What diet is right for me?

The most common question I get asked when people find out I've lost a lot of weight is: "How did you do it?"

I'm often tempted to make up an outlandish reply like, "I stood on my head for 3 days and ate nothing but bacon and the weight just fell right off!"  But the point is, most of us already know HOW to lose weight.  Use up more calories than you put in.  So, either exercise more, eat fewer calories, or do a little of both.  Every successful weight loss plan in the world is some variation of this principle.  It's not some magic secret we have yet to unlock about the human body, and I am certainly not hiding it. 

What many people really need to know about weight loss comes down to three main factors...

What diet is right for me?  Not every diet is one-size-fits-all, works for everyone.  One of my favorite quotes is, "What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular."  Just because it's trendy to take HCG drops and severely restrict your calories, doesn't mean that is what's going to work for you (nor is it necessarily safe, but that's another topic).   

Many people find success in more structured plans like Weight Watchers and NutriSystem that try to take the guesswork out of counting calories and provide you with a set amount of "points" or food for you to eat for the day.  Group support is a very important part of many programs, like Overeaters Anonymous and similar programs.  Some people like the simplicity of plans like SlimFast, soup diets or juice fad diets -- most meals become predictable, planned, not something you have to think about anymore.  The best question to ask yourself when seeing if a diet is the right fit for you is: "Five to ten years from now, do I see myself still following this diet and still enjoying it?"  If the answer is no, then perhaps you need to do some more research and look elsewhere.  If a diet is not enjoyable, sustainable, and do-able long term, then what is the point in throwing your time, money, and energy into it?  Find a diet plan you really enjoy and WANT to do.  If you can't find one, make your own!  My current diet is a bastardization of what I learned in Weight Watchers -- high fiber, low fat, lean protein -- but I don't count any "points", because that drove me batty after a couple years.  I only weigh myself once a month so I'm not so fixated on the ever-fluctuating number on the scale.  I try to listen to my body and adapt my diet to what's going on in my life at any given time -- because that is what works for ME.

Am I ready?  The most underrated, unmentioned factor in weight loss is mentality, and to a lesser extent environment.  I am by no means a psychologist, but there were many times in my life when I was not ready to lose weight -- not because I couldn't buy the foods needed or start an exercise plan, but because my head was not in the game.  True, lasting weight loss involves a commitment to yourself, to get back on the horse and keep trying every single day even if you fall off the wagon for the umpteenth day in a row.  There is no shame in falling off a diet -- we are human, and our bodies AND minds need different things at different times.  But if you can't mentally pick yourself up after a fall, dust yourself off and say, "Today is a new day." -- then perhaps now is not the time to be forcing the weight loss issue in your life.  Weight loss takes a commitment to yourself and also compassion for yourself.  You've got to want it, you've got to be hard-working, but you also have to be forgiving of yourself.  This is the hardest thing to find, and something I still work on everyday.  Only you know what you are ready for and what you are capable of -- but only if you try to find out.  If you're not ready right now, that is OKAY.  Just keep checking back from time to time to see if you are ready to make that life-long commitment to a better you.

Can I adapt?  Weight loss is not about supermodels in teeny bikinis, beach vacations, free clothes, endorsement deals, and happiness like the media portrays.  Weight loss is hard, and life changes around you at the same time as your body.  The diet that worked for you at the beginning will need some tweaks and adjustments as you get to the weight your body is meant to be at, and it takes work to find that magic balance in diet and exercise to keep your weight stable for the long haul.  The people around you may react differently to you at a lower weight, positively AND negatively.  There will be bumps along the road, probably even some violent turbulence from time to time.  You need to be firm enough to stick to your plan, but also flexible enough to take changes in stride and adjust.  To me, losing weight is not the hardest part-- keeping it off through all of life's ups and downs is the struggle.  Continually be willing to adapt to your situation and your surroundings, and you will find that balance of diet and exercise that fits in your life, right here and right now.

Many of us expect "skinny" people to just automatically be happy, when often losing weight will bring up new challenges and problems in your life.  Weight loss is not a magic cure-all to every problem.  But if you follow the right diet for you, are mentally ready to commit to it for life, and still have the flexibility to adapt to changes in your life around you, you'll find that success you're looking for.  And it will feel pretty sweet to sit back and say, "Look how far I have come.  Now I just have to keep going."           

*Disclaimer: I do not endorse nor dispute the effectiveness of any diet plans linked in this blog.  The links are provided for informational purposes only.        

Keep asking yourself, "Why?"

I have a vivid memory of a nice dinner my now ex-husband Brian, my daughter Audre, and I had together several years ago.  At the time, it was a fun, family meal, we were all happy and enjoyed each other's company and the food we shared.  Audre would have been about 3 years old, coming into her intelligent and fun-loving personality.  But looking back on it now, I see a much more grim picture that invokes feelings of disgust.

The meal took place at McDonald's.  In rapid succession I ate 2 Big Macs, an extra-large serving of fries, a 44oz cherry coke (with a refill), and apple pies for dessert.  I have vague recollections of finishing Audre's uneaten fries, and we may have also shared a 10-piece Chicken McNugget.

At the end of the meal, I was still hungry.

Tipping the scales at 300lbs with enough fat stores to survive a worldwide famine, having ingested enough calories to feed a village for a week, and my body was still screaming, "Please, sir, may I have some more?".  Breaking down the fog of nauseous hindsight, I can't help but wonder... Why?

I have often questioned whether I have diabetes.  My blood sugar was checked in May of 2003 and I remember it being around 200mg/dL.  I had no idea what that meant at the time, except that it wasn't good.  I had eaten some oatmeal for breakfast that morning, but by standards now I was pre-diabetic if not diabetic.  In type 2 diabetes, the hormone insulin can't do its job very well.  Its most important job is to serve as the key opening the lock on glucose (sugar) transporters on most cells in the body, to allow glucose from the blood into the cell.  In type 2, the keyhole becomes distorted so that insulin cannot fit into it, and glucose builds up in the blood (hyperglycemia) and starts to damage smaller blood vessels and capillaries especially in the eyes, kidneys, and extremities.  On top of that, the cells are deprived of glucose (their preferred fuel for energy) and start sending out S.O.S. messages to the brain that they're starving, even if you've just eaten a McDonald's buffet with several buckets of pure sugar-laden soda.

9 years later and after losing 120 pounds, regaining it, and losing it again, my blood sugars were last hanging out with a HbA1c of 5.5.  Although I still occasionally have slightly high fasting blood sugars, this puts me into the "normal" category -- even though you technically can't "cure" diabetes, just control it.  One of the secrets the doctor doesn't specifically tell you is that there's a back door to get glucose from your blood into your starving cells: Exercise.  During exercise, a different glucose transporter on cells gets opened to allow glucose to come in without needing insulin to unlock it.  Your cells get fed, glucose doesn't build up in the blood, and everyone is happy again.  A balance still needs to be maintained between what you eat (how much glucose / sugar / carbs), when you eat (regular small meals!) and how much you exercise (plus what kind of exercise and intensity), but the jist is, exercise is good for you, folks.  And not just in that, "oh, just diet and exercise" way your doctor may casually remind you to do but not really believe you'll do it.  When you do it and stick with it almost every day, it works.  On days I don't get in a good sweaty, heart-pumping workout, I feel hungrier.  My cells start screaming for fuel.

For those of us who are insulin resistant or have type 2 diabetes, we should start asking why we always feel hungry, and listen to what your body is really trying to tell you.  If you've already eaten, your cells may be screaming, "Go for a walk!" instead of telling you to reach for that next Big Mac.  Speaking of which, my cells are telling me I should go to the gym right now.