Recommitment With A 2 Month Head Start (Part 3 of 3)

November 11, 2015 | Leadership, Self Help

Photo by Stan Hieronymus on Flickr

I hope your head start is going well. Mine is going ok. I have had some “life issues” derail some of my plans. We have been passing around sickness in our house so my time to commit to work out has been replaced with rest for myself or taking care of others. This happens. It is important though to bounce back and reintroduce the good habit as soon as it is possible. Just hit the pause button, not the stop button. I disengaged my pause button this morning.

I want to share some best practices as it comes to food choices. I will stress again that I am NOT a nutrition or fitness expert. I am simply sharing what I have done and what has given me results in the past so please consult a professional opinion before introducing these into your life. Here are some practices that help me:

1. I calculate my Calories daily and don’t eat more than I burn. I treat it like my bank account. If I don’t have the money to spend, I don’t spend it. If I want to indulge, I strive to burn more that day.
2. I limit my fast food consumption to 1-2 meals a week. I define fast food as any restaurant with a drive thru. Sorry, Steak and Shake fans. With kids, eliminating fast food all together, is not practical for our family.
3. Except for alcoholic beverages, I do not drink anything that contains a large amount of Calories. I consider large more than 100 Calories per serving.
4. I limit myself to 3-5 alcoholic beverages per week.
5. I limit myself to one sweet item per day not to exceed 150 Calories.
6. If I don’t follow practices 2-5 which I don’t always, I refer back to rule 1….I don’t eat more than I burn.

Notice that the only thing that I cut out completely are non-alcoholic Calorie filled drinks. This is sort of easy for me as I do not really indulge in juices, sugary drinks, and cream in my coffee. I still believe moderation is key. Cutting something completely out just does not work for me. I’ve tried only to lose quick weight but gain it back.  I still enjoy food. I just don’t need mass quantities.

Oh and by the way, it helps that I despise mayonnaise. Have you ever counted the calories that a serving of mayonnaise adds to your food? To add insult to injury, most people add more than one serving to their food.

Food is psychological too. It comforts us and relieves stress. Opposed to food, I relieve stress by engaging in physical activity. This could be walking, working out, or playing with your kids. I also create quiet time each day where I can pray, meditate, and reflect. These provide comfort and relieve stress. These do not provide the quick fix that food can provide, but over time, they sustain me longer.

I am not perfect when it comes to recommitting to a more healthy lifestyle, but for the moment, I feel like I am in more control of my habits than they are in control of me. The healthier you are, the more stamina you will have. The more stamina you have, the more physical and mental energy you will have to effectively lead others. What is your road map to success regarding food choices? What healthy practices do you use to comfort yourself and relieve stress?

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