1. A condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others, resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system.
2. Mental or emotional balance; poise.
One of the lectures at H3 given by Bob Wright that had a big impact on me was regarding goals, habits and the idea of set points. One thing we discussed was the possibility of not setting a final weight goal. It took some of us aback. What? Not have a final weight goal? But then the discussion went on and we talked about the idea of "set point" and something clicked. It started to make sense. Whatever it is you do regularly, whatever it is you eat regularly will get you to some point of equilibrium. I have been at my current state of equilibrium for 15 years. It's the weight I was shortly after my daughter was born and I have been at or near the same weight, eating the same things and doing the same amount of activity. There might have been some short periods of variations along the way (diets that didn't last), but for the most part my habits since then have kept me at about the same weight.
So to be at a different weight, I have to do something different, and that something will eventually get me to a new state of equilibrium. I don't know where that is now. When I get there, if it isn't where I want to be, I'll have to change my habits again, if I'm willing, to find a different state of equilibrium. We have to accept that a number we've pulled out of thin air (trust me, it's thin) may not be at a place that we are willing to habitually live. I have to decide how I want to live, and that will determine the state (in health and weight parameters) in which I will live. The good news is that you get to the "how you are going to live" goal faster than the "where you are going to live" goal. Remember the story of the kids on vacation that keep asking "when are we going to get there" while the adults know that the journey is the goal?
So for now, I'm quite comfortable with the changes I've made and my new habits. I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I find my new equilibrium.
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