It's hard - YEAH AND....

2nd January 2015

If it's still in your mind it's worth trying...

So yesterday was one of those days, I spent the entire morning consumed with my computer, I know I'm on my holiday but it was work stuff I was really enjoying doing, creative stuff that I enjoy and that flows easier when I'm relaxed, the morning just flew by.  Before I knew it, my hands and wrists ached (gotta love a bit of arthritis) and it was 1pm, so I decided to have a bath and read my book, really enjoyable morning.  Then from 2 - 8pm, it was the slowest afternoon of the entire holiday!  It could've been because there was nothing on our sky box left to watch, it may have been because I was tired, we'd had a disturbed sleep the night before, or it could be that, well whatever it was I went to bed in the end and slept like a baby till now.

So today my mechanics coming to sort my car and I've got a hair appointment both probably around the same time, so it looks like I'm leaving my keys with mom and walking to the hairdressers, all good exercise I guess.  The weather was vile yesterday, even Alfie refused to walk in that wind and rain.

I haven't made any New Year resolutions - have you?  I don't want to commit to doing something that doesn't last, As always my life plan is healthy and happy and that is what I'll continue with.  I'm not willing to change anything that I can't keep up, there's no point because when you revert to norm and regain the few pounds you've lost, you end up miserable.  However I think we can all use a few reminders of how to get healthy and happy, we do tend to forget don't we, we'll lose some weight then put it back on and that's easily done.  Why is it easy to regain?  Because old habits die hard, and that's what makes you revert to your old ways, it's not that you're a rubbish 'dieter', it's that your brain is wired to overeat especially at this time of year.  So we need to outsmart it!

HOW!  I've found the best way to do that for me is Filling & Healthy because I'm eating decent sized meals, my brain isn't aware I'm trying to lose weight, or with ProPoints making sure I don't go hungry and that I fill up on those zero heroes. 

I also find having a tasty meal to look forward to really helps, that's where meal planning comes into play, and keeping your shopping list smart - you can't make what you don't have the ingredients for and you can't eat the stuff you don't buy.

Allow treats, nothing worse than trying to cut something completely out - for me that just guarantees it's the only thing I think about, no I didn't have a drink yesterday but committing to going a month without it, nope  I won't be doing that either.  I gave up booze for 4 months last year, it made no difference at all, I just replaced it with chocolate and sweet foods that I wouldn't normally eat.  Everything in moderation.

Portion control is key, I know I've just said with F&H I can eat decent sized meals but that doesn't mean HUGE, I want to make changes that will give me long term results and I'd like to eat less automatically.

Cooking is a great way to ensure those portions are a healthy size, you always get more for your allowance if you cook from scratch, I know we don't always have the time or the inclination but you don't have to cook Delia style, it can be a throw it all in the slow cooker style meal. 

As for motivation to do all this, where do you get that from - well that's the million dollar question, first support, you can't beat having a good support system, it's what makes Weight Watchers work.  Establish your reasons WHY you want to lose weight, these need to be real reasons.  Maybe find a before photo or a photo of what you want to look like, I've just found this online http://www.changeinseconds.com/simulator/ it worked on my computer you type in your before and after weight and it shows you the difference . 

What's stopping you succeeding - unfortunately the only real answer is YOU!  We can all find valid reasons why it's difficult, why it's harder for us than so and so, but ultimately if we decide we want to do it, we will.  Yeah I know it's hard, I know I sat there all afternoon yesterday with nothing decent to watch on the tele, thinking about what to eat next, reminding myself about that spare tyre that's appeared round my middle in 2014.  My brain arguing with itself, one half of me's thinking "Everyone says I look fine!", the other half is screaming "yeah everyone don't have to sit at their computer with that uncomfortable lump of fat sitting on their midriff, everyone ain't struggling to get in their jeans to walk the dog!"  Well actually most people are probably struggling to get in their jeans this week but you get my drift. 

So who's going to win, the part of you that wants to lose weight and be healthy or the part of you that likes to overeat!

I've decided I've let sod it Bev have her year, it was last year, it's been ten years since I've weighed this, and this spare stone, well it's not staying, I don't like it!  It'll take a week or more to get back into it, I'm finding it particularly hard this week because I'm in holiday mode, it'll be easier when I'm back at work then I will be distracted. 

Oh listen to me, can you hear the excuses, can you hear the "I like to overeat" side of me coming through.  So instead of thinking it's harder this week because I'm on holiday, I could easily change that to WOW, I've got 4 days off work left to get myself sorted, I can use that time to plan my meals and do an online shop, I'll maybe make a nice chicken curry or casserole, because funnily enough I have loads of spare hours I wouldn't normally have.  I could even fit in a bit of walking too couldn't I. 

Can you see how easy it is to sway back and forth between "Let's do it" and "Sod it, let's eat".

The difference, 'Let's do it' ends with results that you can see day in day out, oh yeah so does 'sod it, let's eat', they're just not as enjoyable to look at, even though the food you ate, even if you enjoyed eating it, is soon forgotten!  Usually it's not even been enjoyed.  This is where support truly comes into play, because that support system is also your reminder system, reminding you why you're doing this!

Well that was a 'get it off my chest' blog wasn't it, I think I've just had a good talk with myself, only I've done it in writing, I recommend it - you don't have to share it.  Stop, listen, what's really going on in your mind, not just the bit that says, "I need to lose weight", listen longer, there's other stuff, there are reasons you're overeating and it's not always because you like food!  Honest, it's not.  So why are you doing it?  Stop long enough to listen, what is it you really need.

Have a thoughtful day BeYOUtiful, find your answers.