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On stopping dieting

6 replies

Erinbookawitch · 06/07/2019 13:19

Just wanted to share my experience:
For years, I have done diets on and off. I am 32 years old and I think I started dieting at 20, when I was actually already slim.

What I found however and I only realise now, that following ANY sort of diet plan was causing me to obsess over food in ways I never had before and was ingraining very bad habits into my psyche.

I lost weight initially with every diet, up to 3 stone with SW after the birth of my first child, but what I found on the whole, is that I was getting bigger.

I would binge eat on my "flexi-days" having never been a binge eater before so although I was looking slimmer, my habits were becoming more unhealthy. I wa also consuming lots of sugar-free chemical-ridden snacks and was breaking out in spots.

Before falling pregnant with my second child, I vowed to stop dieting. I decided that I would learn about nutrition instead. In the first 6 months of that decision, I gained half a stone as I over-did it with the luxury of suddenly being able to eat what I wanted. I then fell pregnant and after initially gaining a bit more weight and being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I decided I was going to "just be healthy." I ate, good fats, wholegrains, fruit, veg, full fat yoghurt and had the odd treat if I felt like it and not because I had an allowance to use up!

What happened? I lost weight whilst pregnant and by the end when I gave birth I actually weighed less than I did prior to falling pregnant. I then breastfed for 1 year and lost another half a stone. I have since lost another 3lb or so in around 4 months.

The loss has been slow, but normal and healthy and I only weigh myself every couple of weeks. I don't binge anymore and have found myself getting that sickly feeling when I consume too much, a reaction that had stopped when I was obsessing over food and filling up as much as possible.

Nothing is off limits, but I tend to choose healthy foods more than ever without feeling restricted. I've found my favourite foods are actually healthy ones- olives, hummous and peppers with olive oil and tomatoes.

I guess I'm writimg this to say don't be frightenes to get off the dieting roller coaster. You might gain initially, but keep in educating yourself, remind yourself that nothing is off limits and choose health and fitness. There is no diet that "isn't really a diet."

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fessmess · 06/07/2019 13:21

Well done you. You must feel amazing! It is true that dieting makes us fat.

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Erinbookawitch · 06/07/2019 13:29

I still have a way to go to be honest. I still weigh much more than I should and 1 stone more than I did after losing 3 stone on SW, but I'm embracing healthy change rather than sudden change.

I just think if I can do it, anyone can.

I have friends on diets and I see them
Yo-yoing constantly. They have big losses, stop dieting and have even bigger gains and then swap to a new diet plan. It's crazy.

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WhoAteMyNuts · 06/07/2019 13:34

I agree but it's taken me a lot longer than it has you to realise that. I wish I had my lightbulb moment years ago.

Both DH and I had that realisation that dieting just makes you fatter in the long run. Only making new habits makes a difference and restricting times to eat or removing food groups doesn't work for most people long term.

My weight loss is slow. Far slower than most people want but it feels for once that this is sustainable because there is no 'diet' to follow other than being mindful about what I eat. No food is off limits but I am listening to my body about feeling full.

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Erinbookawitch · 06/07/2019 20:32

Mine is really slow too @whoatemynuts. Bet you're still feeling better than when you were dieting though. Having to think about food constantly isn't normal.

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Chloe9 · 06/07/2019 21:36

Sweeteners have a really bad effect on me now (possibly they always did). They make me feel constantly shaky, hungry and hypoglycaemic. Anything I eat just will not make me feel full. I feel sick, get headaches, my skin suffers, I grind my teeth at night, and get bloating or diarrhoea. It's honestly like being poisoned. Unfortunately they seem to be in everything now, though.

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WhoAteMyNuts · 07/07/2019 06:24

Definitely feels better.

Like you I have found I will actively eat more veg and salad now because I want to rather than feeling that I should. My outlook on food has changed and for the better.

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