so i was thinking, on my journey to being healthier, and slimmer, i often found myself reflecting on why we lose weight, happiness and other zen like tendancies to do with the mind and loosing weight. I often think that the emotional side to loosing weight is as big a battle as actually getting those scales and that tape measure to say you are smaller and healthier.
what do you guys think?
can you put a size on happiness?
do you often wonder if you are already happy?
do you think that loosing weight is a mental struggle?
do you think we approach size in an unhealthy mind state? should it be seenas an ultimate goal? or should it be seen as a journey to our healthier lives.?
It does make me happier to wear smaller sizes or to look better, but these are just the bonus you get from being healthier. In other words, I feel better and look better because I am healthier when I am not overweight.
"Do you think we approach size in an unhealthy mind state? should it be seen as an ultimate goal? or should it be seen as a journey to our healthier lives?"
I love this question because it helps me remember what I am doing RIGHT on this turn of the weight loss spiral! In past weight loss-weight gain cycles, the number on my scale was my only way to measure sucess. I ate way too little, used self-hatred as a motivational technique, and lost a lot of weight. So, I was a smaller, tired, unhealthy, unhappy person. No one was surprised (especially me) when my weight rebounded when I stopped the onslaught of tired old negative techniques. I feel that now, that my emotional happiness can not be seperated from my physical wellness. I've lost weight, yes, but I AM HAPPIER! I am trying to be done with looking at my body as something "other", which my mind has to work against. For me, yoga and meditation help me reaffirm that my body IS ME, as much as my mind and emotions are, and that the whole package has to be healthy, or things fall apart. Also for me, "thinner" has come along with healthier eating behaviors and an increased focus on personal joy. If I had not lost weight, but was still as happy and comfortable with myself, would it make my journey any less successful? I know that some feel that I should say No, but I recognize that my smaller body has brought its own rewards- I really have more energy and do feel more like myself at my current size. Are the people out there whose weight is not linked to their self-concept, who are losing weight for the physical benefits only, available to speak on this issue? I would love to hear about it!
I'll tackle part of this. I think for most of us, losing weight is as much a mental journey as it is a physical one. It's about how we define ourselves (e.g.," I'm lazy" or I'm athletic"), how we perceive our obstacles ("I can't work out because..." "I can't eat healthy because..."), how we define our goals ("To make him like me" or "to be healthy...") and more. And as I lost weight I made as many mental changes as I did physical ones...
I can't speak for others or talk about "shoulds" but my main motivation was to be healthier and more mobile. I had a bad fall at 295 pounds that made me begin to recognize what my future might look like and it scared me. Even then, that epiphany wasn't enough in and of itself to get me going. I needed to do some more mental work so that I wouldn't set myself up for failure...
My sense is that many many of us have these mental issues to work through and that the issues change with our bodies...
All that being said, I am also thrilled with other aspects of this journey. NOt only can I DO so much more, but clothes shopping is so much more fun these days!!
nice to see some interetsing responses. Its interesting on these boards so many people focuss on the diet physically rather then the diet mentally,(onle really do u see that in the self help, or dieting with depression) its often negative and not positive.
I think that people who can get to the happy point before trying to lose weight will be more successful at it. I've been listening to a lot of that stuff that says if you think you are happy, thin, successful, whatever you are aiming for, then you will be. It's the power of attraction. Though I still think too much about chocolate cake and so I seem to be attracting it. :P
I think for me, I was unable to lose weight and keep it off before because I wasn't happy. I was in a relationship where my ex-husband's love was conditional on my weight - and it (my weight) was never low enough. Now I'm in a relationship where I am accepted 100%, irregardless of my weight. It took me awhile to really accept this unconditional love and it took a health scare to get me focused on becoming fit and healthy, but ultimately, I now have the confidence and desire to solve this weight problem that I have dealt with for my entire adult life.
I totally think it's both an emotional journey and a physical journey. And, I think they are tied very closely at times. For example, when my physical condition does not change as I think it should, I really need to dig into the emotional side of things to overcome the feelings of failure. When I have cravings or want to binge but know that I'm not hungry, it helps to try to figure out why I'm having those feelings. The physical and emotional are so tied together for me that sometimes it's hard to see clearly or even act rationally.
I've been working several avenues to try to heal the emotional issues - because I truly think that if I don't heal or resolve the emotional issues, I'll not succeed at becoming the healthy and fit person I want to be.
zen in the art of healthy living maintenance.
