Going Commando

In this week of religious significance, I have taken a vow of abstinence. I have been challenged to confront my irrational belief that I need to weigh myself and my food and log everything in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I am no longer planning, tracking and manipulating my food intake in Calorie King. I am only weighing some food (like oats and ladybird crunch) and I am not using my heart rate monitor to record time and calories burned.

If a habit and belief serves you well, then by all means continue it, but if you are unhappy with a behaviour, then ask yourself why you do it? I don't want to be thinking about food every minute of the day and obsessing about my calories/protein/carbs/fat at every meal. I don't want to eat because I think I have to and not eat when I'm hungry because I need to wait until my scheduled meal time. Life is too short to be stressing about such things.

Irrational belief
If I don't track my food and exercise and weigh myself 3 times a day, I will get as fat as I was to start with.

Why?
Because I will eat uncontrollably and not work hard enough in the gym and I will gain fat.

Why is this total shit irrational?

1. I actually prefer to eat healthy food
2. It takes hard work to get fat - consistently overeating processed rubbish and not moving
3. My body knows what it needs, I just need to trust myself
4. Some days I will need more food and sometimes less - it will even out

So there are only guidelines now and no rules.

- I will eat protein and plant food at every meal
- I will eat a huge breakfast even if I am not particularly hungry
- If I am hungry mid morning on days I train I will have lunch at meal #2, and a second snack before coming home for dinner
- I will allow myself the occasional high quality treat
- I will only weigh myself once a week
- I will choose wonderful healthy food to fuel my body and soothe my soul
- If I overeat at the beginning of this then it is OK because I will be using the additional calories to build muscle and grow f*ck'n HUGE

A long long time ago I had the same food issues and one day I decided to give up "dieting". I lost weight and kept it off for years and years. It was only age, bad food choices and a sedentary job that resulted in being so out of shape when I hit 40. I didn't even diet to lose my weight back in 2005. I just "watched what I ate".

I am going to try it again, now I am a completely different person with a lean, muscled body and great eating habits.

This morning I did RPM without my heart rate monitor. Scary but freeing. I haven't logged anything in CK since Friday.

It is time to take it to the next level. Time to surrender to the wise and wonderful inner voice that knows what is best for me. I am abstaining from obsessive and controlling behaviour. I can do it ... I won't be easy, but it will be worth it.