Diet versus Lifestyle

Today I would like to discuss semantics. At the Wednesday 7:15 Weight Watchers meetings some people refer to WW as a "diet". I do not prefer to use that term "diet". When I hear the word "diet" I think of crazy, temporary changes in eating patterns. Grapefruit diet, cabbage diet, kumquat diet, etc. I prefer to think of what we are doing at Weight Watchers as a lifestyle.

Healthy eating is something that is not only easy to do, but like a snowball rolling downhill, it gains momentum and becomes even easier to do over time. All that is required is some basic guidelines (as published in our WW materials) and a little motivation. Add to that the positive feedback and support of our fellow Wednesday 7:15 'ers and poof we are on the way.

My wife Linda and I are thinking long-term with our health and fitness goals. Rome was not built in a day, so we are not expecting overnight miracles. It seems to me that the quick-fix mentality of most Americans is what prevents them from sticking to anything long-term.

Instant coffee, instant oatmeal, instant news on cable, instant this and instant that. Waiting 2 minutes for the light to change is a major inconvenience. What ever happened to patience as a virtue? I have to admit, I'm guilty of this attitude at times also. However as a society, we would be well served just to take a breath and chill. When you are stuck at the light or behind a long line at Wal-Mart, what is wrong with looking at the sunset, or just taking a quiet moment in your mind to thank God for all your blessings ?

But I digress from my topic of the day.

WW as a lifestyle means embracing the entire concept, believing in the program as well as yourself, and having fun with it. When an individual says to a friend "I'm on a diet", the immediate connotation is that the dieter is doing something unusual and temporary.

When we say to our friends "I'm on Weight Watchers" the same connotation should not apply. Most folks have heard of WW, but few really understand the holistic aspects of what we are doing. By this I mean it's not counting points only, it's all about thinking in a new way, understanding all the components of a healthy lifestyle, and putting the pieces together on a daily basis to create a brand-new paradigm.

Every day we wake up and make choices. Once we have placed our old, poor decisions regarding healthy eating in the dustbin and replaced them with new, better decisions, that is the success that we are all striving for. I would call this the virture of selfishness. Selfishness in this regard means that it's OK to put my health and fitness considerations first. It's so easy to say, I can't do A. or B. because of family, job, or other outside pressures. In this case, denying yourself the healthy choices, not only robs the individual, but at the same time robs their family and friends of the wholesome, energetic person that emerges when we make the good health decisions EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And that's it in a nutshell. Embrace the program, value yourself, take time to enjoy life, and always have a positive attitude that today is going to be the greatest day ever.