I DON’T know about you but I’m finding this lockdown the hardest one yet. So many people are saying the same – even the most positive of people who are used to winning the day are finding it a struggle getting out of bed some days. It’s literally groundhog day every day.
I spoke to a lady last week who was doing so well with her wonderful new lifestyle habits, had dropped two sizes and was feeling SO motivated.
Her new way of eating and exercise had become wonderful feelgood habits, she was loving it – until the January lockdown happened and then she felt something stopped.
It was like a light in her brain had been turned off. She became so apathetic and the motivation was sucked out of her soul.
Then fear of failure reared its ugly head and she panicked.
She was paralysed with worry that she’d lost the magic and all her fabulous new habits were going to be undone. She felt she was going backwards.
She’s absolutely not alone. I know so many people in the same boat and this week I want to help you stop this and get you moving forward and happy again.
First of all, if this is happening to you, I want to assure you that you’re really not going mad and that this can totally be solved!
Let’s stop fear in its tracks! Weight loss shouldn’t be a fearful experience, but the fear has been created because of years and years of battling with food and diets.
Slimming club weigh-ins cause a lot of anxiety because you get worried about whether you’ve “lost” weight and whether you’ll feel humiliated.
Throughout the years layers and layers of anxieties and worries build up and become so big that it eventually means the very mention of losing weight brings on anxiety.
And then there’s fear of self-sabotage or falling off the wagon – you begin worrying about whether you’ll fall off the wagon before it actually happens and then it becomes inevitable because you can’t get it off your mind.
Other people worry why they’re not losing weight as quick as they’d hoped, but then give up and stop losing weight altogether because it’s easier that way! Fear of failure can be a deep-rooted fear.
But fear is a mind game and we’ve never taught ourselves to deal with it. The motive behind fear is avoidance.
Keep winning the day
Fear doesn’t help you commit to something – it stops you succeeding. Fear stops you challenging yourself.
So the trick is to master your fear because that’s the greatest leap towards freedom and lasting weight loss.
Just think about what fear has cost you in your life because if you worry about not losing weight, I’m betting you’ll also worry and have fears about other things too.
If you had more courage and less fear, what would you do? Just imagine what that would do to your motivation! If fear is winning in your life, it’s because you keep choosing it over courage, bravery and strength. When you’re trying to lose weight and something causes you to be fearful, you have a choice.
You can cave into the fear or you can be strong and get past it.
The greatest battles in life are between fear and freedom. Either fear wins or freedom wins.
How many times have you run away from something uncomfortable rather than looking past it for the possibilities, potential and freedom?
Keep winning the day
What about if the next time you were confronted with the fear you stayed strong – what’s the worst that can happen? Make a decision now to stop letting your fears win.
You don’t have to be a slave to your history. You can be free.
The great efforts to move life forward comes down to one moment in time when we interrupt the fear and activate our freedom by choosing to think and feel differently.
Yes, it’s about choice! We all have a choice. We don’t have to be held hostage by our own minds!
Make decisions and choices that will take you forward into believing and trusting new things. All you need to do is know it’s possible. Don’t let your fears define who you are.
So your task this week is to think about whether fear of failure has sabotaged your weight loss in the past – and now confront it.
Don’t let it win this time.
Keep winning the day
So many of us are doing ridiculous hours and home schooling, too. We’re stressed and that isn’t helping either.
But please take care of YOU in all this. Be realistic about what you want to achieve in the short term. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting unrealistic goals.
Take one day at a time. And take one baby step at a time, too.
Set small goals you can achieve within 24 hours.
Get involved in the motivational challenges that are running in Slimpod Club.
Success at the moment is all about winning the day!
Join me on our main Slimpod for weight loss page for a Facebook Live on Tuesday January 26) at 7.30pm UK time, when I’ll be doing a deeper dive into all this and I’ll be helping you to stop self-sabotage in its tracks!
I’m also live on Instagram on Wednesday at 7pm.
If you’re a Slimpodder who’s not on Facebook or Instagram, there’s free Zoom support especially for you. Join Kate this Wednesday at 10am at www.goldgatherings.com
Tell me below if you know what stops you from succeeding and I’ll make sure I discuss it on an upcoming live
And by the way, the lady at the start of the story has taken back control and will be telling her story soon! I do love a happy ending!
36 thoughts on “Winning the day will keep your weight loss moving!”
