Dear Diary

We all know how evil of a thing it is to lie to ourselves. Denial is one of the most common feelings among our species. But what about when it comes to our health? It is worth lying to ourselves? Well, I had an extra carb and then a little dessert later, but...I won't have anything like that tomorrow, so I'm going to not think about it and not put it in my eating journal.  But when we stand on the scale the next morning, we are reminded of our snacking escapades.

I'm not saying that eating sugar is a bad thing, nor am I saying it's wrong to indulge. But in moderation. You know that corn syrup commercial where they debate whats healthy or not? That commercial drives me nuts. Anything to excess isn't healthy. If you exercise too much, you strain your body, if you sleep too much, you lose muscle. If you eat too much sugar, fried foods, carbs, need I go on?

The point is that when we indulge or "slip," don't beat yourself up then binge. If you have to climb 100 stairs, you're up to step 99, then your foot falls back to 98, it would be silly to think...Great! I've slipped once and now I am just gonna stop here and give up! When we mess up, we think we've ruined the whole goal in itself, when we just have to accept the fact we are human, and our bodies crave sweets.

If you're writing in an eating journal, be honest with yourself. Don't omit any foods/drinks you're eyes will be ashamed to see. You will be able to see where you get tempted, what you ate that made you crave sweets, etc. Learn from the slip ups. But the point is to keep thinking healthy and thinking kind.

For the longest time, I thought skinny people had it easy because it was so "instinct" for them to eat smaller and healthier. But, it was "instinct" for me to eat everything on my plate. I have discovered it is just as difficult for the thinner people to maintain their weight. Thinking skinny...I may be onto something. If I think negatively, I'll act and eat things that have negative results for my body, my self-esteem, and my goals.

So in summary a few pointers I have found helpful:
1- be honest. it's better to be honest, then omit our mistakes then repeat them.
2 - dont give up. even if you slip down to step 98, keep going, you're almost there.
3 - think skinny. we're already skin and bones, right? lets eat to fight the fat.
4 - write out your own custom meal plan. who needs jenny craig? be creative!
5 - meditation/relaxation methods. when we stress about losing weight...guess what? we don't lose weight.

I encourage those to keep a notebook/notepad and keep it in their wallets or purses. I, personally, had to get a larger and more obnoxious looking notepad so it won't end up at the bottom of my purse and become forgotten.