The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many changes to our daily lives. Some of these include the mandatory wearing of masks while out in public, attending conferences via Zoom instead of in person, having our children attend school online, seeing paper towel and toilet paper aisles barren at the grocery stores, watching baseball games with cardboard cut-outs in the stands instead of real people, and the list goes on and on and on. These “new norms” are not our choosing. Rather, they have been enforced on us and we have two choices: comply with these while bitching and moaning about them or comply with these and accept them and at times, even find the “good” in them. As an example of finding “good” in the new norm, a person now working from home does not need to deal with traffic, commute time etc.
Now let’s turn our attention to weight control. The “old norm” may have included having 2-3 drinks at night, snacking on cookies/ice cream in the evening, skipping meals, getting lunch from a fast food drive through and allowing dust to build up on the basement treadmill or elliptical machines. The “new norm” brings the necessity of eliminating most of the alcohol use, counting protein intake, not snacking on high caloric carbs/sugars, freeing up time to exercise, preparing/cooking meals and tracking the weight.
In the weight control world, the “new norm” is not nearly as much fun as the “old norm”. So, similar to the example of the pandemic “new norm” outlined above, we have 2 choices: Follow the steps needed to control weight and bitch and moan about them OR try to embrace the “new norm” lifestyle and find the “good” in it. The former attitude/approach, i.e. lamenting about the good old days of eating what we want and complaining will ultimately lead to failure to control the weight long term. Yes, weight loss will occur during the “dieting” phases but in the end, there is almost a guarantee of failure. Conversely, the overweight/obese person taking on the “new norm” and finding the “good” in those new behaviors has a much better chance of long term weight control success.
Concerning weight control, the “new norm” will bring us to a much healthier and happier place. Not having to take medications, having less/no pains, looking in the mirror and being happy with whom we see, having great energy, fitting into our really nice clothes….those constitute a GREAT “new norm”.
