Roni's Weigh: Dieting Made Me Fat - 7 Tips to a Healthier Lifestyle
When I was a kid, I longed to be thinner. I wasn't obese. I wasn't thin. I was a normal, active child that could possible be considered "chubby" in comparison to "skinny" people. I had a father that was preoccupied with the weight of his daughter and it was pointed out to me more then a few times I could "afford to lose" a few pounds.
Around the age of 12 or 13, I began to diet. I would be aware of what I was eating, sometimes even depriving myself of lunch at school. This, of course, backfired. I would allow myself to get too hungry and then overeat at my next meal. This very normal dieting cycle, eat less, feel deprived, eat more, continued for me until my late 20's.
Throughout high school and college, I would have done anything to be thin. Everything except what I needed to do. I needed to learn how to eat and have a healthy relationship with food. I needed to stop DIETING! Sounds weird I know, but it's true. Dieting made me fat. Once I stopped dieting and learned how to live, I found success.
So you are asking yourself now, "how did she do it? How did she stop dieting?" Well my program of choice was Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers was like school for me. I went to "class" once a week to earn my 3 credits in "Eating and Living Healthy". Some may call it a diet, I disagree it's a strategy for those of us who need to be taught how to eat. Those of us who need to learn how to have a healthy relationship with food.
Do you need to run out and join Weigh Watchers to find success? No I don't think so. It won't hurt but it can be done with a few simple strategies.
Include more healthy whole foods in your diet. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats. If you don't eat enough of them now start slowly. Replace a snack a day with a fruit. Add a side of veggies to your dinner plate. After a few weeks, you may start to surprise yourself and your tastes may change!
Learn what a portion is. I was shocked to see what one serving of pasta was! And I almost cried when I weighed out one serving of my favorite cereal.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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