Love Commandment 9: Enjoy the Journey | VLCD / TFR

In her ninth instalment of 10 New You Commandments to Love Your Body, Melissa highlights the FUN you can have on your New You Plan VLCD / TFR journey, and why it is important enjoy yourself whilst on a diet: [article below]

Love Commandment 9: Enjoy the Journey

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

Greg Anderson

This is a hot topic for me, because I know exactly how most of you feel before embarking on a VLCD / TFR weight loss journey, especially when you have a lot of weight to lose… miserable!

The reason for this is that it is natural to focus on all the “lovely” things that you have to give up, instead of thinking about all the infinitely better and more enjoyable things that you are about to gain!

I remember when I first started on the plan that I ended up in floods of tears at the end of one work day because I couldn’t go home and stuff my face or go to the pub to feel better and less stressed.  To me, it felt like the end of the world because I didn’t have my crutch, and in my little world food and pints were one of my only sources of joy.

I began to feel really depressed and actually thought about giving up (thank goodness I didn’t!) because I couldn’t see how I could enjoy being on a TFR / VLCD diet.

However, I soon realised that the journey could be fun, my life didn’t have to stop and I could adapt to situations so that I could continue to socialise too!

So today I will share with you three ways that you can increase your enjoyment and HAVE FUN whilst on your weight loss journey:

ACCEPT & ADAPT

Yes, you are on a diet.  You can’t enjoy the foods and drinks that you used to, because they have got you to an unhealthy weight, and will continue to have a negative impact on your BMI and health.  Accept this, because you have made an exciting and life-changing choice to turn this all around and start to become the person you want to be!

Now that you have accepted that you need to change, how do you integrate your new TFR / VLCD diet into your life so that you can begin to enjoy the journey?

Many people find it easier to try and clear their social calendar so that they won’t be tempted to cheat – and this is great if it works for you.  Personally, I felt differently: I didn’t want to miss out on meeting my friends or family for some much needed leisure time 🙂

If you feel the same, you can adapt to these new situations by using appropriate products and/or psychological tricks so that you don’t feel like you’re missing out!  Bring a bag of BBQ puffs to the cinema instead of noshing on the high-calorie (and expensive) junk they sell there.  Enjoy a delicious chocolate wafer when having coffee with a friend.  Drink sparkling water with tons of ice on a night out instead of your usual tipple.

This may sound difficult now, but once you begin these changes they are much, much easier than you think 🙂

TINY TARGET TREATS

It is important to set yourself mini milestones throughout your journey, and also to REWARD yourself when you reach them.  Many of us are used to using food to treat ourselves when we have accomplished a difficult task but remember:

“You are not a dog, so don’t reward yourself with food!”

 Your rewards do not have to cost the earth, but they should be something that you love, and it’s even better if they make you look / feel better in yourself too.

Treat yourself to a relaxing massage, a new haircut, or even a new, smaller pair of jeans.  If you don’t have much to spend on yourself that is no problem – treat yourself to a long, hot bath with your favourite tunes, indulge in some self-pampering like doing your nails or just allocate yourself some “me” time to do whatever you enjoy doing most.

By rewarding yourself for reaching your weight-loss mini milestone, you will feel happier and more motivated to reach your next one!

REAP THE RESULTS

Strangely, this never occurred to me about the weight loss journey I had ahead of me: it would be fun EVERY week anyway, because I would be SLIMMER every week and LOOK SEXIER every week!!  What could be more fun than that?

What could be more enjoyable than fitting into smaller and smaller sizes, being able to rock different styles of clothing and receive the torrents of compliments that are about to come your way?

Do you feel happier about your weight loss journey?  I’d love to hear of your tips and tricks to enjoy yourself without food below!

 Love,

Melissa xxx