Fuck your diet! The real, no gimmick “secret” to losing weight, getting fit, and being healthy…Without sacrificing your happiness...
Note: This is a bit of a hefty take, so grab a healthy snack and a drink!
I’ve been where you are, my friend-o: starving, salivating at the thought of carbs, and desperately bored of the food that my “get fit quick” diet restricts me to. If it isn’t headaches or late night stomach pains, then its deprived taste buds and an ever slimming will to continue – which seems to be the only thing that STAYS slim after these diets. The truth of the matter is, is that “dieting” doesn’t work; a restricted diet relies on the idea that by restricting certain foods and your intake, the participant will have quicker, more noticeable weight loss – in fact, you can lose about 5-10 percent of your body weight on most restricted diets. While in theory, diets will make you lose weight, the likelihood of this weight staying off is a staggeringly low: studies show that 65% of people who go on rapid weight loss diets will regain the weight, according to Gary Foster Ph.D. clinical director of the Weight & Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania. That means that once dieters go back to eating normally – or god forbid – fall off of the wagon for a period of time, that weight will begin to pack back on. Why? Because many of these diets don’t consider the amount of calories you burn throughout the day, nor do they consider your body type, specific dietary needs, realistic functionality, your metabolism (how can your body deal with fat and carbs if you never eat them?), and plain and simple imperfection. So, you may ask yourself: what is the solution then, Jacklynne? I can’t stay on a restrictive diet my whole life, and I can’t go off of it because then I’ll gain the weight back! What am I supposed to do!? This is hopeless, I need a bag of Doritos, and a cupcake … and a whole pizza … wine … chicken winnngggss……
Fear not, I’m here to help you.
First and foremost, it is important for you to note that you have to take a few things into consideration, such as:
- Your overall health: do you smoke? Do you have a heart condition? When is the last time you seen a doctor?
- What your biggest weakness is: is it vegetables (you hate them!), working out regularly, drinking enough water, sweets, takeout?
- Why you’re trying to lose weight in the first place: Do you NEED to lose weight, or are you trying to look a certain way? Is your mentality prepared and healthy enough to go on a journey back to health? Do you suspect you may try to go too far once you begin losing weight? If you said yes to the ladder, you shouldn’t begin until you counsel through those thoughts.
The last and probably most important thing to consider, is a question all of us never fully want to ask ourselves – why? Because we love sugar coating our reasoning, like the weight just involuntarily packed on without us knowing. No, we would rather play the “blame my circumstance, not my choices” game. Don’t get me wrong, I have been there and I have done that. What’s that? You want me to explain? Oh well … if you insist.
Two years ago, I moved out of my mom’s house after a three month stay that proved to be the most intensely stressful and trying three months of my life. The experience left me high strung, frustrated, and on top of that, I was broke and had a pretty bad dependency on alcohol to cope with my anxiety (which I suffer from). During that time, I was sitting at around 125-130 lbs, which was the heaviest I had ever been in my life. While the number didn’t seem like a lot to most people, the weight didn’t sit well on my body, plain and simply because I am of a more petite stature. The last time I saw a doctor earlier that year, he told me that I: “Wasn’t overweight, but I could benefit from losing some”, after that, I vowed to never see a doctor again until I had shed the poundage away.
However that was a feat I wasn’t particularly interested in at the time. I had finally moved out and was too focused on starting a new, independent life, along with my two wonderful roommates, one of which was my cousin and long-time best friend. We had been close since childhood, and even spoke of living together when we were older. We had so much in common, even though we had dramatically different attitudes and were shockingly different in size: I was 5’2”, petite, and blonde … and she was 6’3”, heavy set and dark haired. But that wasn’t all we had in common. We had both suffered from eating disorders for a good chunk of our lives, and still struggled as adults.
My cousin – who for the sake of this take I will refer to as “Sugar” – was born larger than most of the members of her family. She grew up wealthy, was encouraged to eat seconds and formed an unhealthy addiction to emotional binge eating. I, on the other hand, grew up poor, often received trouble for taking food without asking, and went on to suffer from bulimia and anorexia for about six years It didn’t stop there however: as it turned out, just a year earlier, Sugar had lost almost a hundred lbs by putting herself on a restrictive diet turned into full-blown anorexia. Just like all restrictive “diets”, Sugar gave up, and gained the weight all back. It was like we were sisters in body dysmorphic, we both had an unhealthy obsession with food that made it our best friend and worst enemy. So, the moment we realized that judgment about food wasn’t on the table, we began putting everything else on the DINNER table.
*This image might look cute - but my eating habits weren't.*
Takeout, restaurants, fast food, junk food – anything we felt like eating, we did. It didn’t help that we lived conveniently next to multiple grocery stores and shopping centers that put shitty dins at our fingertips. It also didn’t help that our favorite places to order from were so close that we rarely had to pay for delivery charges. We both loved cooking as well, and we often used our talents for evil by making ridiculously high fat creations, such as pizza casserole and popcorn-chicken-baked-mac-n’-cheese. Before we knew it, we were lethargic, gaining weight, unhealthy and only really happy if we were neck deep in something delicious. So, we decided to make a change. If only we had learned from our past mistakes.
