As you know, I’ve been trying out the D28 For Life 28-day transformation program. When I first started, I was so gung-ho about my weight loss– I was going to follow the workout and motivation calendar, the meal plan to a T, and make every recipe.
Needless to say, I “failed” pretty quickly – in reality, it wasn’t a failure, but lack of a good strategy.
If I hadn’t been so concerned about having all the ingredients to make each recipe perfectly on the exact day it was suggested, I would have realized that the part of this plan that I need the most are the motivation and strategies for success.
I noticed that the success stories being shared note that the individual may be on their third round of the D28 For Life program, and I realized that the “For Life” aspect means I have a lot to learn and I can’t expect to be perfect all at once.
The phrase that really nailed this home for me was when a Robert Brace said, “Willpower is Weak, Strategy is Strong.”
If I can’t get a handle on my eating and exercise, which we know I can’t or I’d be at my fitness goal by now, I definitely need this program for the strategies to help me be even more successful in the next round. Maybe when I’m at round three I WILL have learned enough strategies to completely nail my workouts and curb my cravings.
When we depend solely on willpower to carry us through, it can be really embarrassing to admit we have failed. We feel like we are lacking somewhere that we can’t just say no to sweets, or find time for our workouts, or recognize when we’ve eaten enough. It becomes a reason to beat ourselves up, which for those of us who struggle with food means we may end up even more off track.
Instead, we need to adopt strategies that will carry us through. Instead of setting an arbitrary goal and saying, “I will get there,” we need to break it down and say, “I will implement this strategy and, when I can, I will implement another.”
I’m learning a ton, but it will take longer than I had expected. I’m very grateful to the D28 For Life tools that are helping me get there and all that I’ve learned so far. Big thanks to Robert Brace for the heart-to-heart in my living room that really opened my eyes!
… And now I’m off to have dinner with the family, with my own baked fish instead of their chicken Kiev, and then a sweaty workout with Robert before I relax with my strategies for the night. Perfect!
This is so funny because I was just talking about discipline and willpower on my blog today!! #greatminds 😉
Fantastic! I’m going to check it out, Teresa!!