Live as you should and others may follow

Whether in the workplace or in everyday life, our best advertisement for what we value is how we live. Like countless others, I’ve struggled with obesity for decades, and I’ve tried one diet after another in vain attempts to get control of my weight. When my father died in April, I ordered a new dress shirt and pants to wear for the service that was scheduled for mid-May. When they arrived, the pants fit just fine. I assumed the shirt would be okay, too, since I had ordered the “right” size. On the day of the service, I put the shirt on, and as I buttoned it up, I knew I was in trouble. The two buttons over the largest part of my gut barely closed the shirt. I did the ‘sit down’ test; the shirt immediately gapped between those two buttons. In frustration and disgust, I took off the new shirt and put on a polo shirt, instead. I was too fat.

Dad had been after me to lose weight for years. I’m 51. When he was 51, he weighed about 350. At the time of his death, he weighed a LOT less than that because he’d gotten serious about his health many years ago. I, on the other hand, weighed 333 when he died. About a week after his funeral was my 23rd wedding anniversary. I woke up very early to take the dog out for his morning business. After that and feeding him, I sat down in my easy chair and contemplated life. I was sick of being morbidly obese; sick of how I felt, sick of how I looked, sick of having no energy, sick of everything related to it. I had tried every reasonable diet. I lost the weight and it came back. I weighed too much to exercise. I needed to change, permanently. What should I do?

Because of the example of a friend, I tried Noom. I had reached the end of my rope, and his example provided me the courage to try a program I never would have considered otherwise. I joined the Noom Cognitive Behavior Intervention for Food and Physical Activity, and I haven’t looked back.

Since beginning my journey, I’ve made my social media friends my accountability group, posting monthly progress reports. These folks have been the source of unbelievable encouragement, and some have shared their experiences with Noom, too. Others have decided to follow my example and become more health-conscious.

At no point in time have I said, “You should do this, too,” or “You should try Noom.” It’s not my place to do that! This is about my journey. I have been overweight all of my adult life, and I’m tired of it. I want to be healthier. I want to be more alert. I want to work and live longer. Losing weight and being physically fit will reduce stress in my life and on the job. I’ve been losing weight and walking more, and as a result, I’m beginning to have more energy for life. I have a long way to go to reach my ultimate goal, but now I know that I can get there.

This is life. And this is leading by example.

And oh, yeah. I’ve lost 33 pounds in three-and-a-half months through permanent changes to eating and physical activity habits.

#leadership #mentalhealth #job #wellness #Noom