Staying the course...

Some days, it is really hard to stay motivated. So, it's important to have strategies to stay on course. Take tonight for example, at work, the guy beside me kept offering me cookies. Super nice of him, but I didn't want to add calories to my day!! And then another girl brought in three bags of chips. Seriously people, do you know how hard it is, at 2 in the morning to not eat chips and cookies?? It has taken an extreme amount of willpower to stay away from these things. So what can you do when it seems like everyone around you is trying to get you off course. How do you keep on the path you are trying to follow. Here are a few ideas:

- bring along your own snacks. If you are at a workplace with temptation all around you, bring some things that fit into your eating plan that are tasty and full of nutrition. That way, when someone walks buy with chips or cookies, you can turn them down.

-exercise. Take a walk or run or something when you get a break. Just being active and getting your heart beating reminds you of what your goal is and helps reframe your mind again so that temptations are easier to refuse.

-surround yourself with like minded people. Try and find people in a similar boat or with similar goals. Then, when there's temptation, you can band together and make a healthier choice.

-remind yourself of what your goals are. Ask yourself honestly if the temptation will help you get there faster. Does it match with the kind of life you are trying to create. If not, then pass. Short term pleasure just makes the long term goal a little longer.

-if all else fails, and you know you simply must give in to the temptation, then allow yourself a small portion. If everyone is having cake and you don't want to miss out, have half a piece, that way, you still got the treat, but kept your portions in check. Nobody is perfect and sometimes allowing yourself to have the treat in a reasonable way will prevent you from overindulging later!!

So tonight, I have been successful, I brought in snacks, I stayed away from the cookies, and instead of grabbing chips, I went and ran on my lunch, came back and had my snack I had brought in, and now, I'm just reminding myself of why I don't need the chips since they aren't going to help me get where I want to be!! So I just have to last three more hours...