Day 42

Back in the 60's, Walter Mischel at Stanford University wrote a paper called, "Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions". It was the follow-up to a study he conducted that became colloquially known as "The Marshmallow Test".

4 year olds were placed in a room and given a marshmallow. They were told that they were going to be left alone for 15 minutes, and if they could wait for those 15 minutes without consuming the marshmallow, they would be given a second marshmallow to eat along with the first.

Most of you probably don't remember what being 4 years of age is like. It seems that waiting 15 minutes to eat a sugary treat is the equivalent of asking an adult to wait 'til 8pm for breakfast. Roughly two thirds of the children ate the marshmallow within the 15 minutes. The other third were given the 2nd marshmallow.

Years later, these children were tracked down in mid-adolescence to see what, if any, notable differences existed between them. The children who had resisted temptation and waited the 15 minutes were all doing excellently. They had good grades in school, worked hard, and scored higher on the SAT than the children who had given in. The children who had given in...well, some had good grades, but many had discipline problems, others had poor grades, etc.

So what's the lesson here? At a young age, the children who had resisted the temptation of the initial marshmallow had mastered an important key to overall success in life. Self discipline and delayed gratification are difficult to maintain at any age, but those who do ensure themselves a much greater reward than those who take the easy, quick, instant reward.

This is prevalent in all realms of society. One truth that permeates across the board - at the office with work, at home with a marriage, at school with grades - is that nothing worth having comes easy. Often we must maintain stalwart mental control in order to achieve happiness at the expense of pleasure.

Every day when I wake up at 5am, eat, and go work out, there are moments when I find difficulty in progressing with my routine. A particularly cold morning may entice me to stay in bed, the 9th rep of a set of 10 bench presses may be frustratingly difficult, and the 2nd to last running interval, as mentioned yesterday, may make me want to quit. However, no matter the hurdle, I angrily refuse to throw in the towel.

Most of the barriers between you and your goals are psychological, but there are many little tricks we can teach ourselves to keep pressing forward. Many people recite a mantra in their head to keep themselves pushing through uncomfortable conditions. Mine is this: Don't eat the marshmallow.

Current Weight: 207.4 lbs
Net Loss: 21.2 lbs.
Workout: 60 minutes weightlifting, 13 minutes HIIT

Meal 1:
1 Medium Naval Orange - 64 calories, 1 from fat, 59 from carbs, 4 from protein.
3/4 Cup of Egg Whites - 90 Calories, 0 from fat, 5 from carbs, 85 from protein.
1/2 Cup of Quaker Oats Oatmeal - 150 calories, 25 from fat, 105 from carbs, 20 from protein
1 Cup of Raspberries - 60 calories, 0 from fat, 52 from carbs, 8 from protein.

Meal 2:
2 Scoops Body Fortress Protein - 270 Calories, 35 from fat, 24 from carbs, 211 from protein.
2 Slice Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread - 100 calories, 18 from fat, 58 from carbs, 24 from protein.
10 Spears Asparagus - 90 calories, 0 from fat, 61.2 from carbs, 29.8 from protein.


Meal 3:
1 Medium Sweet Potato - 130 calories, 0 from fat, 120 from carbs, 10 from protein.
1 Box Green Giant Healthy Weight Vegetables - 180 calories, 50 from fat, 90 from carbs, 40 from protein.

Meal 4:
1 Slice Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread - 50 calories, 9 from fat, 29 from carbs, 12 from protein.
6 oz Tuna - 180 calories, 27 from fat, 0 from carbs, 153 from protein.
1 Tbsp Skippy's Natural PB - 95 calories, 65 from fat, 15 from carbs, 15 from protein.

Meal 5:
2 oz Whole Wheat Pasta - 210 Calories, 15 from fat, 159 from carbs, 36 from protein.
2/3 oz of Sun Dried Tomatoes - 70 calories, 45 from fat, 21 from carbs, 4 from protein.
1/2 cup Bertoulli's Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce - 80 calories, 22 from fat, 50 from carbs, 8 from protein.

Meal 6:
8 oz Boneless Chicken - 220 calories, 20 from fat, 0 from carbs, 200 from protein.
1/2 tbsp olive oil - 60 calories, 60 from fat, 0 from carbs, 0 from protein.

Additional: At least 1 gallon of water.

Totals: 2039 Calories, 16.28% from fat, 41.60% from carbs, 42.17% from protein.