A Dieter’s Biggest Mistake
No Shades of Grey- “I have already screwed it up.”
You eat one doughnut and think to yourself, “Hey, I already screwed up my diet for today so I might as well eat the whole box.”
You eat several cookies and decide to finish the whole bag rationalizing that you have already failed for the day.
You skip your workout for several days and decide to take a few more days off, thinking that you already messed up the week.
Sound familiar?
Most of us can relate to these scenarios in one way or another. But if we really think about it, we are essentially saying, “Since I just screwed up and ate 300 calories, I might as well eat another 3300.” Really?
We do this because our “all or none thinking” gets in our way. It is either all or none and nothing in between. There are no shades of grey.
If we challenge this thinking the next time we rationalize that we have ALREADY screwed something up, we might be able to catch ourselves before we actually do.
Remember that progress doesn’t always resemble an inclined plane, going straight up. It often looks more like a staircase. You may take two steps up and one step back. Then another two or three steps up and another back. If you persevere when you take a step back, you will eventually reach your goal. Try not to confuse a step back with the bottom of the staircase.
We can find all sorts of excuses.
We sure do. 🙂
I have been down this road so many times. Lost 60 lbs in 2010 – back 12 and fighting to keep spirits up and not fall back into old patterns. Exercise is essential for both my mental and physical spirit. Put on music – it always helps me when I think I might do “something bad”.
Many people don’t realize that exercise is essential to our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. This is universal. Music helps me, too. Try not to let 12 get you down. Instead commit to three weeks of healthy living. After the three weeks, your new healthy way will seem easier and more habitual and your spirits will probably increase. Have a great weekend, Jennifer.
It took me a little while to figure out who ‘Dieter’ was. Duh! 😀
I used ‘dieter’ but ‘all or none’ thinking gets in our way in so many areas- dieting or not. Have a wonderful weekend, Todd. I think I will work on getting that press this key set up today. Thank you for all of your help!
I apologize for communicating so poorly. I thought you were talking about a German guy named Dieter. Paradigms are funny things. ..
Funny! 🙂
Wow ~ you are so right! 😉
:). Have a happy day!
You too! ♥
The key word here is “thinking”. I learned in psych101 about behavior modification. Act your way into a newest of thinking. It works, but he key is thinking …
Getting out of autopilot and “thinking”. True! Thank you for leaving your comments. I hope that you have a good weekend!
Kristin, Thank you for liking and following “deepakdheer”. I am learning the same thing you are teaching, “To take one baby step at a time.” It’s so powerful..
Thank you so much. One baby step is powerful, especially when something seems overwhelming!