I’ve been a bit nervous about writing this post and have wondered how on earth I explain a recent decision to my millions of many Diet Schmiet readers.
For almost two years now I’m been promoting the ‘evils’ of dieting and its accompanying mindset. I’ve quoted those who I admire, like Marsha Hudnall from Green Fox at Mountain Run and Rick Kausman of If Not Dieting fame. However… during that time I’ve also gained weight and am now heavier than I’ve ever been.
And so… five years after I started blogging and one year into my *professional* blogging career I finally made my first ever pitch. To Weight Watchers.
I was desperate, I told them.
And I was. Ummm…. am.
I’ve been on enough diets in my 40-something years to know that ‘diets’ as we traditionally see them don’t work. They’re things you go on and off. They’re time-limited. They’re horrible and they’re all about punishment and self-deprivation. I’ve had my successes, but… I’ve never actually reached my so-called goal weight and I’ve always gained more weight back. You know… after.
Weight Watchers is an approach I’ve long admired. Indeed, I’ve had success in the past on WW. But – I’ve always approached it as a ‘diet’. When I’ve done WW I’ve been ‘all or nothing’. I’ve been overly strict – eschewing the things one usually avoids on a diet – in order to lose as much weight as quickly as possible. So naturally, when I inevitably cave in to eat the things I most enjoy, I’ve eaten as if there’s no tomorrow.
Because of this Last Supper mentality and the “I’ll start Monday” mindset, I actually commenced the program ON MY BIRTHDAY on 28 December.
I could have waited until the 29th. I could have waited until the new year to join the gazillions of others in their ‘MUST LOSE WEIGHT’ resolution… but because I’m working hard not to view this as a diet but as a way of life (ie. forever) I decided I wasn’t going to delay the inevitable.
It was a challenge for me to even approach the large international weight management institution… cap in hand. Sort of. I realise I’m not much of a professional blogger given my antipathy towards pitching for work, but…. it was time, I decided.
Although I’m still working on loving (or even liking) and accepting myself as I am and at any weight, my weight has been increasingly impacting on my life (and not just in an aesthetic way). I am seriously unfit and struggle to walk much at all because I’m getting shin splints, a sore hip and back. I’m getting weird cramps when I bend over and my detailed research (ie. Google) led me to discussion boards on obesity sites. And – quite frankly – I’m just not as mobile as I once was.
And… I don’t want to be one of those people. I’ve always judged those people…. the very large ones who struggle to get up out of a chair and move in a lumbering way. And yet… here I am with a BMI of 43 and about 50kg (ie. over 100lbs) to lose.
But… I’m not thinking of those scary numbers. In true WW-style I’m focussed on the small goals – my first is to lose 5 percent of my body weight. Indeed, I recognise ANY weight I lose will make my life easier and improve my health.
So… there you have it. As I write this I’m one week into the program and about to have my first weigh-in. Because I have a long way to go in terms of my mindset, I’m scared shitless of what the scale might say. But… already I’ve made so many changes that I’m proud of, so that’s what I’ll focus on.
Disclaimer: I have been given a 6mth online membership to Weight Watchers. My thoughts and opinions here however, are entirely my own.
Long-time Diet Schmiet readers may notice that this blog post is appearing here, rather than in my Diet Schmiet blog. That’s because I’m in the midst of merging my blogs. I’ll still write about weightloss on a regular basis (I mean…. HELLO!? This is me we’re talking about) but it’ll be just one of many things I write about. I want it to be less of
an obsessiona focus in my life! Note that the Category RSS Feed in the right column allows you to ONLY subscribe to Diet Schmiet posts if that’s your preference!
Have you any suggestions for someone trying to ‘not-diet’ but still needing to lose weight?
Do you think it’s possible to balance the two?
January 5, 2014
Deb … I have been there many times. What I have learnt is to break things down in smaller achievable goals. Focussing on making healthy choices and eating well is certainly making me feel better as I am restricted with exercise. Stay strong ..
January 5, 2014
Thanks Sharmila. I’m just focussing on the food side of things for a bit. Hopefully when I lose a bit of weight I’ll feel more comfortable exercising. I explained my lack of fitness to my sometimes-walking-buddy last week and joined her for part of her 1hr+ long walk. Plus she had to slow down a bit for me so my shin splints were bearable!
January 5, 2014
Hi lovely Deb, I know you’ve always known me as the skinny bitch with no weight issues, but I’m here to tell you I was also a WW member after having my kids. I admit I never had a weight issue ever and after having Sarah realised ( from a family photo, always theway lol) that I was now 20kgs over weight. I joined WW online and had no idea where to start I’d never had a weight issue and had heaps of self doubt. I decided to approach it as my goal to be” fit and healthy” not a diet. Took me 12 months to get to my goal with FUN exercise and eating in moderation with thehelp of WW. I wish you all the best to achieve your goal, and send you motivation and help whenever you needit! Your worst enemy isyour own mind. My new motto is “your body achieves what the mind believes”. Believe in you Deb! ❤
January 5, 2014
Thanks for your lovely wishes! And for the motivation!
