Dieting Obstacle When Life Gets in the Way

Dieting Dilemma No 1: When Life Gets in the Way

That pesky thing called life has a way of fouling up our the best laid plans. First you decide you're going to start keeping your car cleaner, thinking, "I'll wash it every Saturday morning." Great, you have a plan. Saturday comes along and someone calls inviting you to go golfing. "I was going to wash the car, but I can do it when I get back," and off you go. Maybe you do wash the car later that day, maybe you tell yourself, "I'll wash it next Saturday. It wasn't that dirty anyway."

Next week Saturday comes along and someone invited you camping so you're in the woods thinking, "Oh, well, I can't wash the car from here, can I?"

Another Saturday rolls around and you've forgotten all about your car washing plan, so even though you're not doing anything else you're thinking, "I don't really FEEL like washing the car right now. I'll do it later," and so it goes.

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon

It happens to all of us. You join the gym and immediately get the flu. Sign up for a adult education class and you're car breaks down on the first night. When you need to water the grass there's no rain in sight, but wash the car and what always happens? These examples aren't meant to give you a pessimistic outlook but instead to point out why persistence in the face of obstacles is what separates the haves from the have nots.

It's not what happens but what you DO with what happens that matters

The best approach is one-day-at-a-time, or even lesser intervals depending on what you are attempting to do. If you're trying to quit smoking, you might want to take things half-an-hour at a time. With food or eating it can be one meal at a time, one hunger pang or craving at a time, or whatever interval works for you.

Choose your Time Interval then Make it Happen

If you say you'll never do something again (smoke, overeat, over drink) it never lasts (you must build in the possibility of occasional lapse), but if you wake up in the morning and decide for that day, and only that day, that you will follow through with your plan, for just that one day, then it does happen.

There's a real rush of accomplishment when you wake up and realize that yesterday you did follow-through; you accomplished what you set out to do. And that's when it's easier to decide your intention for that day (or that hour) once again. Each accomplishment builds onto the next, and it gets easier and easier. Learning to follow-through takes practice.

Let Successes Build, Lapses Pass

It takes practice to get proficient no matter what you are learning, so plan to persist. Small lapses aren't failures, they are only lapses, and you then decided for the next time period. You will find that you are following through more often than not as time goes by. Doing this allows you to pre-plan when you know you'll not stick to your eating plan, thereby making it okay on occasion to over indulge. Holidays, special occasions. People who maintain a healthy body weight do this all the time without thinking about it. When you give yourself permission to indulge, it's amazing how much less you'll feel like overdoing it.

What About Those Obstacles and Unexpected Events?

What about when you decide and something comes up unexpectedly? For instance, you decided you're going to work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work at 6:00 PM. This works great on Monday and Wednesday but Friday someone asks you to join them after work for drinks or dinner. Maybe that cute co-worker you've had your eye on.

What do you do? Do you say, "No, thanks, I have to work out," and risk never getting to know that person, or "No, I already have plans," and sound like a jerk, or "Maybe some other time," and you know there'll never be another time, or "Yes, that sounds great," and then you berate yourself for being a whimp and not following through with your workout plan? Either way you're not going to feel good about your decision and you're setting yourself up to fail.

Set Things Up So You'll Succeed - No Matter WhatInstead, set things up so you will succeed, no matter what. Before you decide what you want to do, think it through completely. This is part of the "Creating a Compelling Outcome" process (included in the Ending Emotional Eating Workshop). When you decide what you'd like to do you must also consider everything else that will be affected and whether your plan is workable in the real world. Maybe Friday night workouts are going to be interrupted often. Better then to choose a different day or time.

If you thought about it before-hand you may have realized that things would often come up Friday evenings, so you decided to work out on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, or some other schedule. Thinking about what might interfere is why many people do their exercise in the early morning hours. Working out in the morning virtually ensures nothing else will interfere. No one invites you out for 6:00 AM except maybe your running partner!

If you want to get up early, think it through. Are you a night person? Early morning hours probably won't work for you, but some other time will. Do you have a spouse who'd complain loudly? Consider them as well, but don't let everyone else's preferences keep you from doing what's best for you. Consider others and any objections they may have, and then decide in advance how to counter those objections. It's basically a way to look at your plans from all the angles, figure out the danger zones, decide in advance on strategies to keep you on track, and then get started.

