It’s Australia Day today and we have visitors coming to stay. I’m very excited, but it’s interesting that one of my first thoughts this morning was “what if I put on a kilo today – how can I keep my calories super low?”

This year of happy and healthy is about more than just weight loss. It’s about sustainable lifestyle change and ongoing deprivation isn’t a part of that. Having days where I enjoy myself, have a few glasses of wine and some damn good cheese is an important part of making this change a part of my life, not a diet.

I am well aware that traditionally I am an all or nothing sort of person. I’m either full on eating air and lettuce or eating whatever the hell I want, the in between is a hard path to find, taking the emotion and guilt out of food and taking it one day at a time.

My approach this weekend is to enjoy myself and not worry too much about the calories. I’ll be sensible about picking when I want to indulge and when I want to eat healthy and I am making a promise to myself that come Monday it’s back to eating good nourishing food the way I have been. Lifestyle and balance.

A part of this will be also taking the emotion out of the scales. I have been weighing myself each day as I find it motivational, but need to be careful I don’t get obsessive over the number. When I get on the scale on Monday I know the number will go up which is ok. I’m in it for the long game not for short term gains.

This isn’t easy for me, it goes against so many of my instincts but I’m mentally prepping to make it work.

Happy and healthy, that’s the focus. Let the 2020 lifestyle continue!