Honeymooning (aka Will Power)

Honeymooning and willpower are kind of synonymous when it comes to weight loss. In the beginning I felt like I'm was in the "honeymoon" phase of my lifestyle change. I was loving it, I was seeing it through rose colored glasses, I was like a kid on Christmas morning who just ripped open a toy store full of gifts and wanted to play with every single one at once. Right now (still honeymooning) all is good, I'm right minded for the most part and I'm feeling positive. The workouts are fansatic and fun and I'm actually looking forward to doing them. I'm honeymooning with my lifestyle change.

Similarly, willpower gives me that "warm fuzzy feeling". I can wake up and know I'm going to make good choices. I have the will power to tell my colleague "no thanks, I don't want that brownie" all three times she tries to shove them down my throat. Willpower gives me that spring in my step when I walk past the cafeteria and sit down with my prepacked lunch instead. Willpower is and can be a very positive thing.

BUT

Eventually the honeymoon is over and you have to get back to reality and normal life. Those new workout videos don't stay new forever. Those brownies may not always take "no" for answer if you're depending on willpower to get you through it. The eliptical machine is now another piece of gym equiptment, not the knight in shining armor it presented itself as in the beginning. So what do you do then? What do you do when you're on the flight back home from your honeymoon? What do you do when willpower has petered out and it's just you in the battle?

You get a plan. You make a solid plan and you put it into action. You figure out how you're going to deal with it once the lifestyle change starts farting and leaving its dirty socks in the middle of the floor, 3 feet away from the laundry hamper. You have it not only in your head, but in your direct line of vision where you can see it, read it, know it and do it.

When willpower is sitting in the recliner, hogging the remote, tempting you with just one more hour of "reality" you have a plan for yourself.

My plan of action is in the form of a list of ten things I could do instead of sitting and watching television, which sucks you in like a vacuum. They include things like walking the dog, painting my nails, doing a load of laundry, reading a book, writing an email, putting in an exercise game on the Wii and going to town.

My plan includes setting myself up for success by keeping foods that are temptresses where they belong, on the shelf in the grocery store and not in my cupboard.

My plan includes setting small goals for myself and keeping a chart of the ones I achieve. Some small goals I like to give myself stickers for (yeah, I still get excited by the gold star system) are things like taking the stairs at work, eating fish at least three times a week, drinking water throughout the day and keeping myself down to one diet coke a day. Setting these small little goals and watching myself earn those stars can be very motivating!
Now I'm curious to hear about your plan of actions. What are your "tricks of the trade". How do you get up when willpower has you down? How do you get yourself back into that honeymoon spirit?