As some of you know, in June, my husband had surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
He’s doing fine, but is facing the sad reality that he probably won’t be able to play tennis (his favorite sport) for up to a year.
We get so impatient. My husband wants to run and jump. Your kids keep asking, “Are we there yet?” And the scale creeps down so slowly that you wonder why you are even trying.
You’ve been through it before. When you first start a new diet, you feel strong and motivated. You are absolutely determined to reach your goal. And for the first few weeks, everything goes well. You meticulously count food points, drink your nutritional shakes or write down everything you eat.
But real life didn’t change just because you went on a diet. People still bring cookies to work and invite you to birthday parties or happy hour. Others entice you to share a dessert. And eventually, you start to weaken.
Perhaps you get tired of planning and recording. Or you get side-tracked by stress, fatigue or work challenges. Next thing you know, you give into temptation and eat six cookies or have a couple glasses of wine.
In reality, falling off your diet isn’t the end of the world. Unless…you can’t get back on it again. That’s what makes this such a critical point in your weight-loss plan. What you do next can affect the outcome of your entire program.
Just like healing from surgery or an injury, the only way to continue making progress with losing weight is to keep at it day after day. If you are struggling and are trying to figure out how you’ll ever make it to your weight loss goal, do these three important steps.
Focus on TODAY
Every morning when you get up, tell yourself, “Today, I am doing my program. And I’m doing it all day long.”
Then pull out the things you need for your smoothie or your scrambled eggs. Pencil a time for exercise into your schedule.
Plan for that late afternoon or evening time when you tend to slip up. Make sure you have a healthy snack between three and five o’clock today.
Decide how you will nurture yourself, especially during the evening when fatigue tends to wear us down.
Do one more day!
Success requires staying on your program day after day after day. Any time you’re tempted to give up on your dieting efforts, think about how much progress you’ve made so far. Then tell yourself that all you have to do is complete one more day.
Make a sign that says:
DON’T STOP NOW!
Just do one more day!
Post copies on the refrigerator, your computer, in your car, and anywhere else where it will help your focus.
Use this reminder to help you push through fatigue, discouragement, and motivation struggles. Every day on the path is a day closer to your goals!