Monday, June 14, 2010




OK, they are Jennifer's wedding pics but how beautiful is that!!!! Happy Birthday Jen!!!! ENJOY & have fun!!!!
 
Here is a pretty interesting article about weight loss and the 5 W's (plus an H) - who, what, where, when, why (and how) - and applying them to to your weight loss goals. The article does get you thinking! I am sharing it but also answering the questions too.... can you????

Five Ws of Weight Loss

In Journalism 101, we learned the importance of the Five Ws (and one H) in gathering information. Answering the Ws (and H)–who, what, where, when, why (and how)–is considered essential in understanding the full story. What would happen if you applied them to your weight loss goals? Some Ws (and an H) to consider:

1. Who is it that wants to lose weight? Who is the “you” that’s dieting? Another way to ask this is, who are you, inside your body? The bottom line is, your body is a place for your soul to live. That’s it. Should it be comfortable, healthy, happy? Absolutely. But losing 10 pounds is not the call of your soul. It’s the call of your ego.

I once knew a woman who could light up a room just by walking through the door. Her eyes literally sparkled. When I spoke to her, her attention was so fully and completely on me, that it was as if no one had ever spoken before. I knew she would remember every word I said–and she did. She was so vibrant, deep, warm, compassionate, that it was a very long time before I noticed she was what some people might call “heavy.” Actually, I don’t think she ever noticed she was what some people would call heavy.

Likewise, I knew a woman who was wildly self-assured, sexy, vibrant, alive. She was in her mid 40s, tall, big boned; she weighed close to 185 pounds, and she literally turned heads walking down the street. Her secret: Inside, she loved herself, she was healthy and she felt good. That was enough for her. She knew who she really was, and that her body was comfortable, well-nourished–even if it wasn’t petite.

So I will put out there that personally, I feel having a healthy BMI is important for your overall health & longevity. There is a lot of controversy but I still think it is a good measure of how to not go down the road of strokes & heart attacks even though personally, being more muscle, I know it is not as accurate for a person with more muscle mass. Saying that, in my I Am OK With It post, I did talk about how each person has to decide for themselves how important that 5, 10 or even 15 to 20 pounds is to them. Weigh all the factors. I have personally decided that for me, I am willing to work as hard as I do to be where I am but I know many others are just fine with a bit more body fat & they still look great & even more so are beautiful people inside AND out!

2. What would happen if you never lost weight? We set so many conditions on our love for ourselves. Unconsciously (or not) one of those conditions may be our weight. “I’ll feel better about myself when I’ve lost 20 pounds,” or “If I can just get rid of this last 5 pounds, I’ll be able to get on with my life.” As far as you know, this is the only life you have, and it’s happening right now. What would happen if you lived it right now, as you are, weighing what you do and wearing the size you wear? Can you love yourself anyway? Pause here, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and ask yourself that question. See what comes up. If the answer is “no,” it may be that learning how to love yourself is a bigger priority than losing 20 pounds.

Ah, the bigger question… will you love yourself AFTER you lose the weight OR are there bigger issues you need to deal with first. Losing weight does not solve the issues of I will be happier, do better in life, be rich. IF ONLY.. that friggin if only I lose weight sentence. Honestly, I am one of those that has been able to lose weight and keep it off even though I have not answered many of the important questions. I also can attest to the fact that just because you lose weight, you are not all of a sudden going to love yourself & life is going to be good & perfect. I am still struggling with all the “liking/loving myself” stuff and life is far from perfect. Personally, if I never had lost weight, I think I would not be a happy person so I am really glad I did it. I like knowing I am fit & healthy & managing that as I age. Still working on the other stuff too but I am OK with that. Just don’t think all your problems will disappear just because you lose weight! They don’t!

3. Where do you want to be in ten years? Answer that question, and you’ll have a better sense of your reason for being here. Write down where you’ll be in terms of physical health, family, relationship, spiritual practices, career, home, travel–whatever comes up for you. Chances are really good that “I’ll be X pounds lighter” will come up on your list. That’s okay. Just recognize all the other things that are on your “where I’ll be” list.

