New Year's Resolutions and the Phenomenon of One Meal
court_alacarte
Posts: 219 Member
In the wake of the New Year in about two weeks, we’re going to get a lot of new “resolutioners” joining MFP on a mission to lose weight; “Yeah! This year, it’s happening! Not like last year, no sir! I’m getting serious and I WILL look HAWT! I’m gonna lose 20 pounds by Spring Break and you can't stop me!”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been that person. Losing weight has been my resolution for the past seven New Years at least! And you know what: I have only steadily gained weight since that first ill-fated New Year’s Eve. But taking a step back and reflecting on my habits, here is what I have found always happens:
Week after New Year’s, I start eating at a deficit. I’m good for a few days… until I get invited out for dinner and drinks OR my favorite donuts are in the office kitchen OR I have a bad day at work OR whatever trivial monkey wrenches the world decides to throw at me. Long story short, I declare my efforts for the week ruined, vow to start again NEXT WEEK—on the proverbial Monday—and not only that, but vow to make sure the weekend counts, so I eat all the calorie bombs I can IN EXCESS before I have to be “good” again.
Repeat cycle.
And then… before I know it, it’s June.
And then it’s Thanksgiving; and then Christmas…
And then:
Happy freakin’ New Year… again.
“But for realz guyz, I’m super cereal this time!!”
So, in reflecting on this, it’s dawned on me how strange I let ONE meal ruin the whole week. Like how freakin’ silly is that? ONE. MEAL. And the ONE meal become MULTIPLE meals. Say your goal is to lose weight by the end of March: if you take 3 meals a day and multiply by the amount of days between Jan. 1 and Mar. 31 (90 days), that’s 270 meals total. ONE MEAL out of 270 and all attempts is suddenly in vain. Multiply 3 by 365 days (1 year) and it becomes 1,095 meals! Why do I give food that much power to the point my weight-loss efforts are thwarted completely? Time flies by so much faster to me now that I think: if I had only just got back on the wagon the next day, even if I only lost half a pound a week… I would be so close to my goal right now. Time creeps up on you and in a snap, summer’s here and pounds lost equals -5.
Moral of the post: time is precious and fast. Take it slow and don’t let one meal ruin your goals, because they're not ruined unless YOU allow them to be. YOU are in charge, not the food. I have seen this reiterated time and time again on this forum: start again the next day or the next meal. And it's the best advice for the situation. It doesn't matter how you get there, just as long as you do, and you’ll be there before you know it. I know half a pound a week doesn't seem like it’s even worth it to try to lose, but it’s a lot better than looking at yourself in the mirror when half the year has passed and you’re disappointed because you’re still at your starting weight… or worse! Better to come up a little short in your goals than to still be at square one. Love yourself and forgive yourself for indulging… heck, ALLOW yourself to indulge. You can’t expect to be perfect 100% of the time.
We’re all in this together and all face the same obstacles and surprises in life. It is possible to overcome them. You can do it!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been that person. Losing weight has been my resolution for the past seven New Years at least! And you know what: I have only steadily gained weight since that first ill-fated New Year’s Eve. But taking a step back and reflecting on my habits, here is what I have found always happens:
Week after New Year’s, I start eating at a deficit. I’m good for a few days… until I get invited out for dinner and drinks OR my favorite donuts are in the office kitchen OR I have a bad day at work OR whatever trivial monkey wrenches the world decides to throw at me. Long story short, I declare my efforts for the week ruined, vow to start again NEXT WEEK—on the proverbial Monday—and not only that, but vow to make sure the weekend counts, so I eat all the calorie bombs I can IN EXCESS before I have to be “good” again.
Repeat cycle.
And then… before I know it, it’s June.
And then it’s Thanksgiving; and then Christmas…
And then:
Happy freakin’ New Year… again.
“But for realz guyz, I’m super cereal this time!!”
So, in reflecting on this, it’s dawned on me how strange I let ONE meal ruin the whole week. Like how freakin’ silly is that? ONE. MEAL. And the ONE meal become MULTIPLE meals. Say your goal is to lose weight by the end of March: if you take 3 meals a day and multiply by the amount of days between Jan. 1 and Mar. 31 (90 days), that’s 270 meals total. ONE MEAL out of 270 and all attempts is suddenly in vain. Multiply 3 by 365 days (1 year) and it becomes 1,095 meals! Why do I give food that much power to the point my weight-loss efforts are thwarted completely? Time flies by so much faster to me now that I think: if I had only just got back on the wagon the next day, even if I only lost half a pound a week… I would be so close to my goal right now. Time creeps up on you and in a snap, summer’s here and pounds lost equals -5.
