Weight, Size, and the Law of Diminishing Returns

On a podcast I was listening to the other day, the two guys on the show began talking about how much money we need to make to actually make us happy.

The study they were talking about said that that number is around $60-75K – basically enough to allow one to live comfortably in most places in the U.S.

Interestingly, they also found that making a lot more than that doesn’t necessarily correlate to more happiness or higher emotional well-being.

In other words, more money doesn’t necessarily lead to more happiness on a daily basis.

I’ve heard this before, but for the first time I thought:

“Wow. This has a lot of similarities to weight, dress size, and happiness for us women too.”

Since there seems to be a law of diminishing returns on the amount of money one makes and their level of happiness, I thought:

Could there also be a law of diminishing returns when it comes to the weight or dress size you want to be?

Hear me out on this.

For instance, let’s say you wear a size 18.

Would a size 16 make you happier?

How about a size 14? A little happier then?

What about a size 12?

10?

8?

6?

4?

2?

0?

Just as how making more money past a certain amount doesn’t necessarily lead to that much more happiness, would dropping a certain number of sizes or amount of weight be similar?

If so, the big question is: At what point will the pay off not be worth the cost?

Simply put, at what point will the cost of attaining and maintaining a certain size or weight not be worth your time, energy, or effort?

Think about it.

You may want to lose weight and get into a smaller size. Nothing wrong with that.

But for the dress size or weight you want to achieve, are you willing to do what it takes to get there?

For example, not always, but making more money can oftentimes mean longer hours at work, time away from family, less sleep, higher stress, more responsibility, greater workload, and less time to take care of yourself and your health.

Similarly, but again, not always, getting into a certain dress size or weighing a certain number oftentimes means spending a longer amount of time in the gym and restricting how much or how often you eat certain foods and drinks, to name a few.

I wonder then, if there were a size or weight that would allow you to be BOTH happy AND healthy.

Because besides the basics like keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure, and other important and fundamental levels in check, “health” isn’t necessarily how much you weigh or what size you wear – it’s more about how you “feel.”

Are you fit ENOUGH to live the life you want to live now and in the years to come?

To travel?

To play with your grandkids?

To carry your groceries into the house?

To squat down to get a pan from the bottom of your cabinet in the kitchen (and get back up)?

To get in and out of a car easily?

The list goes on…

I believe that the list above (and those similar) are the things that ultimately bring us happiness and life satisfaction at the end of the day.

Having a body that allows you to do those things with ease is a part of a happy and fulfilling life.

Like they say about money when it’s spent on material possessions (like a bigger house, nicer car, fancier clothes, etc.): these purchases might be exciting in the beginning, but the excitement fades and they tend to bring dissatisfaction over time.

Conversely, money spent on experiences (travel, movies, family adventures, etc.) tends to bring longer-lasting excitement, joy, and memories.

In other words, experiences make people happier than possessions.

So then, perhaps what you can DO with your body will make you happier than the size or weight of it.

Now, I’m not saying that the two don’t go hand in hand, because in many ways they do – being stronger and lighter do have their advantages.

However, I’m asking you to consider the cost of what you want – maybe you don’t need to be a size 2 or weigh 125 pounds to be healthy and happy.

Plus, maybe everything that would go into getting there and maintaining it wouldn’t be worth it to you.

On the other hand, maybe it would – it’s really not for me to say.

My hope today is just to get you to think about it – think about your own weight and dress size goals.

Are they realistic?

Are they attainable?

Are you willing to do what it takes to get there?

And the bottom line being: Will it be worth it? Will it bring you the happiness you think it will?

I’d love to talk with you more about this. At any time, you can schedule a time with me during my Office Hours.

In the meantime, take a moment to consider what you want, why you want it, and if it will bring you what you hope it will, whatever that is.

Thanks for reading and taking this time for you today.

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