Our Privilege, Our Choice

I have been incredibly sad as I've watched news reports about the devastation in Haiti following Tuesday's earthquake. It's hard to even comprehend the loss of life and the level of difficulty the people of this tiny nation are dealing with. Sometimes I can get a bit whiny when things aren't going just the way I'd like them to, but watching what's going on in Haiti makes me ashamed that I ever complain about anything - and I mean anything.

When I was on Take Shape for Life/Medifast 5&1, there were times when I had my own private pity party because I was on a restrictive plan and not able to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Thankfully, those parties (quite miserable, by the way) were pretty short-lived because I realized that it was always my choice to be on this plan - nobody was forcing me to do so. I also realized what a privilege it was to be able to do this program for almost a year. Even though it is cost neutral for most of us, I know the cost of this program is a real stretch for some and is sadly out of reach for others. When I would start feeling sorry for myself, all I had to do was take a breath AND take a step back to regain my perspective.

In the end, I realized that I had been given a gift that would ultimately give me an even greater gift - my health and my life back. I understood that it wouldn't come without sacrifice, but the sacrifice seemed insignificant when compared with all that I would gain.

We are wired to somehow think we can have our cake and eat it, too, and we often think that there ought to be a way to get the results we want on this program without actually having to follow the program as designed. I hear from people all the time who want to modify the program - have a piece of fruit or a glass of wine or something else off plan - and are then disappointed when they don't see the weight loss they were hoping for. I always encourage them to think in terms of temporarily giving up those things to get to a healthy weight, at which time these foods can once again be incorporated into a healthy eating plan.

Being on this plan is always our choice, and it really is a privilege. Some days are hard, to be sure, but the sacrifice is small and short-term. My encouragement to you today is to just do it - get to your goal as quickly as you can and then get on with the rest of your life. How quickly you get to your goal depends on the choices you make today, so choose wisely :-).

Have a great day and please join me in keeping the people of Haiti and the rescue workers in your thoughts and prayers.