Dieting is HARD.

Expect It & Accept It.

Make your diet commitment knowing full well that you will face a GIGANTIC HURDLE almost immediately.

There’s gotta be a law about that. Like Murphy’s Law, but the “dieting sucks” version.

[BRB. Quick Google Search…and….nothing… Although the internet folk seem to be in agreement that dieting does, in fact, suck.]

Alright then. Here’s the freshly-coined law about dieting:

The Law of Immense & Immediate Temptation

This law might be already be familiar to you, as it also applies to the following situations:

• You give up caffeine the day before your previously-unfriendly coworker brings you a coffee.
• You decide to begin your new “morning walking routine” on Friday, the morning it’s 30 degrees and snowing (despite it being April).
• You decide to eliminate carbs for breakfast, only to awaken to breakfast in bed, handmade and delivered by your 5-year old; we all know it’s NOT an omelette.
• You excitedly schedule your week around the only yoga class that suddenly rescheduled to an impossible time/day.

See? If past experiences teach us anything…Ya gotta expect & accept.

As it pertains to dieting specifically, the law clearly states thus:

The day you decide to commit to a strict 2-week diet regimen is the day your best friend will tell you that–everything is happening so fast, but–HE PROPOSED and IS SUDDENLY GETTING MARRIED on the day you had planned to consume only 2 protein shakes and a handful of kale.

• The cocktail hour theme drink will be your favorite.
• The appetizers will be your favorites.
• The meal will be your favorite.
• The dessert will include allllll of your favorites.
• There will obviously be an open bar.
• OH! And the bachelor party will be tomorrow night. With brunch the next morning at that place that serves a deep-fried triple-burger on 2 doughnuts.

Your diet commitment collapses, as you question everything in your life. Your mind swells with rationalizations, justifications, & excuses.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This is my BEST FRIEND.

Nothing even close to this will ever go down again. Ever. EVER.

I’ll just start after the wedding.

Why am I even dieting in the first place?

Life is so short.

Dieting sucks.

I don’t want to live with all these restrictions.

I’ll just die fat and happy.

It falls apart quickly, you see. There might even be anger. The Rage of Resistance.

HOW DARE HE GET MARRIED WHILE I’M TRYING TO LOWER MY BLOOD PRESSURE?!

When you’re ready to be reasonable again…

Resistance is real. Dieting is HARD. Expect it & accept it.

How to Expect & Accept

“The Law of Immense & Immediate Temptation”

There’s no true way to fight this. It’s a law. There’s only so much you can do to mitigate its effects on your success.

HERE ARE MY TIPS:

1. Do NOT go into any sort of habit or lifestyle change thinking it will be easy. It won’t be. It never is. Accept that dieting is hard. In fact, expect it to be worse than you expect it to be.
2. There will NEVER be a good or easy time to begin your diet. NEVER. There’s ALWAYS a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation, a holiday, a reunion, a celebration, a happy hour, a fundraiser, an event, etc., etc. If you indulged for every one of these “special occasions,” you would indulge at least once a week.
3. Rather than schedule cheat days in advance, imagining devouring an entire delivery pizza and cola by yourself on Thursday night, allow it to happen naturally. I promise that the occasion will present itself occasions will present themselves.
4. Ultimately, recognize that there is a Quality of Life balance that must be reached. At what point does your happiness peak? It’s somewhere between being “overweight & undisciplined” and being “ideal weight & hyper-restrictive.” For each decision that you make, determine if it improves or detracts from your overall quality of life. Sometimes the “wings night with friends” will improve it; sometimes it will detract from it; sometimes, a salad while your friends eat wings will be just the ticket. Find your peace.

 

Even if the diet part sucks, the working out part only has to take 5 minutes. Do it fasted and do it fast.

Here’s your prescription:

5-Minute SWEATY

12 jump squats,

10 push-ups (modified as needed),

8 dips (use chair, bench, or stair step);

10 jump squats,

8 push-ups,

6 dips;

…decreasing reps by 2 until…

2 jump squats,

0 push-ups,

0 dips.

Race the clock, and REPEAT if time remains, you BEAST!

 

P.S. Not only will you face immediate hurdles, your long-term efforts will surely encounter “The Dip,” a concept about which Seth Godin wrote a book (of that same name), and about which Pat has discussed more than a few times. Here’s *one great post on resistance, and here’s a way you can get emails and access to video discussions on “the dip” and a zillion other related topics, as well. And, actually, Pat addressed this a bit the other day, too, right here. Oh, and in a broader application, check out this podcast episode!

*In the spiriting of Expecting & Accepting, please expect & accept a bit of uncouth language in this post. Hey, don’t look at me–they’re not my words!