I’ve been in a black hole since early November after a very positive start. Mid december I thought I’d be able to get back into it so had a restart….then got covid. I am back, 3 days in to my second restart and feeling really positive. Watch this space
Great! Keep going Helen! Sx
Hi been doing this for two weeks have found it good .But still got the habit of trying to calorie counting.I work nights 3days a week this can be a challenge when being in bed from around 9am till about 3.30 getting up and feeling starving . I know I can do thing like you said just getting my mind in the right place .Any tips for hospital night workers many thanks
Hiya! keep going because it’s early days right now. The more you trust yourself with food the more you’ll stop relying on calorie counting. The biggest tip I would give you re your night shift is have something protein based before you go to bed and then again when you get up. Scrambled eggs or a quick omelette will help you feel full. But do join in the group chat on FB and you can ask others what they do. Sx
If anything was to sabotage my journey it would be comfort eater under stress or upset .
I am hoping the slim pod can help with these to reinforce my will power but also let go of the guilt of having a treat .
Hey! I’m sure it will help hugely! Sx
That makes sense but still sabotage myself sometimes, especially at night when I cant sleep I find myself eating through the night
So working on your sleep is the answer to this. Your mind gets into a pattern of waking up and expecting food. This habit needs to be broken. Listen to your chillpod when you wake up or take something like Nytol (herbal based) for a couple of nights to help break the habit. Sx
The fear of losing weight then putting all the weight back on I’ve been to so many diet clubs and always gained it all back so its in my head whats the point
That’s EXACTLY what happens to SO many people – believe me you’re not alone. But you need to know it’s not your fault and things can change when your mind and body work together rather than having a constant battle. Sx
I loose my motivation and don’t know how to get it back, then I give up as I feel totally hopeless and feel empty and annoyed with myself.
Yep, but that doesn’t need to happen when you’re on a Slimpod! Join in with the FB group and we’ll help you be motivated!
I really relate to this but am finding it hard to even get a daily goal achieved. I still listen to my pod and stress pod and write my wins but food is winning over my will power and stress of home schooling and working from home. Not all things are lost, walking and wins are still there but where do I find my grit again? Thank you
Hi Cally, It literally is about the feeling you get from winning your day. Self care is the thing that gets forgotten right now. I’ll be talking about this on my Live tonight on the Slimpod main page at 7.30 and again tomorrow evening in Slimpod Club. Join me on one or both of those and I’ll share your question – and give you some help 🙂 Sx
I was feeling really low in mood.Motivation about anything has really gone and although I am 8n general sticking to the healthy eating plan and some 3 exercise it is a huge effort whilst before I was ‘all systems go’.This lockdown has really done for me .I think it is because there is n9 real light at the end of the tunnel and the vaccine is not going to be the ‘tool’ that sets us free. Sorry if I sound pessimistic and I know compared to some my life is ok,but, it just doesn’t feel like it is good at this time.
Hey Jennifer, join me on my lives this week and I’ll help with motivation! Sx
I think whats stopped me is the fact that, having dropped 2 dress sizes, I’ve reached a size that I haven’t been below for years. I always said in the past I would be happy to just get to this size. But its still too big and I want to smash through this size and go lower now. I seem to have a mental block on getting below this size!
Hi there Liz! This is exactly the same as Sally-Anne who did a video with me recently. Scroll down on my blog and you’ll find her. Something always stopped her too, a limiting belief that it was possible! So the secret is to unpack that limiting belief and join Michelle’s special project because that will deal with any insulin resistance that might be stopping you. Sx
I can identify with this story. I was doing well during the first lockdown and lost about a stone in weight and dropped a dress size but since December I am struggling with maintaining momentum and am eating everything in sight especially chocolate. I wasn’t bothered about chocolate before and I could have it in the house and it didn’t worry me. It’s different now, I’m finding that I even eat chocolate I don’t particularly like the taste of. The weight is piling on again and I feel very despondent about it. I listen to my pods every night. I’m in Extra and look at all the comments on Facebook. At present nothing is resonating with me. Where am I going wrong?
Bless you Brenda. Don’t blame yourself. Stress, loneliness, boredom and constant lockdowns are causing so much grief for us all. Go through my live chats in the ‘Units’ in Slimpod Club – I’m sure they’ll inspire you to take back control. Especially watch the one I did with Brian Mayne re a lockdown goalmap. I’m live tonight so join me. Sx
In the past I think I’ve failed because I have still carried my fear for food with me. My mother was not a nice person and constantly told me I was ugly, fat, stupid and so on. Every thing I ate whether cauliflower or cake would “ make me even fatter than you already are”. So now as an adult I diet, lose loads of weight but never address the fear so once I have a none diet food I panic and just eat and eat and eat until I hate myself and guess what ? I do end up fatter than ever!
