When is the Best Time to Start?

[losetocruise]

I often see posts about people struggling to get started, planning to start next week, jumping on and off for different reasons. I remember a post years ago, from another board that really hit home. I can't remember the author or the exact wording, but the message has stayed with me.

When is the best time to start?

Well not right now. Tomorrow is the fourth of July and there will be lots of picnics and family specialty recipes to sample, so right now would not be a good time.

In fact summer in general is not a good time becasue there are family vacations, picnics, reunions, etc. so why not wait for fall?

But not early fall because on labor day there will be another round of family vacations and it will be hectic getting kids back to school, etc., so might as well wait till october.

But not October because the kids will be trick or treating and there will be goodies to make for parties at school, so how about November?

Mmmmm probably not. November is a crummy time because of Thanksgiving. Might as well enjoy one last big holiday before starting something of this proportion and come to think of it, December is going to be a rotten time too! Can't start during the Christmas season, you'll want to enjoy all the Christmas goodies after all!

January, well New Years parties and all. I'll start right after that, but then in February, what about Valentines day? Come to think about it, maybe it would be best to wait till after Easter? Memorial Day? Mothers Day? Fathers Day?

Shoot we're back to the Fourth of July!

The truth is, there is never a good time to start any diet. The truth is RIGHT NOW, THIS MINUTE, THIS DAY, is the best time to start, because if you wait for the right time, it will never come and years from now you will look back and say, "why didn't I do this sooner?"

[OzLover]

amen!!

[Elsie150]

Well Said!

[lesszmore]

Love it!!

[joee5]

Nice. I say start when you see someone whom you no longer recognize staring back at you in the mirror. God Bless,Joe

[jimmie 48]

and start when you are ready. it's sheer torture to start when you really are not ready to be committed. i would rather see someone take an extra couple of weeks or months than start and restart 15 times over the course of 8 weeks. that doesn't do your body any good and the continueing restarts, i beleive, is just setting yourself up for failure.

[Okapi]

Great post Ginny!!

There is always a reason not to start...but there are so many MORE reasons to get started asap.

Just this evening, on my way home from a 4th of July picnic (at which I enjoyed some awesome, and totally "legal" food!) I was thinking about how FOR ME this is the best and easiest time of year to stick with this WOE. I have actually been amazed at how easy it has been so far--and I know that it won't always be so I am not taking it for granted! I started in early April, filling up on various meats and veggies (and fats of course!) and moved up the ladder carefully, adding in more veggies and dairy. By June berries were in season so I swapped rung 3 and 4 and added in berries. In the next couple of months more and more veggies will be in season (easier to come by, less expensive and more delicious than "off season"!). There is so much to enjoy this time of year. Plus, in the warm weather it's so refreshing to have salads and cool/cold dishes in addiiton to some warm/hot dishes. I have been to numerous parties, bbq's and events in the past few months and have always managed to find plenty of "legal" foods that have been so satifying.

I'm glad that I started when I did and know that by winter, when I think things will be a little tougher FOR ME (more carby comfort foods, holiday traditions such as pies and cookies, less in season fresh veggies available, etc), I will be even more entrenched in this WOE and will be even smaller and healthier than I am now, which I hope will help to make it easier to stick with it!

So for me, April was the "right time", but anytime that someone is ready is going to be a "right time" for them too!

[vek]

I agree that the best time of the year is NOW. Why? Pesimists will say:"yes, but summer had started so, it's already too late to look good in a swimingsuit this season..."
But think of the bright side of it:
- at the end of this summer Halloween is comming and you will look better as a sorcerer!
- than, Christmas is comming and you will amaze your extended family gathered around the Xmas tree; not to mention this Xmas Santa will have the biggest belly, not you!
- New Year is comming after that and what about that black tight sexy dress waiting for years in your wardrobe...?
- than, St-Valentine wich doesn't only means chocolate but sexy french lingeries...hmmmm...?
- Oh, Easter has arrived and you look like a cute little rabbit, not like a hippopotame in a balerina's tutu...
- FInaly! A new summer season has arrived!!! Now is the time to shine like a diamond!
We are all pieces of stones. Atkins is the sculptor. In the end we will be oeuvres d'art!

So, stop complaining about bad times of the year to start the transformation. Stop reading my post, stand up and go to your kitchen. Put all your candies in a bag and put the bag away. Right there where you keep your sorcerer's suit.

[SunnySmile501]

Awesome post! You can always come up with an excuse to postpone what you know you need to do.

I always wonder if the people that start induction a week before a big eating event like Thanksgiving or Christmas are building in a reason to fail, so they can continue to tell themselves that they always fail, and need to stop trying.

With all the yummy legal foods waiting for you on higher rungs of the ladder, you should start far enough ahead to climb the rungs so you can have reasonable portions of foods denied you on induction.

Farther in on the WOE, you have more control and should have enough success under your belt to be able to say no to carbage and enjoy the vast array of delicious foods that are legal.

Sunny!