How many times have you lost weight and then gained it?
You know there was that wedding you lost weight for and looked fab in your wedding dress.
Then there was the summer holiday bikini you managed to squeeze into.
And not forgetting the Christmas do where you just had to sparkle.
But each time you’ve lost the weight for that special occasion, you’ve piled it all back on again and then some.
Unfortunately this is a reality for far too many people.
Lots and lots of people are experts at losing weight but maintaining it becomes a continuous struggle.
But consider this for a moment. Rather than going on numerous yo-yo diets, just imagine what it would feel like to reach your goal weight and never having to diet again.
With a little know how and retraining of the mind you can do it!
Take it Gradual
If you regularly lost more than one or two pounds a week, the likelihood is that you were most probably on some sort of crash diet.
This behaviour clearly would suggest that you deprived yourself of foods and then craved them the minute you got off the diet.
Take things slower. If you’ve never exercised before, start off by going to gym once a week rather than 5 times a week.
You’re more likely to stick to it.
If you only eat two of your five-a-day, why not up this to three or four fruit and vegetables a day.
Make it a Lifestyle
When we vow never to eat a chocolate bar again, we’re really setting ourselves for a fall.
Of course, when we tell ourselves we can’t have something, we crave it even more.
So what we want to do is adopt sensible eating habits that we can maintain in the long term.
One of the best ways to do this is to adopt the 80/20 rule. So you eat sensibly 80% of the time and the rest of the time you can have your treats.
Plan Ahead
Researchers have long said that food can be just as addictive as drugs.
Whether it’s a certain restaurant or a dinner party, find out what’s on the menu and determine what you will have or not have before you go.
When at home, ensure you have good healthy snacks on hand when you fancy a between meal snack.
You can have olives, fruit, crudities all ready for when hunger strikes.
Know your Emotions
We’ve all done it at some point. We’ve had some news we’re not happy about and we turn to food for comfort.
But there is a way of controlling your emotions.
To combat emotional eating, think about your feelings before every meal. When you are stressed, find ways to face negative thoughts and feelings head on.
Emotional eating is a distraction and may comfort in short term but it will not change the problem.
Talk to someone or write down your feelings and try to identify stress triggers.
Food as Reward
Yes it’s good to reward your weight loss but leave food off the list.
The no-food self-gift policy will allow you to focus on satisfying more than just your taste buds.
Treat yourself to a spa or that new dress. It will lift your mood higher and much longer than it would while scoffing a doughnut in five minutes.
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Hi Sabi – how true is your blog! Much of what you say rings true for me. This time I’m determined to make healthy lifestyle changes rather than telling myself I’m on a diet. So far it’s working as I’ve lost 5 pounds in about 2 weeks. I’m happy with this steady weight loss and on target for 1 stone by Christmas. Then I will head for the second stone. I feel much happier doing things slowly, gradually and in smaller chunks.
on October 28, 2011 at 3:01 pm Deborah Mason