Changing my Wants, Changing my Life.

When I see that someone is struggling and struggling and struggling, fighting every minute and every day to "stay on plan", it makes me wonder how I can best communicate the concept of changing your wants.

You see, we are in control of our wants.  The things we focus on, the things we "feed", will grow.  If you are "feeding" your desire to eat unhealthy things which only cause obesity, then that desire to eat those things will grow and grow until the tension becomes unbearable in your brain and you succumb.  And then of course you have just reinforced that desire and it will be stronger next time too, causing you absolute misery and giving you a "white-knuckle" experience all the way to your goal, IF you ever get there.

You will feel like you are holding your breath.  Some people can hold their breath longer than others, but in the end, you have to breath oxygen in again.

If your oxygen is fattening foods, sweets, fried foods, pizza, ice cream and the like, then that is what you will gulp down when you need air again and can't hold your breath a moment longer.

But how can you change that?  Seriously?  How can you CHANGE your WANTS, so that eating healthfully and mindfully and in a life-giving (not life-sucking) way is actually what you PREFER to the sludge?

How indeed?

You decide to intentionally change your mind.  For me, I got Dr. A's Habits of Health and made a study out of it.  I decided to turn off the Food Network.  I gave away all of my cookbooks that related to fattening foods and baked goods, none of which I wanted to be a part of my life anymore.  I set about intentionally changing my wants.

I stopped acting like a martyr.  I stopped feeling sorry for myself.  My body began to change.  I saw the benefits of my hard work.  It became easier to "want" to maintain the new healthy body I was growing in to.  I felt less tense, less like I was holding my breath.  I focused on healthy Lean and Greens.  I focused on beautiful vegetables and different ways to prepare them.  I focused on moving my body more.  I decided I liked the way my body feels when I'm running.  I like to feel the muscles in my legs propelling me forward.  I love to ride my bike.  I love to take walks with my family.  I love being active, and feeding my family in a healthful way.  There just isn't room in my life to even DESIRE the stuff that will not assist me in living a healthy and vibrant life.

Do you see?

But what if I had continued to focus on the cake?  The candy?  Continuing to white-knuckle it?  Continue to plot ways and plan times that I could rationalize indulging in just a "little bit" of it? 

Then I would still be holding my breath.  Or I would be close to 300 pounds by now.

The choice is very simple.  At least from my perspective it is.  Change your wants, change your life.  Things don't change, people do.  Are you truly committed to CHANGE?  Or are you turning blue holding your breath?

Rinse and Repeat!