What to do about your weight when your focus is interrupted due to life’s interruptions?
Have you ever had your weight loss interrupted by something you didn’t foresee and/or couldn’t control? And it wasn’t just a party or vacation that threw things off? These past 6 weeks have been a nightmare for me! What was supposed to be a routine colonoscopy turned into a major hand infection from an iv. Not only did I learn how important it is to follow your gut when you know something is really wrong and you’re not happy with your diagnosis, but I also learned how to be your own advocate. After 2 doctor’s appointments, 2 trips to the er, being admitted to the hospital for 4 days, and having hand surgery, I finally got the help I needed. Obviously this big interruption of focus caused a major disruption in my diet and life.
Falling prey to the pity party
I admit, I fell prey to the pity party. Food is comfort and when you feel like crap, you want comfort. Not sleeping and being in pain is a major reason for a pity party in my opinion. I could have done better with my food choices but it is what it is. I don’t do well with my weight when I lose focus. The main thing is that I got back on track. Unfortunately it didn’t happen until it was all over, but at least I’m back on track now.
Luckily I’ve had other disruptions in my weight loss journey so I know what to do. This one just seemed to take a bit longer.
What you need to do when your weight loss is interrupted:
- Know that it’s temporarily. You will get back on track at some point.
- Allow yourself a pity party but don’t linger in it. The quicker you get out of it, the better things will be.
- Try to keep some part of your previous schedule if you can. While I couldn’t cook with my injured hand, I could still walk and get in my water intake. There were some days I was too tired to walk but I always tried to get in at least 20 minutes (except when in the hospital). Drinking water was pretty easy to do as well and it helped me heal faster.
- Do your best and accept the fact that you’re doing your best and that’s ok. For me that meant going to Costco and buying pre-made food. Normally that’s not my style. It’s expensive and it wasn’t the healthiest but it made my life easier for a bit. Of course my kids loved it!
- Rely on your support system! If you don’t have a support system, get one! You need one! And this isn’t just your immediate family, often times they’re not helpful when it comes to weight. My support system includes my ww buddies on a private Slack channel I’m part of, plus my Connect buddies on WW. Find your people. They understand what you are going through.
- As soon as the crisis is over, get right back on track. Mentally plan for that day, know it is coming and when it comes, be ready!
One important note, don’t let all of life’s interruptions be an excuse to fall off the wagon with your weight loss and maintenance. It can be a dangerous, slippery slope if you make excuses why you can’t get back on track. So make sure it’s really an interruption to your weight loss journey and not just an “excuse,” to lose focus.
If you want to know what the pictured scale is above, it’s a Withings Scale (paid link). It automatically saves your data in the ap, no need to write anything down. I love it!
