Why do you fall off track on our weight loss journey? Is it because you lack motivation? Is it because you’re lazy? Is it because you just don’t care or lack focus? Did life just get in the way? Felling sorry for your self? How about you’re just tired of dieting and exercising, or just too tired to do it period!
It could be one or all of these reasons.
I know that over the last six months it has been for me it has been all of these for me. It started with my office relocating from the city to the suburbs. This meant I could not longer take public transportation and get to work in about 45 minutes. Now I have drive in heavy commuter traffic both ways and it takes me any where from 1 hour in the morning and almost 2 hours in the evening. This change to my commute has taken a toll on both me an Eric, because we only have one car so instead of him dropping me off at the subway to head into the city, I have to drop him off at work 2 hours early so I can be to work on time. So we now have to get up at 5am every day so I can make it to work by 8am. First excuse – I’m too tired and stressed to think about eating right. Let’s get take out. Have to get to bed early no time to cook, which we almost never do. Fell right in to that one quickly. Then we were moving over the holidays as if they weren’t stressful enough adding moving on top of that and it seeming becomes impossible to stay on my diet. After all it was the holidays what’s a couple of weeks being off plan going to harm, right? I knew it wasn’t the best choice but it felt like it at the time. Flash forward a couple of weeks to moving time. We find that the first apartment that we were’ supposed to move into must have been rented by a hoarder or just the dirtiest person in earth. It took four hours just to clean the kitchen, and after that, I found that the cabinets were falling apart. After finding that we decided that we couldn’t possibly move into that apartment, and made them the management give us another apartment. More stress!
Finally moved into out new place, and mostly unpacked. Tried to get back on plan again, but I had oral surgery that let me give my self permission to go back of plan. Second excuse – Feeling sorry for myself. I had Eric get me all kinds of junk that was easy to eat telling my self I can’t eat healthy right now. Then I got a rotten cold that lasted through the month of March. I didn’t make it through all this unscathed. Oh I dropped a couple of pounds after my surgery then it got me I was up a couple pounds the next week, then up a couple more the following week and it kept going on to where I’m at now back at my start weight.
I got to the point where I just go tired of dieting and wanted to eat what I wanted to eat. I let life get in the way, and my motivation was all but gone. Excuses 3-5!
Now here we are in halfway through April and it’s starting to get nice outside and I want to wear lighter clothing but wait a minute! Nothing fits right. Ok, so what am I going to do now? Head down the path of denial to Big Belly Junction or take the path to Washboard Abbsville? The Chocolate River to Big Belly Junction looks like a nice lazy river and I could take a side trip to the Ice cream caves.
I Choose Washboard Abbsville! So how am I going to do it? It looks so difficult. Have to make through the Celery Forest and the cross the Seltzer Water rapids. This is how I’m going to make it to Washboard Abbsville. I have this map that I was given along the way but thought I knew the way. I didn’t need directions. Turns out I do need the map and I do need to make plans. I’m going to start by planning my lunches that I bring to work and my dinner for every night of the week. I’m going to schedule in the gym every day. What’s that old saying? Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Well my friends I’ve been planning to fail for a long time. When you have a plan you have a direction to go. You have given yourself the most valuable map in the universe. Here are some tips to help you to make it to Washboard Abbsville at the foot of Tight Buns Hills.
1. Take a half hour to plan your meals for the week. Write a menu out and put it on your refrigerator. Make it fun involve the whole family. Give yourself a gold star for every day you stick to the menu.
2. Make the menu items simple to prepare. Check out this months Quick Bite recipe.
3. Don’t turn on the TV when you get home from work. Go for walk to distress before dinner.
4. Get more sleep. Set a bed time and stick to it.
5. Don’t forget to have some fun every week!
6. Get an anchor. No, not a boats anchor. A small trinket or picture that you can carry around to remind yourself that you are worth it, you deserve it and that you will make it, because you have a plan and a map to follow all the way to Washboard Abbsville!
Sounds easy right? Remember you always have the Amazing Shrinking Men in your corner. Lets go and Be Amazing together!
So? What did you do? Where did you go? Are you doing this, or not? It looks like you got off to a good start. Don’t give up!