Vanity can be a Good Thing

I stumbled onto this forum about a week ago looking for something on nutrition. I’ve been struck by the number of stories where the undercurrent is subtle justification of not looking good and settling for something less. To be sure, there are medical and other reasons people are overweight, but for the most part, it’s giving up on yourself that does it. I did it. The standards you set for yourself will end up defining you as a person, whether you like it or not.

I was fortunate in that as a kid and an adult, I was never overweight until about 7 years ago. I was an aggressive, outgoing professional and relatively tall at 6’0”. But corporate life, bad eating habits, drinking and giving up smoking caused me to gain at least 40 lbs. It was only recently that I began to understand how difficult it is for people when they are pre-judged by their appearance. I had worked with many of my colleagues for years, but even they had forgotten what I looked like when I first met them. Newer people who worked for me never knew me as teenager, a younger person or a competitive tennis player; it was hard for people to believe I ever did play tennis. They began to form an image of me that was largely inaccurate.

One day, prior to going on my diet, I caught myself making some derogatory comments about my weight in front of some people after being kidded - a sort of comedic fallback just like certain kids used to do when they were picked on in school. I realized for the first time in my life how a lot of people cope with being ostracized. It was a terrible realization that I had lost my self-esteem - and I had readily accepted that in front of others.

With the help of my wife and the prodding from my kids, I went to the Dr. Bernstein clinic and got into the program. It’s been three months and I’ve lost about 56 lbs. Everyone comments on how good I look and I get a lot more attention from women. I haven’t really changed – I’m still the same person. Unfortunately, people don’t always see that, particularly people who don’t know you. Its really vain on their part. I can’t help but like the way I look and when I was going through this program and had cravings, I kept imagining what I looked like when I was younger. That did the trick.

Don’t use the excuse that the images and standards that are set by society are too difficult to obtain. Picture yourself at 20 lbs or even 50 lbs lighter. It will keep your hand in your pocket next time you reach for something you shouldn’t. Develop some vanity – it goes a long way.