Newbies be warned: much of your will power is anatomically driven

I have often found that those that swear off certain things set themselves up for failure. Sure some do just fine never having sugar and the like for the rest of their lives. Others swear off then, as you say Nik, feel like failure when they slip.

I told myself I wouldn't swear off of anything. If it doesn't agree with me, i.e. too much sugar, milk, etc. then I avoid it whenever possible. But I'm realistic that on occasion I may want to and I won't beat myself up over it. I simply strive to keep all things in moderation now and do my best to recognize that I could lose control of that moderation if I don't keep control. As Nik said, you are in control, not the food, not the craving. We all made the decision to go through this surgery, I hope, to better ourselves, to empower ourselves to overcome past weakness. No, we don't always succeed, there will always be road blocks and obstacles that hinder our success. It is how we approach those road blocks and obstacles that frame how well we succeed. If we accept that, on occasion, we may trip over those obstacles and realize that we are capable of picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off and trying again we will succeed.

Just remember, a war is not won by a single battle, but by how one responds to defeat and rallies back for the next.

Loved the post Nik!

Excellent post


I cringe when I see FOREVER in food choices or pounds lost.  We'd all like to believe forever is for real but realistically IMO it sets someone up to feel bad about themselves (i.e. failure) when they do find themselves possibly deviating from what they thought would be forever.