Self Test

Weight Loss

Is Weight Loss a Worthy Quest For You?

Shedding excess pounds can be the focus for a profoundly spiritual journey toward greater health, well being, and self mastery. More often, however, the attempt becomes a stick to beat ourselves up with. We try and we fail. We try harder and we fail again. We wind up heavier, less healthy, and more psychologically battered than we started out.

The simple truth is that weight loss is not always worth the effort and that the process should never be taken lightly. That's why we're impressed by the Shapedown program developed by Laurel Mellin, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and author of The Solution: 6 Winning Ways to Permanent Weight Loss. Mellin acknowledges from the beginning that weight loss is an "inside job" that requires fundamentally changing your life -- mind, body, and lifestyle -- and that the best reward ultimately is spiritual growth.

She is also quick to point out that being overweight is not a spiritual or moral issue. As she writes, "People with weight problems expend, on average, the same number of calories in physical activity as the lean and mean. Even when they are gaining weight, the average excess of calories consumed amounts to only fifty calories a day. Fifty calories. Simply eating the caloric equivalent of an extra half apple per day doesn't sound like a health sin or make us morally lacking."

She also acknowledges that being overweight does not prevent many people from doing what they want in life or expose them to any unusual health risks. For them, the benefits of losing weight are not worth the trouble. "It's an individual decision," she says. "One that must come from inside."

To get a sense of whether your weight stands in the way of your happiness -- and whether weight loss will be an emotionally and spiritually rewarding quest -- take Mellin's self test.

Scoring
0 = Not at all;
1 = A little;
2 = Some;
3 = A lot.

1. My weight depresses me.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

2. Thinking about weight makes me hostile.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

3. Staying overweight helps me not have feelings.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

4. My weight allows me to be passive, to hold back.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

5. Because of my weight, I feel less important.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

6. My weight makes me feel less attractive.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

7. I avoid certain sports or hobbies due to weight.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

8. I avoid some social situations because of weight.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

9. I would have more friends if I weren't heavy.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

10. My weight harms my close relationships.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

11. My weight detracts from my sexual fulfillment.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

12. My weight holds me back from earning more.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

13. I have work problems because of my weight.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot

14. My weight keeps me from making life changes.

Not at all 0 1 2 3 A lot