Procrastination and being busy doing nothing

I am just so totally and utterly going NOWHERE at the moment; the only thing I seem to be good at is eating and gaining weight!!!

A week ago, I figured what I needed was some life-coaching. someone to help me get past whatever it is that’s stopping me from successful weight loss. It sounded good, I had a 20 minute free session and I could see that there was a lot of work that could be done to re-frame my mind and get myself out of this situation. But there was a slight snag- the £50 price tag for 45 minutes!

I know that working one-to-one with a professional is never going to be cheap- and also that this would be money well spent. BUT, and it’s a big but, I don’t HAVE £300 knocking around for the average 6 sessions. It’s simply too far out of my price bracket. Having the ME means I’m only working part-time, and the income I get is soon swallowed up with food, bills etc that there really isn’t anything left for expensive therapies.

Shame that. It looks like I’ll have to just keep plodding on in my own dysfunctional way.

I’ve thought that maybe I need to join a new slimming club, you know, try something new, but then I stop and think, well, you hear of the people who have tried ‘every diet going’ and are still overweight, and I don’t want to go down that route of false hopes and ups and downs. One ‘diet’ is enough I reckon. But then, if I no longer have the motivation to stick to that diet… why am I sticking with it? Surely there’s another option just around the corner that will be the answer to all my problems, the thing of dreams?

I also look at my recent attempts to get motivated. I’ve tried SOOOO many different ideas, different avenues, tools, techniques and plans to get my mojo back, and it seems that for every new thing I try, this becomes more of a dieting minefield and less of a weight-loss exercise.

It’s as though I now know TOO much, I know too many rules, I know too many tools and tips and restrictions and good things and bad things- so much so that it overwhelms me and instead of managing to focus on one positive habit change, I end up feeling that this dieting lark is too full of restrictions, that there’s too much writing and recording and reflecting involved. I end up feeling exhausted before I’ve even started. So it’s easier to carry on doing what I’ve always done than it is to work out which forms I ought to be filling out today- it’s as though I’m bogged down with miles of dieting red tape.

I’ve got the food diary, the unplanned eating assessment form, the goalsetting form, the weight-loss graph, the hunger scale, the tool planner… the list goes on and on and in the end it’s easier to not do any of it.

I guess maybe I’ve become a victim of my own motivation. I’ve documented my diet to death.

Maybe I really DO need a new start. Chuck out all the tools, forms and tables and charts and start again. But how?

Weigh-in wonders

13st4
1lb lost this week
1st3lbs lost
3st4lbs to go

I’m still feeling quite mashed-up health-wise, so I decided not to go to WW again today. I’ve got a lot going on at the moment and felt that a day resting at home was more valuable than pushing myself to get to weightwatchers.

I weighed myself on my home scales and I’ve lost a pound this week. I’m really pleased about this because I haven’t been tracking my food intake at all.

I have, however, been eating my nuts and seeds for snacks and that’s been going well. Also, I think the warmer weather has reduced my cravings so I’m making better food choices and finding it easier to recognise when I am not hungry.

Or maybe it’s the nuts and seeds reducing the cravings?

Anyway, all round a good week considering. Here’s to next week!

Setting goals and rewarding yourself

I think it is very, very important to reward myself at every step of my weight-loss journey. This is especially important when my weight-loss is going slowly and when I am losing motivation to continue.

I reward myself for two things. Firstly for reaching my weekly goal, and secondly for reaching every quarter-stone mark.

My weekly goal

Each week, I fill out a ‘weekly review’ sheet that I devised for myself. I review the week just gone, and plan the following week’s targets and goals. I also record how much weight I have lost in total and add a pound coin to my money box for every lb I lose.

I set a goal for the following week. This may be to track my food intake, or to use one of the tools mentioned here. And I also choose a small reward from my box of treasures. I am a crafter, so my reward is usually a pack of ribbons or small embellishments worth a pound or two, but nice enough for me to want!

My chosen reward then sits in a prominent place all week, reminding me of my goal and spurring me on to succeed.

My weight goals

I use larger rewards for my quarter-stone targets. They might cost anything up to ten pounds, which may sound a lot. That’s fourty pounds spent on myself for each stone I lose. But when you realise that I might only lose a stone in three months (due to my health), these rewards become quite important to keep me going.

I then have even bigger rewards for each stone I reach, and for losing 10%, 20% and 30% of my body weight.

And one day I will be giving myself the greatest reward of all- when I reach my goal weight!!!

Here goes

13st5
Stayed the same this week
1st2lbs lost
3st5lbs to go

I am really pleased- after two weeks of totally rubbish health and not even tracking my food intake, I’ve managed to maintain my weight.

I’m still feeling quite low so my priority right now is my health and wellbeing. I’ve come up with the following action plan:

 

Being good to yourself

It’s time to move away from ‘dieting’ and move towards being better to yourself. Its time to nurture your body and mind in a supportive and gentle way.

You will be happier, healthier, and more energised if you focus on supporting your health, rather than depriving yourself by being on a ‘diet’.

Your priorities are:

To fuel your body with health-affirming, energising and anti-illness foods.

• To hydrate your body with cool, pure water.

• To cleanse your body from toxins and energy-drainers.

• To increase the amount of oxygen reaching every cell in your body, by deep breathing and getting outside regularly.

• To nurture your mind and emotions with herbs and essential oils.

• To take regular relaxation breaks.

Your tools are:

Looking after your mind

• Listening to the relaxation and transformation mp3 track*.

• Using essential oils

• Drinking herb teas (chamomile and peppermint)

• Shutting up the duck*

• Turning the PC off at 6.30pm

• Positive thinking and being kind to self

Eating and drinking

• Eating your meals and snacks slowly.

• Eating when you’re hungry.

• Cutting out sugar and stimulants.

• Cutting out junk food

• Cutting out artificial additives

• Eating natural foods.

• Drinking up to 2 litres of water a day.

• 7 fruit+ veg/day

• No eating in bed

• 1 portion of nuts or seeds each day

• grains and beans every day

Exercise and activity

• Being as active as you possibly can

• Going to the park

• Stretching

Looking after your body

• Having a rest each afternoon

• Going to bed on time

• Deep breathing in bed

• Clean teeth at night

• Dry skin brushing

 Of which,

• no junk food
• eat 7 portions of fruit and veg a day
• turn PC off at 6.30pm
• eat only when hungry
• eat natural

are my 5 gentle starting points.

Here goes!

*I am following Pete Cohen’s excellent online weight loss programme; those of you familiar with him will recognise the ‘duck‘ and the idea of using ‘tools’ to aid weight loss. More on Pete in future posts.