Diet History

How come I have spent my entire life dieting and I am still fat? I have looked back at my dieting history and realized I have lost and gained at least 300 pounds in my life! THREE HUNDRED. No wonder it's so hard to lose weight. I have NO metabolism. Every time I yo-yo, my metabolism goes out of whack.

My very first diet was when I was twelve years old. My sister and I did some crash diet that came with pills to speed up your metabolism. I didn't take the pills, but I did the diet. The diet consisted of 900 calories. I was 12 and eating 900 calories. Really? The prime time for me to be receiving all the nutrients I needed I was eating 900 calories! This would explain why I am five foot nothing! Now, maybe I was supposed to be only five feet tall, but no 12 year old should be eating 900 calories a day. No person should be eating only 900 calories a day. You need at least 1200 to receive all the nutrients your body needs. So not only was I starving, I was depriving my body of what I needed.

Then came high school and eventually good old Weight Watchers. I am in no way going to bash Weight Watchers. I think it can be a great tool for weight loss if done right. But using 12 points for food and another 10 points in Vodka was probably not the healthiest way I could live. Yep, that's right. Freshman year in college I wanted to drink, so I used all my points on alcohol and let's just say I did not have the best results that night. I didn't read the book where it says concentrate on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. I read... You get 22 points a day. YAY! That's like 9 cookies I can totally do this.... NOT healthy.

After losing and gaining and losing and gaining, I decided to try South Beach. It's actually probably one of the healthiest diet plans out there. However, did you know that eating all whole grains, fruits, cheese, meat, etc can make you fat if you eat too much of it. What a concept. Again, I skipped ahead in the book to read eat this, don't count calories. Well okay, that sounds easy enough. I can have two eggs with cheese on whole wheat bread- a total of probably 500 calories, just for breakfast. You cannot lose weight that way. Not to mention, the first two weeks are Carb Free to cut the sugar cravings. You might as well have shot me. I probably would have suffered less for two weeks. I couldn't have a conversation with my closest family and friends without looking at them like they were Hershey Kisses.

After all the crash dieting and unhealthy eating, I finally went to a registered dietitian. She absolutely taught me how to eat healthy. I was eating real foods, feeling awesome, and losing weight. Wow! Is it that easy? My blood pressure even dropped. The only reason I am no longer seeing her is because I have to do this for myself. No crash dieting, just healthy eating. You will never feel better than eating what your body wants, not what your brain wants. The voices in my head tell me all I want is chocolate brownies, so instead I grab a banana. It's just as sweet and it's FULL of nutrients.

Tip #1, when you want something sweet find your favorite fruit and eat that instead. I promise that you can start to re-train your brain.

Happy eating!