Just a Few Thoughts

There are a lot of thoughts tossing around inside my head these days. Yesterday I wrote about cravings and said that the decision to change your (my) lifestyle was not about self-deprivation but about self-discipline, and that depriving ourselves will lead to disaster. I want to talk about that a little more.

I am learning to find a balance that I never achieved before in past diet attempts. I heard a fitness guru rant on and on about finding balance, saying that once I did, I would experience this "click" and everything would magically start to make sense, which alluded the assumption that changing one's habits is or can be easy. I rolled my eyes, shook my head, and thought nasty thoughts... and then I willed her to drive to the nearest Baskin Robbins to gorge herself. There was no way I was going to find any of this easy at any point.

But this is what I've learned. I can train myself to think positively. I can get into a routine where exercise is a normal part of my day, just like getting out of bed and showering. I can plan ahead, mapping out a week at a time, buying the things I know I will need, NOT buying the things I DON'T need, and sticking to the plan.

This morning it dawned on me that I no longer have to think really hard about what I can have for breakfast, how many calories it will contain, how I will fit in all the whole grains I need, or worry about being hungry after I've finished. That goes for lunch, dinner, and snacks as well. Then it hit me: when I wasn't paying attention, it CLICKED! I didn't hear a click, I wasn't conscious of it, but it happened, as surely as I was standing at the kitchen counter pouring reduced-sugar oatmeal into a bowl, it happened. Imagine my amusement. I made peace with the fitness guru at that moment and was repentant of my evil thoughts.

I'm learning that I can change my mindset and eat that tasteless 100-calorie whole grain English muffin, but top it with something flavorful. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I love those English muffins, because I DON'T. I have just learned to navigate around the unpleasantness. It helps not to focus on how much I dislike them; I change my focus to improving the taste or on something else entirely. This whole venture is not about making myself eat awful food. It isn't about no longer enjoying mealtimes. It isn't even about making all these changes and leaping tall buildings in a single bound. It is about accepting the fact that my body is not healthy in its current state and understanding that if I don't make some changes right now, I am in for one heck of a miserable middle-aged life. It is about gradually making changes, and not expecting to be successful overnight. It has to be a one-day-at-a-time experience, and setting realistic, smaller goals along the path to the main goal. This way we can see progress and celebrate more frequent victories, which will motivate us to keep on going. My small goal is to lose 11 pounds per month until August. I might reach that goal every month, I might not. But those months I do will push me forward to getting through the next month!

One last thing, which truly should have been first, is the spiritual aspect of this entire process. God gave us our bodies, in fact the Bible even says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit(I Corinthians 6:19). It is our responsibility to maintain them and keep them healthy with what He has provided. We can also ask of the Lord strength and wisdom to lift us up when we feel weak or overwhelmed. I believe that He cares about our well-being and wants us to bring our struggles before Him so that He can help us succeed. Ultimately we can give Him the victory!