Losing Weight Is Not the Same as Getting Healthy

Losing Weight Is Not the Same as Getting Healthy .. it's really true.  If you stop and think about this for a minute you'll realize the accuracy of the statement.


I wanted to write a post today on my own health journey, hoping sharing some things that have worked for me so that perhaps, if you need it, they will help you too.

So if "health" and "weight loss" are not the same, then how are they different?  Very glad you asked.

Measuring "weight loss" is easy.  Step on scale - beat yourself up for not being healthy, do it again the next day.  See?  Easy!

However, there are various ways to measure "health".  In my corner of the world, I agree with what is said on Mark's Daily Apple.  Check this out.

"Avoiding blatantly poisonous foods like grains, sugar, and industrial seed oils is the most important thing we can do, followed by getting adequate amounts of exercise, sleep, and sun while reducing or mitigating stress. Once you’ve got the chest freezer full of pastured animals, a good workout regimen dialed in, a source of pastured eggs you can rely on, the perfect sleeping position entrained, and you’re waking up without an alarm clock totally refreshed and energized, then you can think about ... etc, etc, etc "

THAT friends and neighbors is how I now, and for the last 18 months, have measured good health. 

It was that very kind of thinking that set me free internally.  No I don't ignore the other markers of blood pressure, weight and things like that.  But they don't run my life - the quote above is what I strive for .. not a number from the doc or a number popping up on a little machine in the bathroom when I stand on it.

See, so often in today's society we focus SO much on the scale, the doctor's visit and the corresponding numbers .. that we forget to LIVE.  The "correct numbers", if you will, are a pleasant side-effect of  living healthy.  When you have your health priorities straight you're not "trying to lose weight" at all anymore .. I sure don't.  It just happens because of how I live.

This makes perfect sense when you think about it.

How do I know this is all true?

Because after years of being fat, uncomfortable in my own clothes, avoiding people because of my weight, dreading seasonal changes because of clothes .. I'm finally free.

And I'm free even though my "weight-loss" isn't complete yet.  My thinking about it is right now and because of my approach, weight loss just naturally happens.  So I know this is all true because I've measured it out in my own life.  It's truly working for me.

It's taken a loooooong time to get here and LOT of mistakes along the way.

I'm wearing clothes again that I wore BEFORE I got married.  I even slipped into a pair of shorts (and yes they fit) that I wore in high school.  Most folks would be happy to get back to their wedding day size.

So what have I done to change my health?  Here are some of the things I do.

• I wear my Vibrams everyday.  Not only do they strengthen my feet, helping me get healthy from the ground up, they are like a string around my finger, a constant reminder that I'm doing something different ... living healthy, not dieting.
• Yes I've changed my diet but that's not the same as dieting.  A diet implies a short-term change for a near at hand goal (lose 10lbs by blah-blah-day) ... really?  Is THAT how you want to live?  How about just going Primal instead?
• On this page, to the right over there you'll see that I'm a promoter of the Body By Vi Challenge.  Yes I use those supplements.  But I wouldn't be if they didn't fit in with my Primal Lifestyle.  Ask me about either and I'll talk about them - no pressure.
• I take Juice Plus everyday to supplement for fruits and veggies, bridging that gap where I may not eat enough during the day.
• I de-stress whenever I can, I play, joke around more.
• I educate myself on health, I think about it ALL the time.  I consume all I can.
• I don't make food lists .. I don't count calories .. I don't worry about what I've eaten.  My body regulates my mishaps now.
• Most of all though, and what makes ALL of the above work out .. is that I PAY ATTENTION to what I'm doing for my health at all times.  (I'll write a separate post on this soon).

But there you have it.  Sort of a brain-dump on letting go of the scale, getting your health priorities straight and learning to focus.   Clearly you don't have to do what I do .. yes I think it's the answer for you but perhaps your path lies along a different way from mine.  I'm ok with that.

But if you do need help with weight-loss, first, find your path.  I recommend to start paying attention to your life, not the scale.  Stop beating yourself up and take action on education first, then action in your day-to-day life.  Take small, consistent steps and they WILL lead to big results. 

And if you need to talk about it, give me a shout.  If I'm not out in The Forge or Running Wild, I'll talk to you all you like :)

P.S. - More to come on The Forge and Running Wild later!