June 20th, 2019 All Or Nothing

June 20th, 2019 All Or Nothing

Yesterday was a 4-star day: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I met my daily water goal, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

I took a little time off work today and spent some time with Amber and KL, helping load their U-Haul. We have more work to do tonight. I'm headed that way.

I kept my dinner simple, repeating the same lean beef, cabbage, onion, and mushroom filled Joseph's pitas I've enjoyed recently. I love 'em--and when I need to simplify, they're super fast and easy to make.

Sharing a post from the archives tonight:

The following is an exchange I shared this weekend with a longtime supporter of this blog. Please understand, I DON'T know it all--and I don't claim to know it all. So when I speak or write, it's coming from my personal experience. The learning along this road never stops. Some of the perspectives I've come to better understand about me and my past experiences are shared within this exchange. Perhaps some of it might resonate with you, too.

Longtime reader: "Please Tell me some steps to eliminate "all or nothing" thinking."

Reply: All or nothing thinking comes from the self-imposed rules we create for our plan. These rules are developed from our lifetime of experience that has created our perception of what it means or what we believe is required to lose weight successfully.

What happens is this: We honor those old perceptions by creating our own set of rules- and maybe these rules are on paper or not- they can exist subconsciously, too... And then, when we do something that isn't in line with these old patterns of thinking- we feel like we've failed... When in reality, we haven't failed at all... But all or nothing thinking suggests we have- and then we get into the, "forget it, why bother" area of our brain.

Longtime reader: "That would apply to the number on the scale not matching what we are expecting also, wouldn't it!?"

Reply: Yes- the idea is to embrace our plan... And since the scale takes into account about seven different things... We let the scale do what it does. We just embrace our plan and move forward. The scale will catch up. And after a while, if it doesn't, we can modify our plan if needed. The idea is to take the power away from the scale. It's about finding our peace and calm in the embrace of our plan, rather than from a number on the scale.

Because the scale isn't a direct reflection of our plan. Yet, many times, we allow that number to completely negate our plan- and discourage us- when truly, it wasn't our plan the scale was reflecting on any particular number it shows. I'm so incredibly proud of you. Thank you for reaching out for support!

It is challenging- but it's completely possible, to simplify our plan. Throw out the preconceived notions, develop a plan where we can consistently hit these "new marks," --and we can feel great about it, instead of constantly feeling defeated because we're not living up to what we thought was required of us to be successful.

The smaller, simplified plan, is one that we can embrace. It's designed for our consistent progress- and it evolves in time. The more consistency we give this new, simplified list of "non-negotiable" elements, the better we feel... Because finally, we're able to focus on a plan we can feel good about-- and one that ultimately, gets us to where we're wanting to go along this road... And wasn't that the goal to begin with? :)

And when our brains start telling us things reminiscent of the old diet mentality- we must reach for support and a different perspective. It's important. You're important.

Longtime reader: "THANK YOU! Thank you! THANK YOU! SO needed to hear your explanations!!!"

Reply: You're always welcome. I hope that perspective helps!

Longtime reader: "More than you know! Your words caused a HUGE AHA for me!  I needed this even more than I knew!!! Thanks."

Reply: Awe, I'm so glad. :) That does my heart good!!

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

If you're interested in connecting via social media:
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Also--I'd love you to subscribe to my podcast Transformation Planet! You can find it in Apple Podcasts, in the Google Play store for Android, and listed wherever you find your favorite podcasts! If you haven't listened before, you'll find 20 episodes waiting for you!

Questions or comments? Send an email! transformation.road@gmail.com