As I mentioned yesterday I've started counting calories again. I do this because I'm a baby learning to walk in the sense of understanding correct portion control. Even though I'm 29 I haven't learned how to eat proper portions so I need to count it for now until it gets permanent. A few years ago I was really starting to get the hang of it, but then I guess like a baby that stops trying to walk, I forgot how to properly do it and soon my proportions were back to their original, abundant size. I guess it's hard to re-wire something you've been doing for more than 20 years. I wonder if I'll have to count calories for 20 years until I re-program myself to eat proper proportions.... well, anyway, back to small things.
The small things I've been thinking about are literally very small... calories. Just one calorie is not that big of a deal. Or even an extra 100 calories is not that big of a deal. But 262,500 calories is a BIG deal. That's how many calories I need to burn off my body in order to reach my healthy weight range. 2.6.2.5.0.0. That's two-hundred THOUSAND, five hundred. Kind of a great big whole stinkin' lot of calories. But the fact of the matter is, I put those calories on my body one small calorie at a time and the only way they will come back off is one small calorie at a time. The only way I will get to my healthy weight range is by living the principle of tackling one small thing at a time. So, even though not eating 100 or 200 calories extra a day doesn't sound like a big deal, it will be eventually, as long as I stick with it. And working off 200 or 300 calories a day doesn't sound like much progress, but it will be eventually, as long as I stick with it.
The key is sticking with it.
Sticking with it gets discouraging when all you see are small, little, ity-bity, so-tiny-you-can-hardly-see-them changes. We want to see BIG changes and generally we want to see them immediately. Patience. Ah, there it is again. That virtue that keeps popping its ugly head in my life waving a flag saying "You need me in your life!" So I guess I also need to learn to be patient, one minuscule step at a time. How do we do that? How do we be patient when we are working so hard but not seeing any results or apparent success?
Are you waiting for me to give the answer?
The problem is I don't know it. So it's a real, non-rhetorical question for you. Have any tips on patience and sticking it through while waiting for small things to become great?
Measure your success in babysteps too! Celebrate little milestones with big things. Trent and I started the Insanity workout program yesterday. And I'm already not wanting to continue! (I know, wah wah, boo hoo). I'm sore, I'm sick of figuring out 5 healthy small meals a day and I WANT MY PEANUT M&M's DANG IT! But, I also want to be in shape. I want to learn more self control (esp. where chocolate is concerned) and I want to be able to trust myself that I can STICK with hard things and see them through. SO I'm working on setting little milestone celebrations -- a week of consistently sticking with the program is going to earn me something goooodd (but unfortunately, not M&M's). S0 I say find celebrate the little things, and like with this blog, surround yourself w/cheerleaders and people who will do it with yoU! You're awesome :)
ReplyDeleteI think we learn patience when we reach the end of "endure to the end"! I am working on it, so slowly it doesn't even appear to be progress from someone on the outside. I am actually doing a Health Challenge right now and I love it. There are 10 points per day and you get points for being well-roundedly healthy. You get a point for getting 6 hours of sleep, and for spending 15 minutes of personal one-on-one time and for not drinking soda. So there are 3 points I get everyday without really trying so I feel like I have already accomplished something before I try to get in my 5 servings of fruits and veggies. I struggle too with healthy eating/exercising and I have a degree in Human Nutrition :) Good luck and keep going!
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