When we make a huge change in how we eat and how we approach food, seeing change in the long-term isn't all that easy.
You are worried about 6 weeks, not 6 years. If you are making changes for health reasons, you worry more about getting healthy as opposed to a reading on a scale.
Having just celebrated 10 years of eating better, let me share my limited wisdom.
The hell that I went through from withdrawal feels really small now, but was huge in the moment. I remember the withdrawal symptoms and other complications like they were yesterday, but they also seem far away.
The sacrifices made were well worth making though the kidney stones that came later, well, we could have skipped that step.
Going through withdrawal and radical change to my diet was not something to celebrate. My breakfasts felt so light that I tried to sleep until lunch just so I wouldn't be tempted to snack in between.
That initial success was remarkable. The goal was a 10% weight loss, and reached that in about 3 months. More importantly, I felt better and more knowledgeable about what was going into my body.
There were certainly ups and downs, especially in that first year. I started a new job shortly after starting on the new program. Finding ways to sneak in exercise brought out creativity, given the atypical commute of the new job.
I even went through the 7-year itch and had little temptation to go back to that kind of life.
To be honest, the last couple of years have been a struggle. Not as bad as things were, not by a long shot. But emotional eating has returned as a threat.
When you're stressed, vegetables should be your friend. But they can get drowned out by the cries of carbohydrates.
2004 was a success by every definition. 2014 is still up in the air.
My knowledge is infinite times more about what is going on with food. And I have been thrilled to share that here at BalanceofFood.com for the past 9 years.
I have written about the good and bad to show the struggle within all of us. I have spotlighted temptations, good and bad, first with Temptation of the Week and now with What's Tempting.
Even with that knowledge and experience, I end up making bad choices, or perhaps, not great choices. Still wrapped up in emotional eating. Don't always make good choices when away from home. Still with too much belly fat.
Even with the current struggles, my awareness of eating better and need to improve my habits are light years ahead of where I was in the spring of 2004.
Eating better is a commitment for the rest of your life. 10 years is impressive, but it can get better. The knowledge as a society is significantly higher than it was 10 years ago. We have a First Lady in the White House working to making things better.
As good as success is, food temptations won't go away, calling out for those to smash into the proverbial rocks. Temptations will always be there, and there will always be flaws in the armor. Knowledge is crucial, but determination makes a great sidekick.
The war never ends, but after 10 years, the battle has been very positive. And you should take a moment to acknowledge how much better things are, even when there is still plenty more work to do.
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