Give Yourself a Break for Weight Loss

Now that you have been with Lark DPP and you have been chasing weight loss goals for a while, you may have learned a bit about overcoming obstacles. Barriers and setbacks are bound to occur, but as this mission discussed, there are plenty of ways to overcome them.

Understand

Ups and downs happen no matter what. They may be unpredictable and even frustrating, but having a bit of an understanding about what may cause ups and downs can increase your sense of control and make adjustments. These are a few common frustrating events and some reasons why they can occur.

• Weight loss plateau or bump up: may be normal fluctuation, too much sodium the day before, or not eating exactly what you thought you were.
• Fitness plateau or burnout: could be boredom or your body adapting (getting used to) your workout program.
• "Cheating" on your diet: may be from lack of availability of healthy foods, unexpected temptations, feeling deprived with your healthy meal plan, or worrying that you will never be able to eat "good" foods again.

Forgive

Have you been skipping workouts? Did you go out for pizza and finish up the leftovers on your way home? Did you get home after work and have some quality time with the ice cream in your freezer? Whatever happened, the healing can start after you forgive yourself. Treating yourself as you would a friend can help prevent blaming or shaming yourself, and can allow you, instead, to support yourself and gather strength to move forward.

Capitalize

The times when things do not go quite right create tons of chances to improve. Maybe you could…

• Log food in Lark if bites and nibbles have been creeping into daily life.
• Schedule workouts for mornings instead of evenings if you are too tired to get moving after work.
• Find a workout buddy or new activity to try if you are bored.
• Discover healthier alternatives to favorite treats, such as unsweetened chocolate instead of chocolate cake, or homemade pizza on whole-grain crust or English muffins instead of going out.
• Prepare a delicious, healthy dinner and some fresh fruit to eat after work when you get home, and plan to phone a friend or have another plan, instead of digging through the freezer and finding the ice cream.

Take Breaks

Break can do wonders for weight loss, fitness, and motivation. A break could be a day or two without exercising or with a fun new activity, or it could be a cheat meal with one or a few of your very favorite foods. Another way to break up the routine and boost motivation is to set new goals.

Ups and downs happen no matter what. The setbacks can be frustrating, but they can be helpful, too. They can offer opportunities to dig deep, re-evaluate progress and goals, and reroute based on your new and improved abilities.