Doughnuts above can be found at Revolution Doughnuts in Atlanta.

TEMPTATION – FIGHT IT, OR FORGET IT

TO FIGHT “IT” OR FORGET “IT”

To fight “it” or forget “it,” that is the question right?

WRONG! 

That is not the question but is instead the decision!

 

DECISIONS VS. THE DECISION

The Decision is the most important decision of the many we struggle with each and every single day.  To exercise or not to exercise, to eat or not to eat, to cheat or not to cheat, to whatever or to not whatever…there are endless decisions we all make on a daily basis
but The Decision is the decision that will affect us the greatest…mentally speaking that is.

 

MY PERSONAL DECISION

It is important to note that The Decision is different for everyone and is The One Decision that affects you the most…the one that, if made incorrectly, will linger in the back of your mind all day…especially if you are as OCD as I am.

For me The Decision is to eat or not to eat….that extra piece of whatever…

Normally, if at my target weight while following LeanGains and my regular workout regimen, this is not even a decision, the correct choice is always to EAT!

Now, though, I live by the LeanGains eating style 360 days a year and if/when I slip out of my regular workout regimen I tend to pack on the weight.

As I’ve noted before on this site, if I I slack a bit on my workout regimen (i.e., cut runs out completely or workout only 3-4 days a week instead of 5-6) while maintaining the LeanGains approach to eating I naturally plateau at around 180 pounds.

So, the times I do find myself needing to cut a bit of weight I always start by being a bit more conscience about what I am eating…because, as we all know, the secret to weight loss is using more calories than we eat.

 

THE DECISION – FIGHT IT OR FORGET IT!

In case you don’t already know, I am currently in the final week of my first P90X3 trial run and, because I really wanted to see if P90X3’s 30-minute workouts could really transform one’s body the way P90X and P90X2 60-minute workouts can, I decided to approach P90X3 the same way I approached P90X the first time…back in the day when I was trying to cut 25 pounds.  So, this meant keeping track of my caloric intake while following the LeanGains fast/feed plan….and anytime I am trying to cut weight The Decision is a stable part of my day.

Quick background to bring you up to speed with my current situation:

Unlike my first go at P90X where I had to lose about 25 lbs., for P90X3 I only had to lose about 15 lbs.  So, my goal was to eat a weekly average of about 1,400 net calories a day while following the 16/8 LeanGains fast/feed plan…and for the most part I stuck to that goal.

BUT THERE WHERE DAYS I SLIPPED…lots of days to be exact!

 

FIGHTING OR FORGETTING THE DECISION!

Being that I lost over 2/3 of the total weight I wanted to lose while trying out P90X3 in the first 28 days, I had 60 days left to lose 5 lbs.!

This meant I could sprinkle “treat” days around pretty much anywhere I wanted to.

So, during Block 2 of P90X3 I threw calorie tracking completely out the window and stuck completely to the LeanGains eating style.  During Block 2 I lost about 2 more pounds in total leaving me with only 3 pounds to lose in the final Block…3 pounds I don’t think I’ll lose…because I am neither “fighting” nor “forgetting” The Decision once I make it.

 

FIGHTING IT!

As noted above, my personal Decision (with a capitol “D”) is to eat or not eat…that extra 3 doughnuts, that extra loaf of bread, those extra pieces of chocolate, that box of cereal, etc….?

Now, if I decide to fight the urge to overindulge then I “won” that battle!  I.E., if we fight any temptation we are trying to avoid we win that round!  But what happens when I Decide to indulge in my temptation…what if temptation wins?

This is the crucial moment of The Decision –

 

BECAUSE THE MOMENT WE DECIDE TO GIVE IN AND NOT FIGHT IS THE MOMENT WE NEED TO FORGET THE DECISION WE JUST MADE AND ENJOY!!!

 

FORGETTING IT!

Again, just to make this point hit home, the moment we give in to temptation is the moment we need to forget about The Decision to give in!

As long as you are not continuously giving in, DO NOT WORRY ABOUT GIVING IN!  Give in and ENJOY THE MOMENT!

I really, really, really, really struggle with this – I just can’t seem to forget it!  And it completely ruins The Decision!

 

DON’T RUIN THE DECISION

Yeah I enjoy The Decision to give in to the temptation…for about 5 seconds that is.

After about 5 seconds of happiness I start giving myself a hard time!

I start kicking my own ass about giving in and how weak I was at that moment.  I then start thinking about my lack of self control and I start feeling depressed…yes, you read that right, I get so obsessed with giving in to temptation that I actually get DEPRESSED about that Decision a mere 5 seconds later…and we’re talking about food here!!!!

 

SO, FIGHT IT OR FORGET IT…

….BECAUSE IT COULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD

Please note that I am not talking about giving in to certain temptations that could ruin you or your family’s life…one should always fight those battles and do their best to fight temptation…but when it comes to the little stuff, like skipping a workout, eating another doughnut…or two…or three…

 

…WE NEED TO LEARN TO EITHER FIGHT IT OR JUST PLAIN FORGET IT!

 

If we can learn to do this, if we can learn to forget about The Decision, and enjoy the moment after The Decision (whether you gave in to temptation or not), we will be much more happier and successful people.  Because no matter what you think,

mentally obsessing over giving in to temptation will always cause more harm than the actual physical result of merely giving in…every now and then of course.