In the third of her series on health and weight, Paula Mee stresses the need not to give up
It sounds really easy doesn't it? Just eat less and exercise more. Yet in reality it's so much more complicated than that.
It's anything but easy to lose weight. The majority of people find it difficult, frustrating and downright slow. Not because of under-active thyroids or hormonal problems. It's more to do with the considerable challenges and determination required to change long-term repetitive behaviour.
It's vital to identify the habits which have helped you to become overweight in the first place. But try to steer clear of blaming individual foods. It isn't chocolate or tortilla chips or avocados that have made you overweight, but your habit of overeating some of these foods certainly might have helped.
Do you regularly have seconds, do you wolf down your food without chewing or tasting it, do you console yourself with food when you're feeling lonely? The more you know about yourself and the better you pinpoint these habits, the easier it will be to make the necessary changes.
An ancient philosopher, Lao-Tzu, is credited with saying "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step." Think of the changes you want to take as steps. Make small changes, one at a time, at your own pace and allow yourself to get used to one change first before you move on to the next. For example, if you've never eaten breakfast before, simply start by having a small bowl of wholegrain breakfast cereal. This gets your body used to having something to eat at this time. You can elaborate on your breakfast choices at a later stage.
There is nothing like the feeling you get when you gradually change bad habits for better ones. Your sense of accomplishment and pride is immense. The best reward for losing weight is your improved health but simple additional rewards, especially at the beginning of a long journey, make it more bearable.
A weight-watcher I knew used to line her bars of chocolate on the dashboard so that if she lost weight at the weigh-in, she could have her fix the minute she got into the car on the way home. Needless to say, this was not a good strategy.
Some people find it useful to make out a wishlist and keep it in a purse or wallet to remind them of the rewards they want - a facial, a massage, the latest bestseller, an outfit when they have dropped a clothes size. The important thing is that this is not a food reward, but a non-food motivator.
Before you begin your new way of eating, promise yourself you won't give up on yourself. That you won't kick yourself when you choose the most calorie-laden starter form the menu instead of doing without.
Successful slimmers don't berate themselves and give up. They might certainly give out to themselves but they keep going. Beating yourself up when you slip can cause lower self esteem and trap you into a paralysing guilt. It's a common form of self punishment employed by slimmers. If you want to atone and redress the balance, you can eat a little lighter the next day or add on another half hour to your exercise.
If you're unhappy with your weight - you may be ready for change. As the saying goes "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got". The same thing applies to the way we eat - if you continue to avoid change, chances are your weight will continue to escalate. If you're going to set a weight-loss goal, you need to recognise and accept that some change is necessary and unavoidable.
We will look at goal-setting next week.