Exclusive Interview: My Weight Loss Secret

Weight is one of my least favorite topics to talk about! It isn't fun if you have lost weight because you feel like people are analyzing you and what new diet you went on. It isn't fun if you have gained weight because ... well...this one needs no elaboration. It is especially miserable if it is some ridiculous new diet someone is trying to convince you to try! If someone starts telling you about a diet, are you supposed to assume that they think you need to go on one? And really what do you say to your friend that has lost weight? You know that they want you to notice, but if you say "wow, you look great!" you are pretty much saying "you looked lousy before," but if you don't say anything they think all their hard work is for nothing! Because of this very predicament, I made a conscious decision a few years ago never to comment on people losing weight because I want them to know I value them regardless of what is happening with their weight.

Sometimes I think people are especially drawn to talk about weight with me because I majored in Fitness & Wellness. They want me to evaluate their diet or tell me about a new exercise program they are on which will somehow make them a good person in my mind because I obviously care about fitness.

I'm actually more of a Wellness than Fitness person. Really my passion lies with helping women to realize their true potential and love themselves for who they are, completely separating their divine potential from how much they weigh. There is nothing more heartbreaking to me than seeing absolutely amazing women obsessing over how they look and feeling bad about themselves. Right now this is how everything in our society tells us we should feel. In fact, if you act happy about how you look, it is so rare that people will probably isolate you because they don't know how to react. This topic means even more to me, now that I have a daughter who I know is absolutely perfect to me and to our Heavenly Father. I never want her to worry if she is good enough for anyone or anything. It is especially important for parents to stop obsessing about weight because those perfect children will model your behavior and be worried about their weight and looks if that is what they see.

I understand how incredibly hard it is to not care about how you look. I used to really hate myself and always be on some ridiculous diet and extreme exercise program, but after a lot of prayer, reading books, help from David, attending a great class at BYU (Hlth 403 R by Dr. Hawks "Body Image, Self Esteem & Weight Loss"), oh and I can't forget going off Birth Control (that stuff can really mess you up), I actually really love who I am, like how I look and try to exercise just for the fun of it! If I'm not feeling it that day, I don't do it and I don't give myself a guilt trip about it. This is one of the biggest accomplishments in my life and it is very hard to explain to people who ask me questions about exercise really wanting to lose weight because I don't want them to obsess about it. I always just want to tell them "Just try your best, but don't try so hard it makes you miserable" but that is not the answer people want to hear.

So hear is how my conversation went a few weeks ago with a friend at church:

Friend: "Wow, Wendy! How did you lose all your baby weight so quickly?"

Me: "Oh, well it's my first baby. You have three kids. I am sure it just gets harder with each one"

Friend: "Oh no, it still took me quite a while with my first and I really never fully got it off. Really what is your secret? How did you do it?"

Me: "Well, I guess I should tell you my secret. I just dance with Lucy."

Friend: "You just dance with her? How do you do it? Do you have a videotape or something?"

Me: "No. I just turn the music on and go to town. She absolutely loves it and starts dancing along. I get so caught up trying to make her laugh and dance that I end up going for an hour. It is really the best part of my day!"

And now you know the truth about weight loss. If you stop worrying about it and just have fun, I promise it is way easier to lose weight! Stressing is the worst thing you can do for your weight and your family. Trying to eat healthy, while definitely allowing yourself to have treats and finding a fun way to exercise is the best thing you can do for yourself and your children!

And now you are thinking "Oh man! I read this whole article for that! I thought there would be some awesome secret!"

If you don't believe me,
ask Lucy what she thinks about life:

It's True. We Really Just Dance!

(Here we are rocking out to our favorite music from "Hairspray." She gets really into it and after the whole CD I have to play Mozart for at least 20 minutes to help her calm down.)

Watching Lucy Dance reminds me of this truth and scripture "... and men are that they might have joy!" (2 Nephi 2:25).

As David always says "A Happy Wife is a Happy Life!" words of infinite wisdom!

I know this is so much easier to say than believe, but really each of you is an incredible creation of our Heavenly Father and if you don't like the way that you are, that is Satan talking. I think this is one of his best tactics against great faithful people. If you can get someone to wallow in self pity you can sure stop a lot of awesome things they could be doing to move the work along.

In conclusion to this ever so long blog I would like to leave you with one of my favorite quotations:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

So get out there and start enjoying life!

Dance like nobody is watching, because really God is the only one watching who matters and I am sure he loves watching his children when their joy is at its fullest.