Everything was going so well. You lost the weight you'd put on over Christmas and felt on top of the world- until you put it all back on again, nothing dents confidence more than regaining lost pounds. You need to get back those healthy eating habits.
Your psychological outlook can make the difference between success and failure. If your body is continually yo-yoing, you take on the identity of a failed healthy eater. Then loosing and then regaining weight can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You didn't dress for your new curves
While research shows that around 19% of us want to beat the bulge to fit into lovely clothes, many of us don't actually revamp our wardrobes when we hit our target weight.
A mistake a lot of healthy eaters do is they continue to think of themselves as big still. If you persist to stay in your fat clothes you give yourself permission to fill them out again.
So hit those shops.
Your brain suddenly became blind to calories
Once you reach your magic number on the scales, your head tells you to relax, you forget about healthy eating, so back come the biscuits, crisps and chocolates.
Many women switch from obsessing about calories to becoming blind to them, despite the fact that when you weigh less, you need fewer calories to function. The best way of becoming a long-term loser is to listen to your body-to its signs of fullness.
Also although you may weigh the same as a girlfriend, it doesn't necessarily mean you you can tuck into bowls of cabonara like she does. We all have different metabolisms and you may need to work harder to stay slim than your friend.
It seemed like groundhog day in your head
Your diet worked, but did continuing to eat the same meals leave you so bored you kept stealing the kids creme eggs? Food limits nutritional intake, which is unhealthy and really dull.
Ask yourself the question "Do I get excited at mealtimes?" If not, you need to take inspiration from cook books and start shopping for ingredients that excite your head and your palette.
Head to sections of the store you rarely visit, like the ethnic food or deli counter, for healthy but exciting alternatives.
You weren't prepared for the backlash
A healthy eating lifestyle and looking fabulous can stir up all sorts of emotions and envy in others. Take your girlfriend or sister : when you reach your goal-particularly something as hard won as losing weight-it may remind them of their own failed attempts.
They may then start dropping in not -so-nice comments, such as"are you sure you haven't got an eating disorder?"
Whereupon you reach for a unhealthy snack. Remind yourself these negative comments may be born out of resentment and say more about them than you.
' Your new figure can make your partner feel threatened, too 'recognise it's his insecurities talking and reassure him you still love and fancy him.
You were focusing on what not to eat
When it comes to avoiding regaining weight a healthy habit is to think about what you can eat, not what you can't eat.
'We spend too much brain-time thinking about what we shouldn't put in our mouths-whether it's a twix or a piece of buttery toast-making it instantly attractive.
This sets up a feeling of denial, which is never a good thing. But when you start concentrating on what you can tuck into, you'll find your brain squeezes out the calling for unhealthy options because you'll feel better about yourself.'
When you do feel like eating some think unhealthy, instead of feeling guilty afterwards, say to yourself. Don't slide back into bad habits, enjoy what your eating and get back on track the next day.
