Hi DB,
Just wanted to share a few of my coping strategies with you and your clients (lucky them to have such a thoughtful CDC).
I lost almost 12stones over 12 months and my CDC, bless her - (the long suffering Pip - FirefliesUK - love ya!!) cajoled, persuaded, pushed me thru it.
I now see and acknowledge that I am a food addict, always have been, always will be. Nothing does it for me like food - any and all food - so I have to learn how to cope around it.
Here are a few of things that got/get me thru each day -
1. All food that can be frozen is frozen. I then have some thinking time between getting food out and being able to eat it. That hasn't stopped me eating frozen grated cheese on occasion tho
2. I prepare my son's packed lunch sandwiches - 2 loaves at a time on a day when I feel strong. I make them, wrap them and freeze them. Pop a frozen pack in his lunch box at eight and it defrosts perfectly by lunchtime.
3. Practise buying foods that others like and I dislike - in my case never buy Walkers crisps, only Pringles or Doritos (yuk).
4. Resist buying foods that I know will tempt me - I have never yet managed to have just 2 squares of black chocolate so I now don't buy any unless I am prepared to acknowledge that I will eat it all and I will feel the guilt etc.
5. Know that the best way to not eat the 2nd Jaffa cake/Digestive/ice cream is NOT TO EAT THE FIRST.
6. In social situations that involve eating, learn to tell big fat lies! Develop stomach bugs, sore throats or invent big meals you've just eaten or will eat later! Nothing stops nosy parkers better than a graphic description of the trots
7. Teach your kids/partners/pets etc to clear their own plates into the bin and pour washing up liquid over the leftovers if necessary.
8. Don't watch TV adverts or the Coronation St trailers (b*stards - I want a creme egg!!)
9. Don't dwell on how little you have lost and how much more there is to go and how many more days/weeks/years of this still to come. Just decide to stick to it now, right now, this minute. Later, tomorrow, next week can all wait, just think about now.
10. Distract yourself - clean, iron, garden, bathe or just go to bed but do all those things before you give in and break the diet.
11. Crying, screaming, stamping your feet like a toddler and generally being an all round pain in the *rse is quite normal, it will pass, stick to the diet and you will lose weight.
12. The weight shown by the scales is a guide only and not a measurement of your success - loser clothes, more energy and feeling better and healthier are the real measures.
Whoops - got a bit carried away there!
Hope it helps,
Love,
A
xxxx
PS Just wanted to say that you were a big inspiration to me DB when I started. DHH and the supportive threads etc was my lifeline - I owe you a big thanks
