My 2 Cents on Trying to Lose Weight!

And the number is ...

I know I have done it, probably you have too. Set a goal to lose some weight. So you ask - what is wrong with that objective? Here are my 2 cents ...

You think losing weight is a goal but there is a flaw in that thought process. Weight loss is not a goal or destination - it is a by product of a different objective. And the objective which you need to recognize and embrace is your health. Good health is a result of healthy living. And healthy living is a life-style. It is not a fad that you choose to follow today and skip tomorrow. You breath, you sleep, you live frugally - similarly you live healthy - everyday.

The basic tenets of healthy living are eating right and exercising. In today’s environment both these rudimentary acts have taken on a significance that needs to be understood and appreciated. Food is plentiful and choices abound. So what you choose to eat is important. Do you choose good, nutritious and wholesome food or the bane of modernity - junk food. Remember – it’s your body and what you put in it is your choice. After all we are what we eat.

The other bane of modern society is lack of exercise. Locomotion is supposedly a biological advantage for our species. What a waste of this asset! Again exercise is not a chore – it is a means to replenish your body with good energy and release toxins. It is not an accident that you feel good after exercising – it is your body’s acknowledgement of being in balance. Similar to needing ample sleep to replenish your body (and your mind and soul), you need exercise to keep that balance.

When you elevate your thinking and get to the root of your being you realize that weight loss is meaningless pursuit. It is an illusion. Focus on what is truly important. Give you mind, body and soul the attention they need. If you don’t give yourself that attention and respect – who will?


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Recurring Resolution - Weight Loss

To weigh or not to weigh?

As I ponder the status of my 2007 resolutions the one failed resolution that keeps staring me back in the mirror is - weight loss. Yeah the same old lose 10 pounds or 2 inches off the waist resolution keeps making it back on the list - year after year.

So I have been wondering - what am I doing wrong? And it started to dawn on me that weight loss is so similar to investing or frugality or smart living. So why not tackle weight loss on similar lines like smart investing and financial prudence. I will start with three basic investing tenants - long-term focus, incremental progress and education.

Long-term focus entails having a long time horizon and long-term objectives to be successful. Health and well-being are long-term goals and weight loss is a by-product of health living. So I intend to not fall for fads and short-term gains but chalk out a long-term healthy living strategy.

My strategy is to avoid the scale and focus on lifestyle. I want to invest in creating a healthy lifestyle that allows me to eat healthy and nutritious food, manage portion size, monitor meal frequency and include regular exercise in my daily routine. I will create a detailed plan of what this means to me so I have some guidance to get started. Over time - it should become habit.

Incremental progress is the slow and steady paradigm of making money or losing weight. If I follow the plan - the gains will be small but regular and add up to what I desire in the long term.

And finally education makes you smart and smart people make smart choices like avoiding empty calories, shunning trans fats, eating nutritious food and exercising.

Jumping on the scale is like checking your account balance. If you don't have a good plan working for you - your account balance will not magically go up or your weight go down. So instead of spending time hopping on the scale I will spend more time reviewing and analyzing my choices - food, exercise, money and life. I guess if I learn to live well - the rest of the pieces should start to fall in place. We will see!

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