OBSESSION!

Last week, my very good friend Peg and I went out to lunch and she asked me if I thought that a person needs to be "obsessed" on this journey.  My immediate reaction was "YES, absolutely!"

I have been thinking about our conversation since then.  You see the word "Obsess" tends to make people think of negative things.  But the definition of obsess is:  To occupy the mind excessively.  Now, look, if you are looking to lose 5 pounds this probably doesn't apply to you.  But I am assuming that most people who bother to read this are looking to radically change their lives and their bodies.

When I talk to my addicted clients I tell them this:  they should consider their life as a pie chart (mmmm....pie....) - oops distracted there for a minute...You guys are familiar with pie charts, right?

I tell my clients that when they first are getting sober that focusing on getting clean and sober has to be a HUGE piece of the pie - their number one focus and that EVERYTHING - and I mean EVERYTHING ELSE - has to fall into the little tiny sliver that's left.  However, once they have been clean a while, they can start allowing that pie to get cut up more and the process of focusing on being sober should get smaller and smaller.  It will always be a slice of their life, but it doesn't need to occupy so much of their time and energy and focus.  

I think the same can be said about losing weight and being fit.  If you are COMMITTED to this journey, it needs to be the primary focus of your life, period.  When I was actively losing weight, what I was going to do for exercise that day was the FIRST thing that entered my mind the minute I got up.  What I was going to eat that day was what I thought about while in the shower in the mornings.  EVERY SINGLE THING that went into my mouth, I knew how many calories and where that fit in my calorie count for the day.

Yes, that is OBSESSIVE.  And it meant sacrificing other parts of my life.  BUT, now that I'm in maintence, I'm not as obsessed.  Real life, instead of the losing weight life, is taking over.  Slowly, but surely.

I don't think you can half-ass it.  Not if you want to see RADICAL change.  And I wanted life altering change, which I got.  I honestly don't think that you can devote only 10% of your life to this journey and lose 100 pounds.  And when I say be obsessed, I mean be obsessed with the PROCESS.  Being obsessed with the number on the scale I think is unhealthy.  If you are focused on the PROCESS of getting fit and eating well, that number takes care of itself.

How much does being fat and/or unhealthy dominate your life?  Think about that.  Does it effect your relationships, your breathing, where you go for dinner, what you do with your kids?  Do you sit on your ass on the weekend playing computer games and waste your life away?  If so, I would argue that you could use some obsession.

And I'll leave it with an awesome quote, but I am curious on your thoughts of obsession....