Bless you. The deep emotional stuff really has to be addressed otherwise you’ll keep going round in circles. Email customerservices@thinkingslimmer.com and we can help to undo this stuff. Sx
Tegsy that must have been awful for you with what your mother was saying to you. I am so sorry you had to go through all that. People who say cruel things like that usually think the same of themselves, I know it is no consolation to you and I am truly sorry for that. You are a truly amazing strong person and you will get through this. We are all here for each other to help us through all the stuff we are going through as a team we unite and become stronger, so always remember you are not alone, we are here together to lift each other up when we are down.
I find it difficult having different routines working from home or in the office. In the office I feel prepared I take my healthy lunch and fruit to snack, at home I just want to eat continuously, because I’m in the kitchen and it’s all there. I don’t know why I only do this on days I’m working? I’m fine on a weekend. I think it’s a comfort thing, I’m working in my house. I have a stressful job and before lockdown home was my sanctuary where I closed the door from work and now it’s there all the time. Any help on what I could do to change this mindset would be brilliant. I am on level 3 and do really well on my office working days.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. The stress has now been brought into the house where there are no mental boundaries where food is concerned. You used to have a routine and like for so many of us, it’s gone out the window. It’s about your environment. Working in the kitchen and all the temptations/distractions. Can you go into a different place to work? Or alternatively, keep the same routine and prepare your healthy lunch in the morning so you know that’s what you’re having and that’s it. Then leave the kitchen for a break and go for a walk. Hope that helps! Sx
Sometimes when I’m given a nice complement like you’ve lost weight I stupidly think that I can then eat all the junk food because someone has noticed sends me into a downward spiral, then I feel miserable with myself for eating the junk ♀️
YES! This happens to so many people. It’s not supid at all. It’s important to know this is going on. This can be related to so many things. Ask yourself what is the intention or motivation behind this behaviour? It sounds weird but it will be protecting you from something like unwanted attention or fear of success. When you discover whats going on you can reframe it and knock it on the head! Sx
Thanks Sandra it’s as if having a compliment about my weight/size knocks all my new learned good habits and intentions out of sequence, I am learning to notice and try to curb the urges to indulge in rubbish food and feel confident in myself
I am feeling so depressed. This time last year I was so happy I’d lost 2 stone and felt really good about myself. In March I lost my job and have been self isolating ever since. I can’t get back into eating healthy and exercise. I just want to be a couch potato and comfort eat. Really miserable, desperately need some motivation.
Ahh, Julie. Well you know you can do it! Let’s start from scratch and set a goalmap. This isn’t going to last forever and you want to come out of it feeling well and healthy. Look at my lives in Slimpod club – Brian Mayne and myself did a live about positivity during lockdown. This will help you. It’s also on my YouTube channel. Sx
I’m slowly taking back control, taking it small baby steps one at a time. During the second lockdown last year I noticed I wasn’t fully focused on my new healthy choices which I was making each day on the foods I was eating, and I slowly realised I had put on one of the 2 stones I’d lost during the 12 week gold plan I think it was and I was eating things like biscuits, cakes, takeaways all the things I’d stopped eating so much off my daily consumption of fizzy drinks had also increased too, so as you can imagine the disappointment in myself that I felt, I felt a failure and I felt I didn’t deserve to be the healthy size I imagined I wanted to be one day so over the next though months Christmas, new year came and went and after many, many attempts at getting my motivation and determination back to making the right choices I had even stopped writing my daily wins, and not posting on the facebook group as much as I used to do, and the amount of time I’d actually thought about cancelling my subscription. The past couple of days I’ve decided that if I give in to this the fault lies only with me and this made me think to myself that I’m not a failure, that I can do this and I can be that healthy slim woman that I imagine I will be one day. Realising that I want this healthy lifestyle to become a permanent thing that I want to be around for my children, granddaughter in march a grandson.
This is great! Go for it Julie. Get a buddy, attend the Gold Gatherings, lives, everything that will help with motivation! Sx
I’m 12 days in and still feel a tad guilty when I eat ‘off’ plan (Slimming World), but I’m getting there, and blogs like these are so helpful. I’ll be with you for your live this evening. Thank you.
Welcome! You’ll start trusting yourself soon – and then freedom will be yours! See you later! Sx
Hi Sandra, my sabotage comes at the weekend after having good results in the week I have a glass of wine…then another then the chocolate & snacks come out I think sod it im ok and a binge is on :/
Oh this is exactly what I do. Not just in losing weight but in other aspects of my life too. It’s just easier not to have the confrontation. I have been told I have high blood pressure now so I really want to lose some weight to keep healthy. I am not good at keeping up with exercise. I start something, then get sore and give up. So I guess that is something that is stopping me succeeding. I am getting control of my eating, hardly ever have anything sweet and have cut out wine during the week with only a couple of glasses at the weekend. Finding my full signal is hard at though.