Get your obstacles out of the way!
Well, it has been a couple of weeks! How are you doing on your journey to better health? If you haven’t started, it is never too late to start now! In fact, as time goes on, I would image that we will “start” on our journey to better health quite a few times. For those of us who struggle with weight, including extreme obesity like me, our journey to better health is likely to take a few detours…but today – we celebrate! Eight pounds down and I’m feeling the momentum of this process.
This week I’m thinking about what the obstacles, real or imagined, that stop us from starting or continuing our journey to better health. We can make up any number of reasons NOT to start, but few reasons to start, or more likely, get back on track. For me, it has been a day by day struggle to stay on a healthy journey, but what I am learning is that I can learn to adapt. So, for example, I wanted to celebrate a major victory with a friend. We had worked long and hard on a project and it finally came to a positive conclusion. We wanted to “treat” ourselves to a nice dinner out…the whole nine yards, from appetizers and cocktails to dessert.
So, instead of avoiding it, I PLANNED for it…I planned to get the obstacle of delish, decadent food, out of my way. The day of the dinner, I made sure to engage in extra physical activities…I made sure that I worked to burn more calories. I also took in fewer calories during my meal, reserving my calories for the dinner.
When I met my friend for dinner, I made smart choices, smarter than what I might have done before. I had a salad with the dinner which cut my hunger down and I saved more than half of that for later. Although I got the steak, I avoided the mashed potatoes and had roasted vegetables as a side. I didn’t eat the entire steak, I ate a portion that was the size of my palm and I had the waiter take the remaining portion back to the kitchen to be packed for home. What I would have eaten in one sitting served for several meals.
That dinner invitation was an obstacle that was in my way. I could have “given in” to it and gorged on my meal, but I enjoyed it and exercised moderation in my meal. I participated in life! Did I stay within my daily calorie limit? No. But I didn’t go that far off for the day. The next day, was back into my healthy eating routine!
Get your obstacles out of the way, so that you can enjoy a healthier happier life! Don’t give into excuses for overeating or taking in high calorie foods. If you can’t make healthy choices, remember that you can “start again” with your next meal!
