It Started With A Dress: The Diet Pitfall

n a new weekly feature, Her.ie newbie Liz is going to share her weight loss journey. She’ll be filling you in on fighting temptation, her willpower struggles with the cocktail menu and taking painfully slow steps towards regular exercise. All in the name of a dress.  _____________________________________ Hanging on the wall at the end of my bed is the constant reminder I plan on shedding nearly two stone this year. I also plan on marking the trials and tribulations of ‘trying to be good’ – the favourite saying we all tout, and quickly replace when a cake is put in front of us.   Week 28: Weekend wars... I’ve fallen into the diet pitfall that is apparently the biggest catch for anyone looking to shed the pounds. Apparently I have no weekend willpower. I made this discovery while reading a magazine on Wednesday. I was feeling pretty smug with myself. There I was sitting on the bus on the way to work with my lunch and dinner prepared for that evening, having gone for a walk and eaten a bowl of porridge while reading a women’s health and fitness magazine. I was the picture of women’s willpower right there. I was the perfect role model. Then this little nugget fact popped up on the corner of the page and it scared me. Mainly because I knew it was totally accurate and correct. 80% of dieters fall off the bandwagon on the weekend, which when done regularly can stall any potential weight loss. I did a quick look around on the bus for the hidden camera. Surely someone was out to get my reaction? I wouldn’t class myself as a binge drinker. I rarely get drunk and I’m usually first on the dance floor with or without a glass in hand. Saying that I’m no angel either… I have two huge problems when it does come to a weekend night out: 1-      I am a sucker for all cocktails. And no not just a sex on the beach. Long Island Ice Tea, Moscow Mules or a strong Mojito. If there’s a barman who can mix it, chances are I’m sipping it… 2-      The cocktail damage can only bring me so far. It’s probably the stop-off for fast food on the way home that really clocks up the hidden points. And by hidden I mean you can’t see them because the burger/ fries/ cheese melts are in my mouth before I realise how much I’m really eating. I love that as part of my plan I have an extra 49 points for the weekend. The thing is, when I order my cocktail I don’t ask for the measurements. I have no clue how many points are really in each drink. I guesstimate six or seven, and assume I’m being kind to myself. Don’t even get me started on the take-away food. The fact that it’s melted cheese that’s been deep fried means I can’t even pretend to include them in my round-up. So this weekend I tried something slightly different. I stuck to one style of drink for the night - a spirit with a dash of diet mixer. And I counted them. Like really counted them. I also danced my rather sizeable tail off to some serious tunes. There may have been some jazz hands thrown in for good measure. I am but a tragic human. Being so busy working my shapes, I didn’t have time to waste precious jamming music queuing for the bar and instead found myself leaving the nightclub having had four drinks and having a really good laugh with friends. Then, because I wasn’t ravenous, I opted to wait until I got home to nibble on toast accompanied by the best cup of tea you could imagine. The best part of my night? Waking up the next morning with a totally clear head for a walk. A walk straight to the scales. Despite having gone out and had my fun, I hadn’t bankrupted my points for the week and it showed not just on my hips, but on the little numbers popping up before me. I was down 2lbs. So I’ve started losing again (which is lucky so the scales don’t end up being thrown out the window), and I’m feeling fresh as a daisy. Once I can keep losing the pounds now. It’s been a while since I’ve had a loss two weeks running… This week’s stats go a little something like this – Height: 5ft 8 Starting Weight: 174 lbs Current Weight: 156 lbs Weight Loss To Date: 18 lb Goal: 148 lbs Feeling: A little dejected The Dress in Question… NOW FITS!!