The lure of losing weight quickly is powerful. That’s why the weight loss industry is consistently profiting 70 billion dollars annually. We are desperate to lose weight and will do just about anything to achieve quick weight loss…except slowly learning how to eat right to lose weight gradually and permanently.
We’d rather throw endless dollars at a quick fix than take the time to re-educate ourselves about how food works in the body and on the mind. We’d rather lash about in our cages of self-imprisonment than patiently learn how to pick the lock and set ourselves free forever.
True health restoration, which is required for permanent weight loss, is an act of self-liberation. It requires first that we value and love ourselves enough to invest the time and effort to learn about food, learn about our bodies, and learn a different way of relating to food in order to set ourselves free from the torment, unhappiness, and depression that can come from carrying excessive body weight.
I’ve never had an extreme situation with carrying too much body weight though I have been 20-30 pounds heavier than I am now and I struggled with a vicious eating disorder for 5 years. I have had an unhealthy relationship with food and my body in the past and I have learned – slowly and steadily – how to foster peace. I value my personal health and longevity so deeply that I’ve arrived in a place where nothing tastes better than feeling good, strong, happy, healthy, and in peace.
Dr. Michael Greger, the author of How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease is, at this blog writing, on the brink of releasing his new book How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss. If you are interested in learning essential nutrition basics to eat your way into good health, his books I highly recommend. They are not short or gimmicky books. They are true education that require time and dedication.
Please invest a worthwhile hour in listening to Dr. Greger talk about his new weight-loss book in the video below.
I receive no benefit from recommending Dr. Greger’s books to you. I am an affiliate of LeafSide which is a company that has created shelf-stable, whole plant food meal kits based on Dr. Greger’s teachings and recommendations. You can read my review of LeafSide HERE and order through the affiliate link there which will cost you nothing extra. Not only do I recommend these meals as an affordable and quick method for wholesome vegan eating, but I eat them on a regular basis too.
Unlearning old information, re-learning new information, and changing habits is not a quick nor easy process. However if you wish to restore your health, protect your wellness, and/or lose unneeded weight permanently, you will need to accept these tasks to achieve your goals. You are worth the time and effort. Personal willpower will morph into self-discipline and self-determination when you learn to value long-term objectives over short-term gratification. Self-love is the critical first ingredient of any successful weight-loss story. Fiber is the second. Resist the charm of hollow quick-fix purchases and commit to solid slow-fix solutions.
It’s easy to just say that meaningful transformation starts with self-love. What is not so easy is how to find or cultivate self-love when it’s absent. Try to identify the aspects of yourself that you don’t like. When you speak negatively to your self in your head, write those words down. Isolate them, study them, dissect them, journal about them, talk with a trusted friend, read self-development books, and/or seek therapy. More often than not those issues are born in fear. Figure out what makes you afraid and commit to overcoming or mitigating that fear. You may have to face some hard truths and/or make some tough decisions in the process of learning to love yourself, yet I guarantee that it’s worth it in the end. Liberating your heart and soul must often precede liberating your body. Getting to know your heart and soul cultivates self-love. Protecting your heart and soul is a practice of self-love. When you love yourself, you will be more inclined to take great care of your body, mind, heart, and soul. Remember, no one else in the whole world can or will do this work for you. You have the right to seek self-love to the point of no longer speaking negatively to yourself. That is when you know you are free.
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