Taking Small Steps Forward Has Never Been My Strength
I have mostly thought in big leaps until life (to some extent) taught me that things need to be approached differently. As we know, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The scale, especially during the Christmas season (and, I might add, in other periods as well), looks at me slowly and mockingly, almost as if asking: “So, how much have you gained this time?” At moments like this, I glare at it and try to ignore its cheeky question – which I never manage to do. I’m convinced the scale has been broken for a long time because it never shows the desired result. On the contrary, the digital numbers tend to rise rather than fall.
With the Christmas feasting behind us, the New Year’s Eve party ahead, and our resolutions somewhere in between – or postponed to the new year – here we are. I, too, have resolved to shed some pounds. After several months of unsuccessful dieting, I take a deep breath and start again – though with a heavy sigh.
Resolutions
That’s why my first decision is: no more big leaps. A quote attributed to Einstein says: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Big leaps didn’t lead anywhere except to gaining more weight – and, needless to say, to frustration.
My second step is to question my goal. Have I formulated it correctly? Why do I even want to lose weight? More specifically: What will happen if I lose X kilos? Will I be sexier? Prettier? Well, my true goal was, is, and will always be to live healthier, be sick less often, and stay somewhat flexible. And, let’s be honest, that excludes the concept of being overweight (except when it’s caused by illness, as is the case for some of my relatives and acquaintances).
And to achieve that, it doesn’t take much – just healthier eating (and some movement). This starts with breakfast, continues with the mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and ends with dinner. Does that sound like a lot? Maybe. But everyone knows (given the flood of information we receive) that it’s about what we put into our bodies.
Nobody likes tasteless, bland food. That’s why the second step is to stay realistic. What we eat should be to our liking and not make us grimace. Forcing ourselves to eat things we dislike only breeds inner resistance. If we completely overhaul everything and only buy “new” foods, not only will our bodies resist, but our minds will too. Let’s face it: we are creatures of habit.
So, why not start by changing just breakfast or lunch? And if a full transformation doesn’t work, why not do it partially until I’ve adjusted to the changes?
Motivation
We live in a world that’s always in a rush (everything must happen immediately) – and we exacerbate this by forcing our bodies and minds to “hurry up” too. We shouldn’t do that. They do a lot for us, enabling us to exist on this Earth and function day-to-day.
Inner motivation is what truly matters: defining a goal and working towards it. As for when we’ll achieve it? We don’t know, because we can’t see the future. But isn’t the journey the most important part?
We can celebrate our successes (“Hurray, I lost 400 grams this week!”) and learn to forgive ourselves for small missteps (not failures!). (Psychology Today: Motivation)
Maybe these are the things that really matter in life – a reminder I often give myself.
But I still haven’t made friends with my scale. (😊)
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