The Golden Rule for Dieting and successful weight loss in the New Year!

By Julia Havey

I heard the most amazing message recently. It was on Thanksgiving Day.

The message came in the form of a story about a woman who was in the hospital and very ill with cancer. Whenever anyone went to visit this woman, they asked her how she was. Every time that she was asked, she always responded "Great!" Her answer was never followed with a "but" like many of us use when asked how we are. I have caught myself many times say "I'm fine, but my back is sore...or my head aches....or I didn't sleep well last night, or but it's too cold out", etc. She never answered with a "but". Sometimes however, she would answer with an "and", such as "Thanks, I am great, and how are you? Or "and it is a beautiful day".

When asked why she never complained, the woman responded, "because I live my life by a simple rule, the rule is to allow only ONE complaint a day...and I just haven't found anything to complain about yet today!"

Wow. I wish I had met this woman. She really must have been amazing to know.

It got me thinking about weight loss, like all things in life do, and I realized how much more pleasant our journey would be, if we allowed only one complaint a day.

Sometimes we can complain so often, about so many small trivial things that we lose sight of the big picture. So let's end that and get some more clear focus on the solution to our complaints!

One way that is woman did this is that she lived her life with an attitude of gratitude. She was truly thankful for what she had and did not dwell upon that which she did not.

That is something that we can do easily when it comes to losing weight! We can take inventory of all that we have to be thankful for:

• The ability to change our habits, behaviors and health.

• The ability to choose healthy foods over unhealthy foods

• The abundance of healthy food choices

• The ability to prepare food in a healthy manner

• The ability to reverse health problems brought on by obesity

• Hope

• The opportunity to move our body and get some exercise

• The chance to improve upon yesterday and make tomorrow better

• The resources that we need to educated us as to what is healthy

• People who are dedicated to seeing us succeed and supporting our endeavors

• Sewing machines, to take our clothes in as our body loses inches

• Compliments!

• No longer feeling despair over HOW to lose weight

• No longer yo-yo dieting

• That we are no longer depriving ourselves of optimal health


I am sure there are so many things that I am missing from this list....add to it, won't you. Tell me what you are thankful for!

Isn't that a whole lot better than focusing on the Twinkies that you won't be eating and complaining over it! An attitude adjustment may be just what you need to realize your attitude of gratitude!

Carpe Diet!
Julia