Weight control is a very difficult and emotional endeavor. It drags you to the edge of human tolerance and tugs at every emotion in the human condition. As I talk with people every day about this, the agony and frustration of this struggle is a common topic of conversation. People are always contemplating that monumental question – will I ever reach my goal? In other words, will I ever be successful at this and get fit and healthy? But what is success?

Whether you succeed or fail depends on the actions that you take and the decisions that you make along the way. Where you end up is a direct result of the decisions that you make. Each and every choice you make has the potential of getting you closer to your goal or taking you farther away. That’s why it’s so important to be a good decision-maker. Success is all about the choices that you make because today’s choices are tomorrow’s reality!

If I can be so bold as to greatly oversimplify, weight management is a decision-making problem. Sure you need information about nutrition and you certainly must exercise, but for the most part, this is a decision-making problem. Everyone knows that they should eat right and exercise but they consistently choose not to. The bottom line is this: The physical act of eating always follows the mental decision to eat. You always decide to eat before you engage in the actual eating. There is not great mystery here about which comes first as in that old philosophical chicken and egg debate. The “physical” act of eating always follows the “mental” decision to eat. Success lies in choosing wisely and living in the moment.