Sacred Cows

This blog post just reminded me of a phrase that had fallen off my radar and out of my vocabulary.

Sacred Cows -- those rules of thumb that once made are never brought up for reconsideration.

Can you name your Sacred Cows?  Here are some that I hear a lot:

1. I have a slow metabolism.
    Although it may be true that you are not carrying as much muscle as someone else and you have a sedentary job, remember the reason a person gains weight is that they are eating too many calories for the amount they are expending.  If you can't expend more -- eat less.  I have yet to find a person who didn't have an extra 9 bites to leave uneaten.

2. I can't lose weight because I don't have enough time to work out.
     See explanation #1

3. I have never been successful at maintaining my weight.
     Today is a brand new day.  Past performance is not an accurate predictor of future performance -- what you are eating today is a great predictor  of the number of calories you are going to store as fat today.

4. I already know what I should do.
     Fine.  Great.  But are you acting on that knowledge?  If the approach you know isn't helping you, maybe it's time for another approach.


This is just the tip of the iceberg.  What are your sacred cows?  Click on the comments button and share your list.