Have you ever thought about what we give up on when we accept another biscuit, or absent mindedly pour another glass of wine?
They’re only small things, of course, and if it was pretty infrequent it would make absolutely no different at all to our weight loss quest. But, if we accept a biscuit every day, pour a second and third glass of wine every Friday and Saturday and accept a pudding every time we go out for dinner; these small bits add up annoyingly quickly.
We’re choosing temporary pleasure over our goals.
When you give in to that unplanned extra intake, you are choosing the very short term reward of the taste (which is almost never as good as you want it to be), in favour of the longer term rewards of reaching your goals and feeling good and contented that you’re on the right path.
Is it worth it?
Of course not. We all know that. But, despite knowing this, why is it so easy to fall for the taste?
Keeping focus and peer pressure are the big ones.
Peer pressure affects us grown ups more than we realise. We see everyone else having another glass of wine and think we had better have another too (we don’t want people to think we’re boring for not joining in). Or, the other people around the table order pudding, and we don’t want to look like the lettuce leaf eater in the corner by saying no.
Keeping focus is easy to understand and difficult to put into place.
You have to keep your goals, and your route to them, at the front of your mind at all times.
But, how? That, is the million dollar question! If only there was a pill.
Focus needs practice. Sometimes something as silly as writing yourself a note and reading it three times a day does the trick – just to remind you of the ‘pain’ you’re trying to escape from and why you want to make these right decisions. This is especially useful if you struggle at one particular time of the day.
Focus also seems easier when you have some support. Whether its just moral support from a friend, or tried-and-tested advice and guidance from a coach, knowing someone else is rooting for you makes it easier to remember what you’re working towards.
My other favourite for remaining focussed is good old planning. Plan what you’re going to eat tomorrow, before you go to bed tonight. Plan for how you’re going to get around the social do at the weekend – do you need to check the menu online and make a choice before you arrive and get so caught up in conversation you’re not able to make the right decision?
Make the routine at least part of your goal – and not just the clothes size or number on the scales.
I don’t think its the best idea to set out on a weight loss mission with the idea of never eating anything off-plan again. I wouldn’t suggest to a client they never ever have any off-plan things here and there; what I do always say though is to make sure the choices you’re making are always conscious choices and not accidental.
A conscious decision is totally different – you have decided, in a calm, controlled state, that the birthday cake is something you want to have. If you’re not focused on your goals when you decide to eat something off-track, you will certainly find yourself cross and upset that you pulled yourself off course without consideration.