Secondly, realize that once in awhile you won't be able to keep to your plan. That's okay. Holidays interfere with gym hours. I've been annoyed when the gym was closed on Christmas Day! Sometimes despite your best efforts, things come up. That's okay too. You must be somewhat flexible, but at the same time persist to make sure you have scheduled a plan that can work the majority of the time.

Use This Process on Any Change You'd Like to Make

If you're making changes in your eating habits, do the same thing. I've done this successfully with many eating habits such as my old "Once a week cheese burgers and fries habit" which is now down to seldom or a couple of times a year. I did this by taking my four times a month cheese burgers and fries habit and cutting it back first to three times a month, then twice a month. Finally it was easy enough to just drop it. The habit was broken once I broke the regular cycle.

Remember too, you're not setting up a perfectionist situation, but a plan you can live with and work with. Choose one small thing to change, one habit, one event. Achieving small wins daily builds to enormous successes, and life goes on. Enjoy every moment of it.

Then, when those special situations arise, you'll know what to do, because you've already planned ahead, and even if you abandon your plan, for a vacation perhaps, you just get right back on track when you return feeling refreshed and excited to get started again. Relaxing like this on a vacation many find they eat a lot, play a lot and any weight they gain is lost within days of their return.

By Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com

Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss.

---

Shape Up! 4-Alternative Weight Loss Solutions

I am embarrassed to admit how many different commercial weight... Read More

When is a Diet not a Diet? When Its a Lifestyle!

Dieting and weight loss is almost certainly the most lucrative... Read More

5 Surefire Ways to Weight Management

You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More

Personalized Weight Loss Plans -- Breaking the Yo-Yo Cycle of Failed Diets

Dieting will continue to fail most dieters, unless personalized weight... Read More

Four Common Mistakes that Overweight People Make

I am a Registered Dietitian who has spent over 10,000... Read More

Tips For Cooking Low Carb

If you are committed to the low carb way of... Read More

Dieting - Healthy Dieting Tips

If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More

When Gaining Love Means Gaining Weight!

Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More

How To Get Over A Weight Loss Plateau

Everyone who has ever tried to lose weight has hit... Read More

How the Protein Diet Works

Protein is an essential nutrient necessary for maintaining good health.... Read More

Pushing Gastric Bypass: When to Talk, When to Keep Quiet

Sharing our bariatric stories is as personal decision as electing... Read More

How to Buy Chocolate Then Forget to Eat It

Some Say I'm Strange. I Prefer to Think of Myself... Read More

Quick Weight Loss Secrets

The Secrets have been in our family recipes, some even... Read More

Finding the RIGHT Diet Pill

Hundreds of products on the market today claim to be... Read More

7 Little Known Facts About Cellulite

Cellulite is a condition for which cures are commonly sought.... Read More

Close Kept Secrets to Weight Loss Lesson #7

Well, look at you go! You keep moving closer and... Read More

Weight Loss Advice ? What Makes a GREAT Personal Trainer?

If you are trying to lose weight you may find... Read More

Can Quick Weight Loss Really Work?

Quick weight loss is promised by diets all the time.... Read More

Summer Dieting Tips

Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and... Read More

Dieting Strategy -- Stop Diet Drop Out

Diet drop out, a significant problem for all types of... Read More

Walking: Its Never Too Late to Lose Weight!

How did a thin person like me become overweight? My... Read More

Conquer Those Carbohydrate Cravings

Are you a hopeless carbohydrate addict? Let's conquer these cravings... Read More

Stop Trusting the Scale--Its Probably Wrong Anyway

Have you ever stepped on the scale after a week... Read More

The Benefits of Omega3 Fatty Acids - Losing Weight with Fat!

Essential Fats for Weight LossOver the past few decades, the... Read More

What Low Carb Dieters Should Know About Nitrates And Nitrites

Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that are added to certain... Read More

Understanding the Glycemic Index

Things get so confusing when it comes to understanding what... Read More

Dealing with Childhood Obesity

Experts tell us that overweight or obese children have reached... Read More

Protecting Your Spine and Lower Back While You Lose Weight

When most people begin a Weight Loss program or diet... Read More

Pathological Eating Disorders and Poly-Behavioral Addiction

When considering that pathological eating disorders and their related diseases... Read More

Obesity ? The Underlying Historic Causes

The scourge of obesity has reached such gigantic proportions across... Read More

Weight Loss Discipline

Why is it so hard to lose weight and keep... Read More

I Can, I Cant

One common question I receive is, "What do you do... Read More

Tuna and Water Diet

Ready for a hardcore diet to get lean in a... Read More