Hi. I’m Rachelle and this is my ‘diet fail’ story…
I had gained so much weight over the years, specifically after I gave birth to my daughter, that in 2010-ish, I decided enough was enough. But of course, like most women, I wanted to lose weight yesterday! If I’d known then what I know now, I would have done things VERY DIFFERENTLY.
The Diet I Tried…
I waited for a ‘window of opportunity’. So during a summer break (I didn’t want to do it while working), I decided to go on a 7-day juice cleanse. For 7 straight days, I consumed nothing but juice. Some I’d press on my own, some I’d buy ‘fresh’ from the supermarket.
Was it hard? Damn straight! By the 2nd to 3rd day, no one could tolerate me because I was so irritable. Yeah I found out what HANGRY (hungry+angry) meant.
I lost weight 🙂
Still I stuck it through somehow and after 7 days… I freaking lost weight! I lost about 8 lbs (almost 4 kgs). I was ecstatic! I still had A LOT to lose but I thought that this was the start of weight coming off (and fast too!). Anyway, I bought a few new office clothes and was raring to start work coming Monday.
I gained weight 🙁
Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived. At work, mid-week, my new clothes were feeling kinda snug. So I figured, no problem… I’ll go on a juice diet again.
I was shocked that I couldn’t do 7 days of juicing again. It was just too hard what with work, deadlines, my daughter, and well… LIFE! I was cranky, miserable, hungry, and I felt a bit ‘out of control’.
I think I stopped by the 4th day. At the end of that week, I had GAINED all the weight I lost.
My World of Yo-Yo Dieting
My weight loss was so short-lived that I think I went a little cuckoo and got sucked into desperately trying to find another crash diet I can do.
I tried juicing again (3rd time). I couldn’t finish and gave up mid-way (again).
I tried a strict ‘portion control’ diet. I couldn’t finish and gave up on this too. (I would get a ‘box’ every weekend with a lot of ‘sachets’ and ‘packets’ inside for soups, supplements, and meal replacements for the coming week.)
I also tried a raw diet. I couldn’t finish and gave up on this too. I also have one memory I have during this diet that embarrasses me to this day.
I was on a day trip with my mother and daughter to a popular park. When it got time for lunch, we went to a nearby cafe and my mom and daughter ordered some sandwiches and we walked out to sit on one of the park benches. When I took out my ‘lunch box’ of rabbit food, I realized that I forgot to bring ANY utensils. I threw a semi-fit.
When my mother and daughter said to ‘just order’ I threw an even bigger fit. And when they said to just ‘ask for utensils’, well, I didn’t talk anymore.
So there we were, sitting on a park bench, my mom and daughter eating their sandwiches, all quiet. And there I was, using MY HANDS trying to eat a salad.
When I look back to this I think I reacted that way due to EXTREME FRUSTRATION. (Believe me, whenever I look back at it now I also feel EXTREME EMBARRASSMENT.) My weight was yo-yoing. It wasn’t even losing weight and gaining weight. I was losing a little and gaining a lot!
At this point I stopped ‘crash dieting’ altogether and was shocked to realize an ugly truth — I had GAINED MORE WEIGHT than I had lost while going through these fad diets. In total I GAINED 35 pounds (15 kilos).
Gaining weight while on a diet is what the industry calls "diet-induced weight gain". Further, as evidenced in the "Biggest Loser" study, researchers found that "drastic weight loss" SLOWS DOWN one's metabolism. As such, it's not surprising to not only GAIN weight that one has lost, but to continue to gain even more weight over the years. - Ed.
As you can imagine, I got really depressed. People go on diets to LOSE weight, not GAIN them.
So what changed?
I came across an old friend who lost weight… A LOT. And she claimed that she has been maintaining the weight loss for 5 years running. WHAT?!? WTF, right? 😉
Anyway, I listened to how she did it and tried it too.
DIET SUCCESS: How I Finally Lost Weight… And Kept It Off This Time
As of this writing, I think I’m on my 4th year of keeping the weight off 🙂 These are the things I learned… and applied to lose weight.
1 I LEARNED HOW TO EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT
I used to think that to lose weight you need to give up everything you actually like eating. I was wrong.
We all have food cravings and weaknesses; mine are carbs. Specifically, I like having rice for lunch and/or dinner. I haven’t given this up. But I’ve swapped white rice for brown rice. That’s just one example, I’ve made TONS of ‘swaps’ to allow me to enjoy what I want to eat without gaining weight.
I also focus more on food quality, rather than calories. That is, I don’t worry so much about how many calories are in something. I focus on whether that ‘something’ is actually going to make my body function (ok, and look) better.
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2 I LEARNED ANOTHER MEANING FOR THE WORDS ‘FAST FOOD’
Probably just like you, ‘fast food’ means a drive-thru or take-out of some super-sized meal 🙂 Nowadays, I get fast food at home at A LOT LESS time (and cost!) than what it would take for me to jump into my car and get some mass-produced, oily, and fat-laden meal. (For the record, I STILL do that sometimes. I just don’t enjoy it as I used to. Yes, for real!)
3 I LEARNED THAT THINGS I HATE CAN TURN INTO THINGS I LOVE
When I was overweight, certain things that people say… I just didn’t believe!
I wasn’t fond of ANY type of physical activity and didn’t believe anyone who told me I’d “learn to like it“. But after I started to lose weight, I became a bit restless. For the first time in my life, I was having more energy and was LOOKING for something ‘exercise-y’ to do.
I started taking morning walks. Then I started ‘after meal’ walks. Then I joined a Zumba class with a friend. And at 40+ years old… I learned how to swim! Now, I swim at least 3x per week.
I also loved munching on Doritos (Nacho Cheese pls). So when someone told me my taste buds would change as I lost weight and that I wouldn’t – out of my own volition! – want to eat it as much anymore. I thought… LIAR! 😈 But guess what? I still eat Doritos but I seldom do so because I just don’t crave it anymore. Also, when I eat more than a handful, I feel like I want to throw up. I kid you not!
4 I LEARNED THAT A STRUCTURED SYSTEM WORKS BEST
I’m a very busy, single, working mom. So for me, a detailed program works. I don’t need to ‘guess’ or ‘overthink’ anything. Having a detailed plan also allowed me to start with it easily and – more importantly – to stick to it because my days were kind of semi-mapped out already.
5 I LEARNED THAT SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS IS MORE THAN JUST ABOUT FOOD
I figured out that one of things that was making me STAY overweight was that I had plenty of habits that contributed to my weight gain over the years. For example, I used to have a wide variety of chips, cookies, and soda drinks in-house. I would tell myself they’re in case unexpected guests arrive. And then I would consume them so that they don’t become ‘over-dated’. 🙄
I was also in the habit of eating too fast. My meals were always hurried and harried. As a result, I always ended up eating way too much than what was enough. MINDFUL EATING taught me how to really enjoy food.
I also realized the importance of having a great support system. Back then, I didn’t have any at all. Just no one to really share the journey with or anyone who can provide feedback (let alone guidance) as to what I should be doing. Luckily I found a program with active women willing to share… pains and successes alike. So I guess that’s why I’m so willing to share my story 🙂
As of this moment, I feel like I’m on the next phase of my journey.
I’ve lost the weight and kept it off.
Now I’m looking forward to doing so many NEW things… for myself and with my daughter. Wish me luck!
The above is a TRUE STORY. However, please note that different people react differently to diets, or any weight loss program for that matter. As such, please take the above content as intended -- SOMEONE'S PERSONAL STORY. - Ed.