When Diets Fail

There are so many factors that conspire against my best weight loss intentions - irresistible special offers at the supermarket, being busy and tired and making bad choices, simple overeating. Now I am adding another. The dreaded 'Time of the Month'.

At the moment I feel bloated and sluggish. My skin always suffers under the hormonal onslaught and all I want to do is dress in baggy, shapeless clothes and feel a bit sorry for myself. I know that within a couple of days everything will be back to normal but that doesn't help me NOW.

The very last thing on my list of things I am willing to do is stand on the scales. I just don't want to know. My head tells me that the reality probably isn't anywhere as near as bad as the picture my bloated belly is painting but I feel too fragile to risk it!

I haven't rushed to the comfort of the biscuit tin but then neither have I said no to enjoying a slice of my son's birthday cake this week. I haven't completely lost the plot with my sensible eating plan but deliberately avoiding the bathroom scales means I don't have to deal with the disappointment of no weight loss or worse WEIGHT GAIN.

If it was a friend who was on a diet I would be very encouraging and say listen to what your body is telling you. Don't go crazy but don't be too hard on yourself. Wait till you are feeling ready to tackle the whole diet thing again and don't worry if you have not made progress this week. It is a long term plan - not an instant fix. There will always be little wobbles, sometimes outside of your control, and you just have to roll with them. If it was a friend who was on a diet I would say all this and mean every word. Why then do I find it so hard to say it to myself??

I am trying to give myself the same consideration that I would give a friend in need of a little reassurance and support but I think I am often more of an enemy to myself than a friend. That is SO wrong. Actually taking the time to think about it and write it here is helping me to see how wrong it is.

I hereby resolve
a) not to beat myself up about having a bad week
b) to give myself permission to have a week away from the scales without feeling guilty or like a failure
c) to be back with renewed vigour in time for next Monday's #mumentum weigh in - I might just be pleasantly surprised.