Today I was talking to a woman about weight loss, congratulating her on the fact that she did not gain any weight since her last visit, especially since she had been on vacation. But she was in a grouchy mood and couldn't seem to find anything positive about my comments. She was only focusing on this one number she saw on the scale-one that had not moved down (but it hadn't moved up!). Then she said "boy, when I lose another 20 pounds, I'll be able to buy myself something really nice."



Sadly, all I did was sit there and not say anything. I suppose since I had already congratulated her on not gaining weight I simply did not feel I could add anything to the conversation. I really didn't want to repeat myself. But when I think about it, maybe I should have reminded her that maintaining her weight, while on a cruise, was an amazing accomplishment. So instead we discussed goals for her next visit, including continuing her activity, maybe increasing her walking, planning for her son's Bar Mitzvah, and then she left.

Afterwards, I started to wonder-why do we wait until we see a number of a scale in order to think we deserve a reward? Why do we feel the scale has to show a certain number before we are allowed to go to a nice store and get something pretty and comfortable? Why do we have this need to punish ourselves? Why do we feel we have to walk around in clothes that don't feel right, are too tight, and make us feel unattractive?

And suddenly I realized-we don't.

I have decided the next time this woman comes in to see me for nutrition counseling, and talks about what she is going to buy AFTER she loses more weight-, I am going to tell her to "buy it now.I want to make sure she hears me tell her she absolutely deserves something new, something she likes. She has three full time jobs-as a mother, a wife, and a school teacher! In my book, that alone entitles her to a buying spree.

Buy something NOW-buy something you like, that is comfortable and makes you feel good-right NOW.

When you are feeling good about yourself, you treat yourself so much better. There are too m any times, when I was younger, that I used food as a punishment when I wasn't feeling good about myself. I felt undeserving of any type of attention, any type of reward. I was overweight and that made me unworthy of trusting myself to treat myself with anything besides food. It's as if I was saying "see, I told you so, you can't take care of yourself.In reality, I am doing the best I can. Some days are more difficult than others, but I do my best. We all do.

So don't wait to buy that dress, those pants, that skirt. Buy it now.