It’s been 13 long days of healthy eating and exercising. Although it is very satisfying to have made it this far, it is becoming increasingly harder to stay on track. Don’t get me wrong, I am getting used to all the fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fat-free dairy, etc. However, I find myself craving those oh-so-good fast food meals. It is hard not to give in to temptation. This is why I want to share some interesting information with all of you who are also struggling to stay on track:
Obesity is the #1 preventable cause of death
This one short phrase is a very good motivator, at least for me. Every time I find myself on my way to the nearest McDonald’s, this phrase pops into my mind and the craving is gone. Obesity is a condition that has a severe impact on our health. Fortunately, we CAN control it. I know it is hard and takes a lot of effort but at least it’s our choice: to control it or to ignore it. We have no control over most diseases or conditions but, at least, we have control over this one.
Unfortunately, I do not always listen to the little voice at the back of my head trying to talk some sense into me before I take the first bite of that double cheeseburger. I should always listen to that little voice telling me over and over again everything I’m telling you now, but it just doesn’t happen. I yo-yo dieted for a long time and, thus, I fell off the wagon many times. About a year ago a friend told me this: "see going off track as part of your weight loss program". When she first told me this, I thought she was a little, well, crazy. It took me a few months to see just how powerful her advice is. When you see going off track as part of the weight loss process, you are less likely to feel horribly guilty after you had that Big Mac. Instead, you say to yourself: "ok, I had that Big Mac which is going to cost me a few extra hours at the gym this week, but it is just part of the program so let’s just get back on track right now". On the other hand, when you see going off track as a failure, you just feel sad, guilty and completely unmotivated – feelings that will not help you with your weight loss. I mean, it is hard enough to stay on track without a whole bunch of negative feelings floating around in your head, imagine just how hard it becomes when you feel guilty or like a failure. By the way, I later learned that this is the theory behind the so-called “cheat” days. So, let’s use those “cheat” days to our advantage.
Hope this bit of information helps you stay on track as much as it has helped me. Losing weight is hard but incredibly worth it. And remember; let’s lose the weight just because we CAN.
As a side note, I just wanted to let you all know that I revisited/edited a previous post on eggs in an attempt to make it a bit clearer. Check it out here.