Perseverance...

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." - Newt Gingrich

Do you ever get TIRED of it?  I mean dead dog, bone TIRED of opening yet ANOTHER Medifast packet?  Tired of nuking another brownie, tired of mixing another hot cocoa, tired of shaking another shake, tired of weighing any more freaking CHICKEN breast?

What do you do in those times?  Because what you do AT THOSE TIMES will be a very good indicator of whether or not you will be successful long-term at attaining and maintaining a healthy weight.

Sometimes this gets old.  But when it does, when I feel like I can't possibly eat any more broccoli, that is when I practice perseverance.

As Newt says in the above quote, perseverance IS the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

If there is one thing I can say about my journey that I hope you ALL emulate is that I persevered.  I persevered beyond that which even I thought myself capable of.

How did I do that?  I mean what does that look like in a day?  Well, here is a sample conversation I had with myself recently:

Self:  "Ugh.  Nothing in my Medifast Pantry looks good right now."
Self:  "So?  What does that have to do with anything?"
Self"  "Right you are.  I'll choose the Puffs."

See how that went?  Practically it means that it doesn't MATTER how I feel about what I WANT to eat, or WHETHER I want to eat.  If it is time to eat on my schedule, I eat what I'm supposed to eat.  It really matters NOT whether I feel like doing it or not.

Do I feel like emptying the trash?  Not usually.  Do I feel like doing the dishes?  Rarely.  Do I feel like folding my clothes and putting them away?  Do I feel like putting gas in my car?  Get my drift?  I do it because it is on my list.  I have prioritized health.  And this is my strategy.

And do I get results?  Yes.  You betcha.  144 pounds worth of results so far, and I'm 10 pounds from my ultimate goal of a BMI of 21 at 118 pounds. 

Have I felt like adhering to the plan every day?  No.  Have I adhered to the plan every day?  Mostly, except those few days here and there where I have forgotten to act in a manner which was in accordance with my values and aspirations, those few days here and there where I reverted to old unhealthy habits.

Does that make me a bad person?  No, it just serves as a reminder that this journey will always take vigilance, and I won't always feel like doing what I need to do but guess what, I try to do it anyway. 

Because ultimately this journey is NOT a drudgery.  This journey has been difficult but it has been extremely joyous also.  There has been MUCH joy in my journey, and there will continue to be.  Because I have broken the spell that food had on my life.  I no allow food to be my idol, I no longer allow my stomach to be my god (little "g").

I am happy and healthy, and wish the same for you.

Now if you will excuse me for a moment, I have a 4 mile trail to run.  Thank you TSFL!

Rinse and Repeat!