Natural Weight Loss Lifestyle Tip
Predict Your Future Weight…
Do you compare yourself to the people around you? Most people do. As obesity becomes more widespread in our society being overweight is becoming the norm.
I saw the movie “WALL-E” recently which paints a picture of a future populated with people so fat that they can’t even move around or stand upright without the assistance of motorized chairs.
Seems far fetched, right? Maybe not. According to the United State’s government’s Center for Disease Control, 66% of American’s are overweight. Sounds unbelievable, right? Think I’m making that up? Here’s a link to the CDC’s website so you can check it out for yourself:
The current research from Johns Hopkins predicts that 86% of Americans could be overweight by 2030. If that trend continues a motorized chair could be in your future too. It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that 4 out of 5 people will soon be overweight and unhealthy in our society.
It’s almost as if obesity has become viral and people are catching it from one another like a common cold.
Is Gaining Weight Contagious?
In a way, yes. If everyone in your social circle is overweight then it will seem normal if you are too. It might even cast you as an outsider if you suddenly lost a lot of weight, right? Then you wouldn’t be like your friends anymore and maybe they wouldn’t like you.
This sort of thought pattern causes many people to “catch” weight issues from their friends and family. Ever notice how family members tend to be similar in weight? Think this is all genetic or could there be a degree of social conditioning at work here? The answer can be found in…
Your 5 Closest Friends
Do you know about “the 5 closest friends” theory? It states that you’re likely to behave in a manner consistent with the 5 people you spend the most time with.
This idea is popular in wealth building circles. If you spend a lot of time with people who make $50,000 a year and you want to make $100,000 a year then you need to start spending time with people who are already doing that.
It works for weight loss too. If you socialize with people who make poor food choices and indulge in self destructive eating habits then chances are that you will too.
Put yourself in an environment where other people are already achieving what you want for yourself and you will reach your goals more quickly and easily.
You can apply this concept to many areas of your life.
• Academics (If you’re a C student, start spending time with A students)
• Sports (play your favorite sport with people who are much better than you and you’ll quickly elevate the level of your game)
• Business (populate your world with high achievers and model their success)
And, of course, weight loss.
Why does this idea work?
“Normal” is whatever we see around us on a daily basis. You might feel better about yourself if all your friends and co-workers are heavier than you, yet to become fit and trim and healthy you’d be better off surrounding yourself with like minded people.
Natural Weight Loss Success Tip…
If you spend your time with people who do the opposite of what you know to be right you will soon become one of them. Negative mindsets, self defeating attitudes, and unhealthy behaviors can rub off on you and even seem acceptable over time.
Create a network of friends who have the same goals and as you and you will be on your way to improving your life.
Be brave enough to surround yourself with people who have already achieved what you intend to attain and you will “catch” their success. This can have far reaching consequences in your life that go way beyond weight loss.
It comes down to this… are you going to accept things as they are or are you willing to create an environment that will nurture your long term success even if it costs you in the short run?
NOTE: comments are now closed. Here’s what was posted:
Grace
I can relate to the idea that one would become just like the people they are around. My mother really made an effort to show me how important good health was. So, all my life, I’ve focused on staying away from foods that aren’t the best for my health.
My husband comes from a family that has a hearty appetite. Although he’s not overweight by any means, the rest of his family is. I noticed that we gain at least 10lbs every time we go and visit them (and this is usually only for no more than two weeks at a time). For the next couple of months, we are trying to reverse what has happened to our bodies, and the serious pain our systems have suffered through while forcing ourselves to consume things we wouldn’t eat otherwise.
It is unbelievably easy to become like the others around you. I am glad my husband has learned to like my idea of enjoying food and feeding the family. Rather than focus on eating meat with every meal, and having pie or cookies for dessert every night, my husband has learned to appreciate a healthy diet of mostly grains, vegetables, and fruit. We eat meat sparingly.
PattiNYC
Wow. I totally understand what you have written here, and in a world with no ties that makes sense, but it takes a lot to separate yourself from people that are ‘bad’ or ‘unhealthy’ for you.
As I write this, if I change food to drugs the decision becomes much easier, but i am sure that’s only because I am not in that situation.
I will need to think about this. Perhaps setting the example among your peers is the way to go rather than abandoning them for thinner pals?
This was a good article that made me do some hard thinking, though Keep em coming!
Suz
Wow, that is a great article!
Very inspiring. It is amazing what you said about the five friends network thing. it is so obvious that Michael Phelps wouldn’t have been the world greatest swimmer if he hung out with people who had small dreams or settled for less than the best. That is the same thing with every aspect of our lives.
Keep up the good work with your great articles that every now and then reminds us to motivate ourselves to have healthy choices and do better in life.
Ashley
OMG THIS IS SO TRU!!!..I mean wow…I would’ve never thought of that…
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