(Well I’m zero for two but I’m working on it)
Last year I decided on a whim that I needed to lose weight and started a fairly strict calorie-restricted diet in March that ran through to about mid November. I’d decided to stop in August but then found it almost impossible.
It was pretty successful – I shed a lot of weight and got down to my ideal weight and size and it was a very positive experience – I felt upbeat and good about myself.
This year I’ve decided to add fitness to the mix and have taken out a gym membership with the goal of adding a bit of tone and better cardiac health generally.
The only thing that is bothering me a little is the mindset I’ve fallen into. Even though I’ve supposed to be hitting a maintaining number of daily calories (for me about 2000 daily) I find myself panicking if I even approach that, and getting stressed and guilty if I add snacks even if they don’t take me anywhere near that figure. And this is the worrying bit – I feel bloated and unsuccessful even though realistically I know it will not lead to any gains in weight. I am aware that this is an unhealthy mindset and am working on it. I suppose at the root of the issue is the fact that the successful weight loss last year made me feel really good about myself and that has become locked into the idea of dieting.
Work in progress. I’ll keep you all posted.
