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A Merry Life

Healthy Living & Budgeting Blog | Health, Wealth & Everything Else

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Reframing: Health Over Looks

September 9, 2009 by Mary

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details.

One of the most interesting classes I went to today was one I thought would be the most boring.  I learned a bit about the metabolic basis of weight gain and loss from the director of the program, who seems to have read every study ever done.  He made his points and covered the scientific reasoning behind weight gain and loss.  A few things he said really stuck with me.

One thing that especially stuck was the fact that “eat less, move more” is a basic tenet that is true for weight loss, but it is an oversimplification.  It oversimplifies the feeding process and overlooks the fact that all individuals are very different.  Because we are all different there is no magic bullet for weight loss.  In every magic pill that is marketed around 40 – 45 % of the people will respond to the medication.  Yet how many times do we oversimplify it?  We say, oh, just eat less food!  Exercise more!  Weight loss isn’t really that hard if you just make the choice and commit to it.  Even on a purely metabolic level that isn’t always the case.  It was just nice to hear this since even I am guilty of making the judgement that all is needed is more exercise of less food or both.

Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about using weight loss as the “goal.”  It’s usually my goal because it is something easy to measure and something I clearly want to get rid of.  I’ve talked a bit before about wanting to move past that, and really my only goal is to be as healthy as I can possibly be.  I think that living a healthy lifestyle should be the goal.  If weight loss is a result of that? Fantastic.  More often weight loss should be the result of actions done to be healthier.  But being healthy isn’t a huge selling point, is it?  It’s not as sexy as losing weight to get in a bikini.   When it comes down to it, being healthier might be on our list of motivators but it’s not number one.  First we want to feel better, look better.  (Good things, don’t get me wrong.)

If you could take a pill that makes you thin, are you really healthier?  You’ve got a smaller body but a pill or other quick fix doesn’t fix the way you think, how you move your body, how you manage stress.  There is no real change other than your clothes size.  It might looks nice to look good in clothes for a few years, but when you stop to think how much better does it sound to be able to add years to your life or come off all your medications?  Which means more?  Our focus often gets so distorted because of the messages we consume each day about looking thin.  It’s a shame, but I’ve been working hard to reframe my own line of thinking.  I do want to lose weight, but I really, really, really am doing this to be healthy.  I don’t want to continue down the path that leads to all sorts of problems and diseases.  I’m working on getting that “health” motivation to trump “looks” more often in my own mind.

Meals:

Breakfast9909 Lunch9909

Lunchb9909Snack9909Dinner9909Dessert9909

Not pictured:  bowl of raisin bran with skim milk at breakfast.

Moves:

1.5 mile walk outside, half on hilly incline

1 hour low impact step aerobics class

1 mile walk on level track

Firsts:

eating orange shortbread (um, who wouldn’t like that? delicious!)

Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: food, Green Mountain, Health News, Thoughts, workouts


« Waterfalls, Asparagus, and Soap
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Comments

  1. janetha says

    September 9, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    orange shortbread sounds delicious! i think health is sooo rad. i mean, since i lost weight.. i can now snowboard with more endurance, my body never aches (well except for my muscles when i work them!), i don’t get sick as much. also my mom’s degenerative back problem has disappeared, she has more energy.. i think the health benefits of weight loss are amazing! great post!

  2. Diane, Fit to the Finish says

    September 9, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    I had heard the saying “eat less then you need and you will lose weight” is not always true. It sounds like the director is very well informed.

    For me, I started out to lose the 150 pounds just purely to look better, but along the way I learned to appreciate how much better I was feeling and how much healthier I was. It was a win-win situation!

    I love your positive attitude Mary!

  3. laura says

    September 9, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    health is where it’s at! but you are right… the goal of looking good is hard to avoid and sometimes takes over. i love a post that makes me think! and i love reading about these experiences and classes!

  4. Denise says

    September 9, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    The information you’ve learned today is exactly the way I decided to start living my life about 6 weeks ago! I am seeing such a difference in myself since I decided my health is more important than anything!

  5. Kat says

    September 9, 2009 at 11:07 pm

    Good stuff Mary! I think things really change when you make health the number one priority. It sounds like a really great program. The food looks good and you did great on exercise today. Your positive energy is contagious…:-)

  6. Hanlie says

    September 10, 2009 at 4:50 am

    Absolutely! I’ve always believed this…and I also know for a fact that if I get my body healthy, it will release weight easier.

