I’ve just turned off the tv, having once again endured the “If I can do it, so can you!” speech from the latest celebrity-endorsed weight loss program. I’m shining a light on this today because it’s a prime example of just how unenlightened a weight loss approach can be.
The first part of the statement indicates that it’s humanly possible to perform such a feat. OK, no problem there. Where it reveals its ignorance is in the huge assumption that the rest of us are at a stage of change that makes this feat accessible to us if we just “sign up”. And of course, why wouldn’t we… celebrity so-and-so is touting it as the best thing since sliced bread.
The statement has a total disregard for the deeply personal journey each of us is on and the important life lessons we’re in the process of learning. This kind of advertising is irresponsible and even damaging. It suggests an easy 1-2-3, follow-me, one-size-fits-all approach and only leaves people thinking “If they can do it, what’s wrong with me?”
I remember when I first started speaking to groups about Conscious Weight Loss™, I was surprised to learn just how fragile many attendees felt. For years, they had defined themselves by labels of failure, lazy, weak, worthless (the list goes on). All this because the programs they were seeking help from had no understanding of how to meet their needs!
An enlightened approach to weight loss always meets you where you’re at. If you’re in the throes of a food addiction, if you’re secretly indulging or bingeing, if you’re oscillating between healthy and destructive living, that’s where you begin. In each case, you don’t start by condemning the behaviour but by following the behaviour back to its underlying belief. In each case, the belief is pointing you to an important area of personal growth for yourself.
I’ve followed this process myself over the years, growing myself up day by day. It’s painstaking at times because our learning doesn’t come to us all at once — it’s more like layers we have to continually peel back. So, if I could do it, could you? Yes, but it must be on your own terms and in your own time. The day will come when you will be immensely grateful for your weight issue, for without it, the most important personal growth work of your life would never take place.
My feature article for this issue is the third in a series that maps out how change happens. Weight loss doesn’t reside in a single, major decision. It resides in the series of choice points that make up your day-to-day life. There are universal principles at work in creating this change. Learning what these are and aligning with them is key to supporting your efforts.
With reverence,
Coach Kath
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