4 Weeks ago I posed to the experts if it was possible to lose 40 pounds in 26 weeks or less. Overwhelmingly the answer is yes. The last 4 weeks have been the beginning of a last ditch effort to make my goal weight in this 52 week series. My plans have been thwarted and derailed by Holidays, Professional Obligations, Ice Cream, Beer and of course a Hang-Nail. In other words I have been plagued by a big bite of the EXCUSE MONSTER! The good news is I have lost 10 pounds in just under 4 weeks and certainly the next 30 will not be as easy to drop.
I will say that the more I hear one basic idea the more it seems to make sense when navigating the difficult fitness pilgrimage. The idea that diets don’t work and the only true and lasting success you can have comes from “Lifestyle Changes”. Which is the same basic premise I use to counsel my clients in my financial planning practice.
“If your path to your goal gets farther away because of your current habits, the only answer is to change them.”
I have been kicking and screaming trying to fight a lifestyle change that I can live with. Honestly why live if you are completely restricted in everything you do and you have to stress out about increasing the load of an already packed calendar with trips to the gym and outdoor ‘cardio’ activity?…. because without your health, you have nothing.
My question to the readers this week is: What is your #1 priority? If your answer is your Husband/Wife, your Kids, your Church, your Career, etc. then where would those priorities go if you were less than healthy or worse? Make your health and yourself first priority, or #2 through #’umpteen’ won’t matter anyway.
We will be asking the experts for our next post some very difficult multiple choice questions like:
If you had to eat Fast Food: McDonald’s, Taco Bell, or Subway?
Cheat Days: Yes or No?
If your client could only give up one diet sin which would be first: Beer or Ice Cream?
This should be interesting. If you have any other multiple choice suggestions, let us know. We would love to get the real answers for real folks.
-Damon
