August 18th, 2015 How Long Will This Take?

August 18th, 2015 How Long Will This Take?

This day, oh my. It got out of hand very quickly. I was challenged in several different ways. I picked up Noah from daycare after I left the studio, headed home and wasn't home very long before returning for weather coverage. Noah stayed at my place with a friend of mine while I went back to work. 

I participated in the Tuesday night support group conference call as best I could, from the studio, but my work duties kept me off the call for the majority. Thankfully Life Coach Gerri stepped in and took it home tonight. 

Dinner was pushed back excessively late--and oh yeah, those exercise plans for today? Not happening. I'm thoroughly exhausted physically and mentally.

I've enjoyed having Noah, although I feel like I've hardly spent time with him today. Thank goodness for good friends! 

He's getting really attached. He didn't want me to leave this morning when I took him to his classroom at the Child Development Center. This is very rare. He usually sees the kids and toys and he's ready to play! Then tonight, after the long day--he immediately wanted me to pick him up. When I put him back down, he wanted up again and again. I honored each request. Perhaps I shouldn't give him everything he wants, but I felt bad for being away most of the day.

We were discussing time and impatience for results in our weekly group this evening. It reminded me of something I wrote a while back. It's interesting to me--very telling actually, the original version doesn't mention accountability or support one time. The revised version does, of course. I thought I would share the updated/revised 2015 version--

Revised/updated--
How Long Will This Take?
We live in an instant society. Everything happens now. When something takes a little longer we get impatient. Surely there’s a way to make it go faster! When this impatient attitude is applied to weight loss, many people turn to diet pills or “miracle” products that promise quick results. I’ve done it before too! But I’ve learned that there’s just no substitute for eating in a responsible way, exercising and building a good accountability and support structure.

You might get some temporary results with the latest fad diet, but none of us want temporary. We want a real solid change. And those changes come with consistent effort, a responsible diet and exercise plan that leans on accountability and support, and the willingness to learn new habits. Losing weight isn’t an instant thing, it takes patience and consistency. The results may not be now, but the results will come.

Again, how long are we talking? At over 500 pounds it was very easy for me to get discouraged about the answer to that question. I allowed my impatience to ruin many weight loss attempts because I wanted the results now, and if we’re not getting what we want we get frustrated, and when we’re frustrated it makes it unnecessarily difficult to stay focused.

But what I’ve learned has proven to me that time doesn’t matter. If you allow yourself to get discouraged about the task at hand and the time it will take to accomplish your goal, then you’re putting your focus in the wrong place.

Forget about time and just start making the changes you know must be made.

Before you know it you’ll have made amazing strides toward your goal in surprisingly little time. Because guess what? Time doesn’t care if you do this or not. Time will keep moving with or without you. So how long is this going to take? As long as it needs.

Because this isn’t something you’re doing for a couple of months. The changes in your mind and habits are changes that will hopefully be with you the rest of your life, these kind of changes are exactly what give us the best chance at lasting success.

So how do we forget about time and still get results in a timely manner? One word: Consistency.

My results may seem too fast to some, but those around me know exactly why they’ve come so fast. It’s consistency. In the past I would do well three days then bad for four. Pick it up on Monday and do well until Friday, then eat like a mad man on the weekend. This inconsistency severely crippled my results and it seemed like it was taking forever to get anywhere.

If you would have asked how I was doing during those times, I would have replied “doing great, it’s a slow process, but I’m getting there.” It wasn’t until I became completely honest about my consistency issues that I was able to realize such dramatic results in so little time.

Forget about time and be consistent in your efforts to eat responsibly, exercise, build your accountability and support structure--and honestly change your mind and habits with these activities and like magic, you’ll enjoy the most amazing multifaceted transformation--in hardly anytime at all.
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I weigh tomorrow morning and if how I feel at this very moment is any indication, it might be a record weigh day. Not in pounds lost, but pounds gained while not off the rails! 

All of the elements are coming together for this to happen: I haven't exercised for three days straight, my calories are comfortably at 2,000 each day and since there wasn't any way I was coming home to cook late this evening, I picked up dinner from the Mexican place close to my apartment--a sodium filled fajita chicken and squash with taco shells, lettuce cheese and sour cream. 

A good support friend suggested I give myself a break and skip tomorrow's weigh-in. I could wait until next week. But nah--I'm not afraid. It'll be whatever it is. This is good practice, because not every week will be text book--some weeks will get crazy--some days will feel chaotic--workouts could be missed, water goals not hit and sodium limits shattered!! 

What I can say with certainty: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget. I'm "food sober" and I maintained my commitment to abstinence from refined sugar. Those are kind of a big deal. 

Deep breath--everything will be okay and just fine. Tomorrow night's entry could be interesting. 

By the way--my apologies for getting behind on email and blog comment replies. I haven't had a chance, seriously. If you've asked a question--it's important to me and I will get back with you soon! 

Noah is sound asleep. My goal in the next 15 minutes is to go to bed without waking him. I take him back to his Nana's (Irene's) tomorrow. And I know, as soon as I leave, I'll be missing him again.  

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Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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