Weight loss is simple, right? We know the math and dozens of plans.
What about sticking with the plan and then maintaining that goal weight or size forever? Not so simple, is it? And few succeed. Why is that?
Part of it is our reaction to change. We like how we’ve always done things – it makes sense to us even if we’re not happy with the outcome. Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
To get a different result, we have to do some things differently. It feels silly to say, but it’s a bit scary to make big changes – even if others tell us it will bring us what we want most.
A Quick Story
Ellie, my dog is easily startled, but she loves a good walk. The first time we went to a nearby park, we found that the concrete path was interrupted by a six-feet by four-feet metal bridge over the little stream. I thought nothing of it, but when her paws hit the metal, she did a vertical jump, and of course, when she came down, it made even more noise, and she jumped up and away from me. Thank goodness I had a good hold on the leash.
The next morning, we came to the place, and she was not happy to cross. I didn’t want her to be paralyzed by this fear, so we did several passes over it and back each day to help her get used to the sound and feel of the metal on her paws. For a long time, she tried to leap across it, but eventually she would cross without any dramatics. She no longer notices it when we cross. The change in surface was unfamiliar and uncomfortable for her, so we had to practice it to make it more comfortable.
Practicing for Change
We often beat up on ourselves for not getting something right the first time. We start out on a nutrition plan, and we mess it up, and we’re just awful. Here’s the thing: It takes time to learn new ways. It doesn’t feel right because we’ve done it another way for quite a while. It may take several tries to get it working for us, and sometimes we’ll still fail, but if we keep at it, we’ll get there. Soon we’ll take it in stride. No drama, no feeling bad, just doing what works and not getting wound up if something goes a little awry.
Making big changes is not easy, but keep practicing, and soon we’ll be succeeding every day. Wouldn’t that be worth it?
