If you want to lose weight, start thinking like a kindergartner

A few weeks ago my oldest started kindergarten. His teacher told us not to expect homework in the first month, but he missed school on Friday. Yesterday he brought home his first worksheet to complete and return to school. The make-up work gave us a taste of what afternoons will be like as soon as homework becomes a regular part of life.

The missed assignment was to fill an entire page with lowercase “s.” The uppercase “S” sheet had been completed earlier in the week. Now, “s” is a great letter for him to work on. It happens to be the first letter in his name. He has already started working on writing his own name. I assumed completing a page full of “s” would be a piece of cake. In fact, half the exercise involved tracing his teacher’s examples. He even expressed interest and excitement about completing the assignment. Confident in his ability, I left the paper, with a pencil, on his activity table, and went back to work.

Over the next hour and a half I called out reminders for him to pick up the pencil and write his “s’s.”

Eventually, it became clear that he needed help to focus on the task. I had him bring the page into my office and he was all over the place. With pencil in hand, he started telling me elaborate stories about the things on my desk. Each time I brought his attention back to the page and he completed another “s”

When he finally finished his “s’s” – about 30 in all – I looked over his work. I expected to see some sort of progression as he worked down the page but, there really wasn’t much change. He had a couple that were spot on but, most were closer to sickly angular pythons than alphabet characters. That said, I pointed out the roundest letters on the page and we high-fived his achievement.

He went off to play and I took a minute to think.

When adults approach weight loss, or any significant life change, we have huge expectations of getting everything right from the beginning. As a result, programs that advertise “lose weight quick” or “30 days to success” are wildly popular. But, what if we gave ourselves permission to think like a kindergartner and embraced the reality: learning how to lose weight is a one-step-at-a-time process.

What if we accept that learning something new takes time, coaching, and practice. What if we allow ourselves a moment to celebrate the small achievements, knowing they will lead to bigger results? What if we took a big goal one step at a time?

Imagine how much happier the journey would be and how much further you could go if you approached your weight loss goal from a place of wonder. What if you start to take some time to delight in the new things you get to do along the way?

My son didn’t look at his page full of squiggles and stress over the flaws. As far as he is concerned there is all the time in the world to fill pages with letters. He did the work, he enjoyed the process, he celebrated his improvement, and he let one lesson be enough for the day.

His anxiety-free approach to learning is a lesson for all of us and I have a feeling my son won’t be the only one who’s ideas expand in kindergarten.

Rose McAvoy blogs at Light for Life at www.heraldnet.com/lightforlife and at halfhersize.com. Email rose@halfhersize.com or find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/halfhersize.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.