I just looked at an Olive Garden commercial. The commercial was a buy one get one campaign. I don’t know what it was about the food in that commercial, but I wanted me some Olive Garden.

Get this, I don’t even eat at Olive Garden regularly. As a matter of fact I can literally count on one hand how many times that I’ve gone to Olive Garden in my whole life.

I just got through training and I was planning my week ahead. I was planning my rigid diet and then this commercial comes on.

I just can’t stop watching TV while dieting. That wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway because I’m just going to see billboards with fast food, and have my senses bombarded with messages telling me to eat comfort foods everywhere that I go.

I have to figure out a way to live with blinders on….

The only way I know to do that is with the truth.

  • TRUTH #1  I’m not hungry
  • TRUTH #2 I don’t really care for Olive Garden
  • TRUTH#3 The thought of dieting isn’t that exciting anymore, because it represents me missing out on something. (And especially since I haven’t reached my goal weight, I feel even more disenchanted about the idea)

The final truth is this. I feel like I’m missing out on life when I’m dieting. In reality I ain’t missing out on anything. Actually, I grow stronger from dieting. Ain’t nothing wrong with being told “No” sometimes. Self discipline is better than being told what to do. It strengthens your belief in yourself, and gives you the tools to be able to set goals and actually achieve them. Without self discipline you can’t achieve much.

The food only looked better than usual because I couldn’t have it.

Actually I can go out and purchase it, but the game is different, because I set up for myself some rules that I have to abide by. The question is, how important is it for me to keep my word with myself. When I cheat on my diet, I’m actually cheating on myself. I’m cheating on my future. Screw the diet, this is personal, it’s all about me.

I’m not missing out on anything, because life is made up of discipline. If I can’t discipline myself enough to control what I put into my mouth, then actually being on a diet is actually something that I need. Not only do I need to be on one for the health benefits, but also, I would say more importantly for the mental benefits.

Self discipline is a muscle, and it needs resistance in order for it to grow stronger. I look at the temptation to go out and eat Olive Garden or anything else not on my diet as an opportunity to workout out my mental muscle of self discipline.

“Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” – Elbert Hubbard

Instead of allowing weak, self defeating, thoughts like I’m missing out on the simple pleasures of life. I choose instead to think that if a commercial is a temptation for me, I need to go ahead on and get these mental reps in right now, so that I can get stronger in this self discipline department. After all I’m going to need to be strong in this area if I’m going to do anything great, right!

The pain and discomfort that comes with self discipline is not an indication of something being wrong, it’s an indication of something that simply needs to get stronger.