Take Care of You

"This is a lifestyle, not a Diet"

Very wise words that my WW leader uttered in one of my first meetings. Changing your whole attitude and mentality is a must, I repeat. This isn't a Diet. Again, diets are fast, easy solutions, that in the end don't work or set you up to fail since they are unsustainable for long term. 

Since this is a lifestyle, it is a must to take care of yourself. That includes not falling into the Bermuda Triangle. LOL. Let me explain. 

                                                                          Saboteur

                                                                             /       \

                                                                           /           \

                                                                         /               \

                                                                Jealousy ------- Instigators

These are your 3 major hurdles. Your Bermuda Triangle. It only takes one of them to suck you right in and lead you to fall. I'm careful to not say fail, because you can only fail if you give up. This is why if you happen to be caught in the Bermuda Triangle, you must break free and avoid it at all costs. 

SABOTEUR : This is the person who will try to "sabotage" or ruin your efforts. It's the person that will bring you a donut to your desk after saying you "look too thin" when you just finished saying you've lost some weight. This is the person that will fix your coffee and say "oops, I added an extra sugar" . This is the spouse that decides to take you out to dinner more often than usual, after you've lost significant weight. This is the "friend" that tells you, "oh, no need to exercise today! Come hang out with me instead"

JEALOSY: This not only refers to people, but feelings as well. Your feelings to be exact. You may get jealous of the friend that can eat anything and not gain weight. You, yourself might have been that person when you were younger and might be jealous of your past. DON'T. LET IT GO. Don't let it consume you. Be careful of those around you as well. They might be jealous of your success and thus become instigators, or even saboteurs. 

INSTIGATORS: Which leads me to the instigators. These can be direct or indirect. Direct instigators are those around you that have not become Saboteurs, YET. They will say things such as "one bit will not hurt", "you can cheat one day, I won't say a word" or my personal favorite, "don't be a party pooper, eat up!" these are the people that will try to make you feel guilty. DON'T LET THEM! This is important to keep in mind, since you can always talk back to a direct instigator. But what about an indirect one? These are your commercials and marketing. The food commercials that ome on the TV and say, "Yummy, eat me now!" Your Marketing in the Store that says, "50% off Potato Chips Humongoid Bag" WALK AWAY. TURN IT OFF. These are instigators, and they too, need to be dealt with. 

So, How to Cope with these People, you ask? 

Well there are certain steps you need to be aware of.  Only you can decide how to control the situation or how to handle it. Here are some Pointers:

* Be Prepared. Know an alternate option if someone offers you food you don't want to eat. If you know what is being served is not a healthy option, eat at home. Say you are full. Say you are allergic. Have a response ready. 

* Be assertive when saying NO. Saboteurs and Instigators smell fear! LOL, not really, but they can sense if you hesitate and will push you to say YES.

* Stay focused on your goal. 

* Use Positive Self-Talk. Use your previous success to your advantage. A simple "I'm good, thank you" can take you a long way. 

* If all else fails, WALK AWAY. It's better to hurt their feelings than hinder your efforts. They will get the idea and stop. And if they don't, you didn't need them in the first place. 

REMEMBER: Take care of yourself , no one else will do it for you. 

Thanks for visiting

ALI