What do you do when you are looking longingly at all the forbidden foods on your diet? Do you cheat, have a bite, call it a lapse and move on or does a lapse turn into a total relapse, in which you find it nearly impossible to get back on your regimen?
Well, I can tell you what I do. I may look. I think there is power in being able to walk at a reasonable pace down the candy aisle at the pharmacy. I might even smell. Nothing like the smell of fresh baked goods, or KFC. After I have had a near fix, I review my whys. Why am I eating this way? What am I hoping to accomplish? How will I feel, if I stop midstream and endanger my goal? Have will I feel, if I overcome despite my desire to eat the forbidden fruit?
So I go back and get firmly in mind all of the reasons I chose to pursue this path to begin with and then ever stronger than before, I re-double my efforts and let more time pass on the road to recovery.
How do you handle temptation? What are your secret tips or tricks? What is your best method for walking right past a tempting situation? If you don’t know, can you think of a tempting scenario and write out a plan regarding how you could successfully avoid losing sight of your goal?
Do you know why you are doing what you are doing? Are you trying to look good at your upcoming wedding? Do you want to be able to get down on the floor with your grandkids? Do you want to be able to play a round of golf with friends from work? Do you want to go for a simple walk in the metro parks? Do you want to go to Disney and be able to keep up with your family? Do you want to fit into the seat in the airplane without the humiliating extra strap for those who are too well endowed? Do you want to enjoy better health and live a more meaningful life with less limitations?
Take a moment to pen out your most cryptic whys. Really get down to what is at the root of all this for you! Why are you really going through all this bother? What would it be like if you didn’t make it to your goal? Does it really matter to you? Is it a matter of life and death? Is it a matter of a life more well spent? Is it all owing to the type of relationship you want to be able to have with someone? Keep those ideas in mind and that just might be enough to sufficiently motivate you toward your goal!
As always, best of luck in all your endeavors!
Lisa J Lafave, PhD, MBA, ACC
The Wellness Coach at Building Better Bodies Rocks
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
Written in My Little Brick in University Heights, Ohio
Leap Into Action!