I just came across an article about how some tricky little hormones (man or woman) make it difficult not only to lose weight, but also to sustain a healthy weight once you’ve done what it takes to get there.

Here’s a snippet:

“Many previous studies have shown that when overweight people slim down, their bodies respond vigorously, by undergoing changes in hormones that affect hunger and satiety — “multiple compensatory mechanisms encouraging weight gain,” as the authors put it. For instance, when obese people lose body fat, levels of the hormone leptin, which is produced by fat cells, drop. That signals to the brain that the body’s energy stores are low, slowing metabolism and triggering hunger.” – TIME.com

In my case I’m no longer what you might call a “Spring Chicken” (57 and still kickin’) so I’m dealing with a double whammy as post-menopausal women as well as not-so-young anymore men also have to accept that other little no-so-nice hormones called endogenous androgens like to tamper with exactly where fat likes to live – no surprise that this would be on your belly. I looked it up as it seems my waist is getting bigger even when I’m not eating more calories, or being less active than my norm.

If you’ve navigated my website you’ve got an insight into how important having a “MEANINGFUL Why” is to attaining and sustaining a healthy weight and fitness level. And it seems that those tricky little hormones make having a meaningful why even more important to enjoying the benefits of a healthy weight and being fit.

You also know how important it is to “check in” on your meaningful why to see if, in fact, it still means a darn thing to you. If it doesn’t, repeat this process and discover what means enough to you NOW to make your motivation tick so you stick to your method. Once you understand your meaningful why(s) you can then ramp up their power by creating a Mission Statement.

I’m still a little bummed out that sustaining a 27 inch waist for the rest of my life may not be in the cards – but when I read my mission statement it was clear to me that my meaningful whys were still going strong – and that my mission still has the power to motivate me – 28.5 inch waist or 27 inch waste, I am still inspired and motivated to stick to my plan.

“I am committed to meet and follow my daily “minimums” regarding my nutrition and exercise/activity. My objective is to stay strong as I age. Staying strong keeps me functional and being able to function at the highest and most optimal levels as I age allows me to do the things I enjoy and improves the quality of my life. I refuse to watch life from the sidelines until they drag me to the bench kicking and screaming.”

Now, you may not be a post-menopausal woman or not-so-young anymore man – but the point of this post is to point out that sometimes there are things outside of our control. For instance, maybe you’re “big boned” (that’s a non-medical term for “large frame”) and that means your hips are NEVER going to measure 35 inches. But if you’ve got a meaningful why and your mission reflects that why not having 35 inch hips isn’t such a big deal anymore. Or maybe you’ve got an injury that keeps you from running. Having a meaningful why sure helps you to appreciate you can still walk, swim, and ride your bike.

What I really love about the Fitegic Planning approach is that it makes it possible to totally accept and admire who I am at any given time. How? Well, having a meaningful why and a Fitegic Plan allows you to:

Have the serenity to accept things I cannot change (like I’m getting older)

Courage to change the things I can (OK, so I can step up a little bit on my activity as well as make sure I’m getting the right amount of protein now that I’m on the other side of the Hill)

And the wisdom to know the difference.

I’d also add that a meaningful why allows you the freedom to accept and celebrate who you are at any given moment in time. And that’s a beautiful thing no matter how much you weigh.