Carol56
Thu, Sep-19-02, 19:11
This was posted by Sherri from the Canadian Connection WW Site at Dotti's Weight Loss Zone.I think it is a very good read AND it applies to any weight loss plan............
Don’t Confuse Disappointment with Disaster
Just as we experience many joys as we travel down the road to better health, we also face some disappointments in our weight-loss journey.
Perhaps we overate and are disappointed in our behavior. Perhaps during weigh-in we maintained or showed a gain and we are disappointed in the results. Perhaps we can't get motivated to exercise and we are disappointed in our lack of effort.
To think we will do this program without encountering some low points along the way is unrealistic. However, those unrealistic expectations are what cause many to quit before they reach their ultimate goal. We know we cannot walk the tightrope without falling off a time or two - yet we still demand that perfection of ourselves. We set ourselves up for failure because it's an easy way out.
Don’t confuse disappointment with disaster.
Stop thinking every minor setback is a reason to quit. A gain is not a reason to quit. “Just a two-pound loss” this week is not reason to quit. Missing your goal this week by 5 or .5 pounds is not reason to quit. Binging for an hour, a day, a week or a month is not reason to quit.
These are not disasters within themselves - but quitting because of these reasons is disastrous. How are you ever going to get healthier and fit by stopping? Halfway following your weight-loss program is better than not at all. And, always remember, you can always, ALWAYS get back on track as quick as you got off of it. Just stop what you are doing and replace negative behaviors with positive ones. Take control of yourself.
When you are faced with disappointment, just know it will all work out in the end if you keep your eye on your goal and your body moving forward. Success will ultimately come if you just keep pushing. You have to want this more than anything else.
When you are faced with disappointment, you first have to address it. Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, it can be hurtful. Yes, it makes you feel like quitting sometimes. Don't bottle up your emotions or try to push them to the back of your mind in hopes you are hiding them. Feel them. Explore why you are disappointed. Talk it out with yourself and with anyone else you feel comfortable sharing with.
Once you have brought your disappointment into the light, you will see it is not as intimidating as it was in the dark corners of your mind. You will see you CAN overcome it - it's not bigger than your desire to succeed. Yes, it is very real but it is not as disastrous as you imagined it to be.
After you have addressed your feelings, then work toward a solution to overcome the disappointment. If you binged, figure out how to avoid another one. What triggered you? If you gained, figure out what might have caused it. If it is an unexplained gain, just strengthen yourself mentally to realize you need non-scale victories to show progress until the scale catches up with your good habits.
Don’t confuse disappointment with disaster.
Be prepared for the bumps in the road and be flexible enough to deal with them. Take time for yourself - feel the disappointment and then move on to bigger and better things. Just remember, the only disaster would be if you gave up on something that holds so much promise of happiness and health for you.
Mental exercise for the day:
Identify some past disappointments you've had. Did you work through them and come out a better person, or did you throw in the towel and quit? How can you better deal with the disappointments that are sure to come in your weight-loss journey?
Be sure to remember the good when dealing with the bad. Make a list of all the positives you have encountered in your journey. It will help keep it all in perspective. :thup:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did!
Carol
Don’t Confuse Disappointment with Disaster
Just as we experience many joys as we travel down the road to better health, we also face some disappointments in our weight-loss journey.
Perhaps we overate and are disappointed in our behavior. Perhaps during weigh-in we maintained or showed a gain and we are disappointed in the results. Perhaps we can't get motivated to exercise and we are disappointed in our lack of effort.
To think we will do this program without encountering some low points along the way is unrealistic. However, those unrealistic expectations are what cause many to quit before they reach their ultimate goal. We know we cannot walk the tightrope without falling off a time or two - yet we still demand that perfection of ourselves. We set ourselves up for failure because it's an easy way out.
Don’t confuse disappointment with disaster.
Stop thinking every minor setback is a reason to quit. A gain is not a reason to quit. “Just a two-pound loss” this week is not reason to quit. Missing your goal this week by 5 or .5 pounds is not reason to quit. Binging for an hour, a day, a week or a month is not reason to quit.
These are not disasters within themselves - but quitting because of these reasons is disastrous. How are you ever going to get healthier and fit by stopping? Halfway following your weight-loss program is better than not at all. And, always remember, you can always, ALWAYS get back on track as quick as you got off of it. Just stop what you are doing and replace negative behaviors with positive ones. Take control of yourself.
When you are faced with disappointment, just know it will all work out in the end if you keep your eye on your goal and your body moving forward. Success will ultimately come if you just keep pushing. You have to want this more than anything else.
When you are faced with disappointment, you first have to address it. Yes, it is frustrating. Yes, it can be hurtful. Yes, it makes you feel like quitting sometimes. Don't bottle up your emotions or try to push them to the back of your mind in hopes you are hiding them. Feel them. Explore why you are disappointed. Talk it out with yourself and with anyone else you feel comfortable sharing with.
Once you have brought your disappointment into the light, you will see it is not as intimidating as it was in the dark corners of your mind. You will see you CAN overcome it - it's not bigger than your desire to succeed. Yes, it is very real but it is not as disastrous as you imagined it to be.
After you have addressed your feelings, then work toward a solution to overcome the disappointment. If you binged, figure out how to avoid another one. What triggered you? If you gained, figure out what might have caused it. If it is an unexplained gain, just strengthen yourself mentally to realize you need non-scale victories to show progress until the scale catches up with your good habits.
Don’t confuse disappointment with disaster.
Be prepared for the bumps in the road and be flexible enough to deal with them. Take time for yourself - feel the disappointment and then move on to bigger and better things. Just remember, the only disaster would be if you gave up on something that holds so much promise of happiness and health for you.
Mental exercise for the day:
Identify some past disappointments you've had. Did you work through them and come out a better person, or did you throw in the towel and quit? How can you better deal with the disappointments that are sure to come in your weight-loss journey?
Be sure to remember the good when dealing with the bad. Make a list of all the positives you have encountered in your journey. It will help keep it all in perspective. :thup:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did!
Carol