Moral of the post: time is precious and fast. Take it slow and don’t let one meal ruin your goals, because they're not ruined unless YOU allow them to be. YOU are in charge, not the food. I have seen this reiterated time and time again on this forum: start again the next day or the next meal. And it's the best advice for the situation. It doesn't matter how you get there, just as long as you do, and you’ll be there before you know it. I know half a pound a week doesn't seem like it’s even worth it to try to lose, but it’s a lot better than looking at yourself in the mirror when half the year has passed and you’re disappointed because you’re still at your starting weight… or worse! Better to come up a little short in your goals than to still be at square one. Love yourself and forgive yourself for indulging… heck, ALLOW yourself to indulge. You can’t expect to be perfect 100% of the time.
We’re all in this together and all face the same obstacles and surprises in life. It is possible to overcome them. You can do it!
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How spooky, It's like you have been spying into my mind (If that makes sense) lol
Honestly I couldn't believe how I was reading about me.. and I agree that one meal I did let it run me in the wrong direction over and over again.. But January 1st NO MORE I'm taking back control..
Thank you for this post.. you really laid it out straight for me.. thank you again and I'll re-read this often to keep me from falling backwards again and again
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So true. Somehow in our brains… when it comes to weight loss, it makes sense to slash the other three tires when we get one flat. Why is it otherwise intelligent people become so STUPID when we are trying to lose weight?
Thanks for posting… You are right on all counts! Accept that you had a bad meal… or even a bad day… You don't have to make excuses for it or explain it to anybody, even yourself. Just acknowledge that it happened and MOVE ON! Change the tire and keep driving!0 -
I'M SORRY, WERE WE SEPARATED AT BIRTH????
Seriously though, THAT'S ME. And you are so right. I'm not going to let this happen anymore. I can't let one meal derail a good routine anymore. Something feels different this time. 0 -
This is so true and has been me many many times. I have found that in the past that I have been almost too forgiving of myself a bit too often- like I tell myself- well one meal isn't going to hurt overall. But then it turns into a snack here and a meal there and pretty soon I'm not really eating at a deficit at all. I just tell myself I will and then just kind of eat over and say, well, I will go back on deficit the next meal, or tomorrow, or Monday. What has helped me lose almost 25 pounds in the last five months is just being diligent and if I have an "off meal" or even an "off day" it's more of a rarity. I still eat what I like, just less.0
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What you describe is how I approached things for years. If I screwed up once, I just said 'eff it, I can't do this! This year I've approached things differently. I've been to several all-you-can-eat buffets. I've gone out for wings a lot of times. I've had cookies, cakes, pasta. But now, when I have a porky day, I do my best to balance it with an extra run that week, or a day where I'm eating smoothies and veggies, and all things low calorie. I have to say, allowing myself to go nuts with food when I need to, but not all the time, has been working for me. I'm down 79 pounds since February. If I had stuck with it harder, I'd probably be down 100, but it's more important to me not to feel deprived.0
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The way I often hear it put is, "Don't let perfect get in the way of good."
The other is, "Strive for excellence, not perfection. Perfection is impossible and excellence is hard, but achievable."0 -
i'm so glad i was able to relate to a bunch of you! sometimes we feel stronger after we realize we're not alone in our struggles. i know a lot of times we tend to have an "all or nothing" approach and when we're good, we're good... but then when we're bad, we're BAAAAD. it is achievable to have that perfect yin and yang balance of "okay, i'll eat the donut, but i will just work out for an extra 10 minutes today." every step is a victory!0
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Great post! Knowing where you fail is good because you then know how to fix the problem. One meal doesn't even have to ruin that day. Keep at it the next meal. Yes, you may no longer be in a deficit that day but it still helps to stay on track for the week as a whole.0
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You couldn't be more spot on!0
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gamesandgains wrote: »Ozzyzmommy wrote: »But January 1st NO MORE I'm taking back control..
Take control today.
Exactly! The sooner you start the sooner you will see results. Although, I do have to say that the "Jan. 1st" / clean slate thing is a pretty powerfully ingrained thought. I planned on starting a non-weight related personal project and started making my plan on the calendar. Initially went to start filling in the calendar on Jan. 1st, but I stopped myself and I'm starting TODAY. No time like the present, right?0
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