Diets don't work!!!
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
This post, will be a short one, and to be honest it's more me getting a rant out before I head back to work / uni / meetings where I will hear the usual crap about weight loss. I also expect to lose readers with this post because, lets face it, a lot of people out there don't want to hear the truth! (as a side note I don't care if you don't like my blog, I write it for me!)
I'm not entirely sure where it came from but a lot of people seem to become entirely obsessed with their weight once the calender flicks to the new year. Now I'm afraid that this post may seem like me preaching but it doesn't intend to be, what I want to do is make you think for even a moment about your own attitudes to weight loss, and also for me to vent this out so I don't overspill in work to some poor girl.
I've had a lot of people complain, in meetings, in work, on youtube, in their blogs, about how their loss isn't going the way that they want. It's either plateuing, or they are slowly putting on and what is really driving me mad is that they are blaming the weightwatchers plan. Are you people kidding me?
Does the plan ever change week on week? No. You have your set amount of points and you stick to it, adding in some activity, when you do that it works and you all know that it work. If you've tried it for a few weeks you know it, I've never known someone to not lose something on the plan. So if the plan doesn't change, what does? You've got it, it's you, your attitude to it and what you ultimately put in your mouth!
It's frustrating me even more that there are people moving plans and instead opting for other diets. Now I'm not slagging off these diets as I'm sure they do, if stuck to, make you lose weight but the reason I'm moaning in this post is more because I know that weightwatchers is a good and healthy system. It is not a diet, it is a lifestyle and it re-trains you to make proper decisions regarding your food, and most importantly in my mind, learn to control your portions.Stop blaming your system and feeling a need to move to another. You're fooling yourself.
I really, truely in my heart don't believe I ever ate all that unheallthily, I was vegetarian for a large part of my life and I constantly eat fruit and veg. My problem with weight stems from no portion control.
And that's what aggitates me about friends moving to other plans for what is obviously some sort of 'quick fix'. In order to lose weight you have just got to actually do it. No plan, weightwatchers or otherwise can make you lose weight if you don't have the mind set and determination to do it. In order to maintain weightloss, you need to understand why portion control is so important.
As a girl who tried many a weightloss program I was going to talk about some problems I encountered on other plans and why I think the weightwatchers one is elite in comparison, but I won't, instead I'm going to mention my favourite things about weightwatchers and why other plans pale by comparison.
One plan I followed, for a fee of course, basically gave you your lunch and dinner every day for as long as you paid, I lost on it no doubt, but lets face it, it was entirely impractical and quite expensive, and when I stopped all the weight came back on. I know that if I really wanted to I could have kept that weight off, but I think I'm one of those who really need a structure to make it work if you know what I mean? I think that's my biggest reason for loving weightwatchers, I can eat what I want, when I want, how I want, I just have to work out the points, and to be fair, you start to know them off the top of your head before long. You fit the plan to your own life.
Getting back to portion control, I really can't stress how important I think that this is to a healthy body and mind, you shouldn't overdo it with anything. And I've been on plans where you are actually encouraged to eat as much as one food as you possibly can. In fact I remember saying to the leader/consultant about being hungry before bed and was told I should have steamed a bag of new potatoes and just ate them. Seriously!!! it was at that moment I realised how completely daft and unhealthy that plan was and so I left to return to calorie counting. I really, really think that mindless eating is stupid, you should never eat unless you are truely hungry, not mentally hungry. Food is fuel, you should only eat until satisfied, not full, not bursting. Another thing I hated about that plan was that foods that were not zero all had a type of point value to them and you were only allowed x amount of them, I, like most women, want what I can't have, and this made them into glorious forbidden treats.
Weightwatchers obviously due to it's point system encourages you to eat correct portions, then once you've eaten your meal you realise, hell I'm not actually huingry, but satisfied and comfortable! I've also never experienced that 'forbidden' feeling either because nothing is forbidden! Just work it into your points.
But what program you follow is worthless if you are not in the proper mindset! So stop blaming whatever program you are on, throw out the sweets if you have to and wind your neck in! Diets don't work, not in the long run, only healthy eating and healthy minds work.
That's all,
Sarah.
PS. I am not paid by weightwatchers to talk about this. I did get an email a week or so ago asking would I endorce a random website (never been asked that before) but I wouldn't cus it was total crap. I'd love to work for weightwatchers though, just because they are so good! I also know that there must be some people out there who can criticise my beloved weightwatchers program, I know that no program is perfect, but I really have done this post to vent, and try get people to think about how silly they are being.
A new year post should be on the books.
And only two more sleeps til i get back to weightwatchers after the christmas break!!!
Sarah,I love love love your blog, I joined Weightwatchers 2 years ago and lost a stone, then my mindset and discipline went completely out the window, I tried last September and in the new year again by joining the group you go to (I also think Jackie is amzing and so inspirational) but failed again. This post has hit the nail on the head.Im going to rejoin Jackies group at the end of October (finances arent great atm) and cannot wait to get started! Thankyou for your inspiration and Congratulations on your weightloss journey!Louise x
ReplyDeletethanks chick :) hope you can get into the mindset this time round. Keep in touch :)
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