I love, love the Fall. It is truly my favorite season.
I get to go apple picking with my boys, the leaves will be changing, and we will be breaking out those sweaters.
I am also a HUGE football fan (go Pats!) AND F1 fan (Team Lewis!), so my calendar is full of ALL of the sports watching.
Not to mention my son goes back to school, I go back to school, the days get shorter, my son’s soccer schedule starts up…
It’s a BIG seasonal transition from Summer to Fall for so many of us, and this transition can have a huge impact on our weight loss efforts.
This is especially true if you have a schedule change that impacts when you can eat, or if you have lots of events that involve food that you didn’t have over the summer.
For example, if you are used to riding in the mornings before work, or in the evenings after work, your daylight availability is less.
Not to mention I have all those football games coming up? I am going to be around some SERIOUSLY good food.
A new season can be a climate shift, or it can be a new season in your life.
Maybe you are starting a new job. Or, maybe you just had a baby and are dealing with postpartum ups and downs. Maybe you are going through peri-menopause or menopause.
Whatever the seasonal change, how you approach and manage the change can absolutely impact your weight loss mindset.
If you are wondering how to mindfully go into a new season of the year and keep your biking weight loss on track, read on for my tips on how to lose weight no matter what season of the year (or of LIFE) that you are in.
Tip #1: Don’t Freaking Panic
One of the first things to remember is that whatever it is you are thinking is just a thought. It’s not a fact.
If you are thinking it is “so hard to lose weight in the Fall” then, guess what?
It’s going to be hard to lose weight in the Fall!
Or, if you are thinking, “I really overate a lot over the summer and I really have to reign it all in NOW,” then, guess what?
You are going to restrict everything you eat, get frustrated/annoyed/hungry, say “eff it”, and give up.
No matter what your circumstances were over the summer, or your thoughts about what you ate over the summer, this is a new season. Don’t panic.
When we panic we have a tendency to make choices related to food or our bike rides that aren’t serving us in the long run. Instead why not…
Tip #2: Intentionally Choose How You Are Going to Think About This New Season
If you choose to think that this new season is not going to sabotage your weight loss, it will not sabotage your weight loss.
Consider some phrases or thoughts that make sense for you and are more neutral/positive then hitting the panic button.
For example, you can choose to think, “I can definitely see some potential challenges with this season, but I will find a way to make it work and still lose weight.”
See how much more hopeful that is than thinking, “Everything is different, I can’t eat when I normally eat, I am going to just get stressed out and eat all of the things.”
When we take a deep breath and focus on what we CAN do, instead of what we CAN’T, then we take control and put ourselves in the driver seat.
For example, during the school year when I am teaching I can’t just eat whenever I get hungry. I have a set time for lunch, and that time is different every year.
If I just get frustrated and annoyed that I can’t eat when I want to I feel like I have no control. However, when I make a plan that gives me a sufficient breakfast that gets me through to my lunch it puts me back in control.
I know that I can increase what I eat for breakfast to get me through to the later lunch time. That I can bring a quick snack that I can grab between classes…yes it’s only four minutes but it’s still four minutes!
Likewise, if I am just all huffy that there’s less daylight I am not going to ride. Instead, if I plan to ride outside on the weekends, and ride indoors during the week, I have a plan and I get my rides in. Win!
Tip #3: Make a Reasonable Plan for the Season
However, when I make a plan that gives me a sufficient breakfast that gets me through to my lunch it puts me back in control.
I know that I can increase what I eat for breakfast to get me through to the later lunch time. That I can bring a quick snack that I can grab between classes…yes it’s only four minutes but it’s still four minutes!
The idea here is to brainstorm ways that this season will be different and how you can deal with the new challenges and write them down.
If you have a lot of events involving food coming up, make a plan each morning for that event. I do this with our football gatherings that are full of great food. I decide what I am going to eat, and if I don’t know what the meal is that day I write down “Delicious meal and dessert that Sue makes” (God bless my friend Sue and her amazing meals).
It’s fine that I don’t know exactly what she is serving as long as I focus on only eating when I am hungry and stopping when I am satisfied.
She will almost always have a big salad that she serves with the meal too, so I plan to fill half my plate with the salad.
There is no reason to panic when you have a season of good food coming up…you should embrace it and enjoy it! Plan what you can in advance, and whatever you can’t plan just focus on NOT overeating it like it’s your last meal.
Tip #4: Don’t Be Afraid to Adjust Your Plan as Needed
Plan the best you can, and be willing to adjust the plan.
Test a plan and see how it works.
If you end up not having time to make the elaborate dinner you planned, plan something more simple the following night.
If you are starving before lunch, make sure that you have a bigger breakfast or pack a snack.
I know that this seems pretty simple and sensical, and it is! But sometimes when we are in panic mode or full blown “eff it” mode we are so wrapped up in how much it sucks that we forget to step back, take a deep breath, and make a few simple tweaks.
Each morning, make a simple, easy plan for what you are going to eat that day. Plan MORE food than you actually need at first. You can always not eat something if you aren’t hungry for it, but if you are dealing with a big seasonal shift the last thing you want to do is try to get through it when you are STARVING.
Tip #5: Be Kind to Yourself and Know It Won’t Be Perfect
There are going to be days that you overeat. There are going to be days that you don’t plan enough food.
Nothing has gone wrong. Know that you are doing your best, and that you can ALWAYS change. If you find that you didn’t bring enough food to work one day, bring more for tomorrow.
We have enough going on when we are in a seasonal change, the last thing that we need is to beat ourselves up over our food choices.
If you overeat, or stress eat, or emotional eat, notice it. Reflect on it. Ask yourself what was going on in that moment and what you actually need that you aren’t getting.
It’s always possible that what you really need is a chat with a friend or a bike ride, not a huge pile of food and a glass of wine.
A Final Note…
At the end of the day, the only reason why changing seasons throw us off is because it’s something new, and we don’t yet have a plan.
Do not panic if you start to see the scale going up. Simply check in with yourself, and make an easy, doable plan.
If today sucked, think of a way you can make things a little better for yourself tomorrow.
If you find yourself spiraling into negative thinking, notice this. Ask yourself if there is a different way you can think about the season that will be helpful and useful.
Navigating a new season is so much easier when you have a plan…even if the plan doesn’t work! You can always tweak it until it does.
Ride on!
xoxo
Stacy
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