Sometimes all we need is a little push.....Part 1

Weight loss is not an easy journey. There are good days and bad days. There are going to be days where you feel like giving up. I am a follower of the Weight Watchers thread on boards.ie. I noticed over the last week or so that a few members have been lacking motivation or are struggling after weight gains. As an experienced WW struggler I thought would do a post on things that I have found helpful in the past. I have included my own tips and advice but I also have rounded up a load of information on the net.

The first thing you have to remember is that it is not a race. While it would be lovely to have the weight lost for the wedding in a few weeks, you have to realise that you most likely will not lose it by then. Yes you can do a crash diet and lose a stone but that stone will be back on straight after along with more. Weight loss is not for summer, it is for life. Think about how long it took you to put on the weight. It did not happen overnight. For me, I put it on over a three year period. The slower the weight comes off the better. It is more likely to stay off. By losing it the slow and healthy way, you are less likely to fall back into old habits when you reach goal. I stressed so much about losing the weight for my holiday last year that when I came home I rewarded myself for my hard work....with food. I gained back all the weight I lost and more. I was putting myself under the same pressure this year until I realised there will be other events after my holiday and I should look towards them.

If you have been struggling recently it is important to take it a day at a time. Do not be worrying about the end goal as it may seem so far away right now. As you may know, I have a tendency to binge eat. I would love to say I have cured that but I have not. Thursday and Friday of last week were terrible. However I did not let it get me down. Instead I focused on the positives from last Sunday. I went shopping and the cupcakes that I love were on special offer. Of course I picked them up and put them in the basket without even thinking about it. It was not until I was at the checkout that I realised that this is why I have gained weight while supposedly doing WW. I went and put them back on the shelf. Later that day a similar incident occurred. I was in the shop buying my bus ticket and I was so frustrated with how WW has been going, that I decided to write the day off, even

though I had been good up to then. I picked up a Mars bar and put it on the counter. While the clerk was getting my ticket, the WW angel in me, made me put the bar back. It is not an easy journey and you will have days like those. Willpower is the key. Easier said than done I know. You need to ask yourself do you really want that bar of chocolate. Can you have something smaller and within your points allowance? After the cupcake debacle I realised that they are 7pps each. Not bad considering they are a decent size cupcake. So, two cupcakes are 14pps. There are 4 in the packet so I two (because let’s face it who stops at one!) last night as a treat and gave the other two to my family. This is what I have to realise. I can have nice treats within points. I do not need any more than that. I may initially want more, but I have to learn to say no, everything in moderation. The problem is the days running up to Friday but I will take it a day at a time. I will make sure I am eating healthy, nutritious meals and not going hungry. If you are hungry and not eating substantial meals you will be more likely to reach for the cookie jar.

Do you have a tendency to overeat? Are you struggling? A great motivator is money. There are three financial factors that need to be considered; how much you spend on healthy food a month, how much you spend on junk food, and how much do you spend on WW meetings a month. When you tot this up, if your habits are like mine, you will be shocked at how much money you have wasted by not sticking to the plan. I

would find I spend so much money on being healthy but yet I am eating so much junk. I would sometimes end up throwing out the healthy food. Keep you receipts and keep note of how much you spend on food. Track your WW attendance. Are you skipping meetings for fear of the scales? If so that is another €5 down the drain. Are you like me and rejoining classes after every failed attempt? That is a waste of another €10. If someone who has not struggled with their weight was reading this, they would probably say quit, it is a waste of money and obviously is not working. Yes I have not been perfect since January and I have gained weight while supposedly doing WW. However I know that if I was not doing WW I would have put on so much more weight.

Tomorrow I am going to continue this post and include lots of tips on how to find the motivation you need to continue your weight loss journey.