Thin doesn't equal happy

I was driving home the other day and a radio show was discussing something called "supernova burnout." It's where business executives get wrapped up in thinking that if they just get to that top rung in the corporate ladder, they'll be happy. So they work and work and work -- forgoing all other aspects of their life -- but they're content in their misery, because they believe the payoff is coming. Then, when they finally make it to the top, they discover that happiness didn't get delivered with the fancy mahogany desk, brass nameplate on the door, and the bigger paycheck.

The same holds true for weight loss. For many people, obesity is tightly wound with emotions. Many people eat when they're upset, which can cause extra weight gain. Others have insecurities that they feel are caused by their extra pounds. But weight and happiness are not the same things. Happiness, being comfortable in your own skin, and being confident in who you are needs to come from within. While it's important to achieve a healthy weight, anyone who feels that losing weight is going to solve all their problems is likely in for a disappointment.

Good Housekeeping has a great article about weight loss and happiness. The article makes a strong final point: If you're overweight, by all means do what you can to lose weight and improve your health. But don't weight for a certain number on the scale to try to be happy. Do whatever work it takes to accept who you are now, and live your life happily.