05/30/2011 19:07
Changing Expectations
Sometimes misdirected expectations can lead to more than we bargained for.
We go out with friends, to a family gathering, or on vacation, expecting that we will eat and drink more than we should. We give ourselves permission to return to the familiar old bad habits that packed on the pounds in the first place.
And then we make excuses for it:
- But it was just one night out, and it was a rough week—I deserve to let my hair down and not have to think about how much I'm eating and drinking!
- Mom makes the best ____________ ever, and I just couldn't turn it down!
- I only get one vacation a year, and I don't want to have to think about calories.
If we are truthful with ourselves, we can recognize these excuses for what they are. Excuses to return to the habits we need to be breaking away from.
It's a case of diet extremism. We tell ourselves that this weight management thing is an on again off again option. Rather than taking advantage of the opportunities to learn how to enjoy these events and their accompanying food and drink in moderation, we use them as an excuse to overindulge.
It has dangerous implications for maintenance, if and when we do finally reach our weight loss goals. We will always have social occasions. We won't always (hopefully) be "on a diet." It is only by learning how to moderate our consumption day by day, and in all circumstances, that we can be confident we have established the lifestyle changes needed for maintenance.