Weight Watchers Update: October

Now, stop me if you've heard this before. "I just don't seem to be losing weight at the moment. I'm eating well, and I'm exercising, but the scales aren't going down. I mean, there was that night out the other day. And then we went out for lunch a couple of days ago. Oh, and we did order pizza the other night. But seriously, why aren't I losing weight?"

This is me right now. Over the last month, I've lost my discipline and I'm really only admitting that to myself now. The thing is, I am being fundamentally good most of the time. But treats are slipping through, and I'm not tracking. I don't think you need to track what you're eating to lose weight, but me? I need to. Recording what I'm eating in my Weight Watchers app can be an eye opener - so many things can slip through the cracks. And doing it properly usually means I'll have enough points left for a Kitkat or some extra cheese on my dinner, so it doesn't mean I can't still have treats.


I've lost a pound in the last month which... is rubbish. After everything I've said above, though, I'm not gaining - just staying the same. Well, in the sense that I might be up one week, and down the next. So I obviously haven't gone that badly off the rails, but it was probably the last month of the year that I could have made a difference to my weight loss and I kind of wasted it. Now we're in November, Christmas temptation is already here in a big way, I've got a foodie holiday to NYC in a couple of weeks and then it's December, and I'm going to really struggle to not let my diet go out the window until January.

The hardest part is that there is a big part of me that WANTS my diet to go out the window. That wants to eat ALL the bad food and stay in the warm on the sofa instead of going out for long walks. That's the part of me that suggested we ordered Dominos last Friday and that ensured our walk home from the fireworks display on Saturday took us past the chippy. It's like a naughty kid in the back of my head, and sometimes listening to it is fun. You know you shouldn't, but then you also know it's going to be really fun. And tasty.

I started my new job a couple of weeks ago after quite a few weeks at home, and the change of routine has been a bit of a challenge. I'm really enjoying the job, and actually when I'm there I'm not struggling to eat my usual smoothie for breakfast and soup for lunch, and as I went batch cooking crazy before I started, there are loads of healthy meals in the freezer. I've made it as easy for myself as possible. But tiredness has a lot to answer for - hence ordering pizza at the end of my first full week. Walking has been my sole source of exercise for a while, and I'm too tired now in the evenings to go out for a walk, and even if I wasn't, it's so dark and cold and wet!

I gave myself a bit of a talking to on Sunday morning, and made myself track properly again that day. We went out for a long walk before 10am, and then ate soup for lunch and a healthy dinner from the freezer. I knew I could have just started again on Monday - new week and all that - but I wanted to pull it back as soon as I could, and I'm glad I did. I need to stop letting the naughty voice win, because I've worked really hard to lose a stone this year. I've been really enjoying liking clothes again and having my shape back, and even though I'm still a stone and a half away from my lowest in 2013, getting there again seemed possible. It would be so easy to undo all that and I really don't want to go back to where I was at the start of this year - I felt horrible; my self esteem was at an all time low and my health was pretty terrible too because I was eating so badly.

What I need to remind myself is that a diet like Weight Watchers isn't about deprivation. I can still have cheese and chocolate and carbs, and I can even still have a super unhealthy meal out once in a while. I just have to be honest with myself and remind myself that it's worthwhile and that I'm not punishing myself. It's hard. I will always resent it a little bit.

Sorry this is so negative this month, but it's all part of giving myself that talking to - I really need that at the moment. I am doing this because I WANT to, and I need to keep my eyes on the prize, really. So what are my goals for the next month?

1. Stay the same
I would love to lose weight by this time next month, but I really don't think it's realistic, especially with a week in NYC in there. Maintaining now until January is achievable and means that I won't be starting from square one after Christmas.

2. Be good where I can
This means not writing off the entire week because I have two meals out coming up, and sticking to my plan the rest of the time. I'm terrible for this, and I think it's the key to getting through the next couple of months without gaining.

3. Eyes on the prize
I'm a bridesmaid at my sister's wedding next July, and I don't want to be scared to look at the photos. And as much as I am enjoying being a comfortable size 14 again, there are SO many lovely size 12 dresses languishing in storage that I want to fit into again.

4. Remind myself how far I've come
Since January, I've actually lost nearly a stone and a half. This time last year, I think I was about a stone up from where I am now, and I'd made the decision to quit dieting until after Christmas - which turned into trying all the things I wanted to and eating a lot of things for the sake of it (I probably didn't need to buy two of the M&S bakery cookies every lunchtime). I'm not where I thought I'd be by now, but I've done pretty well. Congrats, me.

5. Make time for exercise
It's time for me to find some classes I can go to after work, or suck it up and go out for a walk in the dark - because it's a rubbish excuse to give it up for a few months, isn't it?

How are you doing at the moment? Is the lure of the festive season derailing you, too?