Is it in you to Change?

Happy New Year! This past week has been interesting, talking to people who were able to maintain their weight over the holiday season, those that lost weight, and those that gained. Almost each and every person who gained some weight felt guilty or felt ashamed at their lack of discipline, wondering why they weren't able to do better.

It's these people I would like to focus on. No one can be perfect all the time. All I ever worry about is that a person might then give up, thinking that they don't have it in them to stick to a program of controlled eating.

As we grow, we all make mistakes. You learn from mistakes; the real error is if you give up trying. In point of fact there is nothing wrong if you make mistakes eating, I would be astounded if everyone ate perfectly 100% of the time. Mistakes are not an indication of failure, it's just that sometimes we get off track from the goal we're headed towards, and this is completely normal.

In retrospect was it worth the guilt you feel now? More importantly, how fast can you forget your ‘indiscretions' and get back on track?

Mistakes are indeed a part of the learning process – a most valuable part. And they must be recognized as a valuable part. Mistakes enable you to focus on the solution, to take forward steps in the direction of an answer you want.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I wouldn't pass it around. Wouldn't be doing anybody a favour. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't say embrace trouble. That's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and better be on speaking terms with it.”

Food indeed is ‘trouble.' It's all around us in this blessed society of ours. But we must learn to control the excess. We don't need it in the quantities we take in, since too much leads to ill health; both physical and emotional.

So, get back to basics. Get back to your portion-controlled three small meals per day, with small snacks between. Drink your water. Reflect on your goal for January. Absolutely get back to your exercise if you gave it up over the holidays, because this is the most important thing that you need to guarantee long-term success at weight maintenance.

Remember that ‘failure' is only a state of mind, a negative state of mind. It is at the very opposite end from positive thinking, goals, and motivation. Just keep trying. You're going to make mistakes, but if you just keep trying you will have more successes than failures, and you will ultimately reach your goal. Think positively. See what you can do this next four weeks.

Don't ever, ever give up on yourself!

Dr. Doug