I’ve recorded this email as a video as well. You can find it on Facebook or Instagram.
The biggest enemies to weight loss programs might not be what you think, and they underline the importance of what I think of as ‘lifestyle factors’ in your weight loss plan too.
The biggest enemies are tiredness and hunger.
Think back to when you last found yourself falling off your program. Were you feeling tired and not in the mood to make a healthy meal, or to go and do your workout? Or perhaps you were hungry and didn’t have enough on-track food available. A vast majority of weight loss quests are lost to tiredness and hunger.
So, make good quality sleep a priority, and make sure the house is full of food that you do want to eat.
Temptation is another enemy too.
But I really don’t think the odd meal, or even the odd day, here and there makes much difference in the long run – but the definition of ‘the odd’ seems to differ person to person, and of course going off track too often is going to result in the slowing of your progress.
Plus, it is fairly well accepted that for most of us, outlawing certain foods is a sure way to make yourself crave them; which leaves you leaning on your willpower all the time – which is not a long term strategy.
Still though, don’t buy food just to torment yourself! Only keep food in the house which you want to eat.
And when you do buy low-nutrition food, buy it as part of a planned event and never in the heat of a moment – and only buy what you need for that one event.
Boredom is another enemy.
Restricting your diet in a way which gives you little pleasure from food is overall an unsatisfying experience. No one wants to eat the same menu day in, day out – regardless that it might be easier in theory to remove the decisions.
There are gazillions of delicious, healthy recipes out there – and remember that herbs and spices can make the difference between a plain, unsatisfying meal and a more interesting and satisfying one. Make food which ticks all your boxes – keep the boredom away!