Beneficial Lies?

Diet and Exercise. If there was ever a topic I lied to myself about it would be one or both of these. I mean I am honest when I say I don't like to exercise. And I am honest when I say I don't like to diet. But you know where I lie to myself... when I say, "I'm ready to make this change." I throw away the junk food and I buy tons of fruits and veggies and I check out books from the library. I exercise at a brisk pace for a whole hour and I really commit, and I follow it up with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips. Then the next day I have a slice of cream cheese... by itself. Go ahead, gag, it's gross. But for those of you who know, it's also very creamy and yummy (and guilt inducing and gross).


Am I lying? Should I really tell myself, "I am NOT ready to make this change. I am going to blow it tomorrow or even in three hours, and I am going to feel even worse about myself for blowing it."? Because if I tell myself the truth, I probably won't even begin the exercise program or eat the apple instead of the Oreos. Or perhaps, is this little self-delusion actually beneficial? Just think, if I lie to myself every single day, that could be the start of some real healthy habits. Every day I might do that one hour workout. I might eat the salad and oatmeal and blueberries. True, I might also eat the cookies and cream cheese, but the healthy stuff will have been the appetizer. Isn't that better than nothing?