It's easy to lose sight of our goals, "Do I eat one of these delicious looking, fruit engorged, glossy, sugar coated lovelies or ... that other thing. What was that? Something about losing weight? Ah, well, it's just one little Danish." Then with the hint of white powder lingering on your lips you snap awake, "What have I done! Now I've blown it, and I was going to start my diet today. Might as well eat everything I can now and start my diet on Monday." Stop playing that game. It's the common trap of thinking one lapse is the whole ball game. It's not. It's just food. Food tastes great, yes, and we've had lots of great times but a little less often does not take away from the pleasure of eating one single bit. In fact, being more selective with time and place can enhance the true pleasure of eating. Thinking one overeating episode ruins the day is just an excuse. Every meal stands alone. You can overeat at lunch and be back on track for dinner. Take time to think about what you want and whether what you are doing is supporting you in your efforts to get what you want. You're not going to be 100% perfect, no one is, which is why asking, "Does this support me in reaching my goals," helps get you back on track. Make One Small Effort Every Day to Reach Your Goals Every morning think about what you'd like for that day, such as eating healthier foods. Do you have those foods available? Can you get them? Maybe you'd like to make time for exercise. Can that be arranged? If so, arrange it. Write what you want down so you have a handy reminder. Later when you think you want one of those cookies in the lunch room, pull out your note and ask first, "Is eating a cookie right now going to help in my goal to lose five pounds?" If you really want a cookie, take one for later. Frankly, if it's an ordinary cookie you could get any day, take a pass. It's not worth it. When the opportunity to eat something special comes along, go ahead and enjoy it. Sometimes a treat is just what you need to support yourself in working toward your goals. You want balance, after all, and enjoying the delicious things in life is as important for good health as getting enough sleep and eating well. Throughout the day continuously ask yourself, "Is what I am doing right now helping me to reach my goals? Is this supporting me in my efforts to lose two pounds?" (Two pounds was my weekly target when I lost 80 pounds, over 18 years ago). Try this approach once an hour for one entire day to jump start your weight loss efforts. Use a reminder program, kitchen timer or my favorite the MotivAider (I love this gadget and have a review in my Tools section on my website, OneMoreBite.com). When your reminder plays, just ask, "Is what I'm doing right now supporting me in my goal to ..." If it is, great, and if not as soon as you realize you've become distracted, you can get right back on track. Ask yourself right now, "Is reading this helping me in reaching my goals?" I'd like to think so. |
