I love this article in that it just tells it like it is
Stop making bad choices
By Brian Williamson
Before I get into the meat (pun intended) of this article, I want to make sure I set the table correctly.
You might not like what I have to say below. You might get mad. You might get offended. You might leave and never come back. I hope not. That’s not my intent. But I’m not going to stop you if you choose to do any of those things. But I’m also not going to water down what I have to say, because I think it’s important for keto newbies and keto veterans.
So consider yourself sufficiently warned.
One of the basic truths of life, and one of the most difficult to come to grips with, is that you are not in control. You might think you are, but, if you really think about it, you really aren’t. You cannot control the vast majority of variables in your life, whether they be other people, weather, job status, accidents, etc. For a lot of people (me, included), that truth was a bitter pill to swallow. It’s best to just accept it. Because it’s true.
It’s also kinda depressing. Let’s face it, the idea of having little to no control of your life is probably not an appealing situation. Surely something gets us out of bed in the morning and keeps us working toward something. Something drives us.
Yes. Something does.
While it’s true that you cannot control the things that happen to you in your life, you are capable of the one choice needed to survive such a bleak prospect.
You have absolute control over how you CHOOSE to react to a situation. You can’t control life, but you can control how you choose to deal with life. You can’t control setbacks, but you can control how you choose to handle setbacks (and how you choose to plan for them or not).
The choice of how you deal with life is really THE only choice you have…and really the only choice you need. We’ve all met people whom we might describe as “happy go lucky.” We’ve also met people whom we might describe as “Eeyore.” (Google it if you don’t know what that means).
You get to choose which group you want to be in. Every day. Every. Single. Day.
For a lot of us, one of the ways we choose to deal with things in life is with food.
Feeling happy? Eat.
Feeling stressed? Eat.
Feeling sad? Eat.
Feeling excited? Eat.
Feeling…you get the idea.
Okay, so maybe that’s not SO bad. You could be eating a well-formulated keto diet during any one of those. Sure. Totes.
However, the problem comes in when you CHOOSE to satisfy that emotional experience with crap food.
Choosing keto means choosing a different kind of life. It means choosing the healthy option over the horrible alternative. Every time.
Every. Single. Time.
Because choosing to react with the healthy choice builds discipline, determination, and strength of character. Choosing to use external circumstances as an excuse to damage your health is…well, stupid.
You’re better than that.
I have people close to me and my family who are “stress eaters.” But the only foods they choose to eat when they are stressed are crap foods, never the good ones. They aren’t stress eaters, they’re looking for an excuse to eat crap food.
If that sounds like you, stop. Just stop making bad choices. Stop using excuses to make bad choices. Stop. Just stop.
You’re not helping yourself at all. So stop.
If you don’t stop, then you’re not serious. So you should stop pretending that you are. You’re not fooling anyone, except yourself.
You’re better than that.
So stop making bad choices.
If your first thought, when you read that, was something like, ‘Well, it’s not that easy,” I’d like to clear something up.
Yes, it is. You’re choosing to make it difficult, because you’re not committed to taking control of your health. You’re still choosing to keep one foot in the world that made you fat and sick. It really is as easy as deciding…choosing to ALWAYS make the right choice. Yes, always. Every time.
Every. Single. Time.
The choice is yours. And so are the results. You want to get healthy and lose body fat and get off meds? Stop making bad choices.
I will leave you with this story.
Some time last year, an acquaintance of mine, in an accountability forum, explained that she had just eaten something like 10 Oreos. At the time, she was overweight and suffering because of it. She wanted to get healthy for herself and for her kids.
And then she decided…she chose to stand in the kitchen and eat 10 Oreo cookies.
This is my response to her:
“If you want to make a change, you have to change. You’re better than that. Addiction is a nasty thing, but it only has control when you allow it to. We all appreciate the honestly, but you cannot do that and expect improvement. Choose better next time.”
Needless to say, she got very upset. She was expecting a, “That’s okay. Just pick yourself up and start over,” sort of response.
But that ain’t me. I’m not going to coddle you when you knowingly sabotage yourself. Why would I? That would be stupid on my part.
I knew my response would piss her off. But it had to be said. If you receive encouragement EVERY SINGLE TIME you make a bad choice, guess what you’re training your mind to expect when you make bad choices? That’s right…you’re training your mind to expect encouragement. That’s just crazy.
A few weeks later, she stated that she was very mad at me for telling her that. But then she stopped being mad for a moment and considered what I was saying. And she realized that I was right. And then she thanked me.
I don’t say this to pat myself on the back. I say this simply as an illustration.
The choices you make determine your success.
So you can choose to be mad by having read this. Or you can choose to think about it and decide what you really want.
And you should stop making the bad choices.
Stop Making Bad Choices
