Quick recap…

Every week for the next 12 weeks, you make a goal for yourself about being more active, eating better, whatever you want your goal to be. Each week, you can pick a new goal or keep working on the same goal from the week before. Then…You write a post about your progress and just for working towards those goals, you’ll be entered in to win an M2 Lifestyle Activity Coach to help you achieve your goals!

Quick recap…

Every week for the next 12 weeks, you make a goal for yourself about being more active, eating better, whatever you want your goal to be. Each week, you can pick a new goal or keep working on the same goal from the week before. Then…You write a post about your progress and just for working towards those goals, you’ll be entered in to win an M2 Lifestyle Activity Coach to help you achieve your goals!

Quick recap…

Every week for the next 12 weeks, you make a goal for yourself about being more active, eating better, whatever you want your goal to be. Each week, you can pick a new goal or keep working on the same goal from the week before. Then…You write a post about your progress and just for working towards those goals, you’ll be entered in to win an M2 Lifestyle Activity Coach to help you achieve your goals!

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I had an amazing talk with my trainer on Friday. He shared with me another clients experience of basically “giving up”. He had come 90% to his goal, then gained back some weight (my story to a ‘T’), then got back on plan (where I am heading next), but then got off plan again and gained it ALL back (where I DON’T want to EVER be). This client listened to a podcast that helped him decide once and for all that he was ready to make that final step forward.

My trainer shared this podcast with me (even had me listen to it while I was on the phone with him).  The podcast is titled, “You v. You”.  It’s about 20 minutes long and well worth your time to listen.  I will say that the format of the show is a bit odd (jumping back and forth with talking, but easy to keep up with).

Here’s a quick recap of the show…

It talks about a smoker.  She smoked 2 packs a day, even while she was pregnant.  She would stop and start again and always found it hard to be around someone else smoking.  Resolve…failure…resolve…failure.  Does this sound familiar when you apply it to weight loss?  The starting and stopping, the finding it hard when you’re at work and someone has brought in a box of donuts or something?  I think we always want to lose weight, but find it hard to stick with any plan that will get us to where we want to go.  It’s the “You vs. You” syndrome.  This podcast tells how this smoker stopped smoking cold turkey and has never smoked sense.

The key is commitment and arranging it so you can’t compromise.  They talk about a battle.  The leader made a stand on the hillside.  His General told him that he didn’t think it was a good location to make their stand because there was a cliff behind them.  They wouldn’t be able to retreat.  The leader said, “exactly”.  This forced them to fight to the death.

It mentions how things offered right now have so much more power than things offered in the future (if I eat this “now”, I’m not going to gain 5 pounds back, but if you do it often enough…you will).  It’s the “now vs. later” and the “now” is always stronger and usually wins.  We have different parts of the brain that are battling this out .  They are never at the table together.  The one that’s in charge never confronts the other, which makes it hard to compromise.

Here’s the key.  You say you want to win this long term battle but you’re having a heck of a time doing it.  BUT if you make the long-term plan tied into a different immediate feeling of disgust, then all you have to do is have the disgust battle with the desire.  It creates a present tense battle on both sides – making it a Now versus Now.  Give it some sort of emotional salience.

Restrict your own choice, make a pact, a serious bet, back yourself up against the cliff.  Listen to the podcast so you know what they mean by “disgust”.  What’s your “disgust” going to be?  What’s going to make you stick to your goals?

I’ve been thinking about it.  It can’t be money related for me.  I’m a stay-at-home Mom and I don’t make the money for our family, so I can’t just “bet” it off to something.  There really isn’t much I can live without, besides my family and I’m not going to “bet” on them.  The only thing popping into my mind right now is the computer.  I love my computer and am on it daily (as often as I can).  I have three blogs to keep up with, emails, and so many other things I do on my computer.  I simply can’t live without it.  I’m thinking of restricting myself of the computer, my “disgust”.  Still thinking on this and want to run it by my husband (who I swear knows me better than I know myself).  I’ll share soon…

Quick recap…

Every week for the next 12 weeks, you make a goal for yourself about being more active, eating better, whatever you want your goal to be. Each week, you can pick a new goal or keep working on the same goal from the week before. Then…You write a post about your progress and just for working towards those goals, you’ll be entered in to win an M2 Lifestyle Activity Coach to help you achieve your goals!

My goal for last week was:

My goal was to get in all of my meals each day.

Did I meet my goal?

Yes (somewhat)…

I was great with breakfast, lunch and dinner and my afternoon and evening snack, but still having a hard time with that mid-morning snack (while I’m out and about).  My son has some therapy sessions that he goes to and it’s not easy to just take out food in the middle of the hour long session (he would want some and it would be a complete disruption).  LOL!  I did put snacks in my purse though and did remember to eat on the way home on a few days.  It’s progress.

So…what’s my goal for next week?

I’m going to combine my week 1 and week 3 goals.  I’ll work out at least four times this week and get all of my meals in.  It’s a complete all or nothing for me.  If I don’t work out, I just could care less about eating right, watching my portions, or getting all of my small meals/snacks in.  *sigh*  Maybe I need to work on that as my goal (overcome all-or-nothing thinking).

If you’re new to my latest Monday posts, here’s a quick recap…

Every week for the next 12 weeks, you make a goal for yourself about being more active, eating better, whatever you want your goal to be. Each week, you can pick a new goal or keep working on the same goal from the week before. Then…You write a post about your progress and just for working towards those goals, you’ll be entered in to win anM2 Lifestyle Activity Coach to help you achieve your goals!