“I know exactly what I have to do, but I still cannot seem to lose any weight.”
Is this something that you hear yourself saying? Well, it’s not too uncommon. Most people have a pretty good handle on what they should and shouldn’t be eating. It’s not too often you hear about someone eating cake and pop tarts for breakfast while thinking that they have their diet pretty dialed in.
So, if you know what foods you should be eating, why can’t you seem to lose those stubborn pounds? Yes, there is the quantity component which definitely comes into play. However, I am going to be honest, you typically don’t hear too many people who are overweight from simply eating kale and strawberries. If you are eating the right foods, 9 times out of 10, things fall into place.
From an early age we begin to believe “caring isn’t cool” and that self destructive behavior is what is normal. It’s what we watch on TV, read in the magazines and listen to on the radio. The problem with the “caring isn’t cool” model is that our innate behavior is to care and to care deeply in fact. We care about everything that has to do with ourselves, from our appearance to the energy we give off. So what’s the problem? What’s the deal with this self sabotage?
Self sabotaging behavior creates problems and interferes with our long-standing goals. In the gym, and life, we typically hear of forms of self-sabotage in the form of procrastination and comfort eating. The reason we self sabotage is typically in the form of a lack of self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence because we don’t feel as if we are worthy of what we are trying to achieve. We typically set ourselves up to fail before we even start because it is much easier to not try at all rather than fail at something we care about. Below are three ways to stop yourself from yourself:
- “If only…”
- If only I didn’t have a full time job. If only I didn’t have any kids. If only my knees didn’t hurt. These are just some of the things I get to hear everyday. Rather than creating a negative experience in your mind, change it to something that you can accomplish.
- “I’ll start tomorrow.”
- I had a pizza for lunch, so there is no point in starting a diet today. There is a great quote that I like to refer people to: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Don’t let one action spiral into your next decision. Just because you did “X” does not mean you have to do “Y”.
- “It’s not that big of a deal”
- This brings us back to our “caring isn’t cool” culture. It would be a tragedy to let others know what we really think and feel. So rather than saying no to going out for a drink or happy hour you don’t really want to be at, you just say yes because “you don’t care”.
There are many obstacles that we will face in our pursuit of health and fitness. Most of the times we have to ask ourselves, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” Figure out what you want and work until you have it.
Paul Buono Chronicles. 