I’ve been around the diet
block a long time, and I’ve noticed something alarming.
Why does a diet always start
on Monday? Or at the New Year? Or next week? Or after the holidays? It’s like
there’s something engrained within us that restricts us from starting at 2:27
p.m. on a Wednesday.
Let me pause and talk about child
birth for a moment. Even if you’ve never been pregnant, I’m certain that you
have known someone who has been. If not, then I’m sure you watch TV,
movies, or read. The point is, you should be able to agree that a baby doesn’t
wait for a Monday, or the New Year, or the first of the month, or after the
holidays. The baby doesn’t care what plans you may or may not have. Labor
begins when it begins.
Some babies come close to
when they’re expected, or a little late. When this happens, the parents are
usually well prepared. The nursery is painted and all decked out in cotton
candy colors. The house has been cleaned and organized, and cleaned and
organized again. And possibly even cleaned and organized a third time. (It’s
called nesting, and it’s real.) The hospital bags have been packed. When the
baby actually arrives, the foundation is solidly in place. Even first time
parents are able to start off strong on their own—even if they need to use
their ‘phone a friend’ card a few times. There might even be some frantic calls
to the doctor, but they are able to navigate their way through the unknown
territory.
However some babies come
early. When this happens, not only are the parents unprepared, but there could
be complications for the baby. The baby might have to fight to grow. The baby will need a lot of support. An
extended hospital stay might be required. The baby might not hit milestones at
the same rate as other babies born at the same time who were not pre-mature.
So what’s all this baby stuff got to
do with dieting? Nothing.
That’s because dieting was
probably the stupidest thing ever invented.
For one, diets don’t last.
I can give you countless examples of people who have lost weight on a diet and
then gained everything back. Why? Not because that person is a failure, but
because diets are stupid.
Second, a diet can make a person feel horrible about
themselves. Sure, once they start losing weight they feel good. But it’s not
easy getting there. There’s the comments and policing from others—for example a
dieter often hears, “Should you be eating that on your diet?” There’s also the
disappointment you feel when you ‘fall off the wagon’ or gain everything back
once you reach your goal.
A diet is not meant to be
sustainable, but a new life is.
If you are one of the
many, many people out there who have made a New Year’s Resolution to lose
weight, then I encourage you to look at it with the right frame of mind.
You are starting a new
life, and you need to give it the attention it needs.
It’s possible you’ve been
working toward this for a while and you’re well prepared. You’re that new
parent with all the books and articles and a schedule to boot. If you’re in
this camp, just remember that you can’t become complacent. A new life is
constantly evolving and maturing and requires different levels of nurturing and
support throughout its life cycle. Don’t allow your new life to go into
cardiac arrest—keep taking the pulse and adjust as necessary.
However, if you induced
labor at the start of the New Year, then it’s possible your new life is like
that baby born too early. Maybe you’ve wanted to get healthy for a long time
but haven’t felt ready, yet you were pushed into starting something because it’s
the New Year. If this is you, then your new life will need lots of support and
attention to make it grow strong. It will take extra effort, and you might need
to lean on others for help.
I induced labor on my new
life back on September 13, 2014. In many ways I was ready, but in many others I was
not. Luckily, I found the right environment at FXB to let my new life thrive.
I hope you find what works
for you, so you can enjoy a sustaining and amazing new life.
No comments:
Post a Comment