"How Impatience Destroys
Weight Loss Success"
A Hard Look At "The Great American Epidemic"
2005 by Dr. Frank B. Smoot, MA, DD
www.CoachFrankSmoot.com

You like challenges, don't you?

They give you a chance to show "what you're really made of," right?

OK, well here's a little challenge for you: Sit still, put both feet on the floor, straighten out your posture, relax your body, clear your mind, take a few deep breaths, and see if you can actually be right here, right now, fully present in THIS moment.

Nothing else on your mind, no urgent need to get to "what's next." Nothing to cross off your "to do" list or delete from your PDA. Just be all alone with yourself, calm, relaxed, and totally at peace.

How are you doing? Can you handle this challenge? Tough, isn't it? No "finish line." No deadline. Nobody to tell you how you're doing or grade you on your performance. Just you and you. A totally personal experience.

Can you handle it?

Most Of Us Can't!

The tragic truth is that we Americans stink at relaxing. We're all about faster, bigger, better, more impressive, and ever higher performance. It's like one giant marathon race -- with the grave as the finish line.

Really, now. Is that any way to live? Let me ask you, how will you ever be able to figure out if you won or lost? And who's actually keeping score? Where is the cosmic timekeeper, giant stopwatch in hand?

And what's the prize for winning? A solid gold coffin?

May I invite you to slow down for just a few minutes? And may I further invite you to slow down you entire day? How about your frenetic approach to life itself?

And above all, may I invite you not to be in a hurry to reach your weight loss goals. Don't you think it makes more sense to take a gradual but permanent approach that's totally safe and proven, instead of using dangerous drugs or crash diets where you're virtually guaranteed to gain back every pound you lose, and maybe get sick in the process?

Unfortunately, we Americans have been conditioned -- brainwashed -- to expect quick and easy solutions to all life's problems. Now, it's not that quick fixes are always bad. But most problems -- and especially weight loss -- just don't respond to them.

Waiting for our bodies to shape up -- or waiting for anything at all -- seems to grate on our American psyches. Whatever we want, we want it right now. And we'll pay more to get it right now. But remember -- when it comes to losing weight, unless you're prepared to start hacking off big chunks of your body, "right now" just ain't gonna happen.

Geezy Peezy – Take It Easy!

Nor should it. How long have you been overweight? How long did it take you to get there? And how long have your current beliefs, attitudes, and habits been a part of your life? In light of those realities, do you really think you can -- or should -- lose weight quickly?

Of course, you want to. You don't like waiting. Neither do I. But this is your body we're talking about -- and your mind and spirit, as well. This is your life! It has a "momentum" of its own. And like a speeding car, if you try to turn it around too fast, it can crash.

And remember the Titanic? It hit the iceberg for one simple reason: It couldn't turn fast enough to avoid it. The big ship had a huge amount of momentum built up in one direction -- in the direction of danger. There are two lessons here:

Lesson One: Changing course does not happen instantaneously. It takes time, and steady effort in some other direction. And the greater the momentum, the more time will be required. (How much momentum does your life have in its present direction?)

Lesson Two: Don't wait until it's too late to start making your changes. Start steering away from disaster while there's still time to avoid it. (Now would be a good time.)

If you will stop being in such an all-fired hurry, and be willing to invest a little time to improve the nature of your beliefs and attitudes, you will find that you are able create the kind of motivations that will automatically and permanently eliminate the struggle that has made it so hard to get in shape up to now.

An just as important is the fact that you will need time to adjust to your new weight, both physically and emotionally. It's not just your body that changes, but every part of you. In many areas of life, and especially in weight loss, fast is the enemy. (Fast food is a perfect example.)

So be willing to take it slooooow.

Yours in total health,

Dr. Frank

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