You know that feeling: TOMORROW we’re going on a “strict diet.” I can hear my cousin’s voice in that as we both battled our weight for years. It meant that all the foods we loved would be off the table for us, so to speak. White fish or low-fat chicken or pork with nothing to add flavor or visual interest would be our penance for too many days of overindulging in all the good food my grandmother made.
Or maybe your idea was to clear everything out of the refrigerator or cupboard if it didn’t fit the plan. All the “good stuff” would be gone – with no temptation, it will be easy, right?
Or the multiple areas of attack: I’m going to go to the gym six days a week to do cardio for at least an hour, then lift weights, and do lots of protein drinks or have ALL my meals at home so I can track every calorie, and cut my calories to 900 per day, and get up early to walk the dog/meditate/read, and go all-in on the Whole 30/Keto/Paleo/Vegetarian/pick your plan, and, and, and –
It’s a lot of change all at once, and it lays a serious trap. It’s an insidious form of self-sabotage because it looks like we’re totally committed. So much change in whatever form slowly overtakes us mentally and emotionally, and it entraps us in exhaustion and stress before we see measurable results. Then tired and cranky, we declare nothing works before running to the corner shop to grab a tub of ice cream to soothe ourselves. Defeated again.
That much change needs an adventure – like moving to a new home or city, changing jobs, something that carries with it immediate and unwavering motivation to keep going. Shedding weight takes more time and has more natural fluctuations without such immediate gratification.
One Step At A Time
Choose one thing to change. Focus on maintaining it. My accountability partner and I work with the one-thing concept. Our one-thing to accomplish on this day is: _______ If today’s plan goes totally awry, the “just one thing” is our goal for today. It’s not overwhelming, and it feels doable for that day. AND it gets done. For shedding weight, that one thing could be: a 20-minute walk, getting the right amount of protein today, a calorie target, looking at menus online before going to a restaurant, or menu planning and preparation for tomorrow.
As that feels comfortable – or becomes habitual – choose another one thing to add. Over time, some things will feel so natural or automatic that you don’t have to think about it. You just do it. In the morning, I get up and walk my dog. It’s not even a thought anymore – it’s more of a thought if we can’t go for some reason, but it’s automatic to get up and go walk the dog. It saves willpower.
WORD ABOUT GROUP—to help you stay on track, I’m creating a monthly accountability group subscription. Every week, your group will meet for an hour for some accountability and brainstorming about how to move forward or stay on track. Look for posts on Facebook and Instagram. We’ll start on September 13, 2021.
