Dear All
I have been on and off diets since I was 14. However, I've been unsuccessful because I have never learned to eat appropriately or to the rhythm of my body. Therefore after vlcd LL/CD/exante I've now got to come off these plans and eat and exercise to lose weight, but I am scared. I am 6ft and over 17 stone!!!! After all these years I still can't understand why I cant sort this out.
A friend of mine has recommended filling and healthy so I can concentrate on eating appropriately without feeling I am on a diet. I've tried SW only to gain and be told I wasn't eating enough!!!!!!!! Anyway if there is someone out there who could be my guiding light then I would be utterly grateful.
Best wishes RachieB xxx
Hi Rachie,
Don't know about being a guiding light, but I think I know where you're coming from! I have been 'dieting' for over 35 years - but still weighed 17 and a half stone last October! Nothing had ever stuck for long enough to be slim - only ever for long enough to lose a bit, and then put it all back on and more. I had tried them all - SW, WW, local Clubs, Slimming, Cambridge, Atkins and... oh plenty of others!
Like you I couldn't understand why I couldn't just
do it! There were tears, (a lot of tears,) at clothes shopping, going out, even just finding something to wear in the summer. I was a reasonably intelligent woman, considered a high achiever at school and at work, I could do everything else I set my mind to, except lose weight. Something just clicked this time round and I started on SW, then changed to WW in February, all with the help of this forum. I haven't been the fastest loser, but I have managed to stick with it through the weeks and slowly and steadily I am getting there. I've spent some time coming to terms with the slow and steady side of it, and there are days when I still rant at the fact that I'm not losing it 'quickly enough.' But then, losing it 'quickly enough' is where I have failed over the last many, many years. I've also accepted that my old perfectionism was a lot of the problem - if I had a bad week, bad day, bad hour even, then I had failed - now I accept that that is just real life - I don't expect myself or anyone else to be perfect at other things, so why should I expect to be perfect at losing weight? Also, when it gets tough, I think about the options, and really there are only two - either keep going, or give up. Giving up would put me straight back where I have been for all those years, keeping going will move me closer to where I want to go. I still have a long way to go, but I absolutely know I will get there - that I am getting there.
I count the WW pro-points, but I 'talk' to others on here who do the Simply Filling and have great success too. Take a look at the Simply Filling, or if you think portion control might be a problem, maybe the propoints. Your friend has a point about not 'feeling you are on a diet' and you can always change from SF to Propoint counting, if you need some help with portion control. It's really good that you recognise that you need to eat appropriately for you - I suppose that's what we all struggle with! This is an amazing forum for support and advice, and an occasional kick up the back-side when needed.
I really could go on all day about how much difference the last 10 months has made to me - that is how good it feels, but this thread is about you and I've probably already rambled on too much. I would love to read your diary and see how the changes happen for you as you lose the weight and gain so much more in other ways too! If I can do it after all these years of failure then so can you. You can do it!
Let us know what you decide to do. I know there will be plenty of support here for you.
