Tag: patterns

Recognizing Patterns…

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I am on spring break and I feel like it came just in time. I had my last day of work for the week. When I came home, I went to spin class. Then by the time I was cooking dinner, I was extremely hungry. I ended up making poor food choices by picking on whatever was convenient or were things I have not eaten in a while. Yes, I’m looking at you peanut butter. I was just so hungry while I was waiting for dinner to finish cooking. I did that (on a much lesser scale) last night too. This is worrisome to me because I know old habits never really die they just go dormant until something kicks them into gear again.

I see the beginning of a pattern. That time from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm is a very hungry time for me. This makes sense, because that is dinnertime for most people. It seems no matter how hard I try (more often than not) dinner doesn’t get to the table until 7:30 or even 8:30 at night. That’s just too late. I’m going to have to give this situation some time and attention because I’ve worked so hard to build healthy habits and I don’t want to sabotage myself by eating too many SmartPoints because I’m legitimately hungry.

Perseverance…

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It was a new day and I did say yes to a fresh start. Today, was a blue dot day! I am within my healthy eating zone, and I feel the rhythm of my new habits overtaking my old ones. This is not to say those old habits are banished; unfortunately, they remain intact. Those old habits are in my brain and will certainly show themselves again and again as I strive to live my life on Maintenance. However, I do think I have uncovered a pattern.

There was a big difference between yesterday and today…

Yesterday, was particularly stressful. Somethings were happening to me that felt out of my control and I think that was driving my desire to eat. Control is the culprit. When I feel a lack of it my natural predisposition is to cycle back into losing it with food.

Today, was very empowering! It seemed as though all the big things I had to do worked out for me. My teaching, the way I navigated the city (thanks to my new friend Jamie), connecting with people – all of it went as I had hoped. I felt more flexible and was not tempted to overeat.

I think I set the tone for today at breakfast. While I was waiting for breakfast, I was scrolling through Facebook and I received a message in one of my WW groups that really inspired me. A friend of mine connected with yesterday’s post and shared her struggle with me. Thank you, Emily, you made an impact. That connectedness helped me so much to know I am not alone. While I might have different reasons, the struggle to stay on the healthy path is real.

The struggle is real but it’s not forever. Having the perseverance to continue to reflect and examine my choices and identify patterns is helping me to stay on track. Knowing that it will always be what happens next is the most important thing also helps. Even more than that it’s the connections I make with others that helps me to embrace a growth mindset. I am part of a group of like-minded others who also want to live a healthy life. That really is something important.