The Hughes Law Firm

I did something this weekend that I never thought I would do. I started the Nutrisystem™ weight-loss program.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched my midsection grow as my age increased. Where I used to be able to see my belt buckle when I looked down, I now have to stick my neck out. Those slacks with elastic on the sides have become my favorite garments. The buttons on my sport coats no longer match up with the button holes without sucking up.

Even though I was getting concerned about the extra 15 pounds I was carrying around, I couldn’t seem to figure out exactly how to deal with the problem. I started persuading myself into thinking that I was eating less or more healthy, but I would find myself dropping right back into the same old routine and over eat at almost every meal.

I even bought a juicer and started buying mega quantities of vegetables at King Soopers instead of potato chips, Oreos and ice cream. While my juicer served a worthwhile purpose (making me feel better about myself), it started to get old after awhile. I turned back to my old habits.

I could go on and on with all of the same excuses that you’ve heard before, but to spare everybody, I will simply cut to the solution: A system.

I have been studying under a life coach for over 3 ½ years and have been learning the secrets to making my practice more efficient, predictable and easier to run. My coach has emphasized the use of systems so that you don’t have to do anything new more than once. Systems are designed to produce quality as well as economy. In short, with systems, we can do things more efficiently and do them all much more accurately.

Unfortunately, I was missing the point regarding my health and weight management. I couldn’t seem to extrapolute this idea of systems between the two concepts of business and self. Then I ran into an acquaintance about three weeks ago who just started the Nutrisystem™ program and was feeling pretty good about himself. I quizzed him for five or ten minutes because I had been watching the Nutrisystem™ commercials on TV and was getting interested. My friend’s testimonial about the positive effects pushed me over the edge. I went on online, contacted Nutrisystem™ and started digging around. I didn’t buy on the first exploration. Two days later, however, a sales person from Nutrisystem™ called me up and offered a “special discount” and a couple weeks of free food if I would make a decision to buy on the spot. I guess I was ready, so I said “yes.”

I got this huge box of food in the mail last Friday, read all of the enclosed literature and found myself eating my first Nutrisystem™ breakfast on Saturday morning. My daughters laughed at me and predicted that I would fall off the wagon within a few days. I told them that I was committed and I was going for it. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in however much time it will take.

It’s now been five days and I feel pretty darn good. I don’t feel bloated, fat or hungry. The portions I have been eating have been surprisingly small, but I’m satisfied. Two hours after I am done eating, I am required to eat again. And then two hours after that I eat again. In other words, every two to three hours I am eating something that keeps my metabolism up and my hunger at a low ebb.

The key question now is whether I will stick with the program. The bottom line is that I now have a system to follow that gives me comfort and predictability.

As I relate this process to my estate planning practice, I see what Nutrisystem™ does is nothing different than what I do for my clients. I give my clients a system for planning that gives them the comfort of knowing that their desired results for their family will be achieved many years down the road. The Trust, the Powers of Attorney, HIPAAs, Living Wills, our Inner Circle up-dating program…they all work together as a coordinated plan and form the system that creates peace of mind. There’s no guess work or uncertainties. While there is a commitment up front and a continuing commitment to stay up-to-date over time, the system is in place to make sure that everything happens correctly when it’s supposed to.

Many folks come to see me who are unsure of what they really want to do at the initial consultation. When they make the decision to go forward, I believe–now looking at the Nutrisystem™ program–they make that decision because they see and appreciate the system behind what I do. And my guess is that my clients didn’t think they would become clients right away until they saw how the system would solve their problems and make their concerns evaporate. Weight control, estate planning, technology, or exercise; they’re all the same thing. Trust the system.

Filed under: Colorado Estate Planning by Richard Hughes