Diet & Weight Management
I've lost 20 pounds in the past 60 days. My wife has lost 20 pounds too. We are in mid-life, self-employed, successful, extremely busy professionals. My wife is an internationally-known spiritual teacher. I am a well-known peacemaker, teacher, and mediator. We train with a trainer once a week in a variation of Power of 10 resistance training. I swim or ride a stationary bike daily for 15-20 minutes, walk the dog a half-mile daily, and spend the rest of my time on my computer, teaching, mediating, or practicing jazz violin.
How have we succeeded with our weight loss? I've distilled down how we approached this lifestyle problem into seven common-sense choices we have made.
1. Support
We decided that we had to support each other even more than normal. Changing our social pattern around eating and food was going to be a stressful. We both jumped in together. Without supporting each other, the process of losing weight would be a lot more difficult. By supporting each other and walking this journey together, we put up the first wall against falling back to old eating habits. In the early weeks, we found ourselves irritable. Our normal emotional elasticity was limited. We really concentrated on each other during this uncomfortable time.
2. Commitment
We had talked about losing weight for years. Our weight had come on slowly. We loved our wine and fine food (I love cooking). Our lifestyle was fun, comfortable, and pleasant. We talked a lot about "we should" without making a change. When we finally decided, we determined to be committed to a long process.