Weight-Loss, Temptation and Retraining My Thoughts – Link UP

One week ago I announced that I’ve begun a 90 Day Weight-loss challenge with high-hopes and a feeling of excitement. Why is it that it only takes a week for me to feel like I’m slogging through, desperately diverting my gaze from the lovely cheeses in the grocery store, feeling like I should run from temptation?

Temptation, ah yes well I’ve proven in life that I am one who tends to dive right in when faced with a temptation and we all know how that can end for me. Alcoholic much?

So knowing that I tend to be a person who seeks instant gratification you’d think I’d have enough tools in my little red toolbox of life to fend off that feeling where my mind is screaming “I NEED THAT” at me right?

Apparently not; by Tuesday I was ogling foods full of preservatives and fatty deliciousness almost convincing myself that I could have just a wee bit to stave off the need. My inner thoughts were horrible, cheese, ice cream, chocolate, pop…..utterly focused upon whatever foods I had made the decision to eliminate from my diet were at the forefront.

I was going crazy!

Why did I think weight loss would be easy?

Chalk it up to good intentions with little reality but I really thought I could jump back on the healthy living train with little discomfort. I hadn’t really gotten far off track but I had been eating whatever I wanted for a few months, cough ok more than a few but still.

Ultimately I had to give my head a shake and reach out for the tools of success which I’ve learned over my almost 40 years.

The fact is that temptation will always surround me, whether it’s alcohol, unhealthy foods or anything else resembles something sparkly to me at the time I can be assured I will find it. I cannot avoid temptation.

Rather than avoiding temptation I’m refocusing my thoughts.

I’m choosing to pay attention to my goals and allow this focus to overwhelm the feeling of temptation.

For example, when I was feeling that deep, all-encompassing need to eat something which wasn’t on my dietary plan I moved myself into a different place and shut the thought down by focusing upon my goal.

Here’s how it went:

“Oh my goodness I haven’t had a pop in 3 days, I want one badly. I can drive to the store and get a pop, it’s cheap and there’s no calories so really it’s ok”

BANG, temptation presented in my thoughts and plans made in a millisecond.

Action: Stood up, walked to the kitchen and poured an ice water while thinking:

“Breathe, just breathe, move to kitchen and get water.” then “What do I have to do today, ok so now onto task 1”

In those few moments I rid myself of the instant need for the temptation and redirected my actions and thoughts back on track. I even got some things done that I was avoiding simply to keep my hands and mind busy.

It’s a matter of training myself to replace bad habits.

In the end this week I did keep to my plan and the fixation upon cheese (I know it’s a bizarre one) has passed for now but I know it will be back. By knowing that it will I have planned my strategy for dealing with it and know that I can overcome the “need”.

This week I went without any pop (or soda for you Americans), avoided processed foods and ended up losing 6 pounds. To me the weight-loss is less important than proving to myself that I CAN retrain my unhealthy behaviours by choosing to change my thoughts.

Once again my thoughts drive my behaviours and I know between God and I we’ve got the power to achieve beautiful things!

So tell me friends, how’d you do this week?

Were you facing temptations and if so how did you jump the hurdles?

Don’t forget to link up your posts if you’re writing about a resolution/improvement in your life.