Friday, February 20, 2009

It's Simple, Not Easy

So I was talking with a client about her weight loss progress recently, and we got to talking about the head games we all tend to play with ourselves when trying to overcome old negative thought patterns about food, our weight and our current progress towards our goals.

She mentioned that she had been watching The Biggest Loser recently and had heard trainer Bob Harper saying that weight loss is simple:  Calories in - Calories out = weight loss or weight gain.  She was then lamenting that it didn't seem so simple to her.  Now, while we could easily go down the rabbit trail of quality calories, versus the crap in many of our cupboards, I think Bob's point is by and large valid.

Those of you who are currently struggling with this are thinking, "What?  Yeah, I get the equation, but it's not that simple!  Weight loss is hard."  Yes, you are right.  Weight loss is hard, but you're missing Bob's point.  He didn't say it was easy.  He said it was simple!

Here's an example:

Simple = you know if you don't pack your own lunch, along with some healthy snacks every day, you will give in to negative, but easier behaviors like getting something from the vending machine at work, or grabbing McDonald's for lunch.

Hard = actually disciplining yourself to pack your lunch and snacks each day.

Many of us have a lifetime of negative thought patterns regarding food that we need to overcome.  They range from being members of the "Clean Plate Club" (my mom's favorite), to being wasteful (Here's a good thought on wasting food from my good friend Chuck Gianotti.  "If I eat too much food, and it becomes fat on my belly, didn't I waste it anyway?)  Overcoming these thoughts is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle.  It is also one of the things that makes weight loss hard.

What are some of the negative thoughts you have about food that are currently holding you back?

Train smart; eat right!

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