How many diets and programs have you been on in your life?
No, seriously, think back.
I came up with my list and it’s STILL missing more than half of them!
I’ve blanked-out on all the half-assed restrictive type pseudo-diets I’ve tried over the years for sure. But here are the ones I can recall starting from the time I was 14 – all the way up to about 48 when I finally REALLY stopped dieting:
- Anorexic type ‘not eating diet’ with occasional purging and overexercising
- Dexatrim (why was I ALWAYS so HUNGRY?)
- Slim Fast (in college)
- Weight Watchers (like 10 times at least)
- Fit for Life (food combining vegan type diet)
- Cabbage Soup Diet
- Master Cleanse
- Vegan Diet
- Vegetarian Diet
- Pescatarian Diet
- South Beach Diet
- Atkins Diet
- Zone Diet
- Blood Type Diet
- Paleo Diet
- Whole30 (Stricter Paleo Diet)
- AIP (Even Stricter Autoimmune Paleo Diet)
- HCG
- Intermittent Fasting
- Keto Diet
Like many people, my motivation for dieting was always about losing weight. And with many of these diets, I did manage to lose some weight…but never for long…
I’d eventually regain the weight (yo-yo dieting) and not always because the diet stopped working*, but moreso because I stopped working IT….
The diet – whether it was restricting certain foods or calories – or measuring everything – or fake foods – or counting points or macros – was JUST NOT SUSTAINABLE, so I couldn’t keep it up…
And so I’d give up…
And so the weight “crept” back up…
So then I’d find another diet…
Over and over again for over three decades! 🤦🏻♀️
*Most of these diets probably DID slow my metabolic rate too so they actually DID “stop working” .
The further down the diet list you go, the older I was getting – the crappier I was feeling – the more I was getting tested by doctors – so there was a healing component as well (i.e., Whole30 for gut, AIP for Hashimoto’s, etc..) which also served as a ‘halo’ for how I was just trying to get well – but STILL always wanting to get thin <a MUCH needed future post! It’s coming!
I’ve learned so much along the way on my diet journey though…and I’ve set my mind to choosing gratitude and growth – over regret and shame…
It’s in that spirit that I’m sharing the gems here for you…
The biggest, most obvious lesson I’ve learned is that restriction – or strict diets – don’t work long term.
DUH!
My personal findings have been:
- Processed foods EFF up my whole system! Even those “health food section” processed foods that I thought were healthy plant-based meat substitutes (back in my vegan days).
- Human cells, our body and brain function best with real food – rich in nutrient diversity – high quality animal proteins and a variety of plants with a balance of healthy fats – (but minimal dairy for me!).
- Carbohydrates lead me to crave more carbohydrates…especially refined carbs (chips, sweets, bread – even gluten free!), but even if I have too many real food carbs (fruit, starch, grains, beans, etc) – I find I just want to eat more.
- Nuts and seeds are slippery slopes digestively, volume-wise and habit-wise for me. I need to be careful with dosage or they mess me up.
- Alcohol effects my sleep which effects my appetite, energy and mood the next day and my weight long term. This is also a dose thing for me. My tolerance has gotten much lower as I’ve gotten older.
So now I maintain my ideal weight and I don’t “diet” and I don’t put my clients on restrictive, unsustainable diets either.
My mission is to help women – who’ve been in the diet cycle for decades too – to be free of the diet hamster-wheel so that you can figure out your “sweet spot” – which is your ideal approach to eating and living so that you never have to obsess, stress, regret or EVER diet again.
So if you were working 1:1 with me – or if you decide to join my more affordable online programs, this is how this process works:
DECIDE YOUR EATING APPROACH
First, I start you off with my super simple real food framework built on a balance of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) based upon the following determining factors:
- Your food/eating preferences.
- Your body’s response or tolerance to foods – especially carbohydrates.
- Your clear goals.
That’s Step 1, illustrating this a little further, you’d figure out the ideal eating approach for you based on some simple criteria, such as:
>If you love eating fruit and starches or if you’re more plant based and you know that these foods work for your system, that’s the approach that I’d steer you toward.
>If you’re more like me and enjoy fattier, richer foods (mayo, avocado) and could care less about fruit or starch and/or you’re insulin resistant (high fasting blood glucose – A1C, high insulin, parent is diabetic, etc..) then the Keto/Low Carb approach may be best for you (but with a balance of anti-inflammatory fats – not a lot of dairy and cured meats).
And then within that real food framework, you further personalize your approach with the specific real foods that make up your meals.
In other words, if you hate fish, fish obviously wouldn’t be part of your plan. If a serving of broccoli makes you bloated and gassy, you’d find other veggies that DO work well for your body.
You MUST ENJOY WHAT you’re eating and those foods and the amounts have to work for your body, the goals you’re aiming for – and this way of eating has to actually work for your real LIFE…
Which is another sticky spot with meal building where I see people get stuck. So for example:
Some people LOVE to cook and love all the recipes – but most people don’t.
I know that I don’t. I may get fancy with a recipe once or twice a MONTH, but that’s about it.
I work with a LOT of busy professionals and mom’s on the run. They don’t have time or the desire to cook either, so their approach has to work for their lifestyle – that may involve lots of eating out – or takeout – or grabbing a rotisserie chicken and greens at the supermarket – or maybe a mail order meal kit service.
You HAVE to make whatever approach you choose work for your preferences, your daily capacity, your budget and your day to day life. Makes sense?
DECIDE MEAL TIMING
Other variables that you would want to personalize within your eating approach are your eating ‘windows’ – meaning the hours in which you eat and your meal/snack frequency (intermittent fasting).
I don’t snack. It used to be an emotional eating habit for me (the emotion usually being boredom/procrastination/distraction). I ask my weight loss clients and students to work toward not snacking too. Your hunger adapts after a few mindful days.
This further places a little more eating structure in a non-diet way that’s also proven to support metabolism because it doesn’t tend toward overeating or those grazing insulin spikes all day and/or habitually munching at night (unless that works for you!)
DECIDE YOUR INDULGENCES & DOSE
And finally, I’m a HUGE believer that your “diet” has to have space for indulgences…because life needs to be fun – and sometimes fun involves foods and drinks. It doesn’t HAVE to, but it probably does.
You decide what those indulgences are and then pay attention to your body’s “biofeedback” and the results you’re getting.
If you’re not getting results or if you’re not feeling well, that’s a sign that something’s off with your plan AND/OR your indulgences. Look at adjusting your indulgences first.
ASSESS & TWEAK!
In other words, if you’re not getting the results you expect, you’re very likely overeating and/or you’re “taking in” something that’s inflaming you OR something in your diet or life is keeping you out of balance.
Figuring out what and why that is, well THAT’s the REAL work, my friend!
It’s not that you need a stricter diet!
It’s that the “approach” you’ve chosen is either not being followed consistently enough for you to see the results (ask yourself WHY!) OR something in the plan you’ve established doesn’t actually work for your body or your life for some reason (OR YOUR LIFE AND THINKING IS OUT OF BALANCE and no diet – even your own personalized one – will fix that either < that’s all mindset work!)
Once you figured THIS ^ all out, you’ve found it:
The ONLY diet that works!
Why? Because that’s the diet that actually works for YOU!
All you have to do now is just need to apply it consistently for the rest of your life! Ha!
OK – it’s your turn…PLEASE tell me I’m not alone with this diet history MADNESS…What were some of your doozies..Share below!
