Heard the saying “all work and no play makes Jack no fun to be around”? Its true – that’s why holidays were invented. You may have to slog through working weeks that seem to go on forever. But then the weekend arrives. It refreshes and revives you, ready for the coming week’s challenges.
Your diet needs the same balance between rigorous discipline and enjoying some fun treats.
Let’s look at what happens when you don’t allow yourself to enjoy planned treats. You’ll start your diet with a sense of ‘this time I’m going to get it right’. You’ll make massive changes in your diet, and you’ll feel deprived, but soldier on “because you have to”. You’re invited to celebration events but turn down even a sliver of that luscious cake ‘because you’re on a diet’. It’s hard work!
After lots of deprivation, you’re likely to be feeling just a wee bit rebellious. You’ve been “so good” that surely you deserve an unplanned treat. Or worse, you step on the scales to find that you haven’t lost a gram. Now you might feel just a tad rebellious too. You’ve been feeling deprived – for what? Now here comes the overwhelming urge to eat all the ‘bad’ foods – but in less than constrained quantities, and you may abandon your entire weight loss project.
You can prevent this from happening by approaching your weight loss the same way you would a long term work project: With a plan of action, milestones along the way, and regular holidays. Planning your meals a week in advance is an ideal way to identify the ‘special meal’ that will be your ‘time off’ from diet ‘work’, help you feel less deprived, and refresh your resolve for the coming week.
For some people, this could be their favourite family meal with dessert to follow; or a really nice restaurant meal that someone else has prepared for you. If there’s a big celebration happening, like a wedding, you can plan to just enjoy the food on offer without worrying, this time, about whether you ‘should’. Really savour this weekly treat – and then get back to work, knowing that another treat is definitely coming in just a few days.
Now your weight loss project is more sustainable. And a funny thing will happen: You’ll find yourself naturally balancing your diet more effectively for the long term, and learning how to balance your food intake for effective results.
Comments