See the Change

I was having a conversation with a good friend the other day.  She decided to start losing weight about a month ago (she’s already lost nearly 10 pounds!).  Our conversation had little to do with weight loss on that day.  We had both had a desire to drink less alcohol and moderate better when we did and decided to take a couple of week hiatus from any alcohol.  It would give the both of us a couple of solid weeks to focus on really healthy eating and that was REALLY appealing.

As we went into the first weekend, my friend freely admitted that she was a little nervous about going out and facing the peer pressure that came with being the only person not drinking in a group.  I told her that I felt confident in myself and that I thought she’d be fine.  What she said after that came off as pretty profound to me:  “I wish I had strong will power. This healthy eating thing is helping me get there.”

One of the biggest parts about my weight loss journey had absolutely nothing to do with my physical health.  Not carrying around a small child every day is great, but the benefits have been much more mental than physical.  The amount of self-discipline that arises from keeping a food diary and the better eating decisions that you make as a result of that extends to other areas of your life.  The decision to not drink alcohol for two weeks had little to do with weight loss or food diaries, but the changes that you make to your life aren’t isolated.

My friend’s realization about her stronger willpower didn’t come from me or anyone else.  It was something that she realized on her own after only a few weeks of eating well and keeping a diary.  If you’re not there yet, stick with it.  You’ll start seeing that you’re in control of your life much more than you ever believe now.