Motivational Letters

This is a refrain we hear often. First off we must define ‘weight’. Is it just the number on the scale, or are you losing body fat and your shape is changing? This is a good thing, even if the scale does not move much. However, if it is true lack of progress, then we have to look at many factors. Most often, we are eating more than we think. There is often a disconnect between what we think we are eating, and the amounts of extra cream in our coffee or snacks that we tend to forget. Often, even [...]

This was a quote from a website I was looking at, and the words rang true in my mind. When we embark on a weight loss journey everything seems an effort; from writing our food down to planning meals, to the worry of failing, and how we will handle unexpected events. Many times I have been told "it’s easy for you;" I'm never sure how anyone could even imagine that. Although one person may be a different size than another, it doesn't mean they don't think of food, or stop documenting their intake or have supposedly high metabolism to allow [...]

What aspect of self-improvement should we focus on? In point of fact, are they really separate entities or are they tightly intertwined, so much so that we cannot let any of these become less than another? Week by week, we tend to focus almost solely on the physical. What do I weigh? How did I eat? I didn’t exercise enough. How was my sleep? Everything becomes linear; we become only our physical selves rather than balancing other aspects of who we are. We cannot let our learning skills slide; it’s important that we continue to grow in knowledge, whether that [...]

I was reflecting on a number of people I’ve seen recently and over the years, who gave up exercise because ‘they didn’t see much weight loss.’ This baffles me. Exercise provides so many health benefits, yet because a person didn’t perceive weight loss, they stopped. Eating well provides so many health benefits, yet people only focus on the number on the scale, not the improved glucose levels, or improved mobility, and hopefully improved energy. As an extreme example, I saw a wonderful woman who has gone from 250 pounds down to 135 pounds over a few years, yet is frustrated [...]

I was at swim practice the other day, and not swimming at the level I should be at. I was struggling to keep up and frustrated with my lack of aerobic and anaerobic power. I know I have not been training anywhere near what I need to be doing, nevertheless, my inner self expected more than I was capable of at that time. As I kept swimming I relaxed, realizing, like everything else we all do in life, it’s a process. If I would show up more regularly for practice, and train more frequently my expectations should manifest. This is [...]