Tactical or Strategic?

Yesterday I blogged about the dangers of fad diets and emphasized the need to embrace a long-term strategy. I received an e-mail from a friend of mine, who made this comment about my blog, "In the business world, what you are describing is referred to as 'strategic vs tactical'. In military terms, a quick fix 'fad' diet is possibly winning the battle but losing the war. It's a matter of where your attention is focused. Are you heads down and only looking at the short-term tactical situation or is your head up looking at the long-term strategic goal of optimal health?"

I love that! This friend has obviously adopted a mindset that is focused on winning the war - and this is most certainly a war. We are in a life-and-death battle for our health. It's tempting to keep our heads down and focus on the short-term fix, but that's a tactical error that will keep us in a yo-yo dieting pattern.

Sometimes winning the battle can feel like an impossible task, especially if we have a lot of weight to lose. I set a lot of mini-goals for myself to ensure that I could celebrate success all along the way. The prospect of losing 120 pounds was daunting, so, staying with today's theme, I broke it down into a series of "small battles." What was important was that I saw each "battle" and each victory as part of a bigger picture - getting to my goal weight and winning the war - and not as an end in and of itself. Each victory, each celebration reignited my enthusiasm as it was evidence that I was moving closer to my goal and the end of this stage of the war.

This is still a war for me, because I don't think there will ever be a time when I can declare a once-and-for-all victory and lay down my weapons. I am aware that obesity is still out there, wounded but not down for the count. Everyday I have to plan my strategy and stay mindful. I have won the battle to reach a healthy weight and I am winning the war against obesity, but I know that the enemy is still out there and I know that I am still vulnerable. That isn't depressing, it's just an acknowledgment of reality, and forewarned is forearmed.

Today we have a battle to wage and a war to win, and the choices we make will influence the outcome. Pick up your weapons, and choose wisely :-)