I know Nancy Makin 's story has been all over the media this week. And it should be! It is an amazing thing that this woman was able to accomplish.
If you have been living under a rock, Nancy Makin is a woman who lost 530 pounds. She started at 703 lbs and over the course of 3 years got down to 170.
There are two things that I really appreciate about this story.
First. This woman was able to do this own her own. She didn't need Weight Watchers or Atkins Or South Beach or a $1000 an hour trainer. She did exactly what we all should be doing. She came to terms with her problem and found the willpower to overcome it.
"I achieved this on my own, in a natural way, with no surgical procedures having been performed. No particular 'diet' plan was followed; no pills, potions or ab-crunching exercises played a part in my recovery," she wrote in a congratulatory letter to herself."
Being overweight is not a problem money can solve. Even with surgery, if you don't get to the real root of your weight issues, the weight will never stay off.
I know that weight watchers and other groups like it have made a real difference in a lot of peoples lives. But in my mind what you are paying for is motivation and if you can find that yourself instead of having to pay someone to do it for you, more power to you!
Which brings me to the other thing I really appreciate about this woman's story. Weight was never her problem.
"I've heard so many times, I said it myself, if I could only lose 40 or 50 pounds, I'd be so much happier. I've found on this journey that the opposite is true."
"Unless you focus on what's going on inside and start to feel better about yourself you won't be able to stop the cycle. The key is to find contentment and value in yourself by reaching out and doing something not for you, and the weight will come off as a side effect."
I really like that . "Find contentment and value in yourself." It can be a lot harder than you think to do it, but it is the crucial first step. For me it has made all the difference in the world. It's why I can say with confidence this is not a diet this time around. It's a whole new life!
Tony
12/5: 223.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
3.4 lbs. to go
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2 comments:
Great post, with great insight from someone who has been very successful. I love the whole idea that weight loss is an “inside out” sort of thing…if you start shedding the pounds internally first, the external ones will fall away, too.
While it is true that you sent me an e-mail this morning informing me, “None of what I said about Weight Watchers in today's post was aimed at you,” I felt as though I needed to respond.
While you say your post isn’t “aimed at me,” it can’t help but graze my head (and your mother’s and your sister’s and my mother’s and how many other people’s) just a little.
It seems as though you’re saying that because I “paid for motivation” my accomplishments are somehow less than yours or saying that I should feel guilty for using the Weight Watchers program. By the way, they aren’t and I don’t.
I am going to be perfectly honest. Every time I have lost weight and felt like I am being properly vigilant regarding my diet, I have been actively participating in the Weight Watchers program. Each time I abandon the Weight Watchers program, I put that weight back on. It’s that simple. While things feel different this time, I’m not sure I want to chance it. Yes, I may be paying for motivation, but I’m also paying for accountability and a support system.
One more point…short one…Weight Watchers is generally regarded as one of the healthiest, if not the single-most healthy, weight loss plans out there. It should not be lumped in with Atkins and South Beach.
Here is the last and biggest issue I have with your post…it’s only one word in the fourth paragraph…”should.”
When talking about the fact that Nancy did it without programs or outside help you wrote, “She did exactly what we all should be doing.” While I agree that Nancy deserves special props for being able to change her life without those things, it does not mean that her way (or your way, or anyone else’s) is the “one, true way.”
Each person has to find his or her own path (bearing in mind, of course, that it is a healthy one). If you can afford a “$1,000 per hour trainer,” go for it! I would if I could. Because you, Tony, have found motivation for yourself, it doesn’t mean that you know how everyone else “should” do it.
It would be a truly beautiful world if everyone had the ability to find the motivation within himself or herself to do whatever he or she wanted…think of all the amazing things that could be accomplished! Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. Sometimes people need a little help, a little support, a little motivation from an outside source. And, there is nothing wrong with that!
“Do it yourself…you shouldn’t need to ask anyone else for help or motivation” is such a male view of the world. “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and take care of it.” How many people go through life never achieving anything because they think that they should be able to do it on their own? How many people never get out of the rut they are in because they can’t find that motivation within themselves and are unable to “admit weakness” by using the tools and programs that are available to them?
My goodness, just making that first step into a Weight Watchers meeting is a huge one for so many people.
I agree with you when you say, “If you can find that [motivation] yourself instead of having to pay someone to do it for you, more power to you!” But, what if you can’t? “Should” you continue being unhappy and unhealthy?
Now if by saying, “She did exactly what we all should be doing,” you meant, “Wouldn’t it be great if we all could be doing it,” then never mind this whole last section of my commentary. Okay? Okay.
I'm stepping off the soap box now. I love you, sweetie! Big kisses!
Laura
Damn girl! I think we are a little feisty lately.
Tony, I swear I am not intentionally rubbing off on her, and Curtis understands she is not intentionally rubbing off on me :O)
And with that said, I have to side with your wife on this one. Mainly, because I believe so much in the WW program, it's benefits and everything else. Laura, well said.
Done.
Oh and PS, that woman lives around the corner from us :o) No joke. You comin' to G-Rap anytime soon? Cause' we would sip hot tea and eat salad with the J's. Oh and I might go knock on Nancy Makin's door. Just for a quick chat.
Much love and thanks for keepin' it real. Sorry I was gone for so long, but I'm BACK!
Em
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