The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

Whether you’re an Oprah fan or not…EVERYBODY in American knew that Kirstie Alley was being interviewed about her recent 75 lb weight gain after her departure from Jenny Craig and her passing of the baton to Valerie Bertinelli. It was EVERYWHERE, from tabloids to shows like Entertainment Tonight and Extra. Valerie reached her goal weigh...and I ain’t mad at her either! I have to admit, she does look amazing! But I refuse to compare my worst (or close to it,) to someone else’s best.

As I watched the interviews of Kirstie and Michael (the man who lost AND gained back 1000lbs) my heart was breaking for them and for the millions of US who are just like them. I can certainly empathize with their plight, as well as identify their red flags, as they shared their stories. Their red flags attacked me like a hundred sharp daggers being tossed through the sky, piercing my shiny coat of chest armor. Amazingly for me, there was at least a slither of hope in their stories that confirmed that I was at the very least, doing some things right.

Here’s THE GOOD…

They started again! Recognizing and acknowledging any failure is hard to take. Even though they gained it all back, they found the strength, courage and determination to pick up the pieces and start again. KUDOS to them! They also recognized that they couldn’t take on their tremendous tasks alone. They needed help and made a conscience decision to seek intervention. For Michael it meant family support as well as medical intercession, but for Kirstie, she decided she would do it her way, and is developing her own weight loss plan. While I think she is on a quest for a magic pill…I still congratulate her for the determination to do it her way. But the message still remains… when you fall off that horse, you gotta get back on him and ride him again!

Here’s THE BAD…

Old habits die hard! I wrote a blog a few weeks back about teaching old dogs new tricks. It’s certainly no task for the weary or faint at heart. It literally requires making an ethical decision to DIVORCE the old bad habits that have created the person you’ve become. It’s certainly possible that some of these issues are intertwined with hormonal or in my case…emotional issues in an effort to create temporary comfort. Whatever the reason for gaining the weight…I can tell you, what I do know, is that it may not be as simple as eating less and exercising more. The bad news is that getting to the core of your weight loss issues requires time as well as patience. In today’s society of “instant gratification,” patience is not always viewed as the virtue it once was.

Here’s THE UGLY…

Most of us will identify our goal, develop a plan to attain our goal, and them work towards achieving that goal. I hate to admit it, but this sets us up for failure! When Michael reached his goal weight, he went out and celebrated with “hotdogs and french fries!” Kirstie turned her work out room, into her a dining room because she “had not had a lot of dinner parties and company.” When she reached her goal and Jenny stopped coming by to weigh her, she simply lost her motivation. While reaching your goal weight is certainly cause for celebration, it is not the end of the race. I hate to tell you this but THERE IS NO FINISH LINE IN THIS RACE! When approached with the correct mindset, this is in fact, a never ending journey, something that will always require work and dedication. That is exactly why experts advise us to develop a plan or a lifestyle that we can stick with…don’t engage in the latest fad diet plan. Reaching your goal weight is only half of the struggle. The real work comes in when we dedicate ourselves to the new task of maintaining the goal we’ve reached. It’s almost like preparing for a never ending “Triathlon” for the foodies of the world. I’ve said it before, and I think we can all agree…this is a mind, body and soul experience. We’ve got to be in this thing for the long haul…not just until we reach our goal.

In my own personal quest to “bring my sexy back”… I am grateful to the Michaels and Kirsties of the world who allow us the privilege to learn from their mistakes. I have scheduled my tune-ups, and I am working on my very own life long triathlon. I will certainly keep you posted on my tune up results and as well as my progress. If in my own quest, I am able to help someone else by sharing my story, then… that would be a wonderful thing, and I am humbled for the privilege.