Don’t ever let anyone shame you for making excuses, says fitness expert Tony Schober.

“Your weight loss journey is your own and you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone,” he says.

There are many valid reasons for missing a workout, skipping meals, or eating more than you planned. These things are going to happen — a lot, says Schober on his website https://coachcalorie.com/. It’s not the end of the world. Moreover, it’s not anyone else’s business.

So when people sit on their thrones and shame people they don’t know the circumstances the people they are criticising are living through, “for the actions they aren’t taking — just ignore them. The only person you are accountable to is yourself,” reminds Schober.

Don’t let a stranger talk you into overworking your body. Don’t overtrust your body by planning an elaborate workout after getting four hours sleep, warns Schober. This is getting your priorities backwards.

And don’t feel too guilty and don’t apologise too much for missing a workout. Don’t let others shame you either. No shame-and-guilt in taking care of your body.

“There are still people who apologise to me for not following their planned meals, as if they owe me an explanation. My role as a coach isn’t to stand over you and yell at you to work out.

It’s not to guilt or shame you into action. That doesn’t accomplish anything other than make someone dependent on another person to

take action,” says Schober.

“My approach is to help clients through their struggles. I help them understand what happened so they can learn from the experience and hopefully do better next time. That’s a win.

It helps people trust themselves, build confidence, and navigate situations on their own so that they can eventually do this on their own.”