With weight loss, accept the bad days — but keep moving forward

Life events — birthdays, retirements, bereavement, a hard day at work, socializing. Negative self-talk. Emotions — stress, happiness, sorrow, excitement. Any or many of these things can lead to some unhealthy choices when it comes to your diet.

How many people have had a bad day or two, or a week for that matter, then got discouraged and gave up? This may lead to the pounds or inches that you may have lost coming back and bringing with it a few friends.

Let’s turn the corner on this. Give ourselves permission to mess up every once in a while. Accept that we’re not perfect and that we make mistakes. We’re people. We mess up. We have a bad day. It’s OK to have a bad day.

A small weight gain is a lot easier to overcome than gaining back those 20 pounds plus their friends. Take responsibility for your actions, turn the page and start fresh the next meal.

From Dr. Shapiro’s “Picture Perfect Weight Loss” book, “Think of trying to push a car up a hill. If it slips a bit, and you catch it and keep pushing, you haven’t lost much. If it slips and you let it slide, you’ll have to go back down the hill and start all over again. It’s the same in weight loss. Accept the tiny slip and keep on pushing. Why climb the same hill twice?”

Don’t let that car roll over all the efforts and progress that you have made. Whether the effort is on the scale, in the closet, or in the way you feel about you. When the car starts slipping, put on the emergency break, get yourself centered and start pushing again.

Remind yourself why you’re working towards your goal. Tell yourself that the climb is worth it. You're worth it!