    Good job on the exercise!

  7. Chef Lisa says

    September 10, 2009 at 5:39 am

    Glad you liked the shortbread! xxoo

  8. christine says

    September 10, 2009 at 6:41 am

    I so love Green Mountain. I was there about 5 years ago and learned so much. You will do well. Good luck!

  9. Irene aka Fithungrygurl says

    September 10, 2009 at 7:45 am

    I think that once our minds get over the “losing weight” as a goal and get into the mindset of “living healthy”, the losing weight will come on its own.

  10. BodyByPizza says

    September 10, 2009 at 8:09 am

    Love. This. Post. It is important that we do not lose sight of the overall goal: living healthier lives. Losing weight is definitely a (great!) side effect of tackling the bigger picture. I, too, have lost sight of this. Thank you so, so, so much for sharing. :)

  11. Sagan says

    September 10, 2009 at 8:46 am

    YES. Healthy is the goal. A healthy weight is directly related to being healthy. I’m striving for the same thing as you: to just be as healthy as I can be.

    Your meals look really delicious.

  12. Foodie McBody says

    September 10, 2009 at 9:03 am

    I am so thrilled for you. YES, health is the key! I tried to lose weight for Every Other Reason for decades, and it never worked. This year, I put health as my focus and for the first time EVER, lost more than 3 lbs and actually kept it off (9 months and counting now). I feel like it’s really the only goal that will work in the long run. I am so excited for what you are doing and learning, and those meals look incredibly GOOD. Pizza and kiwi? YUM! Orange shortbread?!? MMMMMMM!

  13. Wendy says

    September 10, 2009 at 10:15 am

    When you feel good about yourself, you look good, no matter what your size. And you look fantastic, Mary!

  14. Angie (Losing It and Loving It) says

    September 10, 2009 at 11:30 am

    Great info you learned today. Thanks for sharing. It’s hard not to focus on the weight loss but it’s more important to go for healthy living and the pay off will ultimately be weight loss.

    Way to go on your exercise!

  15. Jody - Fit at 51 says

    September 10, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    I love your attitude & what you are learning! Yes, let’s be healthy! We all have to find what works for us & what mentally motivates us & you are on that path! I have always said that we are all different & what works for one is not necessarily going to work for another. It is all so individual even though many parts of it are the same.

    So glad you are moving towards a new & healthier you!

    OH, orange shortbread. That sounds good!

  16. Mary says

    September 10, 2009 at 3:25 pm

    @Wendy
    Aw thanks Wendy! I totally agree that when you feel good you look good. Size isn’t so important. ;)

    @Jody
    Motivation is a tricky thing because what motivates one person won’t motivate another at all. So it really is about us as indivduals finding what works for us!

  17. Shannon Fab FATTIE says

    September 10, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Mary this is really so exciting to see! No healthy may not sound as appealing but the rest will all come with being healthy. Keep it up you look happy and I cannot wait to see you in a month or two! How cool is all of this…VERY COOL!
    XO

  18. Shauna says

    September 10, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    I read your blog almost every day, and I’m pretty sure this is my favorite post of yours!! Good for you for wanting to be the best you can, feel the best you can, and treat your body the best you can.
    What an amazing adventure you are on right now. The best of luck!

  19. MamaBearJune says

    September 10, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Great post. Glad you are learning so much and yes, getting healthy feels GOOD! But it all goes hand in hand. Because the healthier I’ve gotten, the better I look! ;-) Enjoy your time there, it sounds fabulous.

  20. Cammy@TippyToeDiet says

    September 10, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    Seeing weight loss as a result rather than a goal is HUGE! We can’t control the scale, but we can control our actions. And our actions are things that are goal-able. I love this program, and I’m so happy to be attending in abstentia. :)

Trackbacks

  1. Weight Loss » Blog Archive » Reframing: Health Over Looks says:
    September 9, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    […] Original post by A Merry Life […]

  2. Twitted by amerrylife says:
    September 10, 2009 at 9:07 am

    […] This post was Twitted by amerrylife […]

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