Your Health and Weight Story – what are you telling yourself?
Have you ever had one of those moments when something you have been pretending is so fine is actually not? And until someone calls you on it, you were quite happy to continue to sail along the sea of denial? I had one of those moments this week when my beautiful dog Lulu, unfortunately pulled one of her claws out of her paw. Akin to ripping off a nail, I knew it would be painful and took her straight up to the vet. After tending to the problem at hand, the vet gave her a general check-up and proclaimed that Lulu was in good health with the exception of one thing. At this point, the vet started to look a little awkward. She said, “Lulu appears to be carrying a bit too much weight and I am struggling to find her ribs, have you looked for them lately?” Well. Lulu is a Miniature Schnauzer and alternates between extremely fluffy or shorn like a sheep. Given that the weather is getting a bit chilly, I have decided to keep her fluffy for a bit and have been telling myself that while she does appear rounder than usual, her fur must be quite voluminous. But, back to the vet who has me pinned under her watchful gaze, waiting expectantly for some kind of explanation. I am wildly casting my mind around for some good answers and clearly coming up with none, so she starts firing questions at me. Are you giving her too many treats? Is she being fed from the table? Is she being exercised regularly? Are her portion sizes too big? While I am doing my best impersonation of a rabbit in the headlights, I then start hoping fervently that the vet does not look at Lulu’s medical file which lists my occupation. As a Dietitian. The anonymous quote that I love to share with others now floats through my consciousness, “Knowing and not doing, is the same as not knowing.”
“Knowing and not doing, is the same as not knowing”
Of course, I wanted to deny all of the obvious reasons as to why Lulu was ballooning. But, whether you have two legs or four, the inescapable biological fact is that if your weight is increasing, there can only be two possible avenues. Too much going in (food) or too little going out (exercise). It’s simple yet so complicated.
In my case, reflection on ‘how did we get here,’ forced me to realise and admit that Lulu’s food intake was not being measured (and visual judgement is NOT the same as actually measuring), the kids were giving her their leftover bits and pieces and if she put on her puppy dog eyes whenever food was near, she might just get some. From little things, big things do indeed grow.
Have you been in that position where the blinkers are on and you’re telling yourself one thing but doing another? It might be what you are eating (or not), how much exercise you are doing, how you manage your stress levels or even how much sleep you are clocking up.
Within moments of my revelation with the fluffy one, the vet had several of her staff in the room brandishing written material and providing verbal advice. It’s the same with our own health and well-being, sometimes it takes someone else to point out the obvious to us. And sometimes you need support to turn the ship around.
Do you need to check the story you are telling yourself?
