February 12, 2010

Momentum

I always start a diet (Yes, a diet. Let's just call it what it is! Until I reach a goal weight, I am on a diet. I would like for it to be a lifestyle change and hopefully it will be. But for right now, its just a diet. I feel like "diet " is a dirty word these days. Well, not in my book. Diet, diet, diet) Okay, sorry. As I was saying...

I always start a diet with gusto, but look up 6 months down the road to find the momentum has taken a turn in the wrong direction. I have gained several...tens of pounds and am left thinking that if I had only kept the momentum going in the right direction I would be down that many pounds. It is frustrating.

Such a slippery slope, falling off the wagon. You have been doing amazingly well for a month or so. You pass up candy at the office, drive past the Taco Bell that is calling your name, order the grilled chicken instead of the chicken fried steak at your favorite restaurant. You're doing SO good!

But then it slowly begins to happen. About 9 o'clock one evening you are craving something sweet. Chocolate, I imagine. You try to distract yourself from the cookie dough sitting in the refrigerator. You go to sleep. 10:30 you sit up in bed. You think to yourself, If it's in the middle of the night and I eat it, there's no line to write the points down. It must not count. (Yes, this is the distorted and seriously SICK logic a food addict might use. We're crazy.) You get up and eat some dough. And then some more dough. Before you know it, you are throwing the package away and feeling really bad about the decision you just made.

You wake up the next day and start out in good spirits. You have every intention of getting "right back on track." But as you are heading to work you realize you have a few extra minutes. McDonald's is on the way. Hmm, you already messed up the night before. It's going to be a bad week anyway. Might as well drive through for breakfast.

Lunch rolls around. The stuff you packed doesn't sound good. Your buds are going to drive through somewhere. Heck, its Friday!

And then--the weekend. Well, let's just say it ain't pretty. You get discouraged. You spend a few weeks following this pattern and before you know it the hard work that you had put in during the early weeks, it's all down the tubes. You failed. Miserably.

But.

But, what if momentum were to go the other way? What if the good choices began to build on one another and the more that were made, the easier it became to make them. Eventually perhaps McDonald's didn't even catch your eye. Maybe you would actually rather have the grilled food instead of the fried. And maybe, you could teach yourself to stay on track even after you mess up.

Momentum.

I want to be so far in, that there's no turning back. Wonder what that will be like? Feel like? Look like?

I'm about to find out.
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7 comments:

Lauralei said...

You are describing me (and tons of other dieters) - I can lose the weight, or at least a good portion of it, and then I start slipping up - I always wonder it can take so long to get back on track

Lean & Green Mama said...

Me too! The beauty about the blog-world...your momentum can further my momentum...and hopefully mine can do the same for you.

We ARE doing this!

Holly @ Making Over Me

Sue said...

Go go go :) Its hard not to fall back into old patterns, i.e. I messed up yesterday so lets chuck the whole week and eat every baked good in the house, but I am learning to do it as well.

Stacey said...

The whole mentality of 'I messed up today so I should just go ahead and eat this _______" describes me perfectly!

I am slowly breaking free of the all or nothing diet. It's not realistic and from the outcome of the scale I should know by now that it doesn't work!

Jen said...

This is a fabulous post. I was just thinking the exact same thing "when will I get to the point that all my good choices tip my choices in the right direction?" You put it so well. It's that momentum. All those "good" moments that we need to squish together and start pushing us up the hill rather than letting the slips push us down the hill. Thanks again for your wonderful thoughts.

Can do mom said...

I seem to have lost my momentum today. I was doing so well with my eating choices and exercising more but the scale didn't reflect that and I got discouraged and today I ate a bunch of junk! Ugh! I need to get back up and keep at it. Keep on keeping on. It's not going to happen overnight, I need to remember that.

Lyn said...

I really enjoyed this post! Thanks for telling me about it. I agree, people think going on a 'diet' is such a negative thing, but if it is how we regain control, so be it! This is YOUR personal journey and you are working to find what is best for you!