By Barbara Berkeley
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle
Long, long ago, in that distant time period before blogging, a food writer for our local newspaper wrote a first-of-the-year column. Seems that he’d gained quite a bit of weight as a result of all that dining and reviewing and he was determined to take it off. There was the usual worry about health issues and the obligate promise to stay focused. The piece also included a somewhat angry paragraph in which the would-be dieter stated that he refused to tell anyone what he currently weighed, nor did he plan to tell anyone how much he was losing. Basically, he was stating his intention to diet and we wouldn’t hear anymore about it until the deed was done.
At the time, I thought that the public proclamation of his problem coupled with his unwillingness to share his weight loss experience was odd. After all, if he didn’t want the greater Cleveland metropolitan area to know he was on a diet, he had only to lift his fingers from the keyboard. He announced his weight loss plans only to go underground with them immediately. I remember sending him an email with the unsolicited (and I’m sure unwanted) advice that he write about his efforts. I still think it would have been a good idea. As the number of weight-loss blogs swells, we are learning the value of publicly proclaiming our goals and of recruiting interested bystanders as cheerleaders and confidantes. The food writer never responded to me and, I am reasonably certain, never lost his weight.
I’ve frequently thought about such “underground dieters” over the years. It’s not uncommon for patients who see me to tell me that they plan on concealing their weight loss efforts from those around them. “It’s none of their business,” they say. Or, “I don’t want to be the focus of gossip.” While these or other issues (such as embarrassment or fear of failure) may be reasonable concerns, I hate to see people abandon as powerful a tool for success as public goal-setting.
Recently, I came across an online article that crystallized my feelings about motivation better than I ever could have. It is from the excellent motivational site, ZenHabits. Click here to read it. This post focuses on two principle secrets of motivation: declaring yourself in public and finding enjoyment somewhere in your chosen task. I realized after reading this that the behaviors I had been suggesting to clients incorporated just these principles…I just had not realized the two themes that linked them. Examples:
1. I advise people to create an “athletic identity” and encourage those I work with to go beyond simply exercising. I want other people to start thinking of them as people who work out. (Public pressure)
2. I tell clients to fall in love with exercise. This is simply another way of saying to find the joyful part of something that you might otherwise see as a burden.
3. I advocate that maintainers mentor others. It's another way of extending the life of your public persona as a weight maintainer. Stay visible and your commitment to a new way of life will remain visible as well.
4. I recommend staying in a support environment. In other words, continuing to state your goal publicly.
5. I ask dieters to find joy in “huge bowls of salad” and “big pieces of fruit." Finding the fun part of eating well can make it just as enjoyable as eating badly used to be.
As you know, I am fond of telling POWs (Previously OverWeight) to think of themselves as “warriors” – solitary fighters for health in a land that’s gone pretty much mad. We all need to find the hooks that help us to go on, that keep us motivated. To wage your best war, don’t be afraid to publicly declare the terms of the battle and to look for ways to enjoy the fight!