I’ve had to teach myself this lesson only yesterday, so I thought i’d share it with you too…
“Losing weight is a marathon not a sprint”– someone, presumably wise, said this. I’ve been dieting to lose weight for the past 11 months, and have lost over 3 stone. However, since January this year, i’ve only lost a stone (14 pounds). Most of the weight came off in the first 3 months. Don’t be disheartened by this- your weight loss will slow down- this is normal. Apart from yesterday, I last weighed myself at the start of June and resolved that I wouldn’t step on the scales for 3 months. Yesterday was 3 months, and i’d lost a lot less that I expected- just 7.5 pounds. This got me down until I actually took the time to do the maths- 7.5 pounds over 14 weeks is just over half a pound a week on average, and is actually a good steady weight loss. The scales are going in the right direction, and that’s all that matters.
It also helped me to understand that my weight will have fluctuated during that time. I’m sure I put on a few pounds over my 30th birthday weekend, and I definitely gained during my week-long Summer holiday gorge-fest; but because I was good MOST OF THE TIME, spread over the course of the 3 months, I still had a good average weekly loss. So, today when i’ve been feeling down and have gone over my calories intake with Thornton’s chocs (which in turn makes me feel more down) and will be doing the same on a foodie press trip for the next two days, I need to remember that i’ve been sticking to my diet all week, and will continue to stick to it, and that this few days of eating too much will not matter in the scheme of things when I weigh myself again in another 3 months time. So, if, come December, I have only lost 3 pounds over 3 months, at least the scales are going down. At least i’ve made progress, however small.
No amount of weight loss is the right amount. Only weigh yourself every few months, and if it’s a loss, you’re winning!
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Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver via photopin cc
