Recently I wrote a blog for Mind Body Green about weight loss, health, and our mindset around these issues. Almost immediately after the blog was published, I received a Twitter comment asking why I talked about weight loss in my blog, particularly when so many people ultimately fail at long-term weight loss. It’s a good question and for those of you who know me (either in person or through my blog), you know that I’m not a big fan of talking about women’s appearance, particularly in regards to weight.
It’s my job to encourage and support women.
However, as I explained to my Twitter commenter, many women want to lose weight and are focused on that as their ultimate goal. I want to support women where they are and to help them achieve their goals. If their goal is weight loss, it certainly isn’t my job to talk them out of it. It’s my job to encourage and support them in their endeavors. What I often find is that when women want to lose weight simply to change their appearance, rarely are they making healthy choices in their lives. They are crash dieting, obsessive exercising, and looking for that quick fix weight loss pill.
What if we focused on our overall wellbeing versus our appearance?
So as we head into the holiday season where most people gain weight and then feel miserable by January 1st, what if we focused on our overall wellbeing for the holidays versus our appearance for one event? Why is everything around weight loss an either-or decision? Either you eat nothing or you eat everything. Either you remove all carbs, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine or you over indulge in all of it. I think this either-or mentality comes from an “on or off” diet mindset and not from an overall place of wellbeing.
Wellbeing is not a number on the scale or a clothes size.
Do you know what wellbeing looks and feels like for you? For me, it is having some of my favorite foods in moderation. It’s also getting a walk or a workout in to help manage stress and overwhelm. My wellbeing will NEVER exclude chocolate, but it will limit excessive chocolate. Excessive chocolate makes me feel like . . . crap! Wellbeing is not a number on the scale or a clothes size, and it’s certainly not some imagined image of myself out of a magazine.
Wellbeing is both a mindset and a way of living that makes you feel fabulous.
Wellbeing is both a mindset and a way of living that makes you feel emotionally and physically fabulous. A diet can’t give you that, but a conscious, focused health and wellness plan can. When I stopped dieting and started focusing on my wellbeing, I lost weight, gained energy, and felt powerful and in control of my life. I got very conscious and aware about what I was putting into my body and how I was moving my body every day.
Sit down for a few moments before you rush headfirst into the holidays and ask yourself what wellbeing will mean for you. What will you need to do to have energy and joy through this holiday season? How will you take care of yourself and prioritize your own health and wellness? Let me know what you come up with and if I can share it with others.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC