In our crazy drive through, instant gratification, pop a pill, lunchtime lipo-sucking and face tucking society we can easily forget what true success really means. We “should” be able to look better, feel better and do better with some magic formula or program. We are inundated with products designed by some very masterful marketing gurus who are happy to sell us just what we “need” to alleviate the problem and feel better instantly or at least very quickly.

The big problem with the quick fix is that the focus is on the problem with short term results. I have many friends who have had the radical lap band surgery years ago and it seemed to be the answer to their terrible battle with the bulge. Slowly over the years the pounds manage to creep back on. Extreme weight loss and makeover shows might make for good TV but does it really make for a good life?

When the changes are not made internally (in our minds, emotions and spirit) then our bodies will bare the brunt and sadly go back to their former state. Discouragement and despair then becomes our greatest enemy insuring failure as our result.

This is the plight of the yo-yo dieter.

I am a recovering yo-yo dieter and I am learning to take the time that I need to rethink my relationship with food and my goals. I wonder if my goals change then perhaps my results can too? Maybe, if I shift out the “I need to lose X amount of weight”  and into “I want to feel good and happy about myself” then not only will my expectations change but so will my choices?

What if I can insure my long lasting results by practicing acceptance and loving kindness with myself, just as I am and not based on my current weight losses or gains?

Little choices do matter AND having a clear vision is essential to navigating your course and getting to your ultimate destination. If you don’t know where you want to end up then how will you get there? Is your vision (goal) big enough to go through the pain of real transformation? Meaning, is it more than just about losing weight? What if your self-worth is not based on what the scale says?

What if you chose to love yourself now? Just think about it for a minute.

Albert Einstein once said, “The thinking that created the problem is not sufficient to solving it.”

What if then that problem is not what the scale is saying but what you are saying?

What if you gave yourself the gift of just 5 minutes today to simply DREAM about the you that you really want to be? Try to describe her with as much details as possible. If it wasn’t based on your weight but on loving and accepting yourself then what would your life look like? What would your relationships be like? Imagine how you would feel and what experiences you would have? Even describe the kind of clothes you would wear and places you would go.

This entire exercise could take as little as 15 minutes and produce a lifetime of amazing results. God is in the details and so is your meaningful life. You just need to practice giving the time to yourself as a gift because you are worth it.

Instead of looking elsewhere for your magic remedy, remember that your greatest agent of change lies within you because it is YOU! What you nurture today becomes your future so why not nurture you? If you don’t nurture your soul and spirit then food (and other addictions) will forever be the yo-yo battle.

Set the course for a new you by daring to dream from the inside out.
To your health,
Dr Naomi

1 Comment

  1. Angela on June 13, 2012 at 2:36 pm

    Yes, yes, yes!

    I love this perspective. I’ve only recently realized how important the focused, intentional “love thyself” journey is, but as I imagine what it feels like to be completely loved, valued and nurtured (by ME!), I catch the vision and it gives me the energy I need to do the “work.”