My Incentive Scheme

Over the last few weeks I believe that I have been far slacker with my weight loss regime. Winter is drawing in and makes one feel less inclined to go out and do exercise. Also a string of weekend events have ocurred that easily tempted me into straying from the correct mindset! Of course, under Weight Watchers it is quite simple to traverse such events without pigging out but a little effort is required at least.

This has resulted, not in the gaining of weight, but in the maintaining of my current weight. This is somewhat pleasing in one sense because to me this indicates that my body is acting differently to how it used to. Previously I believe it was stuck in ’store fat’ mode but the efforts of the last year, with exercise and healthier eating have obviously oiled the internal mechanisms to allow the more normal swapping between modes. Of course if one wishes to remove existing weight, you have to consume slightly less than one who is maintaining and this is why I have remained the same for a few weeks. I have failed in tracking my foodstuffs as meticulously as I previously did - not weighing pasta and rice and saying “yes please” to a drink or biscuit when I know that would cause me to go 1 or 2 over my points limit that day.

I would really like to get back into the swing of things and lose a few pounds before Christmas. Christmas is the feared time by anyone worried about their weight. It is so easy to over-indulge. In light of that, one has to almost expect a possible increase of a pound or two over the Xmas period. Following my recent weeks of struggle, I believe it would make me quite unhappy to come back after the Christmas holidays and find that I have put on several pounds. If one resigns oneself to putting on a couple of pounds over Xmas, it therefore makes sense to resolve oneself to therefore lose a few pounds before Xmas in order to compensate. I am trying to take that approach.

A few weeks ago I wrote a list of goals and put it on my notice board. This has done no use whatsoever. I seem to be completely at ease with breaking promises I have made to myself. This approach doesn’t work. I need an incentive in order to do something. Obviously - a non-food reward. I’m not going to reward myself for losing weight with a nice big Indian takeaway however lovely that might be. This meant that I had to get my thinking cap on…what do I care about enough to really make me go for it?

The weekend of the 16th December is the annual Seward Family Christmas Extravaganza. I want to look nice at that and really I need to have my hair trimmed and get my eyebrows done etc. I thought “perfect! I must earn these through weight loss!”. Therefore I have set up the following goals in order of importance. If I lose weight (staying the same does not count!) then I will have earned that item. If I don’t lose weight that week, that item cascades over to the next week. So, assuming I manage the weight loss each week, the timetable will be as follows (and I’m going for the cheap options on each thing so don’t panic at the prices!). I have been working towards the goal this whole week…it’s just taken me a while to post about it.

14/11/06 - Eyebrow shape by waxing
21/11/06 - Level 1 hair trim
28/11/06 - Hair colour (had this last time and I quite liked it. Might go a bit bolder this time)
05/11/06 - Mini manicure (pretty basic, mainly just shape and nail varnish)
12/11/06 - Upgrade mini manicure to french manicure for an extra couple of quid.
I will probably get my earnings done on 14/12/06 because the extravaganza is on the 16th. Can’t go on the 15th because it’s the work Xmas party and I don’t want to miss that. Also I’ve already paid for it!