“Stop Killing Yourself With Your Knife And Fork”- Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s health obsession

Despite what our common sense tells us, despite the fact that we are in denial about our eating and exercising habits, let’s face it, we are all still hoping that there is some “secret” to successful weight loss that has not been revealed to us yet. Yes, maybe in 100 years, we will finally figure out some way to help those who cannot help themselves, but, until then, we have to accept the fat that there is no ONE secret to losing weight and keeping it off. It’s up to us to change the terrible eating habits and laziness that is epidemic here in the US.

One role model for all of us is Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has written a book about his success with weight loss. He has made the rounds of talk shows to hype his book, and he is quite clear about his success- it has nothing to do with any secret diet or exercise regimen. It’s all about wanting to get healthy, and doing whatever it takes to achieve this goal. After a visit to his doctor who exclaimed “Stop killing yourself with your knife and fork”, Mike decided to finally face the reality of his horrible health. He began to exercise and eat well NOT TO LOSE WEIGHT- but to improve his health. That was his only goal. AND-SURPISE! He has lost 100 pounds in the process.
I cannot agree with Gov. Huckabee more. Every time a client of mine exercises and “diets” ONLY to lose weight- they inevitably fail. Why? For two reasons: either because once they lose weight, they become complacent and stop the positive behaviors which resulted in weight loss- and thus, GAIN IT BACK, or, if they do not see the weight loss they expect, they get frustrated and give up. In order to be successful in reducing excess weight and keeping it off, we must put our health first, not the scale, and we must exercise and eat healthy for the rest or our lives. Yes, there will be backslides and failures, but if we continue with good exercise and eating habits, these “failures” will not be permanent- they will merely be a small momentary glitch- a learning process if you are an optimist. SO- get to it! Ask for guidance and support from a personal trainer, nutritionist or other health professional and start your new life today.