Weight loss is a multi-BILLION dollar a year industry! There are certain truths about most any weight loss program that we all should know about:
-It is likely that regardless of what program, eating plan, or schedule you choose you will see some results in a degree of weight loss.
-In the outset of any program you also have about a 60% chance of regaining more weight than you lost and end up weighing more than when you started.
-This leads to something that we are all familiar with… Yo-Yo dieting. Not only is Yo-Yo dieting frustrating, it is also a danger to our health.
What if we began to take a different approach?
What if we accepted that we are powerful and capable human-beings regardless of our weight and that we each have abilities and skills to share. And most of all, that we can be whole and complete people regardless of what the numbers on our scales say. What if our focus turned to being health and having a holistic wellness approach rather than a number approach?
Here is a secret that many people are not told… You are more likely to be healthier and happier, including making “better” decisions if you are happy with yourself. Wouldn’t you like to have respect for yourself when you look in the mirror, not because of physical attributes, but because you are a whole person that recognizes your acceptance, contributions, respectful choices and life-promoting lifestyle?
Honoring your body means realizing that you are perfectly you, regardless of size. It means striving to make daily choices to enhance your health and wellbeing, you acknowledge that everyone that inhabits this earth is different in a variety of ways, and it is OK for you to be you and be different too, you eat for health and life, not to restrict or reduce, and you move and engage in the world around you in ways that lift your spirit not drag you down.
Whew, that’s a mind-full…
But here’s the gist, you can be healthy and make healthy choices from where you are right now. You don’t need me to sell you a pill or a strict workout plan. The truth is, if it is not something that brings joy to your life, it is not something that is serving you to step into a better version of yourself.
So, I have asked you a lot of questions, but here is the one that matters:
Are your “weight-loss” efforts making YOU happy, do you feel fulfilled and appreciate your body? Would you like to?
1. n.d. Helping Health System Employee Foster Positive Self-Care Regardless Of Size: Results Of A Pilot Program.