Okay, tell me if you've ever done this: It's Monday late



afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were

going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and

3) give up all your bad habits. So, you're picking things up

around the house and starting to notice all the little bits and

pieces of leftovers from the past weekend. Namely, cookies here,

and small bits of candy there. In my house today I noticed I had

three large shortbread cookies (I'm overly fond of shortbread

cookies with icing), several bags of the candy that resemble real

rocks which I keep saying I want to put in a jar, but I haven't

found just the right jar (for display, you know), and the

leftovers from the latest summer picnic, which in my case is

about five pounds of fruit salad - not bad in itself, but I can

only eat so much fruit salad.

And Then There's the Wine

Of course, I had to buy some wine at a tasting on Saturday (I

always buy it, don't know why I think those wine tasting's are

such a great deal - they always entice me to buy), and now

there's an open bottle waiting.

So, my thoughts are, "Do I eat this, or not?" "Do I throw it away

and WASTE it?" "Oh, my, dear no. That's not a good idea," I

think. Oh, I just remembered there is also an entire plate of

large cinnamon rolls (Cinnabon style) I made Friday night.

They'll be stale soon. That's not good. It'd be such a shame to

throw them all away, and I only ate one.

And so it goes. Do I talk myself into eating up the last remnants

of the weekend, thus going into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday

with the taste of weekend indulgence still on my lips, or do I

decide, really decide, I've had enough? It's time to eat better,

like I just said, last night. Remember last night? It seems so

long ago now ...

What if We Just Start Tomorrow?

It's interesting how easily we talk ourselves right out of what

we had decided yesterday was such a good idea. So what's wrong

with just starting tomorrow? What's wrong is that tomorrow never

comes. It's always today, right now. You'll never reach that

elusive tomorrow. Yes, the date on the calendar changes, but you,

standing where you are, right here, right now, are still here, in

the present. You can't live in the past, nor can you live in the

future. You can only live in the moment.

Decide Right Now: What Do you Want?

So if you want to decide, then decide right now. What do you

want, really want for yourself? Do you want to continue to

indulge yourself at every turn, or do you want to exercise just a

bit more discipline and see if you can get into better shape?

It's not about what you'll miss out on, it's about what you will

gain. Better health, more energy, endurance. You'll feel better,

you'll look better. It's all about what you'll gain, but in the

immediate moment, it's so easy to think only of right now. Yes,

but right now this would taste so good, wouldn't it, and there's

always tomorrow.

I've found that when I make a mental shift, a real shift, not

just a decision but a true change in my thinking, then I follow

through, and not until then. All the times I try to talk myself

into doing things that I don't really want to do, are not

successful. Probably they're not successful because I don't

really want to do them.

How do you get yourself motivated and stay that way? I start with

a list. List all the reasons you want to lose some weight. Think

in terms of a mini goal of five or 10 pounds. Make it a one month

goal, not a lifetime goal. It's fine to have long-term goals, but

if you really want to learn to change for good, then you need to

make it something you can live with. Incorporate real change into

your lifestyle and you can indulge at a holiday party without it

making any difference; without it throwing you off the deep end.

When you go on vacation you'll come back maybe a couple pounds

heavier, but it won't matter. You'll have eaten what you wanted,

you'll have had a wonderful time, and not stressed yourself over

whether you're gaining weight.

Why I want to lose Weight

What's my first mini-goal? (1 week to 1 month). What's my

longer-term goal? (1 month to 1 year)

How strict must I be for this to work? (Pre-planned or legalized

deviations works very well for many people)

Sometimes, especially if you use a plan that incorporates

"legalized cheating" then you'll end up with some leftover food.

Get used to getting rid of it. Give it away, throw it away, it

really doesn't matter. You're not doing yourself any favor by

eating all the leftovers. So what if the cinnamon rolls go stale?

I ate one and really enjoyed it, and that's what's important.

Others also ate some cinnamon rolls, and even if no one had any,

did I make them to eat them all, or did I make them because I was

in the mood to make cinnamon rolls? Does eating them all myself

make any sense at all?

Sometimes I feel a little guilty making goodies and then giving

them away because I think I'm not making it any easier for others

to stick to their plans, but then I remember what I do in that

situation, and I have to assume others are adult about how they

decide to take care of themselves too. If I decide I'm going to

eat in a more healthful manner, and someone brings something

unexpected, it's not difficult in most all circumstances to

simply say, "No, thanks. I already ate," or take some on a plate

for later.

Since I don't go on "restrictive" diets, then I can incorporate

pretty much anything into my day's food plan. I just eat it, when

I'm hungry. I find it so much easier to base my eating on whether

I'm hungry, than on whether something is there. Just because

unexpected people show up, doesn't mean you use them, does it?

Honestly, do you think anyone is upset when you leave a bit more

for them? I don't think so.

The Case of the Missing Wedding Cake

When I was a teenager my mother remarried and I offered to buy

the wedding cake. I had an ulterior motive though. My favorite

bakery, Beaverton Bakery, was where I intended to get the cake,

and I knew by ordering far more than would be necessary there'd

be lots and lots of leftovers for me to gorge myself silly on

after the festivities. Ha.

What happened instead is a blur. I don't know really what

happened to the cake but I do know I not only didn't get any

leftovers, I never even had a piece at the wedding. I tend to get

caught up in the people and don't usually eat at parties, so I

paid it no attention, and much to my dismay someone else had

bundled it up before I got there to do so. Alas, I was never to

taste that cake at all. Such a disappointment - it must have

been, I still remember it now and that's been more than 24 years

ago now! LOL.

Food memories stick with me for a very long time. That day is my

prime example of how I would not have minded one little bit if

more people had said, "No thanks, I just ate," and passed on the

cake. I just wish I'd been a little more alert in setting aside a

hunk for later.