Life will never present us with the perfect setting for losing weight (unless we sign up for the BL) There will always be something to blame for not being able to do it. Therefore, I have incorporated a no excuses policy into my regimen. I'm trying to catch myself when I make an excuse and then tell myself why it is lame and figure out a way to make it work. Here is a list of the excuses I used to use (ok I still use them on occasion) for not losing weight and what I try to tell myself. I actually started these last week and have been writing them down as I catch myself. I thought of a few more while writing this too. (WIL - why it's lame)
E: Because I have to cook for Bobby and Brayden and I don't want to cook seperate things!
WIL: Hello, they NEED to be eating healthy too. Do you want Brayden to grow up learning to eat healthy? Yes, then he needs to be eating healthy now. As far as Bobby is concerned, this is about me taking care of me! If he doesn't want to eat healthy then he knows where the skillet and the stove are.
E: It's so hard because I have snacks and stuff all around for Bobby and Brayden.
WIL: Again, they do not need to be eating that junk either. Get rid of it and replace it with fruit and healthy snacks. (I still need to get rid of a few things)
E: By the time I get home, cook dinner, clean it up, give a bath, read a bedtime story etc...I'm too tired to excersize.
WIL: You're not a single parent. Bobby can give a bath and clean. Just ask. ( I did and he does, I mean his woman is working on getting skinny - he'll do anything he can to help)
E: I just don't like to exercise. It's not fun.
WIL: You don't like being fat and it's not fun. If you're serious about this, making the decision between the two should be easy
E: I hate water and I just can't make myself drink it.
WIL: Water is essentially flavorless, how can you hate it? It's the missing out on the other stuff that you hate. And yes, you CAN make yourself. You are a mentally stable adult that is capable of making decisions. Just decide to do it!
E: The girls at work wanted to go out for lunch today and they really wanted me to go.
WIL: Then go, just make a healthy choice. Nobody said that because you're going to eat out that you have to eat junk. And if they are going somewhere that eating healthy is not an option...then don't go. You aren't a teenager anymore and are capable of conquering the peer pressure. Just say no!!
E: I have too much to do to be messing with counting calories and eating healthy.
WIL: This is one of the lamest ones. It takes just as much time to eat a hamburger as it does a lean turkey sandwich with light mayo. If you don't have time to count calories, then don't, but that doesn't give you an excuse to eat chocolate cake for breakfast.
E: I'm losing so slowly, I'm just gonna quit and learn how to be happy being fat.
WIL: You gained it slowly and the best way to lose it is slowly. Hey at least you're losing. Do you really think you will ever be happy being fat...NO, so don't pretend that you can convince yourself to be.
E: I feel like crap today so I'm going to take it easy and eat whatever I want.
WIL: That's fine, take it easy. That doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want though. It doesn't take more energy or time to eat an apple vs a twinkie. You probably feel like crap because you are "obese" (Yes I said the "O" word. As Dr. Phil says you can't change what you don't acknowledge - 6 months ago I was considered "morbidly obese", so I'll take obese...for now. I have 25 lbs to lose before I'm considered simply as "overwieght")
E: If I am cooking something special for work etc, I have to eat it because I need to know that it tastes ok... it right?
WIL: Wrong, you've made that a hundred times and you know it tastes fine. You know it's yummy too and that's why you really want to taste it!
E: I ate too much today but hey it's still less than I used to eat. (I use this one alot)
WIL: Keep telling yourself that and you'll be back up to 2000 caloreis before you know it. You are trying to learn how to quit overeating....so quit OVEREATING!
E: Once I give in I might as well blow it the rest of the day.
WIL: This is the kind of thinking that got you where you are today. Doing this is like running a race and tripping halfway and then getting up and running back towards the starting line. That's crazy!
E: It's expensive to eat healthy.
WIL: The medical bills that result from diabetes and heartattacks cost a lot more than lean meat and whole grains!
E: It's so much harder to do on the weekend.
WIL: Saturday and Sunday are no different then Monday, Tuesday.... It's just another day. Still 24 hours, the sun still shines and the moon still comes out at night. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be able to do at home what you do at work. If it's easier because you stay busy at work, then stay busy at home. If it's because you aren't surrounded by junk food at work, then don't surround yourself with it at home. On the weekend you should actually have more time to exercise and think through what you eat.
Ok, I think that's it for now. I kind of got on a roll. I went back through all of my post and counted how many times I made excuses. Once I hit ten, I quit counting. Most of my excuses in the post have to do with exercise more than eating. The eating healthier and less has actually be pretty easy for me. It's the exercise that's been a bit of a struggle. I am working on it though and applying the "No Excuses" policy. I say going forward that we are not allowed to post any excuses. What do you think? If I do...it's your job to call me out. If I don't do well one day, that's fine, I just can't make an excuse. I have to be honest and blame no one but myself. The post should read like this: "I did pretty bad today. I have no excuse, I simply did not want to do it today. I was lazy and didn't think I was worth the effort." Because even if I did have to work late and I was tired and had a lot to do when I got home...the truth still is that I was lazy and I didn't think I was worth the effort....if I thought I was worth it...I would've done it no matter what. I'll be the first to say that yes I will still have days like that. Everyday is not going to be perfect. It's ok to have days like that, but I can't allow myself to let a day turn into a week and then a month. It's all about one day at a time. If you screw it up one day, go to sleep and wake up with a new attitude. No matter what, there is absolutely no valid excuse for not doing it. Even if the worst of worst happens (whatever that may be), it doesn't mean I have to give up on me and throw in the towel. It just means I have to work harder and be stronger. Ok I'll hush now. It's just the more I talk about it the more it gets engrained (is that a word) into my head. I'm going to read this post everyday.
Love ya girl!! We are worth it and we do deserve this!
Somebody has so generously brought 2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts to work for the last 3 days. They are in the kitchen right next to the fridge. That's the 1st place I go when I get here in the morning to put my lunch up. When I first walk in, I instantly think "Yea, someone brought donuts" and then that thought is immediatly followed by "Oh yeah, I can't have that" and then the following conversation ensues in my head while I'm fixing my morning cup of coffee...
