My whole family has always struggled with weight. I, too, am predisposed to obesity, but I'm the only person in my family who is not obese. The reason I'm a healthy weight for me and in decent shape is because I believe I deserve good health, longevity, daily activity and a positive body image. I also believe that my wife, kids and grandkids deserve to have me around for at least a few more decades. We have in life what we believe we deserve, so that's the crux of how I've created a different result in my life than many of my family members. Of course it also takes work -- you've probably heard me say that winners do things losers don't -- but first and foremost, you've got to believe you deserve it.
So here's my question for you: Do you believe you deserve to slim down and live a healthy, active life? In your heart of hearts, do you think you're worthy of real results?
The weight loss journey begins -- and much of the battle is won -- when you believe you deserve that end game and can see the finish line with clarity. (Hey, I'm an athlete so I guess I can't help the sports analogies.) Can you envision what life will be like when your clothes finally fit comfortably? How will it feel when you chase after the kids in the park without getting breathless? What it will be like when you look in the mirror and actually like what you see? Are you motivated to be healthy? Take a moment right now to think about your answers, because once you've got what I call "20/20 foresight," then you have a better chance of following that vision all the way to reality with the tools I'm about to give you in my new book, The 20/20 Diet: Turn Your Weight Loss Vision into Reality.
If you've failed before, I'm not surprised. (There's a reason the book title mentions that other diets fail!) Americans throw away over $60 billion a year on weight loss products, many of which are pure gimmicks or what I call "get-thin-quick diet mirages" that are too good to be true. But here's some good news: We can actually learn from your past because the mistakes you've made over the years hold the clues to getting it right this time -- once and for all. If you've been obsessing about your weight and compulsively dieting for years, it's time to stop the insanity.
My own nephew was approaching 500 pounds when he said to me about a year ago:
"Uncle Phil, I'm dying a slow death here. I am a recluse. I have no life. I'm not living; I'm merely existing. I am a grown man, yet I have no social life, I haven't been on a date in years, and I'm ashamed of myself every time I look in the mirror. I hide in shame and I am so lonely and discouraged that my days feel a week long. I go out late at night to get fast food and come back and eat it alone. It's pathetic. I have to make my last stand right now or I know I will be dead in months. I can barely breathe. I am afraid, I am really afraid. I am to the point where I would rather be dead than live this way. I am ready to change this, really ready. Please help me, and I promise I will not disappoint you or myself."
I mention my nephew not because he used the tools in my new book, (he actually went to an inpatient facility), but because he's an example of someone who was truly ready to make a change. If you're sick and tired of the diet roller coaster you've probably been on for decades, your time has come, too.
I waited over a decade since I published The Ultimate Weight Solution to release The 20/20 Diet because only recently did research and theories emerge that I'm excited about, and that led me to come up with the 20 foods that are at the core of the diet. Tomorrow on my show, I'll reveal the reasons other diets fail (like the fact that they leave you starving so you rebel -- duh!), why this one is designed so that you'll never be hungry. Listen, my plan takes work -- if it didn't, it would be too good to be true -- but it is manageable, easy to follow, inexpensive, and entirely doable.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. If the holiday season is your excuse to keep indulging and rationalize that now's not the right time for you to feel your best, then clearly you're not ready. (Though you should know my plan does allow for reasonable splurges.) If, however, you believe this is your moment in time to reach for your weight loss and overall health goals, then let's get started. On my show tomorrow, you'll meet several women I'm sure you can relate to as they get incredibly candid about their weight loss struggles, and I reveal parts of The 20/20 Diet that you can immediately start incorporating into your life. Plus, all week long here on HuffingtonPost/DrPhil I'll be sharing strategies for what you can do cognitively, behaviorally, environmentally, socially and nutritionally to create the results that you believe you deserve. You do believe it, right?
Let's do this right, and let's do it together.
