Expectations

We all have expectations when we come here, don't we? We want and expect to lose the weight. Hopefully we want and expect that we'll change our lifestyle and our eating habits permanently, so as to take better care of ourselves and NOT regain the weight,

But what about our PERSONAL expectations? 

I mean, in terms of our performance OP....and the scale.

Are you expecting too much from the scale?

Do you expect that every week when you get on that scale you'll lose 2 lbs, and if you don't lose at LEAST 2 lbs. you've 'failed'? 

DON'T! 

Weight loss is not a straight line....and we don't lose according to a timetable in our heads. Our bodies will shed the weight when they are READY to shed the weight. And there are so many variables at play with the scale...water retention, that TOM, hormones, lack of sleep, STRESS, you name it....that playing 'the scale game' is an exercise in FUTILITY.

And what about YOURSELF? Are you expecting too much from yourself?

I've fallen into that trap...."restarting" on a Monday, I plan my meals to the nth degree. I know EXACTLY what I'm going to eat...I've got my 5 MF meals lined up on the kitchen counter, my L&G all planned, etc.

But then...sometimes things happen....life throws me a curveball....my parents need help unexpectedly (they are elderly and have lots of health problems)....or my husband is stuck in traffic and won't get home for at least another hour (meanwhile I'm STARVING....but I want to wait and eat dinner with him), or I'm rushed suddenly because I took too much time online (not a surprise with me LOL) and now time's passing me by and I've GOT to get my lunch ready but the garbagemen are coming and I haven't even put the garbage out yet and OMG the kitty litter has to be changed, too (with 4 litterboxes this isn't a 5 minute job) and the cats are crying because they're hungry, too (and are underfoot) and the phone's ringing and ARRGH....!!! 

And suddenly all my 'perfect' plans are put in jeopardy.

I have two choices at this point:

1.  ACCEPT that there will be changes to my plan due to 'whatever' life throws my way, and be flexible enough to switch quickly over to something else (for example, grab a bar and eat it in the car if I've got to go somewhere, instead of having the oatmeal cookies I had planned to relax with at home.....or in the case of my DH being late, maybe eating my salad and drinking a glass or two of water while I wait for him, either that or eat my dinner anyway and just sit with him while he eats when he gets home) ,
- OR -
2.  "Give it all up" and CAVE, and tell myself 'I can't do this, it's too hard!' and go off program.

To be honest, I've done #2 many times....especially when I first started the program. I would tell myself it "wasn't fair", look at all the OBSTACLES I had to overcome, yada yada...and that would be a perfect excuse to go off plan again.

But little by little, I realized that if I were truly COMMITTED to this program....and to MYSELF (a big piece of this is SELF LOVE, guys!  I say it over and over again...!!!) ....
then I HAD to be willing to 'switch' in the middle...change my plans...and maybe sometimes 'Make do' with not a perfect situation but still stay OP.

This also can happen sometimes when we strive for PERFECTION. We EXPECT ourselves to be totally, 100% OP and GOD HELP US if we screw up.  OMG I had an extra snack today....the "ketosis God" is going to PUNISH me and I won't lose weight this week....Oh well, it just goes to show I CAN'T DO THIS ... "Might as well eat what I want the rest of the day (or week)....and RESTART MONDAY."

How many times have you done this to yourself? 

EXPECTATIONS have to be MANAGEABLE when you go on this program. On the one hand, YES it's a strict program....and it's easy to make mistakes, especially in the beginning when you're not familiar with it. But on the other hand, once you know the program, it's pretty simple, really....grab those 5 MF meals and your L&G and you're good to go. No thinking required.....just do it. Right?

But again, things happen. We AREN'T perfect.

The other day I was making what I THOUGHT was blueberry oatmeal 'cookies' at lunchtime. Well, I had all my MF meals on the counter and I mistakenly grabbed the MF mashed potatoes instead!  What a MESS!  I had sour cream and chive 'cookies' with Splenda in them and vanilla...UGH .....LOL... and I didn't catch it until I started putting them in the oven and thought "Don't these look funny?'"  :)

LOL....!  I was furious of course, with myself...I just WASTED an MF meal....but you know what?  I scraped it all off into the garbage and started over. I mean, stuff HAPPENS.

LIFE HAPPENS. And we're NOT perfect. We have to STOP demanding perfection from ourselves and just realize that we're doing the best we can!  And when we do that we can watch the scale go down....EVEN IF we're not perfect.

If YOU have one off plan food, do you tell yourself "I blew it now might as well eat what I want and restart tomorrow?" OR do you tell yourself "OK, so I blew it that time but the day is NOT a total waste, I'm just going to forget it and MOVE ON and STAY OP".

THAT can be the difference between getting to goal and NOT getting to goal. REALLY!
ACCEPTING your own imperfections and living with them and just KEEPING ON despite it.

We're not perfect. That's the nature of being human. ALLOW YOURSELF to make mistakes once in awhile, and FORGIVE YOURSELF. 

Again, SELF LOVE is so very very important on this program! You MUST dig down deep and find reasons to CARE about yourself...because that's why you're doing this, in the final analysis, right? I mean, if you're doing this for your 'family', or your 'kids', or your 'husband' or whatever....you won't make it. You have to MAKE IT PERSONAL. You have to WANT it for yourself. And you have to be willing to FORGIVE yourself and pick yourself up after every mistake, because you WILL make them.

NOBODY is perfect. NOBODY.  And perfection is overrated, anyway. How boring is perfection?  We are imperfect beings and I think that's pretty terrific when you think about it....because when you look around at other people, you realize that you may have problems...in particular a food addiction, but OTHERS around you have problems, too. Different problems, to be sure....but EVERYONE has 'something'. NO ONE is perfect.

But EACH of us is important and we MATTER.  Our lives count for something.

So grab some self love....take a deep breath the next time you 'screw up', and FORGIVE YOURSELF and move on.  THAT'S how you get to goal!

Keep on keepin' on!