Diet is a Dirty Word

This morning I woke up nervous about my weekly weigh in, for good reason.  I gained 2.4 pounds from last week.  I realize that weight fluctuates and it's not the end of the world... but still frustrating.  Did I have a great eating week last week? No. I didn't food journal this past weekend, went wine tasting (picture below!), carb loaded pasta for our run, and traveled two days last week.  Somehow I still expected the weight to come off... call me crazy!

What I realized as I was driving to work is that I need to work on changing my mentality and use "bad news" to motivate me.  When I saw the number on the scale, instead of wanting to squeeze in an extra run I just wanted a bagel and a latte. And I think that's why typical "diets" don't work.  People don't see instant results, get frustrated and make themselves feel better (temporarily) by giving up and eating junk food.  How easy it would be to say, "I'll try again next week" or "Oh well, I'm already off track might as well.... ".
That is the mentality I am trying to fight.  When being/living/eating healthy is a lifestyle rather than a diet, slip ups and setbacks are no longer the end of the road.  And when I see a number on the scale I'm not happy with (like this morning) I take a deep breath, record the number, banish thoughts of bagels and get back on track one bite/choice/step at a time.  It's not my automatic reaction, but the more I practice, the easier it will become and eventually those numbers on the scale will reflect both my determination and commitment. 
A quote from my bootcamp journal that felt very appropriate to share today: "Understand that when keeping your commitment (to yourself) becomes hard, you have two choices: You can change your behavior to match your commitment, or you can lower your values to match your behavior. One choice will strengthen you (self) integrity; the other will diminish it and erode your confidence in your ability to make and keep commitments in the future."- Stephen Covey
Today I'm changing my behavior to match my commitment to myself.  Wish me luck :)
XO
Chel