And it’s not so much about losing weight as it is about sticking to a regime. In a fit of enthusiasm you start off by laying off everything and you feeling a real sense of achievement. Till it all goes flying out of the window when you see that moist, glistening piece of chocolate cake or the sinful butter cream topped cupcake. ‘It’s ok, one piece isn’t going to throw me off my game,’ you think and wham! There goes all the hard work and back come the calories. Why is it so hard to stick to a plan? Are we too ambitious or do we have too weak willpowers? Turns out, it’s a combination of many things and if you are looking for a way to stand by your weight loss plan, arm yourself with these tips!
The buddy system
Know a friend who’s also trying to shed kilos? Make a pact and promise each other that you’ll exercise together – even if you don’t live in the same city. Join a yoga class, dance class or just go for a brisk walk every day, whatever floats your boat. Check up on each other’s progress daily; it’s not just the moral support that we need but the thought that someone is trying just as hard as you that can really help you keep your routine intact.
The carrot and stick approach
Ok, so this probably isn’t as cruel as it sounds. It’s quite simple really – an incentive always pushes you to do better. Promise yourself that if you lose 2 kilos in the next one week, you can buy yourself a lipstick or whatever it is that you like. The corollary should work too – unless you lose those 2 kilos, you will not shop for anything, no matter how cheap or small. Shopping is just one carrot; yours could be dining out or a new haircut.
Keep short goals
If someone told you to lose 10 kilos in a month, chances are you’ll quit in a week thanks to the mammoth goal but who said big numbers are the best ones? While it’s good to be ambitious, for starters keep your goals achievable – that way the regime won’t sound so daunting. Think about it – losing 1 kilo in a week sounds good too, doesn’t it?
Give yourself variety
Just because you chose to walk every day for an hour doesn’t mean you have to do it every day. For one, it will turn into a monotonous routine that you’ll itch to skip. So do different things – dance, skip, cycle or swim. And if you are a bit more adventurous, you could try jogging backwards. Just a thought! Dancing is probably one of the best ways to get you moving but you don’t have to join a dance class for that. Just create your own playlist, lock yourself in a room, plug in those earphones and get grooving!
Indulge once in a while
Losing flab means keeping the most tempting things at bay – cheese, chocolates, sweetmeats, fried food – and this is hard work. But if you’ve stuck to your eating habits you can indulge yourself once in a while – that means once in two weeks! This is harder than it sounds because the minute that piece of cake comes in front of you, you’ll begin to justify to yourself why it’s ok to have it. ‘So, I will have two now and none the next week.’ But it doesn’t work that way.
Compensate
Again, this doesn’t mean you pig out on desserts one day and starve yourself the next day. It doesn’t even work. What it means is that if you happened to have a heavier lunch than you intended to, go easy on the dinner.
Sworn enemies of a weight loss plan
So you’re out drinking with friends and even though it may be impossible to avoid one drink, stay away from the French fries! When you go to the movies, not having popcorn and cold drinks is almost criminal for some – so popcorn might be ok, but cold drinks are an absolute no-no. Have water or juice instead. When you are out for a dinner, avoid the dessert unless it’s a fruit salad! These are very frequent situations we find ourselves in and so keeping clear of cold drinks, dessert and deep fried appetizers is absolutely important. If you are one of those who stock cold drinks at home, time to put an end to that as well.
Stop one at a time
Don’t try to go gung-ho on your diet plan and quit everything at once. You can start with something you eat fairly regularly but which is fattening too – for instance fried papad at home with meals. Try roasted instead. You might also be eating cheese in your grilled sandwich – time to cut that out next. Slather your rotis ghee or butter, maybe? Chop that off your list too. Cut down on one thing at a time – it’s easier than stopping everything at once.
Declare
It may sound ridiculous but when you declare your goals, the pressure is that much more on you to achieve those goals – it’s a trick many people use to stick to their plans of action and you could try the same. You don’t have to put it on Facebook but maybe tell a friend. Let them know that you binged or you strayed off – it’ll help you be true to yourself and help you get back on track.
Take inspiration
We all have that one person, that one celebrity that we wish we could look like and even more so who went from overweight to fit. Read up about them and find out their fitness secret. You don’t have to ape their routine – the idea is to take inspiration. Every time you feel like you are close to quitting, sit back and think of your inspiration; after all it wasn’t easy for them so it won’t be for you either. Having someone to look up to makes it easier to stick to your fitness regime.
Making charts and giving yourself constant encouragement is all good but remember not to justify binging or making lame excuses for when you stray off your plan. If you do, don’t quit – get back to it. Adhering to a weight loss plan is easier said than done but hey, if losing weight was that simple, everyone would be skinny right? The trick - Keep going and don’t let bumps in the way stop you.”
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