First, a quick paragraph update of how I'm doing. I've lost about half a pound in the past 18 days. Tiny, huh? Yeah. But I'm pregnant and I'm not supposed to lose weight right now. Nevertheless, this half pound loss is HUGE to me because it proves to me that I'm doing the RIGHT thing---eating healthy, within calorie limits, drinking my water, and being active. See, before I got back on track on January 1st, I was allowing myself to eat way too much junk and wasn't monitoring anything or even trying and a lot of the weight I have gained with this pregnancy has NOT been baby. (I've gained 30 pounds, in case you are wondering. I have 11 weeks left until my due date).
Now...on to the subject at hand---HAVING to do stuff.
I have a plan that I follow that keeps me on track. It's a way of life. And yet, I find I am too often bombarded with the thought of, "Well, you don't HAVE to." I don't HAVE to exercise today. I don't HAVE to refrain from making a cake. I don't HAVE to calculate my calories. I don't HAVE to. No one is the boss of me but me.
I am successful, most of the time, telling myself to shut up when I start with the "don't HAVE to" junk. But I'm human and sometimes I fall on my face. blah!
I bet you can relate.
Remember the last time you told yourself that you didn't HAVE to do the healthy things you had planned? What happened? You indulged. And then how did you feel? Did you feel successful? Did you feel victorious and on track?
So much of our lives are about FEELINGS. I want to FEEL successful, victorious, awesome, amazing. I can't get that feeling from a cake mix. Two seconds after it is swallowed, every "good feeling" from that cake mix is over.
But self discipline produces a long lasting good feeling, after the time of temptation has passed.
So yeah.........it's true. You DON'T have to.
But look at where you were when you didn't.
Just talking to myself. Thanks for listening :)
Great post.
ReplyDeleteYou are making think exactly what you wrote.
I too have been eating too much junk and thankfully that there is no more in this house. I know I should have thrown it out but it is not in me to throw out unless it has gone bad.
Thank you for posting this....I need to "have to" not "I don't have to.
Hope all is well with you and your family.
Many hugs
Love this post. Emotional eating is just a distraction, a diversion... Wonderfully articulated, Amy. Congrats on your baby! ;) By the way, you are successful, amazing, victorious and awesome. Feelings are so powerful, you're so right my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I needed to hear that!
DeleteSharing a body with someone who is entirely dependent on you is one of the hardest things in the world, and I would dare to say it is even more difficult for people who have struggled with weight issues. Being disciplined while pregnant is an incredible accomplishment. I was not at all, and I felt doubly guilty - for what I was doing to my weight loss progress, but mostly, for how it affected my baby. You're doing an amazing job, little mama!
ReplyDelete