I spent the first 20 years of my life"feeling bad"about my thoughts.
Obese me would drive by a McDonald’s and experience immense guilt for feeling hungry.
But feelings aren’t what matteractions do.
People who grow up overweight, like myself, often feel like there is something wrong with them.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I have a friend named Kyle.
Anyone would be jealous of his leanness.
Kyle told me that he hates eating.
Literally, he only eats when he gets hungry enough.
I wanted to be more like that.
Kyle, to me, was morally astute…not a glutton like myself.
We cannot control how feel, but wecancontrol how we act.
Feelings like hunger, annoyance, and vindictiveness are all negative emotions.
When they arise, it’s common to feel bad for responding in such primal, illogical ways.
But by definition, primal feelings are deeply hard-wired and uncontrollable.
By realizing these facts, we can both determine their roots and objectively identify the next course of action.
This isknown as mindfulness: the act of being present then examining your feelings without judgment.
Let’s use “temptation” as an example.
From what I have seen, the following scenario is quite typical.
You’ve been on acaloric deficitfor two weeks now, and you’ve lost weight.
You’ve created this deficit by planning exactly what to eat daily and not veering from your protocol.
One day, however, your company brings in a cake for a coworker who is celebrating her birthday.
First, feelings of temptation come over you.
Then, you feel guilt and anxiety.
At this point, most people would give in.
Instead,pause for a brief moment.
Then, remind yourself that you are only feeling what anyone else your situation would feel.
Given your past experiences, how would you feel yourself if you gave in?
Wouldn’t you feel much better if you didn’t?
You cannot be responsible for your feelings.
You are, however,responsible for your actions.
Image byfrank_peters(Shutterstock).