How much time, mental energy and passion are you devoting to those aspects of your life, compared to counting calories and obeying the bathroom scale? Maybe you can see where weight loss falls on your list of dreams, goals and visions, and maybe you can assign it a different priority. Losing weight is not your life’s work. Your life’s work is to love, to serve, to be honest, to develop personal integrity, to be kind, to raise healthy children, to grow spiritually, to adore yourself. Which is not to say you can’t choose to shed some excess baggage. You’ll just do it with a sense of perspective.

I looked at the 10 years out question a lot when I was younger. I had lost my weight so it was more in terms of life goals or work or even just running away! J BUT, I still had fitness & health goals as well.. I still do. I think this paragraph is a good way to make you start prioritizing things & your weight loss so that you can still live life yet still get healthier too!

4. When will it be okay? I once worked with a man who slaved tirelessly to lose 15 pounds. He exercised obsessively, starved himself, became a fanatic about supplements, drank diet soft drinks and coffee throughout the day to blunt his appetite, even took up smoking to blunt his appetite. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But here’s what’s really crazy: once he lost 15 pounds, he wanted to lose another 5. (I should pause here to tell you that the term “crazy” was his, not mine). He felt that being 5 pounds under his goal gave him a buffer, in case he gained a few pounds back.

I realized then that, no matter how much weight he lost, he wasn’t going to be satisfied. It would never be okay, because it wasn’t about his weight, or his body. It was about his sense of self; he was depressed and dissatisfied with his life. He disliked himself, and no amount of weight loss was ever going to make that okay.

When will it be okay for you? Ask yourself that question, then listen softly and quietly for the answer. It might surprise you.

This is a really important paragraph & question!!!! I answered this pretty much in my OK post BUT I do think many of us get hung up here. Our sense of self is not good so we get hung up that losing the weight & more weight will solve the answers. I have been here. Honestly, I still feel a lot of me is about my fitness… talked about that in my Tuesday post! I loved that last question… WHEN WILL IT BE OK!

5. Why do you want to lose weight? Ask yourself with gut-level honesty: why do you want to lose weight? Is it because the doctor told you your weight was harming your health, or because that little red two-piece swimsuit went on sale at Neiman Marcus? Is it for your wife, your health, your ego, your high school reunion, your best friend’s wedding? Is it because you’ve decided the ten extra pounds around your middle no longer serves you, or because you still want to fit into the size 4 jeans you wore in your senior year of high school? Once you’re honest with yourself, you can decide just how important it is to you to lose weight and where it fits in the grand scheme of your life.

The why do I want to lose weight question! I have written about this recently & how my reasons have changed over time. I love being healthy & fit. I really want to age the best I can for as long as possible. BUT I would be lying if I did not say that I also like looking better too. It makes me feel better… but again, knowing the reasons behind this helps put everything in perspective.

6. How will shedding pounds serve the world? We’ve already touched on how it will serve you. Now, take it to a deeper level: how will losing weight make a difference in the world around you? Perhaps being lighter and slimmer will boost your health, and make you feel more confident, inspired, energetic and passionate; in turn, that will positively affect your children, your mate, your co-workers. There’s no right answer here; it’s just about being aware and exploring possibilities, and perhaps understanding how your own personal goals fit into the world.

I love all the points in this paragraph & I also want to add that setting a great example for children, if you have them or not, is something I think is important. It is just one thing in the scheme of things. That is not to say you have to be crazed but just being healthy, eating well & moving & showing a balance is a good thing. I know I am happier & feel better when I am fitter & that is better for all those around me (ask my hubby!). Again, we each have our own passions & wants… yes, be aware of the possibilities!

Did these questions give you something new to think about? Any help in your journey to health? What, if anything, did you learn from the questions?

Tomorrow, I am going to have a post about a "1 step program". Come on back if you can!

PS: Thx for all your cool answers about your vacation! I am going with you!