By Denise Miller Holmes
Most of the time, Americans get very excited about accomplishing a goal in record time. Fast is in vogue, baby! But, reaching a goal slowly can be powerful and leave you feeling like a bookworm in a bookstore…tingly all over.
To convince you that slow is as useful as fast—and sometimes better—I’ve picked an example that most of us can relate to and can be applied to most achievement situations—dieting.
Right now, in this country, tens of thousands are dieting and losing weight. Most of these people believe in fast methods. I used to be one of them. But, ten years ago, after being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and experiencing profound frustration in losing excess weight permanently, I decided to cease extreme dieting and to begin using portion control for slow weight loss.
Slow weight loss sounds insane to many because a fast weight loss is rewarding and, therefore, motivating. If you see the loss in a small time frame, it’s something to celebrate. Woo-hoo!
The problems with the fast method are 1) you regain it back quickly and, 2) after the diet is over, you never want to see a treadmill or a head of lettuce for the rest of your life. Thus, fast diets make it difficult to create new, healthy habits because those kind of habits take time and practice to become permanent.
The slow approach to weight loss, however, shines when it comes to forming new, healthy habits. Also, the pain of eating food you hate is eliminated. I ate foods I enjoyed, and, as time went on, I ate certain foods, such as sodas and french fries, less and less.
The slow technique can be used for any success goal, especially if that goal seems overwhelming.
The slow-but-steady technique is not new. You’ve heard the expression “slow and steady wins the race” from the story about the tortoise and the hare, where everyone bets on the hare to win the race because he’s so fast. But in this story, there’s a surprise. The hare loses energy and focus. The slow-and-steady tortoise triumphs!
After reading some diet pundit’s opinion that slow weight loss diminishes the yo-yo effect and weight re-gain, I was sold. My slow weight loss has brought me close to eighty-five pounds off my bod in the last ten years (am I’m still losing). I’ve found maintaining between each weight-loss cycle is easy.
So getting back to the title, how did I keep myself motivated and persevering as I built this kingdom of health? I celebrated each pound I lost. Each time I weighed, I’d tell my hubby the new weight number. We’d both get excited and yell a whoop-de-do. I’d call him at work and say the new number into his voice mail, and he’d call back and say the same number to me. It felt exhilarating!
So, if pedal-to-the-metal isn’t working for you, if you’ve become the exhausted hare lying prone on the side of the road, try the tortoise way. I believe that slow and steady does win, especially when each step forward is celebrated.
If the fast method works for you then do that. If not, then the slow-and-steady method works great. Do what you need to do to achieve your goal.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. – 1 Cor 9:24
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