When you begin a weight loss journey, motivation is generally high. Your “why” is firmly in the forefront of your mind, and you have a drive to succeed. And for many, to begin with, it doesn’t feel as hard as you thought it would be. You may not need to make that many changes to start getting results. As the pounds drop off, confidence grows, and you feel like you’re winning. You find yourself wondering how you ever put on all that weight in the first place, because losing weight isn’t that hard. It’s all about making small changes, right?
But what happens when things start slowing down, the novelty wears off, and you realise that this is it now? You’ve got to keep these changes going for the long term. One treat leads to another, a slice of pizza turns into six, a flurry of social activities derails you a little further still, confidence doesn’t feel as good as it did, and you’re feeling pretty annoyed with yourself. Why have you done it again?
Before you know it, it’s gone from feeling manageable to not. At best, the weight loss plateaus; at worst, it starts creeping back on. You are now entering the danger zone. What’s your next move going to be? Because this is the point when it is very easy to fall right off the wagon.
So first off, if you do fall off. That’s ok. It’s normal. We all do it, but if you’re not careful and you don’t identify why it’s happened, or why it keeps happening, you can slip into a bad pattern of yo-yo eating.
So why do we fall off?
Sometimes it’s easy to find the trigger, but if you’ve been struggling for a while, it’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly why it went wrong. Usually, motivation is not as high as it was, and it needs renewing.
Have a think about when you were on track. What was different? How did you feel? What was motivating you?
Have a read through some of the common triggers below. Do any of these resonate with you? Pre-empting and planning around some of these triggers can be powerful in helping you to regain some of the control. As can renewing your goals. If the driving reason behind your motivation is not as powerful as it was, then it may be time to check in with yourself and rethink why it’s important to you.
You’re on a “diet”
That word alone is enough to make you want to reach for the biscuits! There are a lot of negative connotations tied to the word “diet.” Committing to a healthy lifestyle change rather than a diet is a more permanent way of looking at the changes you are about to make, rather than a short-term, fixed end point in sight “diet”.
Solution: Ask yourself this: Can I stick with this forever? Is it sustainable? If the answer is no, then you need to look for a better option.
Emotions
Bad day at work / an argument with your partner / kids driving you mad – eat some crisps. Because that will obviously help. Not.
Solution: Have some tricks up your sleeve because there’s going to be a lot of these days, and if you eat/drink every time you encounter some stress, then this is only going to go one way. Think about what makes you feel good. Get outside for a walk, scroll through TikTok, phone a friend, it doesn’t matter what it is, but something that distracts you from self-soothing with food, because the pleasure that we get from food is short lived, especially if you are trying to lose weight.
Your calories are too low
It can be tempting initially to eat less than you need to. You want a quick fix and to lose weight fast, so it can feel like the less you eat, the better. Research suggests that the stricter the diet, the less time we stick with it because we allow ourselves to become too hungry. You don’t need to dramatically cut your calories to lose weight; you just need to eat in a deficit, and that may mean cutting back less than you thought.
Solution: Make sure your caloric intake is appropriate for you. Average out your calories for the week rather than each day, because not every day is the same. Calculate your Calories here
Hormones
Eek, this one is a devil. Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, can cause disturbances in mood and appetite each month, and when it hits, it can be like a tidal wave. Feeling irritable, angry, upset, tired, and confused can lead to an impulsive and uncontrollable urge to eat. For three weeks, you can be in control, eating well and making sensible choices, and then that fourth week hits, and wham, it feels like there is nothing you can do but give in to that urge to eat everything in sight.
Solution: Plan for it. Keep in mind that it’s normal to feel hungrier as your body is working harder. Your body needs extra nourishment, so factor in some higher calorie days so that you can function at your best.
Low serotonin has been linked to an increase in PMS symptoms. Exercise can increase serotonin levels, as can meditation. Foods which can boost serotonin include nuts, seeds, turkey, tofu, eggs.
You’re being too restrictive
As above, the calories could be too restrictive and/or the food itself.
Meal plans might seem like a good idea, but what happens when you get bored of eating from the same list of meals or you’re in a situation where you can’t have that meal and you’re let off the leash, so to speak?
Fad diets where you restrict entire food groups often mean that food becomes more appealing than ever. It can be a slippery slope of “I’ve blown it now; I may as well have” or you realise how much you enjoy those foods you’d cut out.
Solution: Don’t cut out all your favourite foods; you’re setting yourself up to fail. A balanced diet is much more sustainable.
Saboteurs
Our family and friends can be our biggest cheerleaders, but they can also sabotage our good intentions or become our partners in crime. We can only make changes when we are ready. So bear in mind that just because you are ready to make a change to your eating habits, doesn’t mean everyone around you is, and this can unsettle some people. With words like “don’t be boring, have a drink,” or “just one won’t hurt,” it’s hard to stand your ground.
Solution: Ask your family and friends to support you. Let them know why it’s important to you. Don’t keep your healthy lifestyle a secret. A change that is a secret is just an idea. Put it into action.
Cheat meals / days
You’ve been on your best behaviour all week, so you’ve definitely earned this cheat meal/cheat day. If your appetite is anything like mine, then you can do A LOT of damage with a cheat meal! It opens up the flood gates and becomes an opportunity to eat as much as you possibly can because you know that you’re not going to do it again until next week. Apart from this cheat meal can lead to a cheat day, a cheat weekend, starting again on Monday and then Monday never comes.
Solution: Be aware of the foods you want to eat and allow yourself to eat some of what you fancy, rather than depriving yourself all week and then bingeing on forbidden foods for one feeding. It creates a cycle of deprivation and reinforces negative feelings. There is no point going without all week and then ruining all your good efforts in one sitting.
Your goals are not realistic
Weight loss happens faster initially. A lot of what you lose in your first week is water. Over time, weight loss slows, and the less you have to lose, the slower it will be. There is no point in telling yourself you’re going to lose 5 pounds a week. It is not realistic, and you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. 1–2 pounds per week is realistic initially but be prepared for the fact that weight fluctuates. It will go up and down, and sometimes it will make no sense to you.
Solution: Be realistic. Have more tools up your sleeve than the weighing scales and think about some goals that are not driven solely by the number on the scales. What will you be able to do once you have lost weight that you can’t do now? Are you getting closer to being able to do that?
Moving on
Once you know your triggers, make a plan. If Mondays are a nightmare at work and you find yourself reaching for the wine every Monday evening, then make a plan to do something on Monday evenings. If the kids are tired and challenging by the middle of the week, what needs to happen to make this part of the week easier for you? Does PMS derail you every month? What can you do to help?
Get yourself some accountability. It can make a world of difference. Make a plan and then tell someone about it. Ask that person to hold you accountable. There is nothing like knowing someone is cheering you on to succeed and knowing that person is going to ask you how it is going to help you dig a little deeper when things get tough.
Above all else, be kind to yourself, there is no point beating yourself up. It’s happened and it’s definitely not the worst thing that could happen. Small consistent steps give big results.
