For Success, Control Your Environment

Imagine yourself after a hectic day at the office or following last-minute holiday shopping. You’re relaxing and watching TV when you begin to hear voices – soft at first, then building in volume. They seem to be coming from the kitchen. Now they’re recognizable – it’s Ben and Jerry, and your name is being called from the confines of your freezer. You initially resist, but then you begin to think of reasons to answer. After all, you want what they have to offer. Since you are a little hungry and also bored, you believe you really need them as friends. Plus, you’ve had a really hard day, so you convince yourself you deserve them. In the end, willpower alone is usually not enough so you, Ben, and Jerry have a little party. Sound familiar?

There’s a way to prevent this from happening. It’s by not letting Ben and Jerry into your house and freezer to begin with. Safety from their temptations, and also successful weight loss, begins at the supermarket. If you tend to make friends like Ben and Jerry, who will sabotage you when you are at your weakest, then avoid the aisle where they reside. Or, if you must be in their neighborhood for some other reason, certainly don’t invite them into your shopping cart. Along the same lines, if there are certain restaurants that don’t serve foods to help make you slim, then don’t go there to dine. By avoiding such places, you won’t be forced to make decisions you may later regret.

Control your environment. If you do, you won’t need supernatural willpower when you are most vulnerable to fend off “friends” that are really your weight-loss enemies.

The author submits this blog posting as a health educator and not in any other capacity. You should seek the advice of your physician regarding a personal health condition or before undertaking any diet, exercise, or other health program.