Who sticks to a diet in January? It’s cold, Christmas is long gone and Spring is so very far away. Who eats salad when it’s cold. We want piping hot shepherd’s pie, thick soups served with warm crusty rolls and slices of cheddar followed by apple crumble and custard. Our bodies tell us to eat this kind of food to keep warm - and apologies to my readers in the southern hemisphere for whom it’s currently summer. Enjoy!
The key now is not to panic, tempting though that is. For the last two Januarys I gained weight after Christmas. Long after Christmas. I could excuse this by saying I need to finish up my Christmas supplies but that’s a bold lie - chocolate doesn’t go off! I over bought because I always do. Now I’m in the process of clearing out my chocolate cupboard and inviting anyone I can to eat it for me. I’m literally grabbing people off the streets saying, “Pssst... want some lovely chocolate!” Those that don’t scurry away fear all over their faces - who is this mad woman!? - tell me no thanks. They’re on a diet and they’ve given all their chocolate away. (And yes - I really DO have a chocolate cupboard. Best place to keep chocolate. Not in the ‘fridge but out of direct sunlight, cool but not cold.)
Don’t starve!
When you fall off your horse you’re told to get straight back on it. Or you’ll never ride again. And so it is with diets. Get back on it but crucially you must not try to starve it back off or semi-starve. This is vital to get back to your pre-Christmas weight. Semi-fasting only leads to a rebound - the inevitable binge. It’s much better to take it off slowly. So here’s my plan. Eat three meals a day. Food as lovely as I can get it. My favourites. Delicious filling food that keeps me going. No nibbling, no chocolate, no sweets or desserts. No chocolate; well, at least none till four pounds have come off.
I know I can do it. I’ve done it before. I’ve done it many many times before. A lifetime of on/off dieting and it’s incredibly unhealthy. If I have any young readers or parents/friends/relatives of young people if you can do one thing for them tell them not to go on a diet! It’s a lifetime ahead of on/off dieting if they do. It never ends. I have friends who have never dieted. Who eat what they want when they want. Oh how I envy them. They are not overweight. But I can’t be that person. I can never be that person. If I could time travel the one thing I would do is NEVER go on a diet. Actually that’s not entirely true. The one thing I would do is take better care of my teeth! If you know any young people, or you are one yourself, that is my real over-riding cut-out-and-keep and don’t lose it advice. Take care of your teeth!
Obsessed
Dieting makes you obsessed with food far more than being overweight does! Weight can creep on over the years and it usually does for most people unless they’re the type who burn up whatever they eat and don’t you just HATE people like that? It’s true that dieting makes you fat but what’s the alternative. I don’t want to be overweight. I know it’s very bad for my health if I carry around more weight than I should for my age, height and sex. That’s what keeps me going. Health is the best motivator for weight loss. Health is why I gave up smoking. Health is why I drink very little alcohol. Health is why I walk every day. For many of us the very best thing we can do for our health and quality of life is to be the right weight for our height. It’s worth the struggle. It’s worth going without. It’s worth giving away all your chocolate - IF you can find someone kind enough to take it off you.
More in two weeks. Happy reducing.
Health is my motivator, too, and also wanting to learn how to live with my anxieties without using food to stuff them down. I've been doing the three meals a day since Jan 1 and it just might be the game changer for me. First time I am not calorie counting (which on some level I always liked but could never stick to in the long term) and something has definitely changed in my head because I love NOT counting cals this time round. The three meals and no snacks is working surprisingly well! I am also loosely doing Intermittent Fasting and it's easy to have 3 meals in 8 hours and feel entirely satisfied. I've lost 8 lbs so far and I am not feeling deprived or any of the other feelings of resistance I'd normally have by now. Looking forward to hearing what your experience is with this! xo