How To Deal With Post Christmas Guilt
Christmas is my favourite time of the year and this year has been just as wonderful as every, however no that I’m on my Slimming World journey it does bring with it another layer which in Christmases past I would never have even considered. After all of the festivities are over it will be time to face the inevitable wave of guilt that comes with having not been on plan for a good few days. If you’re like me and took the Christmas period as a break from weight loss then you’ll understand what I mean, and although I have absolutely not let it dampen my good time it has most definitely been in the back of my mind over the recent days. Obviously if you are one of the highly commendable people who managed to actually stay on plan over Christmas then this post will not be quite as relevant, although I’m hopefully going to set out a few ways which are useful to deal with weight gain guilt in general, not just for Christmas!
Weigh In ASAP
I know it’s a scary thought but it’s the best thing you can possibly do for yourself! It’s also something that I’m struggling with at the moment, the utter terror of stepping on those scales and seeing just how much I’ve put my body through recently. The silly thing is, and I’m sure this is as true for you as it is for me, I can feel the weight gain on myself anyway and that’s got to be worse than any number on the scales! I can feel it on my thighs, arms and tummy and it’s depressing me no end, so the best way to deal with that is to accept the gain in physical terms and move on. Whether you go to group or weigh at home don’t miss that next weigh in just because you’re scared, because trust me you’ll be twice as scared the next week and the guilt will just grow and grow until you are in danger of giving up. It might be a crappy weigh in, but look for support from your group or your family and friends to help you get over it. If you can talk to people who are also no a weight loss journey then the chances are they’ll be feeling the same things you are and a problem shared is a problem halved! Guilt is a universal concept, so don’t be afraid to share it!
Go Back To Basics
If you’re in the position that I’m in, where you’ve been doing Slimming World for a while but you’ve fallen off the wagon, then you know what you should be doing…even if you’re not doing it! So, take a moment to remember the Slimming World basics and commit to following them again! If you need a reminder don’t be afraid of asking your consultant if you can sit in on the new member talk, or if you don’t normally go to group then why not go and sit in on a group to give yourself a little boost. You don’t even have to go back, but it can be really very useful to have someone else take you through it and you never know what more you might learn! I know that my group is having one big new member talk for everyone at the first group in January so your local one might do too!
Make A Solid Plan
Even if you have been on this journey for a while, and no longer meticulously plan every single meal, its a good idea to do it for at least a week after the Christmas festivities end. More importantly though, plan in advance! Don’t leave it until your first day back on plan to work out what you need in the house or what you’re going to eat that week, because you might be in the mindset to just leave it another day. It’s very easy to let ‘just another day’ turn into ‘just another week’ and ‘just another month’ and before you know it you’ve gained everything back again and you’re at square one. Sit down the night before you start and write down everything you need and your meals for at least the next three days. Then finish planning during those three days for the rest of the week. Breaking it up into small chunks can help if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the whole thing, or using the many online resources and meal plans there are out there. I’ll be publishing a new one in the next couple of days, but here are two of my past meal plans which could help you get back on plan! If you make a solid plan you can put the guilt to one side, after all you’re fixing the problem so there’s no need to feel guilty!
Seven Day Meal Plan | Slimming World
Seven Day Meal Plan | Slimming World
Get Rid Of Temptation
Unfortunately as a general rule, those of us who have a problem with our weight are not able to resist temptation if they’re directly in front of us, after all if we could do that we’d all be super models right?!? This being true, it means that surrounding ourselves with the leftover trappings of Christmas is not going to aid weight loss. Whether its a case of finishing all of the chocolates before getting back on plan, probably not the most sensible choice but we’ve all been guilty of making it before, or you do the more admirable thing and donate the boxes of chocolates to the local homeless shelter, you need to get it all out of your house! I really believe that guilt largely comes from the knowledge that we’re likely to stray off plan again and we’re preemptively setting ourselves up for that, so if you take away the temptation not only will you be aiding your chances of success, but you’ll be helping yourself get rid of that horrid pang of guilt too!
Don’t Expect Miracles Over Night
So, you’ve had a few days of eating off plan and drinking enough to drown a fish and its time to get back on it. You’ve weighed yourself, accepted what you’ve gained, you’ve eaten a solid three on plan meals and only had five syns today, you must have lost weight by now right? Of course not! I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that’s not how things work and I don’t think it’s how you’d expect it to work at any other time either. It’s going to take a little while for your body to get back to normal, for the alcohol water retention to go down and for those pesky few Christmas pounds to come off. If you expect it to happen overnight, or even over the course of a few days, you’re going to set yourself up for disappointment and that’s the number one thing that’s likely to send you spiralling off plan!
So there you have it, my top tips for getting rid of the guilt and getting back on plan! I hope that it’s helpful for you, whether it’s this Christmas or another time you fall off the wagon!
