Weight Loss Not Fast Enough: The Bowden Equation
I just got another letter from someone who doesn't think they're losing weight fast enough for all the "work" they're doing. This gal lost two pounds in a month; which is only disappointing if you were expecting 10. If you were expecting 2, you'd be happy, right? Which exactly proves my formula — The Bowden Equation: Unhappiness is only equal to the the difference between Expectation and Reality.
Suppose I get in my car in New York City and drive to LA. And somehow, on the way, I find myself in Biloxi, Missisippi. Which I'm sure is a perfectly nice place to be, but it's not LA, which is where I want to go. So what do I do? I'll tell you what I don't do... I don't turn around and throw up my hands and drive back to New York! I figure out a course correction and continue on. And maybe it's not Biloxi where I find myself, but Las Vegas. Which, even tho it's not LA, happens to be on the way to LA, so in that case, I just take a bathroom break, pick up a Starbucks, hit the Eagles Playlist on the iPod, and carry on for another five hours of driving.
My point is that if weight loss (or for that matter, any goal) is not coming fast enough to suit you, change your expectations. Your choice is to go back to the way you were doing things before — which is going to guarantee that you wind up where you were to start with — or to carry on and enjoy the journey. Sure, make a course correction here and there if needed, unless you like hanging out in Biloxi for a while (not that there's anything wrong with that), but for goodness sake, what's the point in turning around and going back to New York?
3 Comments:
The trip to LA from NY and getting stuck in MS is a great analogy. But you have to admit that it is still frustrating if you followed the map EXACTLY and still found yourself in Mississippi. It still doesn't make sense to turn around and go back to NY, but I would get out of my car, kick and scream, and curse Biloxi before hitting the road again to LA.
We live in a "gotta have it now" society that not only wants, but actually EXPECTS instantaneous results. I hate to break to people who think this way, but you live in a fantasy world. In the real world, things like weight loss and improved health only happen when you take deliberate actions and allow your body to react to them. That is certainly what worked for me in my 180-pound weight loss.
Love your blog!
I don't see losing weight as a road trip, more as a canoe ride up a river that has a stinky swamp downstream. While it's nice to get further upstream away from the smell, I don't get depressed when I don't progress as fast as I'd like. I'm just happy I'm not sliding backwards.
Frankly, without low carb I'd be up that certain creek without a paddle.
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