Often it is not our successes that define us, but our setbacks. Our reaction to the setbacks is so much more important than our reaction to our successes. In the beginning each of my setbacks made me feel like a complete and utter failure. I just knew that I must have done something wrong to have failed that week or I must have backslid and didn't realize it.
I would then actually backslide. I would suddenly have to have a cake, or chips, or something equally bad. But it wouldn't be just one....Nope it would end up being the entire box or the whole bag. Before I knew it, I would be on a bad food bender and then I had to start detox all over again. Detox meaning going back on my healthy meal plan and schedule with the pain of being hungry sometimes until I was back on track.
This kept being my cycle until I realized that a setback is not really a bad thing. As it has already happened, there is no reason to get upset about it. I have survived many setbacks and still have managed to come this far. A setback is really just my world telling me that I need to take a step back, to reflect on my week and see what I did that was great and what I might be able to do better at. A chance for me to make mini goals to make it to my big goal.
Take this week, I had a minor setback. When I stepped on the scale this morning I had gained 2 ounces. I know 2 ounces doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are down to the last 15 pounds 2 ounces seems like a mountain. My first instinct was to stress out and get upset. In fact I felt my muscles tensing and I knew I had to take a step back. I could have cheated, went and used the facilities and gotten back on the scale later, but the one thing I will not do is lie to myself. I made myself a promise, at the beginning of the "Me Initiative" to always be brutally honest with myself and to take ownership of everything that I did. No more denial and hiding behind my armor. That means stepping on the scale only once a week and dealing with whatever it says.
So I took a step back to reflect and realized that my goal this year is to continue to get fit and shed those last 15 pounds. Last year I shed 80 pounds and this year has only just begun in June. Why am I stressing out when I have 10 more months to meet my goal? This week wasn't really a setback after all. It was more a bi-weekly pause, which seems to be the burgeoning trend in my journey. According to my Fitbit :
I walked 127'992 steps (10'727 steps more than last week)
I exercised 699 minutes (50 minutes more than last week)
and I drank 859.7 ounces of water (36.9 ounces more than last week)
All of these were improvements over last week. The only area where I slid back a little was I didn't have as much protein this week. And it seems Monday is a day I don't usually hit my goal in any area.
I am so glad that I have learned not every setback is really a setback. It is very important to take that step back and really look at the facts. So instead of going on a HoHo bender today, I have already worked for the hospital and am ready to start exercising. I have made it a goal to at least get 10'000 steps this Monday and to put a little more protein in my diet this week.
How do you handle a setback?
Do you let the stress take over and lead you back to your old routine or do you stand strong and stay on the path you are currently blazing?
No comments:
Post a Comment