Some Lessons on Dieting

Friday, May 4, 2007

There's something to be learned about dieting. And it's not just about an abstruse concept called discipline. It's not even about a nonconcrete idea on endurance.

The point is that any concept or idea should be narrowed down into tangible real stuff. We take for instance endurance. Endurance itself is an intangible thought. Endurance of what? Whose endurance? It's simply something that can't be executed.

But at least not yet.

If we say "My endurance not to eat the delicious ice cream in front of me," then that my friend would be something that we call as tangible real stuff. Something that we can learn from dieting. But it doesn't end there because the most important question about dieting is not just about the word "what" but about the word "how" as well.

Here are some simple things of the "how" part. Thanks to Guy Kawasaki's ideas.

Always create a context where you can provide yourself with options. You may have heard that for those who are having a hard time sleeping, the very first step to be able to sleep is to turn off the lights or tv. It may not help but it lessens any stimulation of the mind that keeps you awake. In short, lessen distractions.

Same with having a diet. For instance, never place an ice cream, or chocolates or junk foods in you refrigerator (or better yet, never place your ref inside your room). Although it may force you to go out of the house to buy some in a convenience store 3 blocks away, at least it gives you the option not to buy.

Employ delaying tactics. Placing yourself in a position to buy ice cream allows you more time to distract yourself with other things. Who knows? By the time you get to the convenience store, you're sleeping soundly already.

Take things step by step. Rome isn't built in one day so they say. Actually dieting isn't as easy as actually writing about dieting. Dieting is not about not eating at all. It's about gradually lessening what you regularly consume. If you regularly consume a whole rice, try having a half rice instead.

And who am I to write about dieting anyway when I've not done any dieting at all?

Oh well, blogging about having diet may be a delaying tactic since I have not touched my now-cold sugar-full coffee, which more or less would force me go to the pantry to get another hot one. Then again, a lot could happen covering a distance of about ten meters.

I may be asleep by the time I get there.

0 comments: