The Most Important Thing about Trying to Lose Weight

I have had the privilege of helping thousands of people improve their health over my 25+ years of being a family doc. Unfortunately, I have also not been able to help many people. Oh, I can give them the necessary information and/or medications, but many people just seem unable to move the needle. They seem stuck in a rut or even worse, continue down a bad path to decline.

I have discovered a simple, basic principle that successful people have in common. It is so simple that many people will not believe me, but I know it is the truth. It is not hard to understand and yet so many are simply unable to do it.

The simple truth is people who lose weight or otherwise improve their health decide to do so! This is the foundation of making improvements in your life. You must first decide. It must become important to you.

People know they should do something. They know they could do something. How many times have you said, “I should lose weight or I should start eating clean or I should start exercising?” I have “should” all over myself at certain times in my life!

So, the simple dirty little truth to the reason you cannot lose weight is you have not really decided to do so. I know I will get a lot of push-back, but just hear me out.

I know weight loss is complicated and hard. Heck, I have been trying to lose the same 20 lbs. now for a couple of years. I know it is hard and I have planned and strategized to lose the weight and have had some success but not lasting.

The bottom line is I have chosen to be where I am today. The choices I have made have led me to where I am now.

We are basically binary people. Every decision we make is simply deciding between pain or pleasure. Think about it for a second. When you really decide something is important to you, you will find a way to make it happen. Now, I am not talking about unrealistic things such as swimming to Hawaii or flying to the moon.

The problem comes in the moment. When you are tired or stressed, your willpower is not as strong as it would be when you’re not so stressed or tired. In the moment, you chose to relieve yourself of the stress by eating something or doing something that is not so healthy for you over the long haul. You chose temporary pleasure to avoid the pain you find yourself in. Pain versus pleasure. This concept of pain versus pleasure is true in all areas of your life.

So, the first thing you must do is to decide your health is important to you. I found I have this natural tendency in me to judge myself by what I intend to do but to judge others by what they actually do! My intentions are turned into deeds, when I actually decide and take action. I really have not truly decided until I act. The road to good health is paved with good decisions and not good intentions.

If you truly decide to do something, I am betting you can find a way to make it happen. Next time, we will discuss more on how you move from good intentions to taking action.

Wishing You an Amazing Life,
Curtis Brown MD

Read Part 2: Understand Your Why.