You can't eat words -- not literally -- but they can give you perspective, inspiration and make you smile when you're trying not to eat too much of anything else. Over the years, almost everyone has had something to say about losing weight and dieting. Some of it is insightful; some of it is just silly. But it proves that people have been struggling with their weight since the beginning of time.
On Dieting
In 1876, Mark Twain addressed the problem of depriving yourself of food: "To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing," he says on Quotegarden.com. Actor Tom Hanks has looked at the bright side. According to Mindtraining.net, he said, "Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life without boundaries, there's less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what's the fun in eating anything you want to?" On Healthadel.com, actress Kirstie Alley recommends taking control back. "Who had the gun to my head?" she once asked. "What gene in my body says I have to eat four cakes instead of two? It's a choice."
On Exercise
Exercise takes time and effort, but Jackson Brown Jr., author of "Effortless, Natural, Drug-Free Weight Loss," has an answer for that: "Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein."
Inspiration
Oprah Winfrey, who has had plenty of struggles with diets, said, "Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." She also said that getting her lifelong weight struggle under control came from a process of treating herself as well as she treats others. Televangelist Robert Schuller is quoted as saying on Mindtraining.net: "A year from now, you may wish you had started today."
Keeping it in Perspective
Jillian Michaels, the trainer on the television show "The Biggest Loser," wants you to take credit when it's due. She said, "When friends tell you how awesome you look, drop the 'I still have more to go' crap. You've worked hard and you deserve the compliment." Phillip C. McGraw, author of "The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution," warns against believing a diet can solve all your problems: "You can never, ever, ever use weight loss to solve problems that are not related to your weight," he says on Quotegarden.com.
Keeping a Sense of Humor
Regarding the difficulty of dieting, comedienne Totie Fields once said that she had been on a diet for two weeks and had only lost 14 days. Quotegarden.com says actress Shelley Winters told the world she wasn't overweight -- she was just nine inches too short. If you really can't lose the weight, look at it from model Christie Turlington's point of view. She said, "You can usually tell when I'm happy by the fact that I've put on weight." Actress Drew Barrymore once said, "I'd rather be a few pounds heavier and enjoy life."
Member Comments