Hit a rut

Hi ladies and gents! I'm needing some advice/a kick up the bum. I've been a member in the past and always got to the 16-17 week mark, lose a stone and then I start to taper off, lose interest and give up. I'm at that point now with this group. The group is great, I never feel judged, I feel welcome and supported. It's just me. I'm sticking in this time because I keep telling myself I'm not quoting this time but it's hard on every other day but a Wednesday when it's in the forefront of my mind. What can I do to get out of this rut? Thanks

There is nothing which says that just because something happened in the past it has to happen now, or in the future.
Stop focussing on what did happen.

Ban the word "always" from your vocabulary.

There is nothing significant about 16-17 weeks, or a stone, or any other number or period of time. They are artificial constructs which help us keep track of time or measurements, nothing more.

If it helps, think about weight in kilos, rather than stones, or in periods of, say, 40 days rather than a month, or ten days rather than a week.

You say you lose interest. So, not everything in this life has to be interesting. I lost interest decades ago in doing the washing-up, but I still do it because it has to be done and the alternative would be a bit messy. I can't say I am that interested in having a shower, or cleaning my teeth, but I keep on doing it for fairly obvious reasons!

You just need to try to think about things in a different way, decide on a plan, then stop thinking about it at all - just do it!

Good luck!

Sounds to me like that's how long you can tolerate the structure of the eating plan. It's hard to keep motivated and stick to plan all the time and natural to think you want to give up. But giving up won't lose any more weight. Why not have a treat night or a weekend off, enjoy being off plan, eat and drink the things you're missing then get back on it to lose weight and a fresh start.

moolumps said:

Why not have a treat night or a weekend off, enjoy being off plan, eat and drink the things you're missing then get back on it to lose weight and a fresh start.

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I think the problem with this idea is that the night/weekend off might become a week off or a month off. Then, after the fresh start what happens a week down the line if that 'fed up' feeling comes back? Another off plan night?

Yes, but a night off and a few treats is a normal thing to do to cheer yourself up, life is for living and if you feel like you're depriving yourself aren't you more likely to give up altogether? A planned treat, then carrying on back on plan would work for me, maybe not for everyone.

moolumps said:

Yes, but a night off and a few treats is a normal thing to do to cheer yourself up, life is for living and if you feel like you're depriving yourself aren't you more likely to give up altogether? A planned treat, then carrying on back on plan would work for me, maybe not for everyone.

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Yes, I couldn't agree more with this! This is my second time around with SW; the first time I lost 4 stone and was thrilled! I then gained that 4st back over about 18 months and am now having to do it all again. But last time I certainly did have evenings off. I'd be careful to have good things like fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, and something like lean meat and salad for lunch, to offset my "I'm gonna have whatever I want for dinner and I'm gonna drink a lot of wine", have a great night and then get back on track in the morning. Because, I forget where I heard this but it REALLY stuck with me. You should look at weight loss as climbing a flight of stairs; if you stumble on one (near the top OR near the bottom), you don't go " sod it, I've stumbled once now, I might as well throw myself down the rest" and dive down the stairs. You stumble, gather yourself together and keep climbing. It's a helpful metaphor, I find.
Stick to it, and good luck.

I agree that we all need treats etc but that's what syns are for! An off plan night/weekend clearly works for some people, but it wouldn't work for me. I try to plan non-food treats for myself now (although of course I also have food treats within syns) and I've managed to keep at target for 16 months. I just know from my previous experience with losing and regaining lots of weight, I don't want to risk going down the treat night route.

Thank you so much for posting this thread I'm exactly the same. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but I have given myself a week off plan and this week I got back on it. It stopped the boredom for me and after a week of not eating so well I kind of found myself wanting to get back on the wagon. Xxx

Sadly I can't get away with having an off plan night as my body doesn't seem to enjoy it and the gain sticks with me all week!!

Thanks all for your replies.

I know what you mean about a night off, but to be honest it wouldn't feel like much of a treat since I've been taking nights off when I fancy it anyway! I'm not really in the mind set of just blowing it because I'm bored of the plan. I love all the cooking I do. I love all the fruit and veg, I love feeling a little lighter, sometimes it's just too easy to just pick up a bar of chocolate in the shop and not syn it or have extras from the takeaway.

I'm telling myself that I can't quit this time because actually, I can't be arsed to restart again like I have done before! May as well keep going.

Again, thank you for your replies, some helpful stuff there