When the diet stops working
As I approach my year-long anniversary of this weight-loss regime I start to put the weight back on...
All it took was one glass of wine as I’d been feeling a bit low. All right, one and a half glasses. Definitely no more than two. And a Bendicks bittermint. So about 250 calories over my allowance. The top of my allowance, granted, but even so weighing in the following day a whopping two pounds heavier seemed a tad excessive, My body has become weight sensitive in one direction only - upwards. Cut 250 calories from my allowance and nothing. Not a quarter of a pound comes off. But eat an extra 250 and POW! Body says, “I’m ‘aving that!”
Being a lifelong dieter means I am used to this. I know my body is fighting back, clinging onto whatever morsels I deign to let it have.
It isn’t healthy to think yourself at war with your body. It isn’t heathy to hate your body though it is of course incredibly common among those of us trying to lose weight. Is there a set point below which we cannot go? Some say there is. And for sure being a post-menopausal woman certainly makes it much harder for me. I’m not in my 20s and 30s anymore when I could gain four pounds after a night out and take it straight back off again the next day.
Nor do I believe that other reason often given for no longer being able to lose weight - muscle weighs heavier than fat. I am doing a lot of exercise but no matter how much brisk walking I do it hasn’t turned me into muscle woman. It’s not that. It’s our old friend the plateau. I have stagnated because that’s what usually happens with most diets. Well I say stagnated but I can gain weight quite easily. What I can’t do anymore is lose it.
So what to do? I’m not prepared to stop at 44 pounds off in total (it was 46). I want to lose at least another 20 pounds to get down to the right BMI for my height, age and sex.
One thing I am not going to do is starve myself. That just puts your body into panic mode and it’ll hang onto whatever you feed it even more. It’s also hell trying to eat a lot less. Eventually you crack and end up bingeing. And I’ve already increased the amount of exercise I do. There’s only one route left. As Churchill said, keep buggering on!
I’ve lost over three and half stone by eating moderately, sensibly, enjoyably even. So I’m going to carry on doing that. I’ll cut chocolate and wine till I get those two pounds off again but get them off again I will. I’m going to get to goal weight. It just might take a bit longer than I’d hoped but a slow loss is a loss that stays lost!
If anything gaining weight while trying to lose it has spurred me on. Made me even more determined. I will not be defeated. Tenacious is my middle name. So if this happens to you, if you too have faced an increase when you longed for a decrease my message is very simple. In the words of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel: DON’T. GIVE. UP!