My Best Diet Advice – Don’t Diet.
Thriving holistically in life is the core philosophy of SheTaxi and something that I am passionate about. When I think of someone who is overweight, I think of people who are not thriving in mind, body and spirit. It’s not easy to live authentically. It takes time, dedication and commitment (especially in this culture) for true well-being. I am writing as someone who is on this journey.
If you’re overweight, ask yourself, “why are you overweight?” Better yet, “why are you fat?” I really dislike the word “fat,” but, it’s stronger than “overweight” to me. Overweight is a pretty word for “fat” and provides room for the avoidance of your body facts. Are you fat because you are overeating? Probably. Why are you overeating? What’s going on in your life that is causing you to be fat? Why are you choosing not to care for yourself?
I had a turning point in my life when I decided that I was no longer going to focus on how much weight I wanted to lose. Instead, each week I made a conscious decision of how I was going to develop my mind, my body and my spirit. I could “diet” all I wanted, but, the reality was that if I didn’t tackle why I was fat in the first place and why I allowed myself to get there, the weight would eventually creep back on.
When you state a goal that you want to lose 15 pounds in a month, that’s silly. First of all, it’s an unhealthy way to lose weight and I bet your life savings, it comes back on. You are setting yourself for failure. Why? Because you didn’t tackle your mind and assess why you’re eating to a point that it hurts you. Or, take care of your spirit by digging deeper and find out why you’re allowing yourself to do it.
I think about people who have gastric bypass surgery and put weight back on after the surgery. They’re not caring for their mind, body and spirit. (Hats off to the post-op patients who have figured this out.) Instead, by getting the quick fix and assuming everything is going to be better and different when the weight comes off, is denial. It’s sad when someone has gone through a surgical process and evolves back to a place they didn’t want to be. My guess is that it must take a toll on their mind, body and spirit and cause them to feel even worse about themselves.
What’s most important is to get rid of “the pressure of the pounds to lose” and focus on taking a journey to live fully and authentically. It’s not a quick fix, it’s a life-long commitment and it’s worth it. My guess is that if you haven’t lost a bunch of weight at first, the way you’re caring for your mind and spirit will cause you to not even care because you’re experiencing life differently already – in a good way.
By the way, over the last three years, I have lost 25% of my body weight. I didn’t want to make a reference in this blog about pounds lost or percent of weight-loss, because I want it to be about complete well-being. However, I thought I better do so, that way you knew I wasn’t full of “baloney.” (literally)
As a result of me nurturing my mind, spirit and body…a lower body weight has emerged. And guess what, whether I lose any more weight or not, I don’t care because my life is much richer and fuller than ever. That’s thriving.
Cheers to your authentic well-being!
About the Author
Peggy Paul, Founder of SheTaxi, originally published this blog in 2011 on SheTaxi.com.
