Thou Shalt Not Kid Thyself

As I have worked with clients over the years,  I have noticed something which is detrimental to getting results. It is when people sort of go through the motions but are not really honest with their efforts. The 11th commandment is "Thou shalt not kid thyself."

Some times we feel we are eating right and exercising like we should but we are just not getting the results we want. Many times this is because we have a warped sense of reality. I have also been guilty of this myself. Here are some examples from my own life.

When Wendy's came out with their new french fries that have the skins on and use sea salt, I've tried justifying that the additional fiber and seasoning makes them much healthier so they shouldn't be so bad to eat. NOT!

Sometimes when I step on the scale and see that my weight has gone up, I will think to tell myself  "It's probably just muscle weight" rather than acknowledging the overeating that took place over the past few days.

Sometimes I will ease up on my exercise regimen to the point that it resembles more of a warm up than it does a workout, yet I still tell myself that I exercised that day even though I slacked off.

When we complain about how we are doing everything right, but just not getting results, I think we need to take a closer look to see if that is really the case, or if we are just trying to fool ourselves. Studies have shown that most people overestimate their activity levels and underestimating their calorie intake. As a result, they see themselves as victims or exceptions since the law of thermodynamic just doesn't seem to apply to them like it does everyone else.

I am not trying to beat anyone up. I just want to point out that if you are not making progress and think you are doing everything right, you may want to take a more honest and accurate look at your efforts to improve your health. I know I always benefit when I take a more objective look at my efforts.