The Slimming Pool Weight Loss Blog: Hey, I was Eating That!
Monday, February 09, 2004
The Dry Cleaners Shrunk my Pants Again!
Shortly after Christmas I went to wear my favorite jeans - the green pair (I'm a redhead so I can wear green jeans if I want), and to my dismay I found they were suddenly too small! Now, how'd that happen? I'd owned them for a long time and washed them numerous times but my thoughts quickly flew to, "That stupid laundry. I must have used hot water or something. Dang."
Isn't it curious how we place the blame for things like clothes that won't fit on someone or something else? It's never our fault. Not that our body has expanded. Oh, no. That couldn't be. The denial regarding our own habits is astonishing.
The Clean Clothes Diet
Slowly, without thinking about it, I melted off those extra pounds and inches, and now the pants fit again. Wonder of wonders, isn't the magic of laundry fantastic? I call it the clean clothes diet. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Now that we're into February those excuses blaming holiday eating are done. If you gained a little weight (or failed to lose any) over the holidays, get over it. It's done. Today is a new day. Don't waste one moment thinking about why or what you should have done - the "blame game" gets you nowhere fast.
Instead, use what you've learned (that is, what didn't work) to go forward with your new plan and find what does work. Plan to start today, and work on today only. It's great to have long-term goals but they are always accomplished by taking little pieces and working on them one at a time. By creating a strategic plan, and working it, step-by-step things get done. That's how the U.S. built the Mars Rover. We reached the stars by taking it one day at a time, and that's how you'll reach your weight loss goals.
One Day at a Time: One Bite at a Time
I wore those green jeans yesterday and they still fit so I wasn't dreaming. (This isn't Mr. Green Jean's jeans, but plain old green jeans). It's the magic of healthier habits. Some years I don't gain weight during the holidays and others I do. You are not like the Mars Rover being guided through life with someone else at the controls. You are holding the controller. It's your choice what you eat every day.
How I Quit Smoking, The One-Day-at-a-Time Way
I quit smoking many years ago and the only way I could do it was by thinking ahead, not forever, not for a year or a month, or even a week, but one day at a time. Every day when I'd wake my first thoughts would be a decision for that day and that day only; "Today, I choose not to smoke. All day. No matter how badly I want to, I can make it through one little day. Just today. If I want to, I can smoke tomorrow, but not today. Just today. I can do this, I am doing this."
I spoke to myself that way when the urge came on strong, and believe me it did. Time after time. The urge to follow-through with old habits is strong. It's the same with eating less or eating differently. The urge to get the bag of chips is strong, and you won't be able to resist if you think in terms of "never eating chips again." It's too large - chunk it down to a manageable size. Just today.
"Today I choose to eat a healthy diet. Today I will forgo my usual 6-pack of beer and drink only pure water. Today. It's only for today. One day at a time. If I want to eat chips I'll have them tomorrow." Then, tomorrow, you decide again, for that day only.
Some days you'll decide not to eat a healthy diet. Big deal. It's okay. If you have a day where you'd like to skip it for that day, fine. Go ahead. The next day you decide again. Then the more often you decide to eat well, exercise, have fun, do things you enjoy, find other activities besides eating, then the weight will melt away, and you'll develop healthier habits at the same time. Doing it in this manner allows your old urges to slowly melt away until the intense desire to go get that bag of chips when you sit down to watch TV simply disappears. You no longer think about them. The habit is gone.
You won't have to do this every day for the rest of your life. Just long enough to break some old habits. Generally speaking I've heard it said that 21 days is what it takes to break a habit. I'd give it 30 days straight of deciding each and every day what you want for that day. Get a calendar and write it down, every day you make a choice, first thing in the morning. Choose to eat well or not, but make yourself aware that it is a choice and you'll feel less like you are not in control and as you progress, you'll be slowly getting back into those favorite pants you so long ago put away.
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