Twenty Pounds Lost With Crucial Mental Shifts

By: Michael Beiter

Chris lost twenty pounds in 2022. His weight loss is less than he wanted, but his behaviors and thinking gains outweigh his scale loss.

This man, like so many, is goal-oriented, a leader, and self-sacrificial to his detriment.

"I noticed the excessive drinking at holiday parties. I used to take place! Hell, several of my friends and I prided ourselves on being the life of the party. Now, I see how our cultural celebrations are gross. The excess is disturbing." He said.

I asked him, "If you're saying yes to improving your fitness and tracking your nutrition, what are you saying no to?"

He replied: "Outside commitments! I've said no to things I used to always say yes to, like fundraisers, board appointments, and work outings. I don't care about missing out as much anymore, which is significant for me. I always had FOMO, and now I talk to attendees and realize I miss nothing. What I do instead is enjoyable to me and improves my health. Saying no and setting boundaries is new to me, but it's working! What's better?"

I couldn't think of much better. Chris has started taking two days a week to leave the office by three and go to the gym. Initially, he was nervous that something terrible would happen. It only took a couple of weeks of this practice before he learned he was too uptight.

"In a month, I got one non-urgent text message. Otherwise, nothing happened. I was completely overblowing my need to be connected and available. Truly, learning this has been a relief."

Chris is excited to model this behavior to his employees and see how self-care practices improve entire companies.