Deb
January 5, 2014
I have no actual suggestion, but I hope you manage to not slip into the strict dieting mentality. In my own WW weight loss from 10 years back, I probably managed to lose the extra weight only because I somehow figured out how not take it too seriously when I first ate the way I was not “supposed to”. I just shrugged it off and continued like nothing had happened and the weight came off without much drama after that.
I’m also curious to hear how WW works these days. I think they have made changes in their program since I tried it 10 years ago. And you must share all good delicious recipes you try ! 🙂
January 5, 2014
Will do Satu. My next post will be a bit about the program, but that’ll be later in the week as I only want to do 1-2 DS posts a week. The program is a bit different… the points are different to those I remember – or I have gained SO much weight I’m allowed double what I used to be (think it’s the former!). Best bit is the site and Apps sync like My Fitness Pal for you to ‘track’ what you’re having. Which makes life easy.
I want to get better at planning ahead – more to organise myself better, like lunches for work and so forth. One of the reasons I often eat badly is because I leave things until the last minute and then eat whatever I can get my hands on!
January 6, 2014
So proud of you Deb for taking action for you. Just remember the numbers on the scales don’t always equal how you feel, and cms. So make sure you find a way to measure and journal. I’ll be supporting from here xx
January 6, 2014
Thanks Annaleis. As it happens I didn’t have a great result in my weigh-in but… I decided to focus on how much better I was feeling (in general and about myself) since having made the changes! (I’m also doing my measurements as I know that sometimes you see surprising changes!)
January 6, 2014
Deb–I hope you love Weight Watchers, it is a wonderful way to start your real weight loss journey. The weekly support and the weigh in have always helped immensely for me. And, the simple start program looks awesome. You don’t have to weigh and measure most foods, and if you are hungry you can enjoy larger portions of protein. But I wanted to tell you about my journey from a number of years ago, when I decided to skip all dieting forever and find happiness under my skin.
I am here to tell you that yes it is possible to lose weight without going on a diet. I did it years ago. and I was really really happy with the result for eight years. But first a little history….I started struggling with the divide between loving myself and hating my body in my late teens and early twenties. When my 5’3″ frame got past the 170s, my parents stepped in (I was 22). They begged me to weigh myself and begged me to go on a diet. I hated them for it at the time because the two people who were supposed to love me no matter what showed me in no uncertain terms that I was not lovable enough at 50 pounds over where I should have been. Needless to say I went on a starvation diet – I mean – the starvation diet of the century. The Dr. Linn’s Last Chance Diet. I fasted for 4 months. Anyway, I lost 60 pounds and boy did people make a huge fuss over the result. It was kind of embarrassing. I mean I wanted to leave the bigger me behind me, and it was hard to do when everyone I knew was just flabbergasted by my 102 pound self. Anyway, fast forward one year later and the weight had returned. I got very sick (no wonder) and all I could do was eat and sleep (I contracted mono and my life fell apart). I was so depressed, I avoided seeing anyone. There were even funerals I refused to attend for fear of seeing the same people who months earlier made such a fuss over my newly thin self. It was years before I could even attempt to lose weight again. What happened was I started swimming at the Y. When the indoor pool ceiling collapsed, I was forced to take exercise classes while it pool was being repaired. The hour long exercise class was to music and great fun. I started going every day after work and even a couple of mornings. I always said to myself that I was just going to keep doing what I was doing. Exercising and noting the changes to my body. It took years to get to the point where I wasn’t big anymore and I felt great. I eventually began teaching the class and got certified to lead classes and even had a following. I wrote a fitness column too for two local newspapers in Philadelphia. I really turned myself around without dieting – it just took a really long time
January 6, 2014
Oh, what a great story! I’m glad you found your healthiest self without having to resort to dieting AND you found exercise you loved! I’m a big believer in needing to enjoy any activity or exercise and used to love group classes – particularly dance classes. Hopefully if I drop a bit of weight I can get back into them.
Thank you for sharing your experience!!!
Deb
January 6, 2014
I like WWs education philosophy. Having said that, each time I’ve lost decent weight, it’s started accidentally & then pushed forward mindfully &, in my case, obsessively. My challenge is learning moderation & easy does it. Wishing you a successful journey & well done WW for jumping on board with an “ordinary” person.
January 6, 2014
Thanks Jo. I also need to avoid the obsessive side of things. You might see on the Diet Schmiet page an interesting twitter conversation I had with Rick Kausman (and then later with Marsha Hudnall) which were really enlightening in terms of not-dieting, dieting and losing weight. They’ve both made some really interest points about consequences and have really helped clarify my thinking about my approach. Losing weight without making it your life-focus will be the real challenge.
