Sorry, the link didn't work this was the page from the link;
Many people put themselves under appalling pressure without even realising it. The scenario can vary tremendously in content but the process is the same.
The scenario is all too familiar and goes something like this: There we are, bounding along, being incredibly 'good', losing weight well, when along comes temptation and we let that iron control slip - just a little. We're so disappointed that we tell ourselves we've spoiled everything, we've 'blown' it. We continue to 'blow' it [might as well, now we've ruined our perfect run] for days or even weeks. Result - significant weight gain, significant damage to our self-esteem, significant reinforcement of our belief that we're useless at this slimming game.
At Slimming World, we have a wonderful eating plan, it's called Food Optimising. You can eat loads of food and lose weight. There's a list as long as your arm of what we call Free Food - different foods that you can eat freely to satisfy your appetite. Then we ask you to eat some more food, called Healthy Extras, to ensure a good nutritional balance. Then, on top of all that, there's what we humorously call Syns - foods often banned on diets because they're quite fattening. Between 10 and 15 Syns is about the recommended amount a day for someone who's two to three stones overweight [you can have more if you have more to lose]. This helps you lose weight at a good and sensible rate, say a couple of pounds a week.
In other words, it's a way of eating that can be adopted quite naturally as a way to eat for life. It's a way of eating that you can feel so comfortable with that it's no hardship to adopt it for good. It's a way of eating that slim people do as a matter of course and they've never even tried Food Optimising!
Flexible friends
The point I'm making is that it's a super way of losing weight and keeping it off. However, there are times when those usual Syns just aren't enough. Certainly, you could eat out or go to a party and stick rigidly to your Syns, but you may find yourself feeling just a touch deprived, like a martyr. And that's when trouble can start. So what's the alternative? Flexibility!
Slim people overeat occasionally and don't worry about it. They carry on with their normal routine as soon as they're able. Or they adjust what they eat beforehand. Or they compensate afterwards. Slimmers can do the same - and it works.
Most slimmers are happy with the idea of cutting down beforehand or compensating afterwards. Maybe that's because they can see the logic of it, or because they feel they must 'pay' or suffer for their pleasures. But at Slimming World we don't believe in suffering! We take flexibility much further: we believe that sometimes flexibility means doubling or even trebling your Syns for the day - without paying!
Ask a dedicated slimmer to be really flexible - to have maybe 30 Syns for a day, without compensating before or after - and you'll often see a look of shock and disbelief.
But trust me, the most common reason for failure I've found has been lack of flexibility. Over-rigid adherence to any slimming plan has been the ultimate cause of many a slimmer's downfall. That's when 'diet' becomes a four-letter word. That's when that weight that you swore you would never regain comes creeping back.
Remember the scenario I described earlier? Now imagine, when you've 'blown' it, how many extra Syns (or calories) you actually ate. You probably have no idea because you stopped counting. And you stopped counting the next day, and the next... We're now talking hundreds of extra calories (or Syns) - hundreds! That's when the real weight loss damage is done, not by just allowing yourself a bit of extra leeway - say an extra 20 Syns or so - but by giving up for a week or a month or a year.
We often see people who take the fast route, the motorway to slimming success, and end up so exhausted at the end of their journey that they relapse. Those who take the scenic route still reach their destination, maybe a little later, but they've had a much more pleasant journey and are in great spirits to continue. So, be kind to the most important person you know - you.
Every now and then, ease the pressure on yourself. How much and how often? You decide. Try it out. Give yourself an extra allowance when you need it most, negotiate an upper limit with yourself - even if it's just a stressful day - and you'll also be giving yourself a real chance of success, for life. Just keep counting - and stick to your upper limit - you can count on it!
