Why Do You Need To Change Tactics When Dieting?
Weigh Day #33
Sunday 16 June 2024
Why do you need to change tactics when dieting? Seeing a plateau through and staying focused becomes critical. A funny week, not great, but not disastrous either. This was highlighted by overeating late Friday night and severely hampering proceedings. Am I bothered? Not particularly but niggled as the day was planned to perfection. Little wobbles are exactly what you need to achieve long-term success. A stark reminder this journey is never going to be easy.
Weight – 118.7 Kilos, 18.69 Stone
Weekly Weight Loss – 0.1 kilos, 0.22 pounds
Total Weight Loss – 18.9 kilos, 2.97 stone
BMI – 41 (Obese), Total BMI Loss – 6.5
BMI Target – 25
Song Of The Week
Spent most of the week listening to Snow Patrol, but after seeing a clip on TV, I started listening to The Byrds. It’s one of those bands I’d forgotten how fantastic they are and how much of their stuff I’ve never listened to. I know this cracking little tune very well and have been blasting it in the car. If this doesn’t make you feel good, then nothing will, I’m afraid!
Weekly Summary
Weigh Day #33
Part of me should be extremely bothered. A measure of how far I’ve come since starting this arduous journey is how plateaus don’t worry at all, and that’s a good thing. Setbacks are part of the whole package. The week wasn’t particularly bad; bread was ditched, and I felt much better. But isn’t there always a but? I realise I’m simply not putting enough effort in right now. Pizza binges on Saturdays are becoming regular as is not counting (guilty as charged yesterday btw!). The counting days are between 2500 and 3000 calories, with carbs hovering between 150 and 250 grams.
This is not good enough. Complacency is kicking in. Losing almost 20 kilos (3 stone) is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but the last few weeks have felt like I’ve gone into what I’ll call giving up mode. This has come on all of a sudden! I’m unhappy but comfortable with my weight even though there is still much to lose. This was not something I had thought about until I typed these words! The biggest positive is that the weight has pretty much stayed the same since letting my guard down.
Difficult Weight Reading
Honesty Is The Best Policy!
Let me explain… The week had been fine but far from perfect. I’m struggling with late-night eating, admittedly. Get home from work, have some dinner and then have some more snack things in front of the telly. This is becoming a hard habit to break. And so it proved Friday evening. Annoyingly, I’d planned the day out to perfection. All I needed to do was get home from work and not eat. Simple huh? Not when you’re a fatty food addict!
There was chicken, which was demolished with mayonnaise. Bear in mind that I’d already eaten enough for the day, followed by Greek yoghurt, protein bars, and peanut butter. Didn’t count. A wave of stupidity and a stark reminder of humanity within! This was pure, unadulterated, uncalled-for gorging, which came out of the funking blue! Sometimes, there is just no answer to a question. One positive: For a change, this was relatively healthy gorging!
This episode did put me in a pickle. I knew I wasn’t going to get a very accurate weight reading. When I awoke, I stepped on the scales, and to no surprise, I was 119.3 kg, a gain of 0.5 kilos. My stomach felt bad as well; this food seems to have triggered something. I won’t go into details, but even as I type, my stomach is not right!
This week’s official reading was taken at midday yesterday after a couple of trips to the bathroom after walking the dog. I figured it was about as accurate a reading as I could get!
Why Do You Need To Change Tactics When Dieting?
Reason 1 – Boredom
It’s easy to forget that everyone is different. Most weight loss plans require rigid adherence to a plan, whether limiting calories or foods. I loathe limitations; they get boring, but you need to implement them every now and then, especially when the going gets tough.
I find I’m constantly looking for new weight loss ways. Recently, I went back to eating bread, which didn’t work, but it was a change from the norm, having not eaten that much bread in months. Some things work, some things don’t. Your hair needs letting down occasionally and there are times to not care about food. Stay focused, and do not let yourself go too much. Boredom in dieting is more than simply food. It’s your mindset, attitude, and focus.
There’s boredom in life as well. It’s the same dross week in and week out. Summer in the UK has been a complete washout so far. It’s June, and I had to put the heating on the other day, for goodness sake!
Solution
A stronger mindset needs to be implemented. Remind yourself that you’ve got a long way to go. For me, the journey is not even halfway there.
Reason 2 – Complacency
This is where I feel I’m at, going through the motions. I’m eating mostly the right foods but have got in a rut. Dieting can become weary. Constantly battling and a damn sight easier solution is slumping on the couch with food! My tactics need tweaking. When you hit a milestone, it’s easy for complacency to kick in. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, so the foot comes off the gas a little.
When complacency and boredom collide, it can be very dangerous! This appears to be where I am right now. Accordingly, my motivation levels have dipped. I feel better within my body, having shifted weight. Ditching bread last week meant I was moving and feeling better. After all, your mind plays tricks, convincing you that you’ve done so much hard work that you don’t need to work nearly as hard.
Solution
Remind yourself you’ve become complacent and need to step things up. You’ve done this before and can do it again!
Why Do You Need To Change Tactics When Dieting?
Plan Of Action
- Be Stronger #1. Under 2500 calories and 150 g of carbs a day.
- Realising complacency and boredom have kicked in, a change of tactic is imperative.
- Be Stronger #2. Late-night eating has to go. Try intermittent fasting again.
- Be Stronger #3. Mentally prepare yourself for side effects such as insomnia.
- As always, remember you got this!!!!
See you Weigh Day #34!
