Let me explain.  I’m talking about quitting your routine even when things are going well. It almost feels like you’re sabotaging yourself doesn’t it? Maybe you are. Do you feel like maybe you don’t deserve the positive outcome if you stay on the course? It really does happen to everyone-Me included! In fact, not that long ago I thought that I had my weight and my body under control, which for me is no easy feat. I have tried so many diets and watched my weight fluctuate within 5-10 lbs. for years.

After completing my health coaching education, I thought I had really found the golden ticket. I understood my body better than ever before. I realized that I felt better and healthier with less animal protein in my diet. I was not entirely vegetarian, but pretty darn close to it. I don’t like to give it a title because our bodies are changing constantly and what works for me now may not work for me in the future. I prefer referring to myself “flexitarian” and I occasionally eat some fish when I feel like my body needs it. If at some point I really felt my body needed other animal protein, I am not saying I would not eat it, but for now it is not something that I want or need.

Over a period of time, I lost weight that I had not been able to lose for years and felt great. I still continued to track my food by writing down what I ate and how I felt in my food and mood journal and I weighed myself. Mind you, I hate the scale! It is not something I look forward to, rather I dread it. But for me, keeping a record of my weight has been a way for me to stay accountable to myself and catch myself if I veered off course.

Somewhere between feeling great and thin and finally in control, I just stopped. I stopped tracking my food and stopped weighing myself, and for a while I got away with it too. My weight had stayed steady and still lower than I remember in decades so I am not sure what prompted me to stop getting on the scale every morning. Let’s be real, when the numbers make you smile why not get on the scale? Snacking on healthy (raw) nuts and berries became commonplace as I noshed along with my husband at night while watching TV. I never went back to snacks or processed foods thankfully, but, an occasional gluten-free and dairy-free treat without added sugar couldn’t hurt, or could it?

As I tell my clients all the time, even too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. Eventually, my clothes which were too loose became more fitted and I noticed my body changing. Still I did nothing. I can only guess (because now it seems like it was an out of body experience) that I was sabotaging myself. I was feeling some pressure to take my business to the next level, and that compounded with some other outside issues took over my sense of reason. I hadn’t been tracking my food or weighing myself and even though I know that is what has worked for me, and most of my clients, I didn’t want to face the reality. I was only hurting myself through all of this. I became frustrated and very critical of myself.

Ultimately, it’s not a matter of when, but a matter of just doing it. I finally held myself accountable and got on the scale. I was right (no kidding!) I had put on some weight. It wasn’t a lot and it was only over the course of a few months but it could have been prevented or at least caught before it got the best of me.

I am happy to say that I am back to my routine. I am weighing myself every morning and tracking my food and my moods. Everyone may not need to be as religious with these rituals as I am, but I know what works for me and what happens when I don’t follow through.

My lesson is that I am human, and like everyone else, life can get in the way of our plans and goals. As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach I understand that everyone is different and that we may all respond to diets, exercise and routines differently. I have also determined like so many of my clients, that I am much harder on myself than anyone else is of me. And like many of my clients, I have to work on that and remember it’s about progress, not perfection!

Yours In Good Health!