Diet and Fear of Depriving Myself

Avatar for gobfuse
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Diet and Fear of Depriving Myself
6
Tue, 12-06-2005 - 12:46pm

It's no big secret to me that I have to lose weight.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-27-2005
Tue, 12-06-2005 - 2:39pm

Hi Julie,


I feel the same as you, I love food and I love to eat.

Lady Jewel

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-26-2003
Tue, 12-06-2005 - 3:37pm

I'm just a lurker here because I'm eight months pregnant, but I also have a lot of weight to lose but I have given up dieting permanently. I did a lot of soul searching and even saw a therapist who specializes in eating disorders for a while (no small feat to find one since I am one and I know all of them in town). I've really come to the conclusion that dieting has made me fat. I started out just a little chubby, dieted like crazy, felt deprived, binged, gained it all back plus a little, then dieted again, felt deprived, binged, gained it all back plus a little again, and so on. At the end of the insanity I was 245 pounds (260 now with baby, but I don't count that last 15). Weight watchers, atkins (no fun since I'm vegetarian), south beach, protein power, calorie counting, fat gram counting, etc. No matter what it is I know that if I have to track every bite I eat I will only get obsessed and think about food even more and eventually give in and binge. I don't believe any more that it's because I have no willpower, when I look around I don't know a single person who has lost weight on a diet and kept it off long term. Nobody. The only person I know who has lost weight and kept it off is my neighbor, who gave up dieting and told me "If I want a piece of cake, I'm going to eat it, dammit, I'm just going to have to take a longer walk that night."

So, for me, the evidence just shows dieting does not work. Yeah, we need to decrease our calories and increase our activity, but for me, tracking every cheerio that goes into my mouth is a recipe for disaster (and I get really obsessive when I diet). So, my plan is to eat only when I am physically hungry, and then to try to eat foods that are nutritious, but I will never avoid certain foods again. Cookies, cake, chips all have a permanent place in my life. I'm just going to eat a serving instead of the whole package. It took me a long time to get going with this eating plan and really stick to it (I still feel "triggered" to diet). For a few months I just stopped gaining, which honestly was nice since I have always either been dieting or gaining, and then things ramped up and I'd lost about 5 pounds when I found out I was pregnant. I lost it really slowly, over about 2 months, but it was great.

Anyway, I clearly don't have the answers. I just know that I can't "go on a diet" ever again because I'll wind up with that deprived feeling and be fatter at the end than the beginning.

Good luck to you! I hope you find something that works for you. I think we're all different, so what works for me might not work for you.

Erin

http://www.GlitterMaker.com/ - Glitter Graphics
Mom
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2000
Tue, 12-06-2005 - 9:35pm
I'm with Erin. I eat what I want and will never deprive myself again. The last time I was on a diet it was Atkins. Although with Atkins I lost 55 pounds I couldn't do it for life. You need something you can do for life. I haven't learned to eat correct portions yet, but I will. Hang in there and find something you can live with. Good luck. Stephanie
Avatar for gobfuse
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Wed, 12-07-2005 - 11:39am

jm2500:


It sounds like you've found a happy medium between good eating, yet able to get your chocolate everyday!

Avatar for gobfuse
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Wed, 12-07-2005 - 11:43am

Erin:


Yes!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2004
Wed, 12-07-2005 - 7:22pm

well, for me a diet is something i go on then abandon when i've lost weight and feel like i can go back to my old ways. so these days, i prefer to eat sensibly, with no second helpings, getting all my food groups thru out the day. i also don't like to eat a lot when i have my meals, so i find myself having 5 or 6 small meals a day.
it works well for me. when i feel like i'm flagging, i'll grab some fruit and water and a few crackers. picks me right up. sometimes i'll grab a cookie or piece of pie or chocolate, but i don't pig out on the sweets like i did in the past. i savor the moment instead. :)

so that and regular exercise is working for me.

V***V

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