With everyone carrying smart phones having alarms/alerts as part of the their features, I am not sure if the old-fashioned “wake up call” exists anymore at hotels. I do know in the past you could alert the front desk to place a call to your hotel room so you wouldn’t be late for a flight or business meeting.
The term “wake up call” I am referring to is this: something that serves to alert a person to a problem, danger, or need. Perhaps in certain circumstances, a “wake up call” is akin to “hitting the bottom”. As an example, the person drinking far too much alcohol may receive his/her “wake up call” by getting arrested for a DUI. Unfortunately, in this example, it took a major, negative life changing for the person to realize that a major problem exists.
Now, to the weight control arena: What can be examples of “wake up calls” for overweight/obese people to become very serious and steadfast in their weight control efforts? Based on stories patients relate to me, here are some examples:
- Receiving a diagnosis from their doctor about some life-threatening medical illness tied to their poor weight control, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer
- Going on a family vacation and not having the energy to keep up with everyone else.
- Seeing a picture that was taken and being appalled about how old/in bad shape they look
- Finally realizing that the daily pain requiring anti-inflammatory or other meds can be alleviated by losing weight
These examples, and more, are the “wake-up calls” that produce a definitive action such as calling the SP Program for help, joining a gym, starting a “diet” etc.
Clearly, when looking at the various “wake up call” reasons, none of them seem to be a “good” thing other than serving as motivation.
So, the point: Do NOT wait for a “wake-up call” to become very serious and focused on your weight control efforts. Sometimes, a “wake-up call” can be so serious that it is too late to be awakened.