That little voice; three words when said individually are completely harmless. However,
put them in the same sentence and I guarantee you, that anyone who has ever had a
personal struggle, whether it is weight loss, quitting smoking or drinking, they take on a
whole new meaning.
I am constantly battling that little voice. The one that says, “you
don’t have to work out today, go tomorrow instead.” Or the one that says “gosh, a bowl
of ice cream sure would taste good right now – you deserve it!” My personal favourite
“you can start your diet on Monday!”
For anyone going through a weight loss journey, your biggest battle won’t be with your nutrition or your exercise it will be fighting that little voice that sabotages your success with them. For me, this is something I haven’t been successful at; at least not long term anyway. I can have willpower galore for a short period of time, but then I let my guard down and there is that little voice in my head again.
For example, during my workout with Peter and Liz yesterday I kept beating myself up during the whole thing because I was slower than them. I kept saying things in my head like “how did you let this happen to yourself”, “I can’t believe I am hardly able to breathe right now!” I received a text from Liz telling me that I killed the workout and
not to let my mind tell me otherwise. It was perfect timing! Thanks Liz!
What I haven’t quite figured out yet is how to overcome it. When you are a stress eater,
a boredom eater or just someone who loves food, overpowering that voice is easier said
than done. It is easier to give in to it, which is why the majority of us do. Why fight it
right?
Well, one thing I have learned is because I am worth it! I know that may sound
cheesy, and that’s ok. I am good with cheesy. There was a time not so long ago where I
didn’t think I was worth it.
I could sit here and blame my weight gain on having a bad year, or being in stressful
situations or being depressed. But at the end of the day, I was the one who put the food
in my mouth. No one forced me to do it. I cannot blame my environment anymore
because I have complete control over that. What I have to learn is to listen to that voice
and then ask a question back.
For example “wouldn’t a bowl of ice cream taste good right now?” Then I would ask “yes, it probably would, but will I feel good after I eat it?”
Anytime we eat something, how long after it is gone do we start to feel guilty? For me, it
is instantly. By asking myself that question, I can save myself a lot of grief and more
importantly – CALORIES!!!
I know this may sound silly because essentially I am writing about talking to voices in my
head. No, I’m not crazy. We all do this; we all know it and we all struggle with it in some
form or another. What I have decided to do is to wake up every morning and ask myself
“who’s going to win the battle today; the new me, or the old me?” #ProjectKimher