Keep yourself "company" in the car

We've all done this... we face a drive of 30 minutes or even longer... I think I will buy something to eat in the car...

"to keep me company"

"because no one will see me"

"I am bored in the car"

"I am alone" (lonely) 

so you buy early lunch, snack, fast food, cookie,etc.

Next time you are at Whole Foods, buy  bag of good apples, put a bag in your car with a case of water (or multiple refillable bottles - my preference)

Several times this weeks I looked at getting something and said to myself, "nope, no need, I have great apples and a bottle of water in the car."

Try it.  Anything that gets you to delay your action, gives you a chance to forget about it (it is amazing, but you will forget about it.)

Going for your goal - give yourself a gold star

We must make 25 decisions a day about food.  What am I going to have for Breakfast?  Will it last?  Protein?  What am I doing for lunch?  can I get a decent lunch?  Do I pack a lunch?  How many ounces is that piece of chicken?  Wow that scone looks good, I want to buy that with my coffee...

No, I will wait...


Ah !!! Give yourself a gold star.

So here is the idea,  you know those push buttons for counting people?  or maybe the image of a button giving you morphine?  no wait... how about just the smiley faces and gold stars of our childhood.  So you make a goal, clean out the house, eat mindfully, eat only 1200 calories, exercise, whatever.  You make choices all day.  here is a day for me:

So, I got up at 7 and made a shake instead of leaving without breakfast *****  good for me.  I stop and buy a coffee and put in half and half - - - maybe 3 negatives, but I want to buy a scone and I don't ****  good for me.  I park away from my office to get a walk in *** good for me.  There was a coconut cake in the conference room  I look at it and walk out of the room, ***  good for me.  I stop by the kitchen two hours later and cut a piece but it is a 1" by 1" piece rather than a piece that might be 4" x 4"  not so bad *...

okay get it?  It is like I had a slider switch and slide it to the right for things I do to advance myself towards my goal and to the left for the things that do not foster my goals and by the end of the day if the slider is more positive than negative, I am moving toward my goal.

This doesn't respond to how fast or how well, or how true, etc... it is do you have a goal (to fit into a size 14 dress for wedding in June) and every one of the decisions you make all day long either moves you closer or further from that goal.

Again this could be a page of a screenplay or a drawer of  clothes awaiting cleaning.

Think about the many many decisions you make everyday about food.  It is no wonder we liked the Fast, no decisions at all except the flavor of the shake (soup) that might fill the need to eat.

There is great knowledge that came from the fast that can be used in the maintenance plan.  Think about it.