By Ginette Lenham- Registered Counseller

It is not uncommon for people to say that they are too busy to follow their weight loss plan. Or, they are too tired, too stressed, are on holidays, or they just can’t find time for themselves. 

The reality is that this is life, and all those things will be true at some stage, or even multiple perceived barriers may be present at once.  

We may be grieving the loss of a loved one. A loved one may be seriously ill, a pet may be very sick. Work might be demanding. There may be a significant relationship breakdown. You may have poor sleep with wakeful babies. You may be unwell.  

What tends to happen is that people will abandon all efforts to manage their weight as it seems unsurmountable to be focusing on diet and exercise and behavioural change when experiencing some of those circumstances.  

This is completely understandable, however, ironically self-care is really needed in these times to help you cope while navigating complex life stressors.  

So, perhaps instead of focusing on the scales and weight loss, or throwing all learned new behaviours away, you can focus on alternative ways to stay engaged. 

This might include talking to our dietitians about healthy meal ideas that don’t involve fast food but are easy to prepare, or options that you can buy precooked/frozen that are portion controlled.  

Reaching out to a  BMI behavioural coach to talk about what you are going through can provide not only support and a safe place to talk and be heard but also can act as a stress reliever. 

Perhaps you can’t make it to the gym, but you might be able to include a walk or do a workout at home from one of the resources our exercise specialist can recommend.  

Sometimes taking a pause from weight loss, and just focusing on weight maintenance while you are going through difficult times can be beneficial. 

It stops the all or nothing patterns of either “I’m doing this or, I’m not doing it at all”.  

We have many self-care ideas to help you through challenging times without compromising your weight loss goals.