Being an overweight heart surgeon didn’t feel right.
My weight didn’t make me any worse at my job, but I felt like a hypocrite. “Here I am, operating on people and telling them how to live healthily, while at the same time unable to control my own weight.”
I was destined to be a heart surgeon who underwent heart surgery!
Anyone who has struggled to control their weight knows that it’s not too difficult to lose some pounds when needed. People drop 10, 20, 50 pounds or more. The real challenge is keeping that weight off. It’s a never-ending war.
And it’s not like there’s a lack of motivation: most people are aware of the health risks associated with obesity, like diabetes and heart diseases (which, along with other cardiometabolic conditions, accounted for 89% of COVID-19 hospitalizations).
The reality is that doing things for ourselves is rarely a powerful motivator. Often, it takes a health scare to make us lose weight, cut back on the drinking, or stop smoking.
Being healthy for someone else
“Being bad feels pretty good, huh?” So said the ‘criminal’ character Bender in the classic ‘80s movie The Breakfast Club. When it comes to lifestyle choices, many would agree with him.
People get pleasure from smoking cigarettes. Alcohol can help us to relax and feel good. Foods can feel comforting. When something makes us feel happier, of course we don’t want to give it up. Of course we will find reasons to keep doing it. Of course we will justify our actions.
“I’ll stop next week.”
“It’s my only vice.”
“Everyone does it!”
But while making better choices for our benefit isn’t the best motivator, doing it for someone close to us certainly is.
In my case, everything changed when I became a father. I had people who mattered more to me than I did, who I wanted to be there for. My priorities changed immediately. Suddenly, it was important that I was alive in the future.
My patients have told me similar stories, that they made their health a priority because somebody else was so important to them.
Health is within your grasp
Being overweight or unhealthy now doesn’t mean you have to stay that way forever. I was fat my entire life until the age of 40, and now I’m healthier than I have ever been.
I can’t stress this enough: you can be a healthy weight. Whether you want to do it for yourself or for somebody else, you can achieve it.
My advice is don’t focus on an outcome to begin with. Don’t worry about the scale or your waist size. Instead, follow some basic steps to get the ball rolling.
The biggest factors within your control are what you eat, how much you move, and how much you sleep. Many people can make significant improvements by eating more whole, unprocessed foods, going for a daily walk, and getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
Start with that. It won’t take long for you to notice changes in how you feel and how clothes fit, and as you get used to the new habits you can refine them for further optimizations.
For a full view of your metabolic health, I invite you to take my free metabolic health assessment.