Determine Your Own Destiny

“More than anything else, I believe it's our decisions,
not the conditions of our lives,
that determine our destiny.”

Anthony Robbins
(1960-, American author, speaker, peak performance
expert, coach)

Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been almost 87 years since my last confession.

Father, I have never been able to get through an entire Lenten season without breaking my promise to give up eating something that I absolutely love – except once. Every year I start out with the best of intentions and get through the first day without a hitch, it’s keeping up that momentum for the next forty straight weekdays (plus weekends) that gives me the most problem.

Traditionally, somewhere along the way temptation always does me in, and the next thing I know, I’m eating a piece of whatever it is that I gave up – so I give up - instead of beginning anew right there and then. And now I know better.

Since I’ve been able to master and control my incredible 130-pound weight loss and successfully maintain it going into my fifth year, I’ve decided that this is the second time I’m keeping my Lenten resolution and not eat any chocolate for the entire forty days of Lent (including weekends) – until Easter morning – if even then.

With the recent end-of-the-year Holidays, and then a two-month long working trip to Florida, I suddenly found myself with this darn something-chocolate-a-day habit again and that disturbs me.

What worries me the most about it is that I know only too well what my history with chocolate and sweets is and how easy it would be for me to slip back into the mentality of denial where the next thing I know – my weight would be up five, ten or even twenty pounds because of it.

I refuse to let this happen after all the hard work I’ve done to develop my dieting willpower and self-control to the extent they are.

To prove to myself that I’m stronger than any man-made cocoa-confection, I gave up chocolate cold turkey and made it through the entire 2007 Lenten season without so much as a snip of the stuff since that Ash Wednesday morning. A lifetime first.

Well, I’m going for the gold again this year and giving it my best shot – Ash Wednesday is this coming Wednesday. I have a few more days to get my fill – which doesn’t mean I’m going hog wild in the interim – just getting mentally prepared for this amazing feat.

And I’m putting it all out into the Universe.

Sure, it’s been a struggle for me – that’s what I get for slipping off my Atkins low carb lifestyle a bit, but besides being naturally addicted to chocolate and having re-cultivated that addiction into “needing” a daily fix, I’ve “re-infected” my mind, body and pancreas keeping me on a little, albeit, daily chocolate insulin drip. In other words: I’m re-addicted to carbs. What better time to nip it in the bud?

The custom of giving up something you thoroughly enjoy as a Lenten sacrifice, whether abstaining or semi-fasting from a certain favorite food or festivity (like drinking, smoking or bowling), dates back to the time of Our Lord’s forty days in the desert. Some of the ancients practiced this form of penance because of food supplies running low before the new harvest, and others because they felt it brought them closer to God.

Whatever the case, I believe one should give up a favorite food addiction or vice for a period of time (at least 35 days) in order to “un-infect” yourself as well as prove to yourself that you can do it, prove that you have control over the chemical cravings of your mind and body and that your addiction or vice is not your master, but that you, yourself, are the true master of your own fate and weight.

And it will also bring you closer to you.

Compared to our ancestors, giving up chocolate, sweets, smoking or another one of our favorite cravings is a piece of pie and a great beginning exercise in developing low carb dieting habits, will-power and self-control.

It was only by developing my will-power and sheer self-control into what it is today that I was able to lose 130 pounds in 2 1/2 years - the old-fashioned way – on my own. Cutting white starch and sugar from my diet and making daily walking a lifelong habit are the incredibly healthy by-products I now enjoy.

So, what am I worried about? This should be a no-brainer for me!

When are you going to develop your will-power and self-control to the extent that you will be able to look chocolate, alcohol or one of your other favorite food or drink vices in the eye, laugh, and take a pass on it for now because you know you should in order to lose weight and get more healthy and fit once and for all?

After you knock off your excess weight, you can have just about whatever you want to eat – but only on the weekends. You have to stick to your healthy, weight loss eating plan Monday morning trough to Saturday morning. Period. It works.

And you do have to keep walking or doing some form of serious cardio - every single day – no Sunday’s off on this one for now. If anything, you should strive to walk a bit more at least one day on the weekends because you probably have more time on your hands and just because you can.

When are you going to decide to show yourself who’s boss and not let food or drink determine your destiny?

Isn’t a longer, healthier, more fit life well worth such a small price?

And you don’t have to wait for Ash Wednesday to roll around again to get started. Every day is Ash Wednesday.

Begin right now. Give something up. What have you got to lose?