“I’ve been on a constant diet for the past 2 decades. I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.” — Erma Bombeck
The simple truth is…being overweight is not about the food. I mean it is, but the need to eat when we are not physically hungry is driven by emotions. Most people are not overweight because of ignorance.
They know they are overeating and they know they have to reduce their caloric intake and that is it in a sentence.
But if it was that simple, everyone would be trim and healthy. And you only need to go out in public and you will see that is not the case.
If you don’t figure out how to manage them, it is going to be difficult to lose weight no matter what you do. This is the reason you see bariatric patients regain weight.
Eventually, they will be able to eat a larger amount of food. If you don’t stop using food as a coping mechanism, you may find yourself losing and regaining the same 789 pounds over and over.
It all starts with how you manage the situations in your life on a day to day basis. Using food as a coping mechanism is not going to be an option if you want to get healthy.
Start with the things you can do today…like getting enough sleep, drinking enough water and managing alcohol consumption (it will most likely increase your appetite anyway), take a 10 minute walk.
There is a whole list of simple things you can start today that can help you change the way you think and feel. Weight loss will follow if you are working on creating a fit attitude.
Embrace this one life you have been given and take steps to take the focus off of what you are putting in your mouth and create a simple program to grow your mind and spirit.
Remember, this plan is flexible. It is about creating a program that reduces the stress in your life and increases mental and spiritual growth.
Final Thoughts
“The mind and body are not separate. what affects one, affects the other.” — by Anonymous
If I had to write a takeaway in less than 50 words, this would be it…it is not about the food, it is about managing the stress in your life.
When the stress is gone (or minimized), it is easier to make decisions that benefit you. The fittest person in the world has stress, but they don’t let it control their decisions.
Find a passion and run with it. Being passionate about something will reduce the need for the comfort of food and reduce the stress in your life. You got this…get out there and create your fit life!