I'm on a couple of Facebook groups for diet and weight loss.
I'm amazed and inspired by some of the stories I read. Some people start out at really heavy weights, some are over 500lbs (226 kgs), almost bed-bound, some house-bound, but they consistently work at losing weight; it might take years, but they get there. No private trainers, no fancy foods, just working at it every day. One lady I read about said that she struggled to walk down her drive, but she did it every day. Once she could do that, she added two more steps, then two more until she could manage a mile. Small things done everyday bought big changes for her.
I know my problem is being consistent. I try something for a while, but then I just stop. In Japanese, they say mikka bozu, 三日坊主, literally a 3-day monk. The saying comes from the fact that to become a Buddhist Monk takes a lot of discipline and hard work; most give up after a few days!
I realised this morning that my inconsistency rules my life. I start things, diet, exercise, study, even cleaning, but don't keep at them.
I have my reasons; the exercise was too hard, the diet too boring, the study too hard and cleaning, who wants to do that?
But are they reasons or just excuses to keep the status quo?
But I'm not really happy with the status quo; I want to change. I have to lose weight, I need to get off the high blood pressure meds as they don't suit me at all. Even the lower dosage makes me sleepy! I want to be able to walk more when I go out with Hannah. I would love to buy clothes from a store, not just online!
I have enough reasons and some motivation, but keeping on is so hard.
One thing I've thought about is scheduling my life more. Make a schedule to exercise and study, make a reward schedule for sticking to my diet, maybe buy myself something little to keep on or treat myself to some nice tea or fruits. Make a cleaning schedule for the house and garden so I don't keep thinking "I'll do it tomorrow" As my Mom always said, tomorrow never comes.
I have my to-do lists, but they are vague time-wise. Today I have a chance to go to the 100 yen shop, I'll see if they have some schedule books. If I find something, I'll post it here.
I'm getting too old to be constantly failing at everything! I need to turn things around now!
Just a couple of photos of the lovely flowers in the garden!
 |
| Lovely colour |
 |
| And nosey cats! |
Being accountable to someone, preferably someone I don't know well has helped me stay consistent to my keto diet and the weights routine I follow on YouTube. I have an online wellness buddy who shares similar goals. If I was buddies with someone I know well or meet everyday I would have a tendency to exaggerate or lie about slipping off my diet etc for fear of judgement, so a stranger buddy online works best for me.
ReplyDeleteMaking written schedules does not work for me and I have vowed not to spend a red cent on anything that should be part of my normal lifestyle anyway (so no buying recording notebooks etc.... just free YouTube videos, walking for miles in public parks and mindful grocery shopping for the diet aspect).
We are planning to downsize our house to an apartment so clearing up and throwing away anything we have not touched in a year has made our lives much easier to manage. Knowing that a realtor could bring a buyer around anytime forces me to keep the house immaculately clean and clear of nonsense. I hope to make that our normal lifestyle in our next home.
Consistency is key and I am still learning that everyday. Took me years to put on the weight so I am reconciled to losing it over many, many months. Good luck on your health journey.
Thank you for your comment. I have a friend who tries to keep me on track. Most of the time, that works. She doesn't judge but pushes me. It does help.
DeleteI love to write things down. I've kept a diary since I was 16 years old, just things going on and my thoughts. It's one thing that really helped me after my husband died, some days I would just swear in my diary, other days I would pour out my heart. I got a cheap planner book, about $1, yesterday. I'll post about that soon.
Good luck with your downsizing. I wished I had downsized more before we moved, but I am getting there, slowly.