I have a plan.

The worst four-letter word.

Like millions of us, I've tried every diet and weight loss plan you can imagine: SlimFast, Dexatrim, Ayds, cabbage soup, no carbs, grapefruit diet, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem.  For me, none of them worked--well, not long-term anyway.  Any "diet" where you have to drink, swallow or sprinkle chemicals to feel full, when an entire food group is prohibited and you're only allowed to eat certain foods day-in-day-out gets old really fast.  What's worse, these diets most certainly do not teach us portion control, how to stop when we're satiated, and how to eat real food in a balanced and healthy way. 

Since I was hell-bent on being skinny, and didn't want to exercise or give up my favorite foods, I bounced from diet to diet.  That resulted in "dieting" my way up to 227 pounds.  Realizing that I needed something to give me some structure and boundaries with food, I had a gastric bypass.  Post-surgery, I still was sometimes out of control with food, and nine years later, those feeding-frenzy episodes resulted in a 30 pound regain.  No surprise.



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On Valentine's Day this year, I split my pants at work.  How could that happen?  I was lying to myself, and I refused to buy bigger clothes.  So my body got stuffed into size 10's.  I was mortified.  I feigned an upset stomach and went home.  Couldn't tell FH because I was so ashamed.  Cried myself to sleep because I had hit bottom again, and knew things had to change.  The next day,  I joined Weight Watchers. 

I can eat anything I want to, as long as I stay within my points limit.  I've learned how to measure everything and now I know what a healthy portion looks like.  I track everything I put in my mouth.  I go to weekly meetings and weigh-in, which are of great help.  I make a new goal every week, celebrate when I reach or surpass it, and am learning how to forgive myself when I don't. 

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The tough part for me is I'm still learning how to integrate this gargantuan change in my life.  I'm taking it a day at a time.  I'm telling myself I'm in it for the long-haul, but that concept is not something with which I've had success.  In the past, I've given up when I got tired of exercising, or when living with the changes just got too hard for me to sustain.  I am hopeful that this plan is exactly what I need.  

The structure and flexibility of the plan are big pluses for me.  I can control what I eat.  Some days are better than others.  But today, it's working.  I am human, and forgive myself when I fall back on old, unhealthy habits...and start anew again.

To date, I have lost 14 pounds.  Only 16 more to reach my goal.  Yay me!

QUESTION:  Have you found an eating plan that is successful?  What works for you?  What doesn't?

(c) Robyn M. Posson 2012.  All Rights Reserved.