My god, Ive been tired lately. Whats up with that? I sure wish it would pass soon. Maybe I just need more sleep. I could stand to lose a few pounds, too. I work out, but all that does is slow down the weight gain. Its not fair.

Anything like this going around in your head lately? Youre not alone. Today I kept track, and four of the conversations Ive had with colleagues have been not work-related, but diet-related. And its only noon.

Of course, I was right in there, lamenting my sorry plight. But if I take the time to be honest, what am I really doing to sabotage myself? Yesterday I ate a candy bar. Big deal, one candy bar. I also didnt get my walk in, but it was snowing outside. Come to think of it, I should drink more water. I always feel much better when Im drinking plenty of water. So why is it so hard to do?

Jim Rohn says, Failure is a few errors in judgement repeated every day. It isnt the big, colossal mistake that knocks us off our tracks. Its those tiny, seemingly harmless little mistakes that cost us.

Of course, the same holds true for people on restrictive weight loss diets. A friend of mine was losing weight after years of struggle, and we were all quite proud of her. But she was tired constantly, and needed ten hours of sleep, when previously she had only needed eight. Ten hours of sleep thats like an additional two-hour commitment every single day! Thats twelve extra hours out of her week, gone. Imagine what one could accomplish in twelve hours. Imagine what doesnt get accomplished when twelve hours go missing from the week.

She became sick, went to the doctor, and the doctor said Youre not eating enough! Yes, she was discouraged, because the last thing she wanted to do was eat more and regain the weight. It didnt seem fair that her only options were to be overweight and healthy, or to lose weight and be sick. Fortunately, she enrolled in a formal weight loss program, was able to adjust her eating, and keep her weight down.

Too often we worry about sabotaging our diets when we should worry about sabotaging our lives. Eating that candy bar doesnt just prevent me from losing weight. It depletes me of the energy that I need to get things accomplished, to work on my goals, and to enjoy life. Cumulatively, it may even cut my life short.

The next time youre thinking about your health, your energy, your weight, and your life, consider how your diet may be preventing you from being where you want to be. Are you eating too much? Not enough? The wrong things? How do your choices affect your energy levels? The answers to these questions hold an important key to your success!