Walking into work this morning after checking my bank balance made me realise something – I treat my weight, and my weight loss journey, much the same way as I treat my constant battle to pay off my overdraft.

Each month on payday (and at regular intervals, if I have money to spare) I put away between £100-300 towards paying off my student overdraft. Much like my weight, this has been something that I avoided taking care of for three years, and am only now taking the steps to get it paid off, and have that weight off my mind.

So I start each month with the good intentions of cutting a chunk out of my debt. I also start each month with the good intentions of dropping a bit of weight. So whilst I’m feeling good, I put my mind to getting it paid off. I spend less, I squirrel an extra few (monetary) pounds away here and there, and I gradually – through regular, sustained effort – bring the cost of my overdraft down. At the start of the month I’m also usually buoyed up with optimism regarding weight loss, and put in extra work to shift a few grams, then pounds, then kilos. I save calories here and there by not eating silly snacks, and through these efforts, bring my weight down.

However, if I’m out shopping and can’t resist the temptation to buy something expensive, I know in the back of my mind that my other bank account (the one that’s overdrawn) is there if I need it, and I know that because I’ve put that money aside each month I can dip in and out of it, and just make up the difference with my next pay cheque. This is also, unfortunately, how I’ve been treating my weight loss recently. I’ll work hard and eat right all week, and then I can’t resist temptation, I’ll spend the weekend binge eating because I know I can just lose the weight again next week.

But much like my overdraft, this might seem like a good idea at the time, but it has its downsides. Sure, I’ve now got a new pair of running shoes, or I enjoyed a massive slice of cake, but now I’ve got less money saved than I had before, and I weight more than I did before. Which is going to make bringing both of those numbers down harder for myself in the future, and it’s going to make the whole process take longer.

So my resolution is this – treat my body and my bank account with equal respect, and I’ll start reaping the benefits I’m due. My boyfriend and I went shopping over Valentines Weekend and I could neither afford nor fit into anything I really liked. If I stick to my new plan, come my birthday in November, I’ll have the bank balance – and the body – to pick up something I deserve.