I’ve been blogging a while, dieting a lot longer. Historically this is the week where people start to give up. Maybe the first two weeks of the new year the scale really dropped and you felt great and then this week the scale didn’t move as much. Or maybe your willpower started to show signs of cracks. That food that couldn’t tempt you back in week 1 might start to look just a bit better. Or maybe worse, maybe you’ve CHEATED and you think it’s the end of the world, why bother, I’ll just stay fat and unhealthy, it doesn’t really matter anyhow, blahdiddy blah blah blah…STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!
Every step towards better health, no matter how small is a step in the right direction. Did you take your measurements? It’s not too late to do it! There are so many ways to measure success besides the scale. Did you write a list of why you really want this?
One of the things that overwhelms a lot of people and causes diet failure is that we try to take on too much at once. I think most of us have been there we decide that we’re going to never eat __fillintheblank__ again and we’re going to exercise for an hour a day, every single day no matter what, get your gungho game face on and woooooohooooo….. and then something happens. You have a bite of something you don’t think is on your diet, maybe you missed a day at the gym or a workout? These are NOT reasons to quit.
I read a quote on a friends facebook wall the other day that I wanted to share: Saying “oh, I’ve already ruined good eating today, I’ll just eat crap” is like saying “Oh, I dropped my phone on the floor. I’ll just smash it til it breaks.” How true is that? Just because your car runs out of gas or breaks down doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new one! The comparisons can go on and on and on. One slip being eating or exercise is not the end of the world. Now say it with me: One slip is not the end of the world!
If you’re struggling this week, I hope you aren’t but if you are, stop and take a minute to regroup. Take a minute to think of what you’ve already accomplished and think of the small steps you can take. Make one change each week. Add one healthy new thing to your life once a month. It all adds up. It all matters. Just like one candy bar didn’t make you gain 100 pounds, it takes time to undo what we’ve done to our bodies. Don’t give up!
Now say it with me: One slip is not the end of the world!
Being a Packers fan and generally a fan of football, this quote keeps coming to mind:
ReplyDelete"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi
We will all have times that we struggle, but we must remember that is the how we react to the struggle that is most important. One slip up, no matter how long in duration, is not the end.
Great post.
One slip is not the end of the world! Whew, I must always remember that.... and stop the madness with the snacking trend I've gotten into:-)
ReplyDelete@Lynn ~ love the Packers!!! Rodgers<3...This post is so true. Never give up!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest dieting downfalls is falling prey to this kind of thinking. I call it my "all or nothing" mentality. I once heard someone say that no one gets fat from one piece of cake. So true! And my long-term vision of maintaining includes a piece of cake now and then. So for me it is all about not letting one piece turn into the whole thing!
ReplyDeleteOh - I forgot one other nugget to share that someone once shared with me and I love. A great analogy. If you are driving and you miss your exit you don't keep going and decide I might as well pass all the exits now and turn around tomorrow!
Deletelove that analogy Karen!
DeleteSome folks use planned "slips"--as in a cheat meal or cheat snack--and then right back on. It's a psychological valve--releasing that food stress that can come with strict caloric controls. I know I do. Not meals, often, but a special treat that feels indulgent (but usually isn't bad). Something extra.
ReplyDeleteI think folks have to remember that being good MOST of the time is how you make progress. A slip isn't disaster unless we make it disaster and stay "slipped". You just move on. Period. Just move on. The problem is a slip every day, every meal. That's not a slip. That's the pattern. When the pattern is messed up, the weight loss will stall or reverse.
But one slip, even a couple slips...recoverable. Life..and REAL lifestyle of changed eating and movement..then resumes...goes on. :D
Even a diet guru like Mark Sisson (and his mega-abs) allows for non-perfection. It's doing the right things for health MOST of the time, not ALL the time....that ends up becoming the lifestyle change that sticks. :D
This is so true! One slip is not the end of the world and it takes baby steps to change your entire lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It's really important to remember that. And I agree that small changes are a better way to start. That was kind of my journey. I started walking regularly for a long time, then started changing what I ate. Tried a few different things before I found what worked for me and what was doable as a LIFESTYLE, not just a temporary diet.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing this- it feels sorta like you wrote it just with me in mind ^_^ I have been doing amazingly well with my weight-loss for the past five days (lost 4lbs from exercising and eating well!) and then today, instead of seeing another pound dropped, I saw I had gained .6lbs. This really killed my mood and I was ready to be like "whatever. whatever. I'll never lose the weight anyways" and then I see this on my blogroll <3
ReplyDeleteI've realized before that I need to take a step back and realize "holy moley, I've lost 31lbs so far and I'm doing so well! .6lbs is not gonna get me down!" I've come so far so how could something so small as .6lbs get me down? .6lbs is NOTHING compared to the 4lbs of fat I've lost this week!
So thank you so much for writing this! I need to save it and read it everyday till I can remind myself that it's not the end of the world!
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Love that analogy about the phone...it actually made me LOL as I was nodding in agreement! I've been guilty of using that line of reasoning before, but hopefully I'll be able to break the habit.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good post! I seem to constantly struggle with this exact mentality. And it always makes the backslide that much worse! This analogies are great - they really put it in perspective :)
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