"I'm having a bad day." "My shoelace broke." "My work schedule is different." "I'm having my period. " "I'm about to have my period." "I'm tired." "My favorite got voted off DWTS." "There were Oreos in the pantry." "My husband likes a full meal waiting for him when he gets home." "I gained .25 ounces this week, eff it, I give up." "I was at a banquet." "I stubbed my toe, broke a nail, scuffed my shoe." "We were out to dinner with friends." "My cat is shedding." "I deserve a couple beers a week." "I was traveling." "I have a hangnail." "I couldn't sleep." "It's half price Frappucino week at Starbucks." "Grease is the word."
Face it, for every ounce of weight you want to lose or have gained, there is an excuse. Let's be honest - there's an infinite # of excuses.
Human beings are extremely adept at coming up with a million ways to rationalize NOT taking responsibility for our actions, and when it comes to weight loss? Take that million and multiply it by infinity + 1.
If weight loss were Spinal Tap, we'd all be guilty of cranking up our excuses to 11 so as to drown out the truth: That we simply buckled and there is no one to blame but ourselves.
Food is inanimate. It cannot crawl out of the fridge, into the microwave, or out of the package, and sprint up your chest into your mouth. It needs your hands, your complicity, your "Yes."
I know, I know, I KNOW - this is hard. But it begins and ends with YOU.
Stop making excuses today.
Ran across these this morning. Common sense, all, but worth reminding yourself of if you have hit the inevitable plateau on your weight loss journey!
8 Ways To Lose The Last 10 Pounds
Actually, if we're being HONEST - it is the ONLY policy if you are truly serious about changing your eating habits and making soid strides towards your goals of a healthier body and smaller pants size.
Your clothing is tight. The reflection in the mirror isn't one you recognize. Your child makes a comment about your belly. Whatever the impetus, we have all hit our personal wall in our lives and made the vow to course correct.
THAT. IS. THE. FIRST. STEP.
The very next one, however, is acknowledging there is no magic bullet, potion, miracle pill, or completely easy way to shed the pounds that are weighing down your every step, and weighing heavily on your heart and psyche.
And let's face it, THAT weight is heavier than the actual pounds that jiggle.
When you commit, you have to COMMIT. 100%.
Not, "98% and I can cheat regularly."
Not, "Oh, there's leftover Easter candy, nom, nom, nom, I can get back on the horse next week."
Not, "Oh, I am traveling and cannot possibly stick to my new eating habits."
Not, "I am meeting friends for dinner so I have to eat like they do."
Not, "My spouse doesn't support my new goals and food choices so I'll make him/her happy with this plate of cheese and grease tonight." (Note - if your spouse is not supportive? Screw 'em. This is about YOU. YOUR choice to make a change.)
If you are in it, you have to be in it completely.
And if you cheat, you simply cannot expect the scale to reflect anything but the cheating.
If you have indulged in mini Easter candy bars, a dinner out where the food underneath is indistinguishable because of the layer of cheese on top, if your food is greasy enough to lube your car, or you continue to pay zero attention to the contents of what you eat (sorry, but if you are still packing in the processed, the scale is not going to move the way you want it to) - there is NO rationalizing what you see when you weigh in.
There is no one to blame but the person staring back at you from the mirror.
Dieting is not fun in the beginning. It requires you analyze why you got where you are, and take big steps to change your habits. And if your habit has long been rewarding yourself, consoling yourself, or comforting yourself with food, the changes will be agony.
IN THE BEGINNING.
But if you are honest with yourself about what you want to achieve, and honest about each bite you put into your mouth, the scale WILL move.
And in the right direction.
On your insides, that is.
Water is beyond important regardless of how fit or how fat you happen to be. Carry a bottle with you everywhere. Drink a glass before meals. Your body will thank you.
When we start to diet - hell, one of the main reasons we are compelled to start dieting - we fixate on the number on the scale.
Number too high? We're aghast, disappointed in ourselves, defeated. "Holy tube socks on an pterodactyl! I gained 3 ounces?!?"
Number takes a slight dip? We're Jack on the front of the Titanic - "I'm the king of the world!"
It's understandable, as human beings we inherently look to quantify an effort. And if that effort involves denying ourselves things we love (fattening foods), or pushing ourselves to do things we dislike (exercising) - we want verifiable FACT that it is worth it.
The problem is, as human beings our bodies don't give a two shits in a blender what we deem ideal.
In fact, two shits in a blender can actually make your weight fluxuate. Well, not in the blender, but in your body vs deposited in the National Bank of the Porcelain God. Close to your period? If you're like me, your weight shoots up overnight because of your uncanny ability to suck in all moisture within a 15 mile radius. The variables that can make your weight bob and weave like prizefighter from day to day are endless.
Weighing yourself daily - and admit it, many of you weigh yourself multiple times daily - is a defeatist act. At most, you should be stepping on the scales once a week just to track things.
What should matter far more than some arbitrary number you have decided is your "ideal" is how you are feeling, how your clothes are fitting, what you see in the mirror. Working out daily? Your pants may be getting looser even with no loss on the scale. Working out daily? You may even gain a pound as body fat turns to muscle and things are redistributed around your body. As time goes on and you stay dedicated to your new lifestyle and workout regimen, you may come to realize that your chosen number is not realistic at all.
The bottom line is if your bottom is in line with what you want to feel and see, not what number you have decided to attach to it.
Focus on your efforts, how you are eating, how you are feeling - that's where your bragging rights truly exist. Not on some little dictator on the bathroom floor.
Changing your eating habits is hard work. There's creativity that must be stoked, willpower that must be brought to bear, and yes, there is denial.
And while you may hold it together while the sun is up, something happens to a lot of people once it hits the horizon and disappears - it seems to take that willpower with it.
Raids on the fridge and pantry are not history making, they happen in just about every house that has a dieter inside. And if that person is having difficulty sleeping, it is even more likely they will be awake to hear the siren call of the Twinkie (or Ho Ho, or pie, or cookie).
The longer you stare into the darkness, the more likely your stomach is to wake up and say, "Hell's bells, are we awake? Must be chow time. Do I smell Cinnamon Toast Crunch?"
I am a horrible sleeper. I nap. Not even catnaps. I have cats and they nap much better than I do. About a week ago I read a review of the melatonin product Mid Nite and decided to give it a whirl.
WOW.
I dissolve two tabs on my tongue at bedtime, and I don't even remember falling asleep. Great thing is that you can can pop one at any time during the night also. Keep one by your bed if you find yourself staring at the clock at 2am and feeling your stomach yanking on your esophagus demanding a donut.
And you don't wake up feeling hungover or still tired.
Best thing? My pantry has been lonely for a week now as I am no longer grazing like a Midnight Cow(girl).
How many time do you find yourself aimlessly wandering the kitchen, overly hungry, and an easy target to be attacked by the closest thing within chew's distance? Not the best way to keep your diet alive. Here's an easy way to plan ahead so you never lose the Hunger Games again.
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From Alexandra: Try making a double batch of rice or other grain and freezing in individual portion sizes. Pop in the microwave, or on the stove, and pair with some veggies.
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