10 commandments to maintaining your weight

Something occurred to me the other day – I have achieved a goal I always wanted to – maintaining my weight within a 2 kilo (or 5 pound) weight range, effortlessly, over the course of a year.

I used to be classic yo-yo dieter. I was like Britney Spears, fluctuating from slightly-hot to blobby and blubbery. I hated my body when it was overweight: I would feel uncomfortable, unattractive and slow. The worst part was feeling out of control. What would my weight be today? The constant fear would really play on my mind – reading back to old diaries I could lose and gain 6 or 7 kilos (13 to 16 pounds!) in a single week. I hated it. I hated going from fat to thin and back again.

What changed? Well, I read this great book by Portia di Rossi and I broke up with my ex. Life somehow changed – there was a shift in me. Now I feel a lot more free – I know longer fear food and fear my appetite. I eat whatever I want and I don’t gain weight. How did this happen? Well, I know it sounds simplistic – but my body “changed what it wants”.

Now – it doesn’t want to overeat (well, sometimes t does, but not every day), it doesn’t want to consume too much of one thing (cake is fine, just not every day) and I no longer fluctuate. I really am amazed and I honestly believe that most of the changes were mental. Here are some of my tips, please let me know yours too!

10 commandments to maintaining your weight

1. Think thin

When I was overweight, there was that persistent thought of, “Well, I’m fat already so why bother being careful?” This is a trap. Think thin to stay thin. You are already thin – dammit!

2. Listen to your body

In her book, Portia speaks of scoffing a huge bag of potato chips and feeling ‘greasy’ later in the afternoon, so all she needed was a salad for dinner. Listen to your body and give it what it needs.

3. Throw away fat clothes

Get rid of them! And like the Skinny Bitch girls say, “Wear your designer clothes (if you have them)! What are you saving them for?

4. Move as much as you can

I see people standing on escalators all the time. Healthy, vibrant, youthful people – standing there like zombies! Get on your bike, walk up the stairs – use your bloody legs.

5. Have lots of sex

Yup – a favourite pastime of mine. Lots of sex is good for everyone. Have loud, boisterous, sweaty, wall-banging sex as often as you can – preferably with someone you love and respect who loves and respects you.

6. Eat three times a day

The Boyf has decided to give this a go. A typical male, he ‘forgets’ to eat until he is ravenous, and then he orders double what he should and almost eats the coffee table too in the mad rush for sustenance. (He is a normal weight – so he can do what he likes!)

7. Never skip meals

For the reason above. Never allow your body to get too hungry – this is bad for you.

8. Eat a mix of foods

Don’t eat a whole plate of cheesy pasta – give your body lots of little tastes of food – that’s what they recommend in French Women Don’t Get Fat – and it’s a very, very good trick. Balance is the key or your tastebuds get bored and you overeat.

9. Weigh yourself daily

Absolutely do this. I have blogged about it before – saying that I wasn’t sure whether I should weigh myself every day or not. Now I say: DO IT. If you want to watch your weight – you need to keep an eye on it. Here’s how to get an accurate measurement on the scales.

10. Love yourself and your shape

The most important point of all. Love yourself and some of the pain will go away. Trust your body – it knows what it needs.