WEEK 5/6WEIGH-IN
The Atomic Habit That Keeps Me In The Weight Loss Game
Horses, habits, and Halloween (damn, that Halloween!)
Hello everyone. Forgive the failure to update last week. I could make excuses about Halloween and a busy work week and a certain celebrity’s passing, but my only real excuse for not writing is that… sigh, I didn’t feel like it.
Which actually isn’t really an excuse, as a kind reader pointed out, but a reason. And a terrible one at that.
But there’s a silver lining here, because the subject of doing (or not doing) things when we don’t feel like doing them brings me nicely to something I’ve been thinking about a lot in my weight loss journey.
Many of you will be familiar with James Clear’s *Atomic Habits. It’s my favourite personal development book. It’s short and digestible. You can listen to it in its entirety in an afternoon of housecleaning (and I have, several times).
It’s also packed with immediately actionable advice. Much of it is the usual stuff you may already know, about habit tracking and habit stacking and the two-minute rule and the importance of momentum (and if you don’t know about these things, I recommend learning about them because they’re useful!)
But in a book chock-full of quotable quotes, this is the one that has always resonated with me the most:
“The problem is not slipping up. The problem is thinking that if you can’t do something perfectly, you shouldn’t do it at all.” — James Clear
The Most Important (In My Opinion) Thing About Habit Formation
Look. Life happens.
It’s happened a few times to me over the past few weeks, in the form of: a stubborn ache in my right hip that has taken me out of regular running, a sinus infection, Halloween, a dinner out with my family, and the increased presence of my lovely but distracting husband.
This is to name only few of the minor, quotidian obstacles that are just a part of regular life.
We all encounter them. In my case, I’m incredibly grateful that none of them are serious (and that some of them are actually wonderful).
They do, however, have a way of throwing us off. Taking us out of the game. Derailing us.
This happened to me on Halloween night, when my daughter came home with a garbage bag full of candy and offered me some. Why, yes, I’ll do you the favour of eating seven of your mini Caramilk bars, since you don’t like them. Hey, no need to thank me.
It happened when my family wanted to take me to a Korean barbeque for an early birthday dinner. Why, yes, I’d love a second helping of grilled short ribs. Happy early birthday to me!
And it happened to me yesterday, when I was crashed on the couch with a box of Kleenex and a cup of tea, watching silly comedies on Netflix and blowing my nose every four seconds.
It all happens, all the time. It’s unavoidable.
You simply have to learn how to manage it without letting it derail your progress.
Because the all-or-nothing mindset — the idea that if you can’t do something perfectly you may as well not do it, or that if you miss one day of a good habit or have one day when you indulge in bad habits — is the enemy of success.
Or, as Clear says:
“The first mistake is never the one that ruins you. It’s the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows.” — James Clear
On the day after Halloween, I went for an extra long walk to work off those Caramilk bars.
After my wonderful meal at the Korean barbeque, I got into my pajamas and did some light stretching, some push-ups, and a 15-second plank before I went to bed (ugh, planking. Used to be great it. Working my way back up).
And, as you can see, after last week’s failure to write and yesterday’s full-on sick fest, I’m back at my computer, tapping away.
Like I said, life happens. We can’t be perfect.
Sometimes we fall off our horses and sometimes we get off them of our own volition.
Either way, you gotta get back on — and the sooner, the better.
Okay, Okay. How You Do Go On. Can We Get a Weigh-In Update, Please?
Um, yeah. That.
Well, I gained a pound. I knew I had.
The chocolate and the dinner out didn’t help, but I mostly blame this on my inability to run at the moment.
It’s okay. I’m taking measures to improve my joint health and get my hip feeling better. Stretching, strengthening. I see yoga and massages in my future, and if the problem persists, I will consult a doctor.
It also means that I have to eat less, walk more, and be diligent about doing weights.
And to always, always, always get back on that horse.
Weeks Five/Six Progress Report
- Pounds gained this week: 1.0
- Net loss: 2.0 pounds
- Pounds to go by August 31, 2024: 28
Thanks so much for reading, everyone. In the interest of not derailing myself, I’ll be back next Tuesday with another update!
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