Ask Marilyn – Star Question: ‘Fat Around the Middle’
Q: First of all, thank you so much for all the help you have given me over the past year. Last January, I read your book ‘Fat Around the Middle’ – I was skeptical at first, but the case study could have been written about me and I implemented your suggestions with fabulous results. I feel the best I have for years, but I would still like to maintain my weight and, if possible, reduce it even further.
However, my problem is that I have difficulty maintaining control when the first ‘strictest’ 3 months of the programme were complete. When the guidelines are very strictly prescribed I am OK, but when the guidelines are relaxed, I tend to have more and more frequent lapses i.e. eating chocolate etc.
Do you have any suggestions? I would very much appreciate any advice on how to moderate these binges.
A: Thank you for your kind words and glad to hear that it has made such a difference not only to your weight but also your health.
There are some people who actually do better if they have strict guidelines because otherwise when the limits are taken away they don’t eat so well. There would be no problem in carrying on with the same first three month programme all the time. It contains a good variety of food and it would not be unhealthy to do so.
If though you would really like to expand the food out more without the lapses then the best way to do this is to have a proper ‘cheat day’ once a week. You would then know that it is only on that day that you would have chocolate etc and you keep to that agreement with yourself. So in a way you give yourself permission to lapse but only on that one day a week, that way it is controlled and you won’t have the frequent lapses.