The Secret and Weight Loss - My Take

After I dropped my daughter off at day care yesterday, I stopped at McDonalds for a quiet cup of coffee to reflect on the day that lied ahead. I often do this before I start the tasks of the day.

I ordered my coffee and sat down at a small table. Opposite me was a lady and her daugher having breakfast. I give you one guess what the breakfast was...not a bacon and egg McMuffin, but cheescake!

As I quietly sipped on my coffee, I thought about The Secret and how the author used the secret to loose weight. She said that she stopped thinking fat thoughts, lost weight and that she now can eat anything she likes.

If only it was so simple! The cheescake lady was fairly large and I found myself wondering how this will work and how fast applying The Secret will work when you are already overweight.

Ever since I have read The Secret and watched the DVD, something bothered me about the whole thing (a story for another blog) and I could not lay my finger on it straight away.

I do believe in the Law of Atrraction, but I also know that it is not the only universal spiritual law. There are many others and they don't operate in isolation. The universe is after all a perfect example of balance. I am gravely concerned about pop psychology and the possible damage it can do to people that don't have a grounding in spiritual principles. According to The Secret, you attract the weight and obesity to you through your thoughts and emotions. By implication you can only blame yourself if you are overweight and you can radically change the way you look through your thoughts.

Therein lies my concern. According to The Secret, you should take responsibility for your thoughts by thinking thin thoughts and then you can eat what you want. That is nonsense! God has given us a brain and the freedom of choice and therefore we have an obligation to use it. Thinking thin thoughts is only the start of transforming your body, especially if you have lots of kilos to loose. It is one of many baby steps you take reach your goal of sustainable weight loss and a stable weight.

You have the power to make healthy choices in your life. It is not a question of thinking thin thoughts, but rather thinking healthy thoughts and taking the necessary action to live a healthy life. This means that we must use our will power to choose a healthy life. Once you have made this choice you are ready to take the necessary action to eat healthy food, exercise, be mindful of how your food was produced and where it comes from (e.g. did the animals you are eating suffer at any stage?) and to choose food without chemicals. Our bodies don't cope with the chemicals in processed food. Healthy habits naturally reduces body fat and weight.

The combination of the Law of Atrraction and taking action is actually the secret to sustainable weight los. It is all about balance. If you eat healthy 90% of the time, you should be able to loose those extra kilos. Maybe that was exactly what the cheescake lady did yesterday morning!

Victoria