I
am in good company. I am dieting. I can say with confidence that I am in good
company as British women are expert at dieting.
A quick Google search told me that a typical British woman will diet 2.7
times a year but more than 12% of us will slim up to five times a year.
Not
unsurprisingly, most of us find these changes to our food habits and intakes
hard to stick to – in fact the average time to give us is after five weeks, two
days and 43 minutes according to research commissioned by sugar
substitute brand Splenda. To be honest,
I was surprised it was that long as most of my efforts are blown out of the
water by day five when my longing for noodles and sauvignon blanc almost always
overcomes me!
One in seven women of us stick to a diet for 13 weeks or more, and
nearly one in four (19 per cent) succumb to their favourite food cravings after
a month; 16% lasting just a fortnight
with me and my peers bringing up
the rear with 8% of us giving up within a week.
After all that, we don’t
always succeed either - nearly a third of women
have actually put weight on during a diet, with the average weight gain 3.9lbs. Aaaargh!
The
urge to drop a few pounds always comes to me when the sun begins to shine for
more than three hours a day as that means the dreaded summer clothing is just
around the corner and no more hiding my extra padding under forgiving winter
layers. Skirts, summer dresses and
skimpier tops are nowhere near as kind to you as your favourite chunky, thick
tights and boots.
Inevitably,
it’s when your willpower begins to weaken that the diet begins to slip. To help
keep on track, see the tips below on making your willpower last all day:
Never start your diet
on a Monday. It’s too linked to your working life and
immediately puts you in a negative mindset.
Try a day midweek or Saturday.
Don’t think too far
ahead. Focus only
on meeting your next goal at your next meal and you’ll have more self
control. The average person has 277
foodie thoughts a day – focusing on them all at once will wear you out!
Face your emotions
head on. We all
know that if you’re feeling anxious, angry or lonely, we will seek comfort in
food and drink. Instead, call a friend, do some exercise or even write your
thoughts down and them throw them away.
This action alone tells your brain that you’re having rubbish thoughts
and to disregard them.
Take a breath. If you slow your breathing to 4-6
breaths a minute you will activate your brain’s prefrontal cortex, which
controls your resolve
Leave yourself a note – a particular favourite of
mine. Leave a post-it on the fridge,
bread bin and biscuit tin saying “don’t do it”.
It makes you think………….
Concentrate on your
values. Your dieting goal must be in line with your
overall life values, which are the
most important thing to you. For instance, my family is everything to me and I
have two daughters, one of whom suffered from bulimia for several years. Of
course I blame myself and my gung-ho/use-it-as-an-emotional-crutch attitude to
food. I now hope that my better relationship
with food will give my girls a better relationship with their own bodies.
If you hate doing
something – change something about it. We all know that diet and exercise go hand in
hand. If the thought of the gym or an
exercise DVD in the evening fills you with horror, then why not try getting up
early, doing it first thing and getting it out of the way for the day?
Eat what you want –
within reason. This is a mistake I have made a lot on the
past: eschewing chocolate for “healthier” options such as fruit or oatcakes and
then have eaten my own bodyweight in grapes or satsumas. I would have been better to spend just 107
calories on a two finger Kit-Kat, satisfied my sweet urge and been done with
it.
And
when you’ve lost a few pounds and feel more comfortable in those summer
clothes, look after the clothes just as you’ve been looking after yourself.
Wash delicate fabricates by hand or on an appropriate wash in your machine and
there are some very good hand washing detergents out there. If you are unsure about any beading or
embellishments on your summer clothing, then don’t risk it! The IM team can pick up all your dry cleaning from your home or office and deliver it
back to you. And remember, if you
lost enough weight that last year’s summer clothes are too big – we do alterations too. We’re a versatile bunch at IM Towers and we
just want to help you look your best. Call us today to find out more! 01622
870111 or 01233 799009.
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