Deb
January 6, 2014
I’ve taken a leaf out of your book & joined WW (online) today too.
January 6, 2014
Oh yay!!! I’m Debbish on the online forums. I share *more* stuff there than I will here!
January 7, 2014
I’m jorose67…I’ll find you.
January 6, 2014
I just found your blog today (the diet schmiet site) as like everyone else I know at this time of year, have been looking for a magic cure for my weight gain. I’ve struggled with my weight – well let’s be honest- been obsessed with my weight – since I was about 8 -yes 8! (I am just about to turn 52). I’ve tried WW about 6 or 7 time since I left school – when I first joined in 1979 they insisted only 2 pieces of bread a day, only 5 eggs a week, and you must eat liver!!! Overall it does work but the key is to actually make it a new, ongoing lifestyle, which is the hardest part. A few years ago I did the Slimplicity program at Fernwood Fitness and lost a shed load of weight over a year, got super fit and felt fantastic. But just as I got to my goal, my coach said “you don’t need me anymore”. So of course once I was left to my own devices and no-one was checking up on me, the old ways returned. Now I am 17kg heavier. I’m considering WW on line now. In the old days I found the meetings were a bit hit and miss – 99% of the leaders I had were not good speakers and not very motivating. Plus the weigh-ins were always a palaver and ate into the meeting time. Many women would also just weigh in and split. Maybe on line is the way to go. Best of luck – I understand completely how you feel.
January 6, 2014
Hi Julia and thanks for dropping by. I actually have the next post written (will go up later this week) about WW and its options (meetings vs online vs the new Simple Start program etc). I completely agree with you about meetings – I’ve been to some great ones and some not-so-great ones over the years.
And you’re so right – it’s about ‘forever’ and that’s one of the reasons I didn’t wait until after my birthday or new year etc… cos it’s not like I’m ‘starting’ something I’m going to finish.
Like you I’ve been obsessive about my weight for WAY too long and it’s taken up WAY too much of my thinking and time. The challenge will be changing that.
PS. I’m doing the online program.
Deb
January 6, 2014
I think you’re doing the right thing viewing it as a non-diet. I totally get not being able to diet, Just saying the word makes me want to eat stuff that isn’t the healthiest. WW has such a great reputation because it’s so sensible and moderate and allows you to make choices.
January 6, 2014
Yes Char…. absolutely!
Deb
January 6, 2014
WW is the best way that I have lost weight, it just works, if you follow it, and eventually you realise that eating those bad foods mean you starve and you start to get create with healthy food. Congrats on taking up the challenge, you can do it, you’ve done the hardest part, starting… I actually try and live a little with WW always in the back of my mind, eg snacks like almonds, grapes when I get hungry. Can’t wait to follow your journey 🙂
January 6, 2014
Thanks Emily… much appreciated!
January 6, 2014
I think it’s a good idea. No, diets don’t work but an out of control free for all doesn’t do anyone any favours. A lifestyle that works “down the middle” is best imho
January 6, 2014
Thanks Liz!
January 7, 2014
Hi Deb,
I think it’s already been said by several of your commenters but wanted to weigh in (no pun intended). I think the WW plan as a way to help get in balance with eating can be helpful for some people. It provides structure, and that’s what many of us need to move away from the old habits we have around eating. So if you can do it while not buying into the focus on weight, you may find it moves you to a better place. And sounds like that’s what you’re thinking, so i send you waves of support!
all the best, Marsha
January 7, 2014
Thanks Marsha – much appreciated.
I really did need something structured to get my bingeing under some semblance of control – or at least under control long enough so it’s no longer a habit again (which it felt like it’d become!).
Deb
January 7, 2014
Brilliant. I’m loving Debbish and can’t wait to follow you here, enough with DietSmiet! Get on with it girl…. this is a brilliant start to 2014.
January 7, 2014
Oh thanks Lou Lou. It was scary (and will screw massively with my stats etc) but it feels more ‘authentic’ to be only here. (And forgive the wanky word – but it’s the only word that fits!)
Deb
January 7, 2014
The hardest step is always the first, and you have done that already. Though challenges appear along the road, I feel confident you will face them all the courage. Good luck to you, I look forward to sharing your journey. xx
January 7, 2014
Thank you so much Nicole!
January 8, 2014
Congrats on joining (& successfully approaching them for work)!
I’ll be interested to see your next post about the options as I know (from the TV ads) that they’ve changed their system.
I lost about 10kgs about 8 years ago on WW so I have a fondness for them. I did feel quite obsessive about the points system but I did enjoy the structure, the recipes & magazine!
Cant wait to read your regular posts on your progress!
January 8, 2014
Thanks Mel! I’m seeing a lot of positive feedback about the new ad!