Why is it so difficult to be good this time of year?

13th December 2016

Discipline is doing what needs to be done, even if you don't want to do it.

Why is it so difficult to be good this time of year?  Now there's a question that was asked in my Facebook group last night, my response to that is, why is it so difficult to lose weight FULL STOP!  It doesn't matter what time of year it is, I like to eat and drink.

Weight loss is hard, but understanding why can help you to stop giving yourself a hard time and beating yourself up every time you have a slip up, that in turn will give you a greater chance of success. 

Let's start with your attitude, especially as we all know we'll 'start again' come January, if you're seeing it as a health kick, immediately you're brains thinking 'short term' so any permanent weight loss is unlikely, you'll be expecting quick results and when you don't get them - you'll give up!  Other than weight loss, what else can you use to motivate you, because if the scales aren't moving you're not going to be motivated!  Do you want more energy, fewer health problems, more confidence, have other goals on top of the numbers.

Another reason it's difficult is believe it or not, that damn body of yours is working again you, oh yeah, you're not hopeless, as well as fighting cravings, your clever brain as you lose body fat start sending signals (it's all science that's complicate) to say you're hungry, so that's why it's better to do it slow and steady so your body and brain doesn't actually realise what you're up too.  We've all done the 4-6 week cycle, where it's really easy at first then suddenly we turn into a food wanting beast, who gets food down up like an eating machine!  I know that isn't just me because I witness it in members.  Don't be in a rush, you're more likely to keep the weight off then.

Moving more is great, but you can't out exercise a bad diet, by all means get active, find something you enjoy but realise you've got to change what you eat too.  You have to burn 3,500 calories to shift a pound of fat, one mince pie will take 45 minutes to jog off, while your Christmas dinner will take about 35 minutes.  Nope exercise alone isn't the solution - even those 528 calories in the advent calendar will take about 2 hours to burn off!

Weight Watchers is a healthy eating plan, think about it like this, for permanent weight loss you need to pay attention to what you eat and make good choices more often than you don't - balance - 80/20 approach.  A structured diet will always end, but healthy eating never stops, if you learn to eat in an healthy way, you'll always know the good from the not so good, the 80 from the 20!

Another thing that makes it difficult for women is they think it's okay to eat as much as he does - you can't, men can eat more than women and still lose weight - it's not fair, get over it - life isn't fair!   Men tend to burn more calories than women naturally, thanks to muscle mass etc, again there's more to it and always the exception but generally his plate should be bigger than yours - end of.

Lifestyle makes weight loss difficult, therefore if you want a 'healthy lifestyle' you've got to be willing to make changes, squeeze in some activity somewhere, 30 minutes a day, even if it's a walk, I know how easy this is to do because I did for weeks, I also know how easy it is to not be able to do this because I've made my excuses for the last two weeks.

Another way to ease the difficulty is to think when you shop, if the peanuts/crisps and other Christmas goodies aren't in the kitchen, we can't eat them.  That goes for all the goodies, all year round.  Mom is given strict instructions to put her goodies out of my sight because I inhale multipacks!

What about your schedule, are you living a crazy life, that's another reason weight loss and a healthy life is difficult.  The truth is if you're not willing to make changes to the way you live, make that time to move more, prepare meals and ensure you get enough sleep, it'll will be hard to lose weight.  Are you using your 'busy' life as an excuse not to get healthy - take responsibility, make those changes.

There are things we can't control, the tins of chocolate at work for one, we can counteract that stuff with things that will help, take your own snacks with you, make sure there's a fruit bowl in sight to remind you to eat them.

It's difficult to do it on your own, make sure you get to your meeting, even when you're dreading stepping on those scales, you can actually go to your meeting and tell your coach (used to be leader - we've got a new title!) that you don't want to weigh in this week just sit in the meeting for the coaching session and support.  Everything is easier with support, if you can get family and friends on side, it'll help you all. 

Emotional eating, now that does make it difficult to lose weight, we use food to deal with our problems, including depression, it's a comfort, makes us feel good, sadly we can come to rely on it and think it's going to help us with our problems, the truth is, it gives us another problem to handle.  Become aware of your behaviour when you do this and acknowledge that the problem is still there - it solves nothing.

What else makes it difficult, unrealistic goals for one, up to 2lb a week is how Weight Watchers designed their plan, I think if you do the 80/20 and go for up to 1lb a week, you're gonna enjoy it a hell of a lot more. 

Let's be more realistic and flexible in our approach, if you can't fit in or do a gym session for whatever reason, maybe you could do 10-15 dancing round the kitchen, walking round the block, think about it - ask yourself what can you do, don't keep saying what you can't do.

There are no quick fixes, forget the gimmicks, get on board and accept anything worth having takes time, weight loss is difficult.  The truth is, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, if you want to keep off the weight you lose, you have to change your behaviour long after you reach your desired weight.  Weight Loss is for life, not just for Christmas.

You're not going to be perfect every day BeYOUtiful, but every day you can do something that's perfect!