Expectations

A little less than a week to go before I have my first weigh-in and I have to admit that I getting a little anxious. Overall it has been a good month, with only one exception when I ate four slices of pizza in one setting. Yikes‼

This week I read the 2nd Chapter of Dr Phil’s book, The Ultimate Weight Solution and it’s all about expectations and goals. Properly set expectations are vital to the success of a healthy and long-lasting weight loss endeavor, but before we jump into our expectations and goals I think it is important to address the differences between “self image” and “self concept”.

How you feel about your body can have a dramatic effect on your self-concept—a more inclusive term that describes the bundle of beliefs, facts, judgments, and perceptions you have about yourself, every moment of the day. What you believe about your body shapes your self-concept and how it gets expressed, to some extent. If you don’t like your body, this self-rejection is likely to weaken your self-concept and make you feel that you can never be worthwhile. On the other hand, accepting and loving your body makes you feel better about yourself and what you can accomplish. Pg 23

Wow! That hits home in more ways than just weight loss, but in hopes to keeping this post shorter than the chapter I just read, I will remain on point. Your self-image may very well be an accurate one. You may be overweight and in need of some major attention, but we cannot let the reality of our physical condition drag our self-concept down so much that it makes it impossible to find any motivation to do something about it. Change comes when we acknowledge our shortcomings and refuse to beat up on ourselves unnecessarily; instead we make the choice to take the important and timely steps to a healthier life.

OK, we move on to expectations and goals. First let’s look at our “Get Real Weight”. There are two ways to look at this: medically and psychologically. Medically there is a healthy weight for you and I have learned that it is not necessarily in line with the BMI charts; it various depending on one’s level of activity and build. Dr Phil gives two great systems to calculate a realistic goal. First the Body Shape Standards will help you determine waist to hip ratio.

Calculate your waist to hip ratio is easy:

• Using a tape measure, measure your waist at your belly button
• Measure your hips at the widest point. (Stand with your feet apart, in a relaxed position)
• Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to arrive at your waist-to-hip ratio

Ideally, this number should be .80% or less if you are a women; or .95% or less if you are a man Pg 27

The Second is the Body Weight Standard*. Use the Table below to determine your target; the lower end ranges are for those who are small boned, while the upper end is for those who are large boned.

Height______Women ___________Men

4' 10" _______90-100-110 _______114-127-140
4' 11"_______ 95-105-116 _______119-132-145
5' ­­­__________99-110-121 _______123- 137-151
5' 1" _______103-115-127 _______128-142-156
5' 2" _______108-120-132 _______132-147- 162
5' 3" _______112-125-138 _______137-152-167
5'4" _______117-130-143 _______141-157-173
5' 5" _______122-135-148 _______146-162-178
5' 6" _______126-140-154_______ 150-167-184
5' 7" _______130-145-160 _______155-172-189
5' 8" _______135-150-165 _______159-177-195
5' 9" _______139-155-171 _______164-182-200
5' 10" ______144-160-176_______168-187-206
5' 11" ______148-165-182_______ 173-192-211
6' _________153-170-187 _______177-197-217
6' 1" _______157-175-193 _______182-202-222
6' 2" _______162-180-198 _______186-207-228
6' 3" _______166-185-204 _______191-212-233
6' 4" _______171-190-209 _______195-217-239

*Dr Phil's Weight Loss Standard Pg 28

On the other hand, psychologically your “get-real-weight” has little to do with numbers on a scale or other device. It means:

• You like your body and live in it with pride
• You are happy and truly at peace with your size
• You accept your God-given uniqueness
• You treat your body with respect, care, and love
• You like what you see in the mirror every day
• You focus your attention on living well, rather than looking good

A healthy self-image and a well focused self-concept depends on both the medical and psychological components of weight loss. So for our next step we will focus on proper goal-setting that incorporates both of these components. But to learn how you'll have to stay tuned; I have run out of time and space. So until my next post, keep up the good work; each day is a new opportunity for success.