SETBACKS

SETBACKS

You are at a party with friends.  The chips and cheese dip is irresistible. You had a glass of wine so your defenses are down... "I'll just have a taste" you say to yourself.  Next thing you know the bowl is gone, along with your next glass of wine.  Then.." ahh what the h...., give me one of those brownies".  You blew it.  You "cheated".....  Really?  Did you blow it? Did you cheat?.. I say absolutely not.  That type of thinking is a setup for failure.  Now you no longer believe that you can do this "diet thing", so it is over.  You concede.  "Eat Like Mark is for Mark, not for me.  He must be a freak. I will try some other diet plan next week, next month, after the first of the year. And by the way, I am eating pizza tomorrow."   

Does Tiger Woods ever hit into the sand trap....Yes.  Does Peyton Manning ever throw a game loosing interception.....Yes.  Are you a better "eater" than they are athletes....I doubt it... So why hold yourself to a standard of perfection that is guaranteed to disappoint?

Keep in mind that this is a "process", you start at a certain point and move forward for a lifetime!  Moving forward means doing so "on average". That means pitfalls, delays, and setbacks are all to be expected. When they happen, accept them as such. Don't use them as a reason to give up.  They are normal.  You are normal. They are to be expected.  The process takes a lifetime.   Your journey into optimal eating will mirror the ocean during a rising tide. It will not steadily rise but rather will comes in waves, with crests and troughs.  You will experience troughs but with time, each trough will not be as low as the previous trough, and, on average, with time, you will rise.  

Since setbacks are normal, let's just say they are mandatory.  Build them in to your eating plan.  Plan to indulge on regular intervals, say once or twice per week.  Over time, decrease the frequency of indulgences but do not make yourself miserable.  For example, if you know that you will be out with friends on Sat evening then just plan to indulge that night.  Do it without guilt (I know that I do) and enjoy every bite of pizza, chips, cookies, etc.  To help eliminate your guilt, eat extra healthy during that day and the next day.  To help minimize the extremeness of your indulgence, consider eating a healthy meal right before you go out.  I can promise you that WITH TIME, you will not want to indulge as often because it will no longer make you "feel good" to do so.  In fact, just about everyone that I coach, including myself, tells me that now(unlike before) "they feel like crap" when they eat that way.  

"Everything in moderation, including moderation"
EAT LIKE MARK