Yep, it's already the middle of November!
I don't know, where did all the months go? I've been dieting for the past months, but all I lost was 10 months! I cheat on my diet a lot. I'm not consistent with my workout. I think I have extremely poor self control and self discipline.
Is it too late now to lose weight this year? The year of 2014? I had a small talk with my sister-in-law recently, who's also trying to lose weight. We talked about our weight loss progress so far and when I said I'm making little to no progress, it seems that we were on the same boat. Then she ended the conversation saying, I'll restart my diet next year. What? Why next year? There're 40 days left until New Year 2015. There're so much you can happen in 40 days. Many people looking forward to January to have a fresh start with weight loss and fitness goals. And yes to be honest, I am.
But Why do I have to wait until New Years Eve to start feeling better, losing some weight, and eating better?
Why wait until New Year's Eve to make this decision?
Why wait until January 1 to take action?
Why don't just kick off the New Year's resolution before the ball drops?
If you plan to start afresh next year - you should ask yourself if waiting until the new year is just an excuse. For me, I refuse to go around in a cycle of New Year's weight loss resolution.
There is never a better time to take action than right now.
In the book The Miracle of Health, Uche Odiatu says, postponing forward momentum tells the universe that you're not ready for change. When we postpone something we truly desire, the consequences are not obvious the first day. But days of postponing add up to another average year. A lifetime of average years will be filled with: "I wish I had...", "If only I'd...", etc. Some of us are waiting for the perfect time to take the plunge. But we just need to move forward because there is never the perfect time to do anything—at least not in a recognizable form.
2014 is almost over but it still never too late for us to kick start our weight loss plan and improve our quality of life. This November I promise myself to:
1. Treat my body like a temple
Temple is a sacred place. We will not doing something that can hurt, harm or damage the temple of God. Just as we treat temples with respect, we should treat our body with respect. I try to be more conscious of the foods going into my body. I will avoid foods that can harm my health. I will try to eat better, cut down on the salt and sugar, eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can in one day.
2. Walk 10,000 steps a day
10,000 steps is a great benchmark of an active lifestyle. Walking 10,000 steps a day is close to 5 miles and burn approximately 500 calorie. But it may seem like a lot and can be extremely active for many living a sedentary lifestyle like me. I will choose a small achievable goal to start with. Then try to increase my activity by 1,000 or 2,000 steps a day. I will use each small success to motivate me to go further. Every small improvement is a step in the right direction.
3. No carbs after 2 pm
Okay this is hard. I try to eliminate rice in my diet. But I am Asian and we literally had rice with every meal. Rice and chicken, rice and pork, rice with soup, rice with eggs, etc. By taking a route of cutting carbs after 2 p.m., I can better control the amount of calories I eat, but still can enjoy my favorite foods.
4. Be accountable for what I eat and what I burn
Maybe I need to start food journaling again. I need to write ahead what I plan to eat, this way will helps prevent mindless or impulsive eating. Keeping a food journal also gives me a record that I can always refer back to. To stay accountable and hit my goal, I must put workout in my calendar or to-do list. Schedule each workout for the week like a doctors appointment.
5. Drink 2 litres of water a day
Drinking enough water is an essential part of being healthy especially when you're trying to lose weight, water should be your best friend. Research has found that drinking an average of 6.5 cups of water per day helped people consume 200 fewer calories a day. The next time I think I'm hungry I'll try drinking several glasses of water first.
6. Say NO to junk foods, fast foods, and sweetened beverages
This is a real challenge because whenever I feel hungry and feeling stressed, lonely, bored or blue, I tend to reach for the salty, greasy comfort of junk food. Now I already had remove the junk food from my house, already stopped buying it. Next thing is learning to say NO at the right time to McDonald's, KFC. I am much stronger than my cravings. Whenever I have a strong craving and I know I'm not hungry, a mint or brushing my teeth I think would help to curb cravings. Or maybe just find something to distract myself. The craving will pass.
7. Say NO to excuses
I am the queen of excuses when it came to weight loss. But this November, there'll be no more negative body thoughts. No more "I'll do it tomorrow". No more sitting and wishing for a thinner me. No more eating when I am not hungry. No more waiting for this to get easier. No more "but's..", no more "I can't", no more "it's too hard," "I'm too tired." No more excuses. My dream is bigger than my excuses.
Remember the old saying, "If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."
