Only one…

If you have ever been to a weight related group then I’m sure will have heard someone get off the scales and say “only one….” whether that’s on or off, it seems to be a negative, and I think we need to address that.

I have had my fair share of “only only”‘s in my time, but it is not more than just the scales. You talk to people in Group Therapy (which is what I call the fat club meeting) you discuss the temptations that are put in your way. Cakes or sweets at work “go on it’s only one” or in a bar or restaurant being offered a pudding or glass of one, “but it’s only one”. They are just trying to make you feel better, but your weight loss journey is not theres, after all they aren’t the ones taking the walk of shame and facing the music. Many of us when we get derailed early on in our weight loss week, end up using it as an excuse to jack it in for another week, because we had that bottle of wine on Monday, or the cake for Jude’s birthday.

A friend of mine once said “imagine you have a vase of 21 roses and one of them is dead. Do you bin all 21, or do you pick out the dead one and have 20 left to enjoy?” Obviously, you keep 20, don’t you? This is a great analogy for weight loss, there are 21 meals in a week, 3 meals a day x 7 day. If you have one bad meal, don’t throw the rest of your week to the wall, because you made one mistake.

So how can you change the view of it is “only one”. One pound in a week should be look at as a great acheivement. Look at it this way:

• One pound equals 454 grams.
• Pure fat contains 9 calories per gram.
• Body fat tissue is 87% fat.

Using these values, it is generally concluded that a pound of body fat actually contains anywhere from 3,436 to 3,752 calories. Then taking it a stage further, you could assume 3,500 calories divided by 7 days is 500 calories. Therefore, to lose a pound you need to burn/consume 500 less calories every day for a week, which I am sure you will agree sounds a lot harder than “only one!”.

Bearing this in mind then, will you be happy the next time you lose a pound? Only one in this context is a good think, but what about a different view?

What about the speed bumps in the road that are you helpful friends “it’s only one, it won’t hurt” or “It’s only one, you don’t look like you need to lose anymore anyway”, we have all heard it, well I have never heard the last one! I have heard lots of people share ways to dealing with this, from the kind “No thank you” to the more grumpy “Why do you think I’m on a diet?” both are great, but I would challenge you to try and educate people a little. What do I mean by this? In most situations the people are not being horrid to you, so helping them to understand why you don’t want have “just one” might just work better in the long run.

I have long said if I had a Drink, Drug or Smoking issue no one would ever do around saying “Go on it’s only one glass of wine” or “it’s only one ciggie”, they know these as addictions and having one, kicks you off the wagon. If you explain that to them and that your diet is that important to you, ask if they understand? It might work, it might not, but what have you got to lose.

Everyone I’m sure has heard that it all adds up, so 1lb a week is great. But look at this way. You see someone you have not seen in a year. They look at you and say “Wow you look amazing, how much weight have you lost?” You reply to them “Close to 4 stone.” That’s 56 lbs, only a little more than “just one” a week.

If you read this, please leave me a message, I would like to know your thoughts about Only One, and how you deal with it.