One of my major philosophies in life centers on my belief that we can do pretty much anything we want to do through positive self talk. More to the point, we can do whatever we want as long as our mind is telling us that we can. My whole life I have used my mind to continually reinforce to my body that I can accomplish any goal, workout regimen, test, or simple day-to-day task that I want to. Constantly I am running positive thoughts throughout my body from my brain, telling myself to stay on task and stick with my goals. However, sometimes in certain areas my mind lets my body slack off a little bit.

For the past three months, I have struggled with my eating habits. No, I have not struggled in a way that I am eating too little (I wish) but rather the opposite. My discipline has lowered quite a bit and my diet has taken a turn for the worst. Last year I have documented the onslaught of food that comes the way of myself and my co-workers once the fall sports season kicks off in late August. But this year there seems to be even more obstacles than just the typical availability of tasty and high caloric food around the office and in the press box. I think a combination of traveling with the football team on the road this season, going out to eat way too much, having a lot more food in my apartment available, and simply letting my self-discipline slip has contributed to a significant decline in my diet. But there is something more depressing than what I have let my body digest in the recent past. Brent, what could possibly be more depressing? Thanks for asking! What leaves me feeling less than optimistic are the opportunities to eat even worse over this next month.

Holiday dinners are one reason for why my eating habits are so bad during this time of the year.

I am a realistic person and I know I will not be kind to my body this month. With the holiday season upon us, I don’t have the necessary self-control to put a halt to the past few months of garbage eating. Throughout my life leading up through graduating from college I would practice good eating habits during the first 11 months of the year and then use December as my month to let loose and enjoy good food, drinks, and sweets. So obviously if I ate terrible in December back in the day when I would actually eat good majority of the time, I am for sure going to eat like a pig during this month when I have already been doing so for the past 100 days. Ay caramba!

I seriously need to stop eating hot dogs this big.

I leave for Las Vegas on Sunday. That whole week I will most likely fill up on greasy food, buffets, and early morning snacks. Making matters even worse, I won’t be working out during that time either. When I return from Vegas, it will be December 13 and the holiday season will be in full swing. Our department will have Christmas treats available for the taking, well-wishers will drop off tasty and heart-hating plates of candy and food, and yummy holiday spreads will doom me at Christmas parties. Once the actual Christmas week comes around, I will gorge myself on even more yuletide confections and of course I will go way over the top consuming my mom’s cooking. Then of course comes the last week of 2012 and along with it all the appetizers and junk food that accompanies New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

I want to say that I will turn the ship once 2013 starts. Although I have a trip to Orlando right in the middle of the month which will no doubt make any type of revamped diet of mine difficult to follow, I do have confidence that I can make some positive changes. I do feel awful pretty much conceding December as a lost cause. I feel bad that I am negating much of my hard work in the gym with the poor eating habits I have let take over my life. I feel worthless that I have not let the most powerful tool I have, my brain, clamp down on my needless eating. But you want to know the silver lining in all of this? I can blame myself for everything. No one is forcing food down my throat, no one is holding a gun to my head telling me to go eat out at a restaurant for the third time in a week. It all starts and ends with me. I have the power to make changes and get back to where I need and want to be. The ball is in my court and I like my chances….just after December is over of course. Don’t Blink.