Patient: “I need to lose 30 pounds.”
Dooley: “I need you to make new lifestyle commitments and set short and long-term goals so you can be successfully challenged.”
Patient: “Oh, I don’t want to do it the hard way. I need to lose it by the end of the summer.”
This is when I might tell you I’m not the right doctor for you. But it will sound like this reads:
Dooley: “If there is anything in the world I know for sure, it’s this: my way is not the hard way. It’s the successful way.”
I’m into my 15th year of dedication to lifestyle alteration. Only the first year felt challenging. The other 14 have felt like routine.
I have made slow but sure changes to inch my way to wellness. Now, you could tell me I’m climbing Mt. Everest tomorrow and I’d say, “When do we leave?”
My way is the way without crazy hormonal fluctuations. My way is the way of discipline and learning the joy of saying “no” on occasion to get to the goal. My way is a day-in, day-out journey in self-respect and self-awareness.
My way lets me have an occasional dessert or a drink without punishment, because I know what I do cumulatively matters. My way sees me feeling like I’m reversing the clock, moving and feeling better. My way gains me strength in body, mind and character.
My way isn’t hard. I’d argue the other way is brutal!
Weight fluctuations are hard.
Not achieving your goals is hard.
Punishing yourself is hard.
Being fatigued is hard.
Disease is hard.
Remember: The hare didn’t win.
Slow, progressive, cumulatively positive changes have longevity.
The body will reject quick changes. It craves balance – the hypothalamus and limbic system see to it. Try crazy changes and they will backfire.
My way is the easier way.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley