Mar 30 2010
The Light Bulb
My posts lately have been newsy, I admit–a bit of a departure for Weigh-2-Go, as my 10 readers will attest. Where am I going with this?
There’s some magical mysterious factor(s) for weight loss that a gazillion people are trying to figure out.
Even people who have lost weight can’t usually articulate these factor(s) well enough to translate their success to others.
Psychologists, coaches, trainers, and nutritionists have systems–and it’s even possible that all of these systems work!–but the issue is not finding a system.
People don’t follow any system until they are ready.
Weight loss is, we must assume, a personal issue–something that happens inside the mind and the heart.
But it’s becoming a national issue. It has captured the nation’s attention that people are dying, and lifespans are shortening, because of weight.
I was talking to Mary Beth, a fitness trainer, about this phenomenon. We call it The Light Bulb.
If The Light Bulb turns on, weight gets lost. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
When I lost 82 pounds, it was because my Light Bulb went on.
Three years later, 25 pounds regained, my Light Bulb is off.
It was on and now it’s off, and I’m having a hard time turning it back on.
How can this be?
The nature of The Light Bulb runs counter to conventional wisdom. It isn’t about goal setting, willpower, accountability, or the right nutrition or exercise program.
It’s about seeing who you will become.
That’s the best I’ve got so far.
We don’t have good language for The Light Bulb.
Dr. Phil says:
Close your eyes and visualize yourself after you’ve reached those goals. Use this visualization to feel commitment and inner strength.
To which a few people say, “oooh, yeah, nice,” but most people say, “waaah?!?”
Better is Dr. Phil’s Life Law #1 is “You either get it or you don’t.” This Law validates the existence of The Light Bulb, but it doesn’t provide a switch.
Weight Watchers says:
Imagine yourself having already achieved your goals, and enjoying them.
Visualize the way your Winning Outcome will be experienced, when you achieve it. Use your senses so that you feel how it will feel. Add sounds, smells, movement.
Is that going to work for this woman and her family?
Has it worked for Oprah?
Is this a realistic goal for everybody?
Can a nation visualize itself healthy?
Now that obesity is having a measurable impact on our life spans and our health, understanding The Light Bulb is vitally important. That’s what I’m blogging about.
One Response to “The Light Bulb”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Interesting analogy of a light bulb. When does a light bulb usually go off? When things are dark…maybe we need for things to get really bad “dark” in order to change???
Or maybe there is something we need to see more clearly – to shine the light on. Maybe if we just sat still in the dark of night and meditated and asked for the light bulb to turn on..it might.
I think I am going to try that and see. I too need to re-light my torch and get going again.
Or maybe we just need to love ourselves enough to know it’s time to begin again??? Maybe it’s the self-love that is the light bulb???
Certainly is something to ponder.