When people ask me how I stay thin, I always start by telling them about this:
I read a book a few years ago that changed my life – mostly in the area of health / weight loss, but it applies to anything. I had been carrying around an extra 30lbs or so since the birth of my first child that I just “could NOT get rid of no matter what I tried.”
In Andy Stanley’s book, The Principle of the Path, he states that “Direction – not intention – determines our destination.” Here’s my paraphrase: The destination (goal) I wanted was weight loss. My intention was weight loss, but my direction (the daily choices I made) were not on the path that led to weight loss. When I chose to eat brownies and chips instead of apples and almonds, I was choosing the direction toward maintaining the extra weight, even though my intention was to lose the weight.
Understanding this helped me see each choice as, well – a choice. I began to understand that every choice mattered…each choice had a consequence. Eating an apple leads to weight loss. Eating a brownie leads to no weight loss. I had a choice.
As I began to take responsibility for my choices, I began to make wise choices more often. I was accountable for each choice I made – no one else was…not even the screaming baby. Each healthy choice I made, led me down the path of health. Each unhealthy choice I made, led me down the path of, well, un-health.
When every choice counts – you can’t start tomorrow, you can’t “blow it” for the day, you can only “blow it” for that choice. Each choice is a new choice, a new chance to make the wise choice. If you eat a brownie and “blow it” you can then choose to eat another one, or to not eat another one. If you choose not to exercise today, you don't have to make that same choice tomorrow, or even this afternoon. One unwise choice does not negate your responsibility for the next choice.
This applies to anything – not just food and weight loss. It applies to any area of your life, even to your finances (don’t get me started!!). Every choice you make, every minute of every hour of every day, has a consequence. If you want to change your life, you have to make different choices – you have to choose different behavior. It’s not always easy – but nothing worth having is easy! The more often you choose the wise choice, the closer you become to your destination.
When you stop making excuses for your problems (extra weight) and take responsibility for your choices (food and exercise), you will begin to see change and make progress. And yes, sometimes I still chose the brownie – but I also accept the consequences for that choice. And because my goal is to be a healthy weight (destination), I make intentional choices every day (direction), all day long, in order to stay on the path that will lead me to, and maintains a healthy weight.
You have a choice to make. You alone are responsible for that choice. Will you make the choice (direction) that will lead you to your goal (destination)? Or will you make another excuse? Will you stay stuck where you are and make excuses to why you can’t change? Or will you take responsibility for your life?
Your diet doesn’t start on Monday. Changing your life starts TODAY!!!
From: http://thoughtsfromfreedomfinancial.blogspot.com/2013/01/what-happened-to-30lbs-that-i-just.html 1/08/13
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