Now that we're properly into this new lifestyle, having grasped and digested kilos 1 - 5, there are a few more things we should understand. Having an occasional biscuit or chocolate is not failing. Having to ban happy foods however, is failing, and so is devouring the whole pack.
H.i.t people eat chocolates, biscuits, crisps and various other fattening foods. The difference with hitties and fatties is that hitties eat one or two, while fatties gobble down the whole packet.
It is unrealistic to think that, “I've failed again because I've eaten two biscuits, therefore I may as well eat the whole pack.” This is stupid talk. How does it make sense that since we've eaten two, we should eat the rest of the pack?
It doesn't, does it?
What makes good sense is saying, “Now that I've eaten two pieces of chocolates, I'll stop and put up the rest for another day.”
Remember we are not on a diet, we are grown-ups and are perfectly capable of making our own decisions. We refuse to totally deny ourselves happy foods, because we know from experience that this will only make us want them more. We're sensible enough to know that it is perfectly acceptable to have a little happy food just like hitties do. Since we're not on a diet, any food in small portions is okay, so the object of failing because of a stray biscuit or two is not an issue.
Keep in mind that two pieces is fine, eating the whole pack is just being a pig. We're not pigs, just a bit fat that's all. However, if we do decide to go on the rampage (this kind of thing comes with a decision to do so, as chocolates and biscuits don't just "happen to tumble down our throats"), unlike Robbie Williams or Brittney Spears we can't just pack our talented behinds off to rehab, we'll just have to dust the crumbs off our laps and resolve to do better in the future.
So feel free to enjoy happy foods, just stop after a bite or two. This is the nemesis, fight and overcome! After about week 4, we'll notice in our journals, that our advancement has been steady. We progressively lessened our intake of food, we've started to snack on healthy options, our physical activities have been up paced, and we're slowly beginning to need less food.
At this stage, we have to solidify this new foundation which we've built. We have to look at our notes and take stock of how our thought patterns about food and diet (the only banned substance) have changed, and look out into the future at ways in which we can now make a switch in our life styles.
Achieving h.i.t is not only about the tangible things like less food, more physical activities and lower caloric intake. It is just as important to change the entire way we think about our bodies. We've talked about learning to identify when our stomach is telling us it's full. This is crucial, and it may be impossible to achieve h.i.t without being able to identify this. However, this is not all, we also have to regulate the type of things we do, buy and consume, and the way in which we feel about them.
In the following chapters, we'll discuss how this new h.i.t lifestyle requires a definite self- control and basic knowledge of nutrition. We know that we're heading down the right path because for the first time, the weight we've lost is going to stay lost!
Regulating portions - check! Physical activity - check! Healthy snacks - check! Not dieting - check! Not hungry or starving or craving for food - double check!
We have not failed, we've conquered! H.i.t is coming, so what more is there to iron out? Kilos 7 and 8 are waiting. Just make sure that we're hitting all the foundation stones we've previously discussed, before climbing unto the higher scaffolding of subsequent directives.
