Monday 21 February 2011

Cutting it out...

I've mentioned WeightWatchers before in the blog but not really discussed my reasons for choosing this diet when there are a million and one others out there.  Earlier I had a comment from a lovely lady called Echoburning.  She made a comment about the Atkins diet which made everything click, let me try and explain it.

I've talked about the million and one diets available.  I've probably tried about 99% of them.  Most of them worked... for a while.  They worked as long as I followed them to the letter and didn't deviate from the rules and regulations they stipulated.  These diets all work on a system of deprivation.  As long as you are "good" and stick to the rules you will lose weight.  However if you are "bad" and eat a forbidden food or make a couple of wrong choices then the pounds lost will come back twice as fast as they disappeared.

Banned!!!

The whole A-Z of diets from Atkins to the Zone work by cutting out a food group, brainwashing people into thinking a particular food is bad.  I've been a vegan and stopped eating all animal products.  I went through a phase of not eating white foods.  Most significantly I've spent the past couple of years on a variety of diets that banned carbs, some banned white rice, some all carbs all together, some forbade fruit and non of them allowed bread.  These type of diets are simply not sustainable for the long term.  The second you start to eat the banned foods then the weight will come knocking.

As a result I'm scared of carbs.  Its laughable isn't it.  A 6ft tall 25 stone Yorkshire lass who is terrified of a piece of bread.  I think the months spent on diets where carbs were forbidden made me crave them more.  I'm only human and that old saying about always wanting what you can't have is soooo true.  I can give or take chocolate, but put a loaf of fresh bread in front of me and I could inhale the whole thing in ten seconds flat.  I'd start a diet, deprive myself of carbs and crave them until I inevitably cracked.  I'd eat the bread, feel happy for a minute until the "why did I do this, I hate myself"  feelings would start.  I've spent years in this circle and needed a way out.

I think I've found my solution in WW.  Finally a diet where nothing is forbidden.  I love the fact that you can eat what you want as long as you monitor it through pro points.  I now need to work on the issues I've developed with carbs and learn to control myself when I eat them.  Fingers crossed x



2 comments:

  1. I realise at the end I sound like I'm the weightwatchers PR person, I'm not - I'm just rather excited by the fact that I can eat potatoes! x

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  2. Hi, just popped back to see your blog and thanks for the mention! Btw, i'm a guy lol!

    I'm glad WW is working for you! I've now lost almost 12 pounds in three weeks and don't feel as if i am on a diet!

    The soup recipe sounds great just need to buy a hand blender now!

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