Lifestyle Changes Are The Key to Success

Over these past two years, I have spoken to many prople interested in a multitude of solutions to their problems of cholesterol, weight, overall health and energy - and they all look for the root of the solution, rather than the root of the problem. They ask if my Nutrition-Based-Regimen is a low-carb diet, South Beach or Atkins or some other over simplified "diet" fad. It isn't any of these. All of those would over-simplify the problem and the solution. There is no magic bullet, nor is there a one size fits all approach that will work. One doctor came closest to the answer by stating that any "diet" would work - if the mind accepted it.

As my wife and I sat discussing her success in losing 60 pound in the past year, we began a search for the words that would best describe the road to success. In the beginning of my research, she argued against the word "diet" because, to her, it meant a short-term goal and a return to old habits. After prolonged discussion, I had to agree that although the dictionary would support the idea of a "diet", people looked at it differently. When I smoked - it was the environment, the activity or the social setting. If I changed those things, I either smoked less or not at all. Therefore, it is all about the root of the problem - we need to seek. Somebody once said that identifying the problem was at least half-way towards solving. it. A lifestyle change is essential to accomplishing success in attaining a healthy weight. Why do we overeat? There is a void that needs to be filled. The smoking of a cigarette is the equivalent of a pacifier. The alcohol or drug addiction is an escape that seeks a false feeling of pleasure and in some cases numbness to reality.

Overeating is an addiction that could be described as a food-aholoic. Filling our lives with joy, working at a job we thoroughly like, being in a relationship that offers as much as it takes - these are lifestyle choices that lead us to contentment. Without these ingredients, we seek other means, often addictions, which are temporary and lacking in the ability to fulfil our needs.

Eating is immediate, accessible, and comforting as the love we knew in our childhood. Overeating is over-reaching and can become gluttonous behavior without end and without satisfaction. The reason so many fail to maintain a healthy weight has more to do with their lifestyle than with the preciseness of the "diet" they were on. Most studies revealed that those most successful in maintaining their weights - were those who made their own choices.

The idea of choosing foods on the basis of their value to our overall health appeals to people because it puts the emphasis on choice and opens up a variety of colors, fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish and nuts - pleasing to the eye and the taste buds.

However, food cannot change bad habits, your frustration with your job, or your relationship. So you see, we return to the root of the problem and that is all about your lifestyle. It is about the joy you experience in your friendships, your job, your everyday tasks, the setting of the sun, a cool summer breeze, the love of your pet and the significant relationship you experience with the one you love.

It takes me back to an interview Kenny Rogers gave to an interviewer. When asked what he considered to be the main ingredients to a good life, he responded: "Something to do, something to look forward to and someone to love."

Solving the problems of obesity, as I address it in my book, "Make Eating a Lifestyle Change" is much more than what we eat, how much we eat, how many calories we consume and how much exercise we endure -- it is about finding HAPPINESS!