It became a long winded depriving diet that left us losing weight, but not anywhere near healthy. It was normal for us to eat nothing but fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, and plain chicken or fish for dinner, as per the diet suggested. We weren’t even allowed to have mayo or peanut butter on this diet; that was how restrictive it was. After trying to go on a weeklong juice cleanse (that permitted one glass of juice per meal), we both got severely sick … and we quit the diet. We gained ALL of the weight back that we had lost.
After that, we both really began to evaluate and accept that we had an unhealthy view of food. We were both so used to going to either extreme and were addicted to fast results, which was why we continuously failed. At that point, we decided it was time to stop dieting and quitting. It was time to change how we lived as a whole.
We began learning new recipes, educating ourselves on what our bodies needed vs. what we could cut out, and began finding ways to succeed by keeping ourselves happy and satisfied. Using our love for cooking, we began finally losing weight while still LOVING the food that we were eating, without ever feeling hungry or deprived. We still allowed ourselves to cheat every now and again, and didn’t punish ourselves if we didn’t have a great day. We would get back on the band wagon the next day and keep going, we didn’t beat ourselves up for having a moment (or two) of weakness. We included working out three days a week and before long, Sugar lost 40 lbs and I lost 27 lbs … in only five short months. What was even better was that by this time, we had found our perfect balance between what we loved and what was good for us that living like this on the daily was virtually effortless, and we have been able to keep all of the weight off, even after falling off the band-wagon for a few weeks at a time.
So, now that you have my story, I will tell you exactly what it is you can do to effectively come to health, get fit, and lose weight, along with some helpful tips that worked for me and Sugar:
- Go to your doctor if you need to lose more than 20 lbs (as per suggested by my doctor, this may vary if you have other health issues, especially if you have a heart condition. If you have a heart condition, it is VITAL for you to see a doctor to safely begin weight loss). If you don’t have a family doctor, a clinic is a good option. Make sure you are aware of any deficiencies you may have and take any other conditions into consideration before you begin. Your doctor should identify your BMI and what a good weight loss goal for you should be, as well as how many calories you should be having each day to have efficient, healthy weight loss. If possible, see if they can refer you to a dietitian
- Never cut out a food group without consulting a doctor or dietitian. Too many times do I see people relying on google to tell them that it’s okay to remove all proteins, carbs, and dairy from their diet – none of which is necessarily a wise idea without having a proper substitute. However, if you want to try going vegetarian or vegan, it’s best that you talk to a professional to make sure you educate yourself before removing food items from your diet.
- Learn new recipes and find alternatives. Healthy food isn’t restricted to chicken, fish, and salad; you can eat your carbs so long as they aren’t processed (white) and you can even have fat, just be wary of how much you NEED and don’t abuse it. It also helps to know how to make healthy food tasty, which will make it much easier to keep on track. Lastly, finding alternatives to your favorite snacks is a good way to make you feel less restrictive or deprived. Like chips? Try seaweed snacks, or plantain chips – maybe even rice chips. Whatever your preference is.
- Set a realistic goal. Instead of saying “I want to lose 100 lbs”, tell yourself: “In a month, I want to have lost at least 10 lbs.” It will stop you from trying to race to the finish. I always suggest consulting a doctor to set good weight loss goals.
- Treat yourself. It’s okay to have hiccups every once in a while, and it’s okay to give yourself a designated cheat day so long as you get back on track when it’s over and done with. The only time this is not an option is if you have undergone surgery for weight loss surgery or have other conditions where it is not in your best interest to indulge in certain foods. Once again, consult your doctor.
- Workout. It’s true that 80% of weight loss success is your diet, but working out not only assists in weight loss, but it helps with toning, overall health and mentality. Even if you go for thirty minutes three days a week, it’s going to help you in the long run. If you don’t want to join a gym, you could try going on long walks, doing at-home workouts, riding your bike, swimming, jogging, etc. Make sure you get SOME exercise each week.
- Do it for you. Make sure you’re the first person you think of when you decide to take on the task of returning to health. Don’t do it for anyone else but yourself … well, except for your kids – that’s one exception. Just make sure you keep yourself in mind, okay selfless mothers and fathers?
Of course, this isn’t a sure way for everybody. Some people need more intense intervention, but this is why I advocate that you consult your doctor before beginning any kind of drastic weight loss.You also have to keep in mind that these are just my experiences and opinions that I formed over a long period where my doctor was involved, so if you find that not all of my advice applies to you, keep in mind that all circumstances are different and you may have to alter things to work for you. Overall, just do your best, believe in yourself, and I hope you all enjoyed this take – I know it was a hefty one!
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