Embracing Failure

I hate to lose. There seems to be no way for me to reach my goal of losing 2.5” off of my waist by December 24. Allow me to assess my situation as I plan for my next goal.

Positive Things
I did lose 1.5” off of my waist. My strength has increased and I am in the habit of lifting weights 4 days per week.

Negative Things
I didn’t achieve my goal.

Analysis
So, why did I fail to reach my goal? Was my goal realistic (attainable)? Was the plan sound? Was I diligent (tracking)? I believe it was a combination of the three, but I really think the biggest problem lies in my lack of behavior modification.

On most days, my caloric intake was good during the day but fell apart during the late afternoon/evening hours. I failed to perform cardio at the desired time and frequency outlined in the plan. My bed time is way too late to support early morning workouts. My eating on the weekends was weak in nutrition yet overly abundant in calories.

I’ve heard that you cannot break a habit; you can only replace one habit with another habit. My plan failed mostly because I didn’t develop the good habits needed to succeed.

Next Step
I maybe taking a final picture on Friday, December 22 because Christmas will involve numerous occasions to eat and very little time for exercise, however, I will try to make good choices to minimize the damage.

I will define a new goal to begin on December 26 and run for several weeks. Since most of my failure came from misbehavior, I am thinking of defining a performance goal instead of a body-specific goal trusting that my body will follow accordingly. I will need to make it challenging and fun as to make it sustainable. I may also take this opportunity to reset my workout routine. (It’s best to change it up every few weeks). Expect a more attentive effort in the coming weeks.

Merry Christmas!