Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE

I will not say that getting up before the sun to go sweat through my natural curls has been easy. But my battle of the bulge hasn’t been against the physical part of the weightloss aka the workout, it’s actually been the diet part.

Must Read: The Pros & Cons Of Detox Cleanses

Eating without salt, dairy products, rice, pasta, bread and anything else that you can think of that you fully indulge in, is hard. Damn hard. In fact, it’s been studied and proven that 80% of people that lose weight, gain it back. Why don’t diets and exercising work? They do work. It’s us. It’s not that we don’t do the work. Many of us quit after we reach a certain goal or we just lose focus.

LIKE HelloBeautiful On Facebook To Keep Up With My NYLean25 7-Week Challenge!

 

What I’ve noticed over the last couple of years of losing 15% of my own body fat is that it’s about making better choices. If you work in an office like I do–there’s always going to be random cakes to celebrate this or that person, catered lunches with all kinds of tasty sandwiches and maybe even a few after-work happy hour gatherings with cheap liquor that loosens your mind and your judgment and before you know it–you’re munching on something deep fried. One bad decision can lead to a day filled with the wrong choices.

Just because it’s a struggle to maintain grabbing baby carrots instead of a bag of chips doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. Ok, let yourself have that greasy snack you think you’re craving, but let that be your only downfall that day, or even better, that week. Personally, I’ve let myself make a few bad choices in my first weekend after I barely made it through the first week of classes.

I set myself up for failure when I was reminded that this past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend and I looked on my calendar and saw two different BBQ’s. *sigh* I told myself I would cheat just once at each BBQ, Once I arrived, spotted the burgers and ribs cooking at the first BBQ, I told myself, “Ok, just one of each and that’s it.” I put them in my plate and after eating the burger (complete with cheese AND bread–two things I’m not allowed to eat right now) and the two–yes two pork ribs, I knew I’d done enough. I had to keep reminding myself that all it takes it one bad choice and I made it a point to keep those choices to a minimum.

Failure is easy when you give yourself unrealistic goals like cutting out EVERYTHING that’s bad from your diet. That doesn’t mean that you’re giving your trainer or nutritionist the side eye; it does mean that you can have a bite or two of the Ben & Jerry’s, so long as it stops there. The guilt you’ll feel should be great enough to let that bitte or two suffice. Don’t let that guilt drag you down and make you give up, thus ruining your entire diet and in turn, your journey.

Stay tuned this week for fitness/diet tips from NYLean25 creator, Robert Brace as well as my week’s progress! Also, make sure you’re following me on Twitter @Rhapsodani for photos of my delicious & healthy meals!

Related Links:

Join Me On My Personal NYLean25 Journey To Weight Loss [VIDEO]

6 “Bad” Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Check Out This Gallery Of Raven-Symone’s Slim Down!

The grand return of the Melanin Awards amplifies and honors the finest Black-owned beauty brands with honest reviews, and discusses the evolution of beauty in Hip-Hop culture.