They say the best place for recovering alcoholics to hang out after work is at his or her former hotspot bar.
Surrounding themselves with the people that truly know them best and have been there with them through a multitude of drunken stupors are the best comrades during recovery.
Afterall, being in that enviroment with alcohol flowing has the stamp of pure relaxation and stress relief. Everyone is nice to each other as stories are told and laughs are had.
It’s no suprise that alcohol addiction experts tell people in recovery to continue spending time at their favorite bar in perpetuity.
Many of you are on the neverending escalator of weight loss and gain.
No sooner than it goes down, rest assured it rises right back up like the sun.
Yet, you claim that THIS TIME thing are going to be different.
Based on any given month you might try:
Not eating after dinner.
Not eating breakfast.
Not eating carbs.
Not eating dairy.
Not eating meat.
Eating high protein.
Cutting sugar.
Drinking green smoothies.
Doing a detox cleanse.
Drinking a gallon of water a day.
Eating dog food one meal a day.
And on and on blah blah blah….
We know your routine.
Step 1: Tell your friends and everyone on social media about your new found eating tactics and lifestyle.
Step 2: Live your life EXACTLY the way you were, but change some of your eating habits like one of the above examples.
Step 3: Let 4 days go by, fail, pretend it never happen, and go back to what you were doing before.
Step 4: Rinse and repeat a few weeks later.
Look, whatever random nutrition approach you are trying this time around is probably decent.
Maybe even great.
As long it isn’t a stupid money sucking pyramid scheme detox or cleanse.
The issue probably isn’t the approach you are choosing.
The issue is that you have no idea how to live your life to actually be successful with weight loss.
You are the quintessential example of the recovering alcoholic who keeps spending time at their old bar hangout and wondering why they start drinking again.
In this article the point is to touch on people struggling with weight loss, but understand that this can also apply to folks trying to gain weight, improve fitness performance, or many others. The scenarios would just vary to cater to each situation.
So, you are a person who yo-yos up and down with your weight and like a dog returning to it’s vomit, you always circle back to crap food. Perhaps crap drinks as well.
You manage to rally every so often and go on a weight loss kick, but it never ever sticks.
It’s beyond the scope of this article to dive into every reason a person cycles like this, but we are going to go over some situational aspects that bring failure.
There can be a multitude of triggers and environments that you need to consider for yourself, but I am going to touch on three.
- Locations/Activities
- Planning
- People
Locations/Activities
When you stop at XYZ gas station in the morning for coffee, you walk out with two donuts. Make your coffee at home.
When you drive past XYZ chinease restaurant around lunch, you find yourself inside plowing down some General Tso. Take a different route to where you are going or eat before you drive past it.
When you go bowling with friends, you drink beer like a warthog. Sorry, Pete Weber, the bowling alley isn’t for you.
When you stay up after 10 pm you snack like a three year old. Go to bed!
You always snack while watching television. Well, looks like you can’t handle watching T.V., so stop.
Planning
When you don’t pack a lunch for work you go out to lunch with co-workers and train wreck. Be a grown up and pack a lunch.
When you don’t have something to do mid-morning you start getting hungry and rummage through the pantry or vending machine. Get your butt back to work, find a hobby, go for a walk, just do something.
You are going to be gone for the afternoon shopping at the mall and will probably end up in the food court eating crap. Eat beforehand, bring snacks with you, accept that it’s okay to be a little hungry at times in your life, and eat once you get home.
When you have a certain unhealthy food in the house you always end up going after it on a regular basis. Really? STOP BUYING IT. If it isn’t there, you can’t eat it.
People
Everytime Miranda texts you to hang out it’s to drink and you oblige. Don’t hangout with Miranda. Is that too mean? You’re the one who can’t keep it together when the two of you meet up.
Your spouse always wants to go to XYZ restaurant that always results in you going off plan. Explain your struggle and suggest an alternative.
Great Aunt Margaret is always making sweets for the holidays and you mow them down like a starving water buffalo because it scares you to defy ‘ole Margie. Grow up, politely pass on the sweets, and keep living your life.
Caveat
Before anyone gets all panicky, let me remind you, the above suggestions are based on the title of this article.
HOW TO BREAK THE HABIT OF EATING LIKE CRAP
If this isn’t something you are struggling with, having a beer while bowling, eating a cookie Great Aunt Marge brought over, or eating bourbon chicken in the mall food court twice a year probably isn’t the end of the world.
But, if in fact you are Mr. or Mrs. yo-yo weight loss, you should sit down and examine how changing the situational aspects of your week just may help you succeed the next time around.
If I can answer any questions or help you with your journey, feel free to email me at: JwaltersPT@gmail.com
or to learn more, visit:
jonwalters.co 