Let’s face it. We never got a class called “how to keep commitments to yourself” in high school. It’s not something most of us learned growing up.
Yet, it’s the number one skill to master if we want to lose weight and keep it off for good.
If you tend to be a people-pleaser, and stay accountable to others, but not yourself, the 24-hour plan can be your best friend.
Here’s why! You can use this plan to develop the skill of self-accountability. And nothing builds self-esteem and confidence like learning how to keep commitments to yourself!
There are three decisions you must make, to develop this skill and honor your 24-hour plan.
These are the 3 things you must decide:
1. That it’s not negotiable.
If you let your 24-hour plan be negotiable, your primitive brain will always win the negotiation. That’s the part of the brain that wants a quick fix! In order for the 24-hour plan to work, you must decide it’s not up for negotiation. What you write down is what you will eat. Once you decide to do this, not only will you lose weight, but you will also be letting go of any food drama, any confusion, overwhelm, and frustration. It’s the BEST thing you can decide to do!
2. That it works!
If you believe it will work, it will. If you don’t believe it’ll work, you’ll never stick to it long enough to see if it works. Remember, our thoughts create our reality. So you get to decide if it’s going to work by thinking and believing it on purpose, often!
3. That you’ll make it work FOR YOU!
That’s the beauty of a 24-hour plan. We get to make it work for us and our lifestyles. So if you have a work event coming up, you plan for it. You decide ahead of time what will make you feel your best and what you’ll be able to follow through with. It’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle, so why not set yourself up for success?
For some people, it still means getting take out 4 nights a week when they’re working late — but planning take-out options that best support their health goals.
For women with kids, they might plan foods that they can quickly whip up between the kid’s activities.
For those that travel, it means planning how to best support your body while traveling. You can decide ahead of time what that means for you!
The most important thing is to be realistic and keep it simple and doable.
If you’ve been struggling to stick to your 24-hour plan, which of the three decisions could best support you moving forward?
Remember, it’s always a decision whether to stick to it or not. Everything we eat is a CHOICE we are making!
In health & happiness,
Jamie
