Hard Time of Year to Lose Weight

With my 38th birthday come and gone I feel very optimistic about my progress. I achieved losing over 40 lbs by that time. I am walking from 1 block when I started to 4-5km almost every day now. Many aspects of my life are seeing improvements. That said this is a dangerous time of year for me to fall off the wagon so to speak. So I am going to have to be extra careful. This will be the next step in the a healthy lifestyle change and a better tomorrow. It will also be the step that will be the hardest and so identifying challenges I think is important.

My Past Failures

It should come as no surprise that this is not the first time I have tried to lose weight. This is however the farthest and most successful I have been in over a decade. But those past failures serve as good lessons on what to watch for. Importantly where to focus extra efforts at times of failure. After initial weight loss and after I begin to feel better. The excitement and relief that comes from less pain and more mobility can wear off. It can all be undone fast, and October is the time it often has unraveled for me.

Extra Food

This time of year can hit me with a flurry of temptations to overeat. First comes my birthday, you have to have some cake on your birthday. Not a big deal, but then comes thanksgiving, stuffing, breads, pumpkin pie. Oh Halloween is right there too, what to do with leftover candy? Wasteful to throw it away! That then gives you a few weeks before Christmas season begins. Baking cookies and big get togethers centered around food etc. you get the point, it is months of easy access to fast and good food.

Gloomy Weather

I love fall. The crisp cool air, the leaves changing colour. It feels great to come in after a day like that and warm up in a comfortable chair. It also lends itself to comfort eating. I often find myself craving rich foods with this weather.  Baking or heavy foods that make you feel warm and happy. Maybe it is a throwback to some sort of hibernation in our history that leads us to want to eat this way during this time. Maybe it is just how it feels to drink a hot chocolate to warm up. Either way it is something I need to be conscious of. All this is to say nothing of the consequence of cold gloomy winter days down the road. Those days can become depressing and that in itself can lead to bad food choices. That along with not being as motivated to go outside and be as active in dark cold rain or snow.

What I Will Do

I am not trying to be negative about my next steps. I am just trying to be aware of where I have failed before and how I might again. As I have said I have made it farther than I have before. That is a good dose of motivation for me to continue to my next level and lose another 40lbs. I think if I can push through this difficult period this new healthy life is actually going to work for me this time and that could be profoundly life changing.