I gained about 10 pounds on vacation in August. It’s nothing major to me. My weight has fluctuated much more than that on the past. I thought it would actually be pretty simple - I just needed to get out of vacation mode and back to my pre-vacation determined self. But so far I’ve been wrong.
As soon as you’re out of the habit of meal prepping, carving out time to workout, and making healthy choices, it can be so hard to jump back into it. Life continues to happen around you, and although I know the healthy choices are worth it, they are usually not the easy choices. The easy choice is to indulge instead of balance. To watch another episode instead of doing something active. To order takeout instead of preparing meals.
There were days I knew I should choose better. But I didn’t. There were days I knew I should put down the pastries. But I didn’t. There were days I knew I should turn off the television and burn some more calories. But I didn’t. I really thought I’d shed that extra 10 pounds no problem. But I didn’t. And that’s ok.
Whether your goal is to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, the first step can be hard to take. Seeing the long journey ahead, knowing all the work and change required can be overwhelming.
Start small. Set smaller goals for yourself. Decide that today you’ll drink more water. Or today you’ll walk instead. Or today you will work out for 10 more minutes. Or today you will choose a salad over fries. Once you’ve met your smaller goal, build onto it! Walk more. Add more workout time. Eat more vegetables. Make another healthy choice. As you start to consistently make small changes, they add up to something big.
Forgive yourself for the days you don’t feel motivated. Forgive yourself for making the wrong choice when you knew better. And focus on the one change you want to make today.
