I am writing this entry on the morning of December 7. Exactly 79 years ago the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred knocking out a substantial part of our Navy. This took place at the same time we were fighting a war against Nazi Germany. President Roosevelt gave a rousing speech to Congress expressing great resolve that we would overcome this devastating event and eventually find our way to victory. President Roosevelt’s most famous quote (actually used in his inauguration in 1933) was: “There is nothing to fear but fear itself…”
We are not in a major world war right now but there is most certainly a lot of fear. I believe the overwhelming majority of people are fearful of many issues revolving around the Covid pandemic:
- Fear of becoming seriously ill
- Fear of a close family member becoming seriously ill
- Fear that our financial situation is at risk because of the economic impact of the pandemic
- Fear of not being able to enjoy the fun things we used to love to do such as travel, socializing, etc.
- Fear that our children will not be able to enjoy a normal environment and social events at school, such as in class learning, proms, homecomings, Friday night football games, participating in sports teams, etc.
- (Fill in many more fears that people are experiencing)
From an inspirational standpoint, I could not in good conscience tell you that “there is nothing to fear but fear itself” because the bullet point “fears” and many more you can add are quite legitimate.
The concept of “fear” also plays a role in achieving weight control:
- Fear of failure because of previous, failed weight loss efforts
- Fear of medications used in medical programs, such as phentermine, to help people lose weight
- Fear of spending money on products or programs given previous failures
- Fear of getting on the scale and seeing a number that is distessing
Here is what I can state, with great confidence: There is much less to fear when we are healthy and able to take on challenges from the pandemic or other events. Weight control will set you up for a MUCH better chance of not getting very sick from the virus. The major risk factors for serious Covid illness (hypertension, diabetes, lung disease) are all weight related co-morbidities.
So, I am going to reshape President Roosevelt’s statement pertaining to weight control:
“There is much less to fear when we successfully stay steadfast and focused on our weight loss efforts”.