Rewards & Weaknesses

The last few weeks have been rough to say the least. For no particular reason other than I have decided to stuff my mouth with every taco, cheeseburger, and French fry in sight. I had been doing so great, until I went on a weekend trip with my girls to the lake. 

The girls, or the trip for that matter, weren’t to blame. It was my mentality. I went into the trip telling myself I was going to eat whatever I wanted because I deserved it. I lost 15 pounds over the course of three weeks before the trip and thought that I deserved a little treat.

Unfortunately, I let myself turn that “little treat” into three weeks of falling back into my unhealthy lifestyle, and let me tell you, I have felt miserable. 

Luckily, identifying how this happened has not been difficult. I decided to “treat” myself with bad food and laziness. First of all, if you’re looking to indulge in something after a little hard work, one should not indulge in their biggest weaknesses. I know that once I treat myself with McDonald’s, I’m going to want it every day. I also know that once I miss a few days of working out, the couch will constantly be calling my name. Second of all, if you happen to slip up, it doesn’t mean all of your efforts have gone down the drain. I tend to beat myself up after one day of not working out or eating healthy and decide the best route is to quit altogether.

So, what is my solution? I’m going to stop rewarding myself with food, and I’m going to start rewarding myself with things that won’t destroy my lifestyle change. A new outfit always keeps me happier longer than a cheeseburger anyway. And if I do slip up? That’s exactly what it is: a slip up and not the end of the world. This is all a process, and I need to learn that tomorrow is a new day, and honestly, beating yourself up over something ridiculous doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.