It's just one cupcake...

I wrote this awhile ago and never posted it...it seems like a good time now, why? I don't know, for some reason it just feels right and it's something I keep coming back to...

When starting a weight loss journey at 500, 400 or even 300 lbs the weight is quick to fall off. If you've reached 300 lbs or above there is a reason for it. You've most likely succumbed to a lifestyle of processed, fatty foods and eating excessively beyond what your body needs for fuel in addition to a sedentary lifestyle.

When you cut out sugary cokes, your 5x weekly fast food meals, and begin measuring your food into reasonable portions, your body reacts extremely positively. After easily losing the first 50 lbs, you're motivated. After 100, you may still be going strong, but at some point you may become comfortable and lax. You stop measuring food and cease to be acutely conscious of what and how much you are putting in your body. You tell yourself "Oh, it won't bother me if I have a 2nd plateful of food just this one time," because it didn't when you were 300 lbs. And you forget you've said that to yourself twice already this week. You have moments of lapses when you bring home the Little Debbie's from the grocery store and eat all of them in 2 days. I know, I've been there. Both situations have happened so many times.

At a certain point, you have to start working harder to lose the pounds. Having your weekly (or 2x a week) cupcake isn't going to work for you anymore. Indulging in hamburgers and french fries on a regular basis just doesn't work. You have less to lose and in result have less wiggle room to fix your lapses in judgment. You can't starve yourself 5 days a week to overeat the other two days. If you are spending 2 days eating unconsciously, you are eating unconsciously 28% of the time. 3 days and you're there 43% of the time.

It's hard to go from 3,500 calories a day to 2,000. It's so much harder to go from 2,000 to 1,600 or 1,200 and be committed enough to sustain that level through to the end of losing 100 or 200+ pounds.

So much of this journey is a mental game. You have to be constantly motivated, eyes wide-open and re-evaluating your actions at every turn. Sometimes you have to do things that are hard, or uncomfortable or that you don't want to do. It sucks to have to think about every piece of fuel you put in your body as calories or putting it into a calorie tracker, it takes the joy our of savoring a meal, but you know what else sucks? Being 300+ lbs. I know, I was there.

If what worked for you before isn't working for you now, don't you think it's time to re-evaluate how you're doing things and perhaps recommit to the journey that you've started?

Just something to ponder the next time you say, "oh, but it's just one cupcake."