It's a CHOICE, not a battle!

(editors note:  OP means 'on program'....i.e., on the TSFL 5/1 program).

 

It's a CHOICE, not a Battle!

 

Lying in bed last night, I was thinking about how far along I've come with my headwork on this journey.  NOT that I'm perfect, mind you....no one is...! .... we're all human, and that's the very definition of imperfect LOL.

BUT I've learned a lot. The recent 'scare' with the new website, which has resulted in my copying over all my old blogs (a practice I recommend to those of you who blog often, by the way....I know, I know, they say they will transfer over...but accidents DO happen...), I was marveling at my 'inner growth'. 

It really DOES start and end with your HEAD. 

NOT the food.
NOT the scale.
NOT the exercise.

I'm not saying the above aren't important -- especially the food! -- eating those 5 MF meals is KEY, plus your L&G, of course  -- but if you can decipher what's happening in your BRAIN you've got half the battle won right there.

And speaking of battles, when it comes to Fat Brain?  Once you realize that you DO have an inner voice that is LYING to you (a hard concept to get in the first place, but it's true!)....which of course is Ms. Fat Brain.....telling you that you 'need' this, you 'deserve' this, you've had a hard day, it's not fair, you might be (gasp!) entering starvation mode (horrors!) so you'd better eat more (LOL), you worked out SOOOOO hard so you 'need' this, but everyone ELSE is eating it why can't I, hey, it's only ONE, one won't hurt etc. (you get the idea LOL)....

Once you've identified Fat Brain once and for all, and you can 'hear' her voice inside and actually stand back and sort of 'listen' to her bull....because that's all it is, you know, pure, unmitigated bull***!...LOL...then you have to decide how you'll handle her.

And there are two ways:

1).  BATTLE HER.  Fight back.  Argue with her.  Keep saying NO and find the flaws in her logic.
- OR -
2).  Just say NO, without explanation, without arguing, and CLOSE THE SUBJECT.  That's it, it's done, you've decided, you made a CHOICE, and there's no battle.  You SHUT.HER.DOWN. 

#2 is vastly preferable.  WHY?

Well, with #1 Fat Brain won't give up, I can tell you that from personal experience. 
She will haunt you.  She will follow you everywhere, and she will continue to hammer at you throughout your day and night.  She will pester you so much that at times?  Eating become almost a relief....succumbing to that 'one extra' (which unfortunately usually leads to more....) just to take the pressure off.

I've actually had binges that started this way.  With a huge feeling of RELIEF, just like opening a valve on a pressure cooker.  I don't know if you remember those, I'm dating myself now, but my mother used to have one of those.  Pressure cookers have a very tight lid that clamps down, and it builds up STEAM inside, which cooks the food.  It cooks faster than regular methods because of that buildup....but if you release the valve on top, look out!  All the steam comes gushing out, and it can be quite powerful (and it can seriously burn you as well, as my 12-year-old self found out one night). 

That's what arguing with Fat Brain can do.  It causes the pressure to build up and build up until you're ready to EXPLODE. 

For many of us, this type of thing happens over the course of the work week.  We take it and take it....whatever problems and pressures and stressers we have at work or whatever....we control ourselves and stay OP....but inside, oh boy...!  Inside Fat Brain is building up that pressure to an incredible degree.

So what happens when you get to a weekend?  Well, you can finally RELAX, right? 
At LAST, time to YOURSELF.  No one to answer to.  No office politics or backbiting or games.  It's just you and your leisure time. 

THIS is when Fat Brain strikes.  She starts in with the 'you've had a hard week, you deserve' it garbage.  And you fall for it because hell yes, you DID have a hard week! And you WERE so 'good', you were OP, now come ON, I deserve a LITTLE something, right?  Fat Brain will continue like this...on and on....and the more you attempt to FIGHT her, to make it a battle, a war.....the more the pressure builds.

And that makes staying OP nearly impossible.  I've actually gotten to the point where I was so tightly wound, so stressed from fighting Fat Brain, so TENSE, that bingeing was almost a RELIEF.  And it was in a way.  It was a RELEASE from all that tension.

Not good.  Because then you've got TWO problems.  Now you released the stress, allright....but you overate and you know it.  And now you REALLY have a hard time...because the inevitable "You blew it might as well eat what you want" logic comes into play, and that can be very very VERY hard to fight.  You're not sure if you fell out of ketosis 'anyway'.  Tomorrow is Monday, you can 'start over'.  Right?
And so you go on an all-out binge.  And then you HATE yourself.

Been there, done that!

Listen.....in my opinion?  Option #2 is the way to go.  You DON'T argue.  Not at all.  You don't go to war.  Instead, you simply acknowledge the thought, "I hear you, Fat Brain, you want that cheese danish....well, I'm not going to have it because my goals are more important and my health is, too....that's just a momentary pleasure whereas a healthy slim body is for a LIFETIME!"

And then you WALK AWAY.

Literally AND figuratively.  "Walk away" from the thought in your head.  Deliberately think about something else.  Pick up a book.  Dive into the blogs here and read others' stories, you might just learn something.  Try a computer game.  Get onto Facebook.  You don't need a lot of fancy equipment (I have a PS3, by the way, but I run hot and cold with it....I'll play for months at a time, then let it sit because I get bored with it).....you can just play games on Facebook! 

I'm currently addicted to Candy Crush Saga LOL.  Seriously, there are about 10-15 games that DO relax me, give me something else to do.  We don't have to be 'busy' accomplishing something 'important' 24/7, you know.  Sometimes it's OK to just 'BE'!!!!

As long as that doesn't involve sludge.  Have another cup of coffee -- sans the creamer -- instead.  Have a big glass of water.  Chew sugarfree gum if that works for you.  And keep busy.

But IGNORE Fat Brain.  Don't get sucked into an argument.  You are the intelligent side of your brain and YOU make the rules....yes, even on weekends.

If stress continues to be a problem, find stress management techniques....try multiple things until you find what works for you.  Deep breathing, meditation, yoga (you don't have to be perfect), any kind of exercise, really....even just taking a walk.  The leaves are changing here in the Northeast and it's drop-dead GORGEOUS out there  The colors are incredible!  So just being OUTSIDE is relaxing.  Do some gardening.  It's the perfect time to plant daffodils so they will come up in the Spring.  (That's my plan for this afternoon).  Relax in a hot bath.  Take a NAP, for pete's sakes.  Many of us don't get enough sleep anyway.  Try everything!  You never know what will help you. 

Bottom line, the more you reduce your stress.....on an ongoing basis....the less that 'pressure cooker' will build up during the week....and the quieter Fat Brain will become over the weekend.  Weekends aren't a time to let it all go....they are a time to relax, to be sure, but if you want ongoing, steady progress towards your goal, you're going to HAVE to stay OP over the weekend. 

And NOT fighting Fat Brain WORKS. 

Remember, it's a CHOICE, not a BATTLE. 
CHOOSE to do the right thing and stay OP. 

Keep on keepin' on!