Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life.

Photo: chispita_666, Flickr

I am not -- and have never been -- a golfer. Yet on July 30th, I read with great interest Tom Friedman's column in "The New York Times" in which he likened a particular aspect of golf to life itself, in a way that put me in mind of the journey of weight loss. Let me explain.

Friedman was writing about Tom Watson, a 59-year-old phenomena who captured the public imagination when he came within a hair of winning the British Open in a playoff against a world-class golfer more than 20 years his junior. "The way he lost the tournament underscored why golf is the sport most like life," writes Friedman. Apparently, after making two perfect shots on the 18th hole in the final round, the ball bounced a little too hard and ran through the green.

Here's what Friedman had to say about it, and here's why it made me think of weight loss:

"Golf is played on an uneven terrain designed to surprise. Good and bad bounces are built into the essence of the game. And the reason golf is so much like life is that the game -- like life -- is all about how you react to those good and bad bounces. Do you blame your caddy? Do you cheat? Do you throw your clubs? Or do you accept it all with dignity and grace and move on?"

Are you beginning to see where I'm going with this?