It’s weeks like this one that make me slap myself and remember to buckle down and not lose ground.

It was Labor Day weekend, and I took a third day at higher carbs and calories.  But honestly, I think I overdid it. When I went back to lower carb yesterday, I was hungry all day long, which is my body’s usual response to having eaten too many carbs recently.

Even though I know it’s not the case, I’ll get through with a stretch of days like that and then beat myself up, and feel like I’ve lost ground.  Like I’m 20 pounds heavier overnight.  That’s not true, but I think that’s where self-sabotage creeps in, and says “you’ve already blown it, now it’s going to be difficult for you to lose”, with that underlying thought that maybe it’s not worth making that kind of effort if I can’t stick to it.  All that mental baggage — because of going over on a weekend.

That’s crazy thinking.  The occasional deviation isn’t going to derail my efforts; it’s when they become regular that they cause a problem.  I went back to very low carb yesterday and stuck it out; and this morning, things are easier.  I have to remember that I make things more difficult for myself if I stray too much on a higher day.  And heck, you’d think I downed a couple dozen Snickers bars plus a gallon of ice cream… no, I had potato salad on Monday.  I had some potato chips over the weekend.  I can have those things on occasion; I just need to watch how much of them I have.

So this is Week 22, and midway through the week, I’ve already convinced myself that I won’t see a loss this week.  Once again, beating myself up.  I might see a loss; I might not, but I have to stop flogging myself. I’m just one month away from sticking with this plan for half a year, and I think that’s a lot to be proud of, and worth working for.  I’ve seen a lot of improvements and changes in the last five months, and I plan on seeing that continue.