For many of you struggling with food and weight issues, you may be
identifying your entire self-worth according to some number on the
scale. This is both unfortunate and unproductive since one of the
biggest lessons I learned in managing to shed my own unwanted pounds
AND keep them off, was that the end results are so much more meaningful
than just the number on the scale. The number is just that, a number.
It has no meaning except for the meaning you yourself attach to it.
When you lose your excess weight, you will not only be physically
lighter according to the number on the scale, you will also feel
lighter mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Carrying around lots of extra weight is a burden in more ways than one.
It weighs you down physically in that it adds extra pressure on your
joints and you can’t move around as easily as you’d like. It also
increases a long list of weight-related health risks such as diabetes,
heart disease, high cholesterol, sleeping disorders, breathing
disorders, arthritis, some forms of cancer and more. This can impede on
your ability to enjoy your favorite activities to the fullest such as
gardening or playing with your grandchildren. The problem is that you
get so used to functioning with your excess weight that you don’t even
know how much better, easier and fulfilling these activities can be
without all the excess weight. How can you know if you’ve never
experienced it? Or maybe you’ve experienced it in the past, but it’s
been so long that you don’t even remember.
A great example is a client I had who at her heaviest weight decided to
join a running group. It was extremely difficult for her to keep up and
I remember her telling me how her husband would laugh at how she’d come
home with her face beet red. She had trouble breathing, all her joints
would hurt and it was just too difficult. After a short while, she
decided to give it up. However, in working with her we decided that
while she was changing her eating habits, she would also gradually
increase her activity levels and maintain a more active lifestyle. Over
time she lost more than 60 pounds and decided to re-join her running
group. From eating properly and being more physically active over many
months, all of a sudden she was not only able to keep up with the
group, but lead the way. The confidence and reassurance that this gave
her was astounding and just motivated her that much more to continue on
with her healthy eating and positive living habits. Her weight loss
allowed her to “lighten up” on so many more levels than just the scale.
Freeing herself of all that excess weight allowed her to experience
greater joy and light in her life. The dark cloud of her excess weight
had lifted for good.
Too much excess weight can impact your level of self-confidence and
make you more self-conscious in your appearance which can weigh you
down mentally, emotionally and spiritually. All this to say is that if
your weight is getting you down and you want to get your weight down
instead, then know that it will help you to lighten up in more ways
than one as well. Yes, you will be lighter according to the scale, but
you will also walk taller, feel proud of your accomplishments, increase
your self-confidence, boost your energy and have a greater sense of
control over your eating, your lifestyle and your own quality of life.
Just like the lady I described, your new found confidence will propel
you to try new things, challenge yourself and take more risks than you
ever would have dreamed before. You will lighten up in your life both
personally and professionally reaching outside of your comfort zone
that your excess weight can so easily keep you trapped in. When you
learn to “lighten up” on all levels, your whole outlook on life will
change. It is a powerful transformation that can happen for you too,
one bite at a time.
Roslyn Franken is an accomplished author, columnist, speaker, and
counselor. She primarily counsels clients who want to change their
lives for the better through weight and lifestyle management, using the
principles she developed and now shares in her book The A List: 9
Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. Learn more
about Roslyn at: RoslynFranken.com
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