September is usually the time of year when I start my “diet” in earnest. Each year it is the same thing. Spreadsheets get put together with the number of weeks remaining till December and calculations of how much weight I could realistically lose before then.  I am not joking , I have these spreadsheets still saved on my computer and the only thing different is the year. The one thing they all have in common though, is that entries usually fizzle out a few weeks after the said spreadsheet has been compiled. It is pretty hard to stay motivated when you don’t see any results week after week.  Each December holiday season I would get so unhappy that my goals had not been achieved – yet AGAIN!

On reflection, what surprises me about myself,  is that somehow I thought that I could try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Perhaps all those low-fat, starvation diets I always tried, robbed me of my mental faculties at the time.

So this year, I haven’t put a spreadsheet together.  For the first time in my life, food is my friend, not my enemy. I have accepted that having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) will make my journey to a healthy weight a lot longer than others, and that’s OK. At least I now know why. I have faced many obstacles in the past, and this is just another one that I have to climb over. Each hurdle has made me stronger and taught me so much about my body and how best to nourish it.  I am grateful.   I now have the knowledge of how to keep myself and my family healthy. And at the end of the day, that is what we all want don’t we? To be healthy.  What is the point of having a bikini-ready body, but your arteries are so clogged that you could drop dead at any moment?

Who knows what this December will bring. I am hopeful. I am the eternal optimist. Why? Because hope gives me motivation, and motivation gives me strength, and without strength  I would have given up a long time ago …. and that is just not an option.

If you have also been stuck in the same “summer diet” madness, then I encourage you to try a low-carb, high-fat eating plan. You might just get the results that have always eluded you in the past. If you can’t face a low-fat, calorie restricted diet, and constant feelings of hunger and deprivation, then Banting is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD! Imagine eating delicious food, feeling full of energy and losing weight, and without feeling hungry all the time. It might sound too good to be true – but it works.

My goal with this post is really just to encourage you. To give you hope and to inspire you to give it a try. Start now and you could feel healthier and be 10 kilos lighter by Christmas.

Remember, if you need some help, then please make contact with one of our Banting Buddies coaches who can assist you. For more information go to www.bantingbuddies.com.