January just wouldn’t be January without the diet frenzy. January must be to the diet industry what black Friday is to the retail industry. Well, we’re 19 days into January and no doubt some are probably still going strong. This post isn’t for the ones who think they are rocking their diet plan. This post is for those who, yet again, fell for the diet lure only to be chewed up and spit out already. This is to those who feel like a failure right now. Yes, I’m talking to you who has the chocolate smeared on your face this very moment. I’m talking to you who is online googling “diets don’t work” or “I hate dieting” or “what the heck is wrong with me”. I’m talking to the woman who wishes she could just eat like a normal person. I’m talking to the girl who fears being fat… the girl who hates being fat… the girl who thinks she’s fat… and the girl who wishes her mind would just “shut up” about her appearance already. I want each of you to hear me:

Dieting doesn’t work.

Today I started writing my “ghosts of diets past” story. This story is very private and I do not plan to share it out here. But I wanted to encourage you to take some time to write your own. Think back to the first time you even thought about dieting. Maybe start with an outline listing every diet you’ve ever tried, then go back and write in the story surrounding those decisions. What was going on in your life at the time? Where did you get the beliefs you have about food and dieting? Basically, take inventory of your diet history. Has it benefited you? Here are some of the diets I’ve tried over the years (in order of appearance):

• eat as little as you can till you binge on chocolate
• exercise as much as you can so you can binge on chocolate
• Calorie counting (this one should be peppered between many of these as I tried it sooo many times)
• Low fat, high carb
• diabetic diet
• Slim-Fast
• Reduced calorie diabetic exchange program
• Hydroxycut
• Protein Power (high fat, low carb)
• Body for Life (low fat, moderate carb)
• a mix of Protein Power and Body for Life (high fat, moderate carb, with a binge day each week – did this one for 18 months)
• The Schwarzbein Principle
• 12,000 steps a day diet
• South Beach
• Weight Watchers (for like two weeks)
• First Place (diabetic exchange again)
• Protein Power (again)
• First Place (tried it at home this time)
• Weight Watchers (for almost 2 years this time)
• Body Bugg (calories in/calories out)
• Atkins (extremely high fat/low carb)
• Weight Watchers (tried to go back)
• 80/10/10 – Low fat, raw vegan
• Weight Watchers (cooked vegan)
• Raw vegan (again)
• Calorie counting vegan
• Macro/micro nutrient counting
• Eat to Live
• Vegan Weight Watchers (one last time)

These are the ones that I tried for a minimum of two weeks. There are others that didn’t last as long… Like the “S” diet. Never heard of that one? Well, it’s where you eat “clean” every day except days that start with the letter “S” (Saturday, Sunday, and Special). This doesn’t even account for the many exercise plans, gym memberships, diet books I read but didn’t try, and diet related supplements. This list covers a span of about 28 years. TWENTY EIGHT!! Um, yeah, I think I was addicted to dieting. I wasn’t even over weight through parts of that time frame either… but I always thought I could lose more. And if I was at what was considered “goal weight”, I didn’t know what to do with myself after being so diet focused for so long. The weight would return, and the cycle would continue.

Take a journey through your ghosts of diets past… If you aren’t convinced that diets aren’t the answer… then this post isn’t for you either 🙂 For those who are convinced, let’s break the cycle.