Over the past decade or so, I have gained what has amounted to approximately 60 pounds of excess weight. Granted, my weight has fluctuated up and down primarily because of pregnancies, however, even after losing “baby weight” I seemed to gain 10-15 pounds between each child.
During this time, I have attempted to lose weight, using several different methods, on many separate occasions. Some of these methods provided short-term success, but it seemed that whatever weight I lost always managed to find its way back to me.
If I calculated only the four “major” attempts in which I lost a significant amount of weight with a program, it would look something like this:
Attempt 1 .................... Lost 35 lbs .................. Gained 70 lbs
Attempt 2 .................... Lost 25 lbs .................. Gained 35 lbs
Attempt 3 .................... Lost 20 lbs .................. Gained 30 lbs
Attempt 4 .................... Lost 30 lbs .................. Gained 25 lbs
Total ...................... Lost 110 lbs ............... Gained 160 lbs
Give or take a few pounds here and there where I may have lost 5 or 10 and gained back the same, it seems that somehow, even though the ‘designer diets’ were successful in the beginning, I could never maintain the weight loss that I had achieved.
Why is that?
I started to wonder about what might have gone wrong. Obviously the diets were working, because I was losing the weight. My clothes were fitting better, I had more energy, and felt great overall. But what was lacking was the long-term solution for weight “control.” Once I lost the 20-30 pounds that I wanted to lose, I no longer needed to lose weight, so I “stopped” the diets! Silently, but without fail, the pounds snuck their way back on. It was then that I realized that all of these designer diets did not provide a *realistic* long-term solution to maintain the desired weight level.
Oh sure, they call them “maintenance,” or “lifetime maintenance” stages, plans, programs – but I have yet to find one that is realistic for ME. When I say that, I mean a program designed for a working mother of four children under six years old. Something geared for a working person who usually eats meals while ironing clothes just to save time. Something geared for a busy person who HATES programs!
I decided the only way I was going to find a program that was geared towards my lifestyle was to design one for myself. Taking everything I had learned from all of the different programs, diets, meal plans, etc., I basically squished them altogether into one big batch, took out the bad stuff, dumped the boring stuff, added a bit more of the good stuff, and came up with a Franken-diet, if you will.
So far, I have lost 35 pounds and I have kept it off without fail, and I’m on my way to lose another 25 pounds before the summer (you see, I have a few new bikinis that I need to fit into :-)
Disclaimer … I am not a dietician, nor a doctor, and I am not purporting or even pretending to give any advice on how to lose weight. If you are looking to change your own eating habits in any way, shape or form, seek professional medical advice first. This is my personal story about my struggles with weight loss and how I overcame them. I cannot be held liable for any actions of those who may read this article.
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