KittyLove

Hi Lisa,
First of all, forget the word "diet" because it's self defeating... eating healthy foods, not eating out of boredom and stress (I know it's difficult, but realizing it is the first step, I catch myself doing it to and have to ask myself "Am I really hungry?"), and changing your eating habits is , I believe, how to get away from this never ending plight of weight loss and weight gain. Denying yourself of what you crave is a surefire way to an all out eating fest.

I'm Italian, and I was brought up on eating, eating, eating. Food was EVERYTHING. I had relatives who found it insulting if you didn't at least TRY something. Over the years, I have found my voice, and just eat what I want, when I want...regardless. I know my relatives mean well and that's their hospitality, but if I didn't draw the line, I'd be huge!

In March, I found out I was allergic to Yeast, so I stopped eating breads, vinegars, and alcohol...I lost about 20 pounds. I have been maintaining my weight without effort. I now believe I was consuming WAY too much bread and wine...I remember at the time thinking they were both low in fat and that they couldn't possibly the reason I was overweight. My belief has changed since losing weight.

I have come to realize that overweight people have an obsession with food. I work with about 30 women, and for the ones struggling with their weight, I swear food is basicially all they talk about. I think if you obsess about food all the time naturally you want to eat. I believe you need to start LISTENING to your body and only eat when you are truly hungry and stop when you are satisfied. This takes effort and awareness. We truly are a society of fad diets gone awry. If you observe a thin person's eating habits, you can learn a lot. They eat WHAT they want and WHEN they want, and stop when they are satisfied, and on top of it, they don't sit around and feel guilty about what they ate. They ate food for fuel, and that's the end of it. I've stopped feeling envious of thin people, have taken note, and have learned a thing or two...this takes away the mystery. For one thing, they're not obsessed with food (when, where, my diet!, and losing control) and certainly don't feel guilty about eating food...they enjoy it! As it should be.

Anyways, I have slowly been training myself to be less consumed with food and "dieting", and just eating nutritious, healthy food. I do have chocolate once in a while, like a few kisses or a bite of dessert...I truly never did enjoy sweet food. I was always a bread and cheese kinda gal. I feel better not being a slave to some diet or hating myself for eating "bad" foods once in awhile. I know many women on "diets" and they seem to be getting bigger by the minute. Once in a while they do lose weight, on some fad diet, but they gain the weight back plus some. In my mind, they need to make real, permanant changes and stop these quick-fix diets. These diets are a joke, and we all know it, but we still resort to them.

I've rambled on, but I have one clear message: change your eating habits, learn about nutrition, stop obsessing about food, and eat only when you are TRULY hungry...whatever the reasons you are eating for (stress, anxiety, loneliness) become more aware of them, and stop putting off dealing with them (either conseling or medication) because overeating is just compounding your problems. I believe people use food as medication, a way of dealing with their REAL problems. They can diet all they want but they'll never getting to the REAL root of their problem. Some might find this debatable, but I feel I have enough experience with overweight women, myself included, to justify this fact. I've realized food and dieting never helps ANY problem and it's a way to mask what's really going on.