Winston Churchill became a member of Parliament in 1900, and when Neville Chamberlain resigned in 1940 during the second World War, Churchill took his place as Prime Minister of England. It was thought that his leadership was the reason for the defeat of Hitler. Churchill lost the 1945 election, but regained his position as Prime Minister in 1951.
In January 1965, Churchill died at the age of 90. His speeches during the war conveyed strength and courage to the population of Great Britain in the face of adversity, and with his candor and wit, he gained much favor among the British people.
Enough of the history lesson and the above begs the question: What does Winston Churchill have to do with weight control? By all accounts and photographs/videos he appeared quite obese, standing 5 feet 6 inches and by reports, weighed 250 pounds.
Mr. Churchill was known for his inspirational and insightful quotes and here are two that have direct application to long-term weight control:
“We shape our dwellings, and afterwards our dwellings shape us.”
Well, let’s explore this quote: Think of our bodies as our “dwellings” and the fact that we have the ability to either keep our “dwelling” in good shape by eating prudently, limiting alcohol and exercising OR allowing those inanimate, immediate gratification food/drink sources to win. If we allow our “dwelling” to flounder, the co-morbidities our bodies will fail us and pain/suffering occurs.
“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”
This quote has great relevance to the weight control field as well. When people have lots of weight to lose, they will often become paralyzed and not act because of what seems to be an insurmountable amount. However, if people look at this as “5 pounds at a time” (analogy: one link at a time) then the 5 pounds seems easily achievable and then the next 5, next 5 etc. One “link at a time” is much easier to handle psychologically then looking too far ahead.
So, even though Winston Churchill did not “walk the talk” himself, he sure did have some great insights that bear relevance to thinking about and strategizing a sound weight control strategy.