I don't know, where did all the months go? I've been dieting for the past months, but all I lost was 10 months! I cheat on my diet a lot. I'm not consistent with my workout. I think I have extremely poor self control and self discipline.
Is it too late now to lose weight this year? The year of 2014? I had a small talk with my sister-in-law recently, who's also trying to lose weight. We talked about our weight loss progress so far and when I said I'm making little to no progress, it seems that we were on the same boat. Then she ended the conversation saying, I'll restart my diet next year. What? Why next year? There're 40 days left until New Year 2015. There're so much you can happen in 40 days. Many people looking forward to January to have a fresh start with weight loss and fitness goals. And yes to be honest, I am.
But Why do I have to wait until New Years Eve to start feeling better, losing some weight, and eating better?
Why wait until New Year's Eve to make this decision?
Why wait until January 1 to take action?
Why don't just kick off the New Year's resolution before the ball drops?
If you plan to start afresh next year - you should ask yourself if waiting until the new year is just an excuse. For me, I refuse to go around in a cycle of New Year's weight loss resolution.
If You Want Success Today,
Let Yesterday Go
And Stop Seeking Tomorrow
There is never a better time to take action than right now.
In the book The Miracle of Health, Uche Odiatu says, postponing forward momentum tells the universe that you're not ready for change. When we postpone something we truly desire, the consequences are not obvious the first day. But days of postponing add up to another average year. A lifetime of average years will be filled with: "I wish I had...", "If only I'd...", etc. Some of us are waiting for the perfect time to take the plunge. But we just need to move forward because there is never the perfect time to do anything—at least not in a recognizable form.
1. Treat my body like a temple
Temple is a sacred place. We will not doing something that can hurt, harm or damage the temple of God. Just as we treat temples with respect, we should treat our body with respect. I try to be more conscious of the foods going into my body. I will avoid foods that can harm my health. I will try to eat better, cut down on the salt and sugar, eat as many fruits and vegetables as I can in one day.
2. Walk 10,000 steps a day
10,000 steps is a great benchmark of an active lifestyle. Walking 10,000 steps a day is close to 5 miles and burn approximately 500 calorie. But it may seem like a lot and can be extremely active for many living a sedentary lifestyle like me. I will choose a small achievable goal to start with. Then try to increase my activity by 1,000 or 2,000 steps a day. I will use each small success to motivate me to go further. Every small improvement is a step in the right direction.
3. No carbs after 2 pm
Okay this is hard. I try to eliminate rice in my diet. But I am Asian and we literally had rice with every meal. Rice and chicken, rice and pork, rice with soup, rice with eggs, etc. By taking a route of cutting carbs after 2 p.m., I can better control the amount of calories I eat, but still can enjoy my favorite foods.
4. Be accountable for what I eat and what I burn
Maybe I need to start food journaling again. I need to write ahead what I plan to eat, this way will helps prevent mindless or impulsive eating. Keeping a food journal also gives me a record that I can always refer back to. To stay accountable and hit my goal, I must put workout in my calendar or to-do list. Schedule each workout for the week like a doctors appointment.
5. Drink 2 litres of water a day
Drinking enough water is an essential part of being healthy especially when you're trying to lose weight, water should be your best friend. Research has found that drinking an average of 6.5 cups of water per day helped people consume 200 fewer calories a day. The next time I think I'm hungry I'll try drinking several glasses of water first.
6. Say NO to junk foods, fast foods, and sweetened beverages
This is a real challenge because whenever I feel hungry and feeling stressed, lonely, bored or blue, I tend to reach for the salty, greasy comfort of junk food. Now I already had remove the junk food from my house, already stopped buying it. Next thing is learning to say NO at the right time to McDonald's, KFC. I am much stronger than my cravings. Whenever I have a strong craving and I know I'm not hungry, a mint or brushing my teeth I think would help to curb cravings. Or maybe just find something to distract myself. The craving will pass.
7. Say NO to excuses
I am the queen of excuses when it came to weight loss. But this November, there'll be no more negative body thoughts. No more "I'll do it tomorrow". No more sitting and wishing for a thinner me. No more eating when I am not hungry. No more waiting for this to get easier. No more "but's..", no more "I can't", no more "it's too hard," "I'm too tired." No more excuses. My dream is bigger than my excuses.
Remember the old saying, "If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse."
What goals you'd like to achieve before this year will expire?
