Numbers -vs- Reality.............

One of the biggest hurdles the world has got to get past is not focusing AS MUCH on the numbers and focus on the process.

Now I am not saying that the numbers are not important - scale, body-fat - etc......I am saying that we rely too much on numbers to control where we land, EX..
     I have a client who went on an extreme diet and got down to a size 4. Now that she has started eating "normal" again she is a size 7, but the numbers she is focusing on is when she was a size 4. The scale number, her caloric intake, and the size of the clothes she wore. What she negates is that she had no energy, she was dehydrated, she had menstrual issues, and blood pressure issues.

Even at a size 7 she was well into the "athletic womens" body-fat range and ALL of the above issues where resolved - she still wanted the NUMBER on the scale to be what it was when she was dieting and unhealthy. what do i do............

I told her I was not going to suggest she go down in weight but embrace the health she has and not base her numbers off of what size/weight the general public suggests she maintain. One favorite website I like is www.EXRX.net and I went there to show her what her caloric intake should be, based on on her daily energy expenditure. She was floored. she was limiting herself to 1200-1500 calories a day working out 2-3 times a day - the caloric calculator said she should be closer to 3850.

(Though there are many ways to decide caloric intake - this site I have used for years, though I don't always agree with what it says - I agree more then with others.)

Our caloric needs are based on many variables - when deciding eating habits, we have to design around our activities, goals, medical concerns, genetics, and body make up. some us us were not meant to be size 4's, or in my case I wanted to fight at 205lbs - but I could never make 205 except through extreme, unhealthy measures. I am not preaching pro-obesity I am saying  that fitness is more then the numbers we focus on to look good externally - when doing this we often forget about the internal. We workout to get more out of life - to live life, but we first have to understand and love ourselves - in order to love life!