pressure to do something I don’t want to do, and when people assume that everyone must want the same thing. I think there’s way too much overgeneralization in the world.
On the other hand, there are perfectly good exercise programs that are marketed for fat loss, but might still be satisfying even if you’re not going for that. (In fact, a lot of things—like running—are marketed for fat loss but are actually more useful for other things, like increasing stamina.) It might be good not to write off good things that come with annoying marketing.
If you don’t celebrate Christmas, it might get irritating after a while to hear carols everywhere and see everything decorated in red and green, and the assumption that of course you’re going to trim a tree and hang stockings. At any rate, I know a lot of people who hate it. But if something perfectly good is marketed for Christmas (egg nog, say, or a department store sale), you should still be able to enjoy it.
I’m sure it is demotivating to be exposed to the implication that you “ought” to have different goals than you do. I find it dispiriting when I’m under social pressure to do something I don’t want to do, and when people assume that everyone must want the same thing. I think there’s way too much overgeneralization in the world.
On the other hand, there are perfectly good exercise programs that are marketed for fat loss, but might still be satisfying even if you’re not going for that. (In fact, a lot of things—like running—are marketed for fat loss but are actually more useful for other things, like increasing stamina.) It might be good not to write off good things that come with annoying marketing.
If you don’t celebrate Christmas, it might get irritating after a while to hear carols everywhere and see everything decorated in red and green, and the assumption that of course you’re going to trim a tree and hang stockings. At any rate, I know a lot of people who hate it. But if something perfectly good is marketed for Christmas (egg nog, say, or a department store sale), you should still be able to enjoy it.