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I’ve been thinking about my weight loss journey – how far I’ve come and how much I’ve backslid at times. After some real soul searching, it occurred to me that every time I yo-yoed, I’d use every excuse in the book not to exercise and eat right, and make it okay to just wait one more day.
I’m past excuses now.
I realized I haven’t had anyone ever come out and say getting healthy sucks at first. I have to REALLLLY want it. And, even when I feel I don’t have the will, I have to make myself move forward.
It’s an adjustment like any other. A food addiction is no different than any other addiction. It takes time and some super craptastic days to get past the desire to eat that bacon burger and give up convenient processed foods.
To undo any bad habits, I have to put in the time and work. I can’t allow myself to use “the just one more” or “one more day” attitudes. There’s no magic pill or drink that just takes it all away. Sure, I’m going to see oodles of ads for magical diets that take off ten or twenty pounds flat, but let’s be real, once I stop, it all come back…and then some.
Which brings me to realization number two, it’s a lifestyle change. I can’t go back to old habits once I’ve lost the weight or I’ll gain it all back. My personal belief is that there is no “one size fits all diet,” but I do believe that consistency and hard work are the keys to getting healthy and staying healthy.
If you’re like me and have struggled with these dieting demons, there are things you can do to get and stay back on track. These are some of the ways that I’ve found motivation and strength in turning myself around and hitting the healthy head-on.
One thing you can do to help improve your odds of success is finding an accountability buddy. Having someone to report to helps to keep you focused because you have to share your progress on a regular basis. It’s important to remember, however, that if they back slide, you have to encourage them without allowing yourself to lose track with them. Don’t get me wrong we all lose track from time to time, but that’s when it’s most important to be real with yourself and hit the gym even if you don’t feel like it that day, or avoid the unhealthy food options even when you feel a jones for it.
If you do make a mistake, don’t make it worse by beating yourself up. Instead, you need to figure out what triggered the backslide or loss of interest and think of ways to combat it as well as avoiding the same triggers in the future. In my case, one thing that helps when I feel the urge to fall back on bad habits is to watch an inspirational video. YouTube has tons of short, but moving, videos about the healthy successes of everyday people who worked hard to take care of themselves.
I would also like to point out that your doctor is a great resource for getting on track. Please make sure that anything you do is under the supervision of your doctor. If you have an excellent, trusted family physician, he or she can guide you to a routine and diet that is right for your body and health.
Never stop and never allow yourself to give up, because one day leads to two days and so on and so forth. Before you know it, weeks or even months have gone by and you’re kicking yourself in the butt over wasted time. That’s my personal two cents. If you want to feel good then you have to go through the motions of undoing the damage done to your body by lack of exercise and not eating right. Like I said before, it’s an addiction like any other and it’s hard at first, but in the end – completely worth it.
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