I admit, I am one of the few that didn’t watch Oprah the first week of January. It wasn?t that I didn’t want to; I just didn’t get around to it. Life is like that sometimes!
In any case, I feel a certain kinship with her. Like Oprah, my highest weight was 237 pounds, exactly. And like Oprah, I lost a bunch of weight (70 pounds for me). Though Oprah didn’t know she had a thyroid issue, I did and still managed to lose weight, or as I like to call it, body clutter.
To have kept off my big weight loss for as long as I have (nearly five years), I finally feel like I know the secret to it all. It’s as basic as ABC. Let me explain.
First there is A for awareness. Being aware that food can either be a friend or foe is critical. Food is necessary for existence but quality food and the right amounts are necessary for weight loss. Keeping that in the front of your mind is essential.
Then there is B for balance. Not all days and all meals are created equal. There are times when you eat really well and there are times you do not. If you keep in mind the bad times and balance that out with extra exercise the next day, plus deliberately cutting back on your calories, you’ll be able to maintain that balance.
And last there is C for choice. There are moments when your resolve is close to crumbling and honestly, that drive thru is looking real good. To set yourself up for making good choices, there has to be forethought and planning. Keeping snacks in your purse or car or knowing what to choose on a fast food menu in case of extreme emergency is how good choices are made. I keep small bags of raw almonds in my purse and if I’m going somewhere and will be on the road for any length of time, I take a cooler with food in it, rather than take a chance at the drive thru. It’s not hard to do and just requires a little planning.
Learning the ABCs started us reading classic literature and forming deep thoughts. Basics are the foundation for all great works and if we lose sight of this and don?t keep the underpinnings to the first things we learn as we start this battle, in the long run, we lose the war.
My advice for Oprah, if I may be so bold, is to stay in sync with those basics, relishing them, appreciating them and to be all about them. It is on that foundational path that much is learned and where you will continually learn as well. This is where the body clutter between your ears can be lost and you can finally start to love yourself just as you are. It’s not about the next thing, this is The Thing, and it works.
For more help putting dinner on your table, check out Leanne’s website, www.SavingDinner.com, or her Saving Dinner book series (Ballantine) and her New York Times bestselling book Body Clutter (Fireside). Copyright 2008 Leanne Ely. Used by permission in this publication.
Share
Contributors
