Laura
Well-Known Member
I've brought up the concept of "the non-diet diet" a few times, and have been asked what it is.
I've read dozens of diet and nutrition books, and have gone on many many diets: Pritikin, Scarsdale, Atkins, Carbohydrates Addicts', Cambridge (a liquid fast), actual fasting, Weight Watchers, The California Diet, The Rotation Diet, non-specific low-carbing, vegetarianism, veganism, Curves, Pilates Diet Directives, and a personalized plan from my nutritionist. There's probably more but I'm forgetting at this point. All this dieting just makes me fatter every year. Sure, sometimes I'll lose the weight. One time I lost 30 pounds and kept it off for about three years, but it all came back plus another 10.
This last time I was so burnt out I couldn't face going on another diet. I'd try starting Atkins, and after a day I'd be bingeing again. I tried doing Diet Directives again, and same story. So I decided to hell with it, I'd eat whatever I want when I want, with a very few rules. My rules are personalized to me: I found out from allergy testing that I am allergic to soy, to gluten, and to casein (one of the proteins in dairy products), so I've pretty much cut them out completely. Every so often I might have a bit of cheese or a little something with wheat in it, but it's really never more than once a week. I never really liked soy, so that hasn't been an issue. If I eat these things more often than every once in a while they do strange things to my digestion. If I eat too much dairy my face starts to swell up. So, it hasn't been too difficult do these things.
Next, I emptied my cabinets and fridge of everything that wasn't decent to eat. At this point in my life there was hardly anything like that laying around, but it's always good to check. Every so often I run through them to see if anything has creeped in, like as the result of having a party or of Hubby-san shopping on his own.
My last rule is that I would have no other rules, I don't want or need to do anything that will cause me to crave food or obsess about it. No weighing and measuring, no counting calories or carbs or fat grams. No setting goals like "I will lose 5 pounds by the end of the month." Nothing. I'm not dieting anymore.
I think another part of this non-diet diet thing for me has been talking about what I've been through and what I think. For years and years I just took it meekly while people said or did negative things to me using my weight as an excuse. I'm not doing that anymore, which is why I've come out so vocally on these boards. I guess it's part of my own recovery therapy or something like that.
I've read dozens of diet and nutrition books, and have gone on many many diets: Pritikin, Scarsdale, Atkins, Carbohydrates Addicts', Cambridge (a liquid fast), actual fasting, Weight Watchers, The California Diet, The Rotation Diet, non-specific low-carbing, vegetarianism, veganism, Curves, Pilates Diet Directives, and a personalized plan from my nutritionist. There's probably more but I'm forgetting at this point. All this dieting just makes me fatter every year. Sure, sometimes I'll lose the weight. One time I lost 30 pounds and kept it off for about three years, but it all came back plus another 10.
This last time I was so burnt out I couldn't face going on another diet. I'd try starting Atkins, and after a day I'd be bingeing again. I tried doing Diet Directives again, and same story. So I decided to hell with it, I'd eat whatever I want when I want, with a very few rules. My rules are personalized to me: I found out from allergy testing that I am allergic to soy, to gluten, and to casein (one of the proteins in dairy products), so I've pretty much cut them out completely. Every so often I might have a bit of cheese or a little something with wheat in it, but it's really never more than once a week. I never really liked soy, so that hasn't been an issue. If I eat these things more often than every once in a while they do strange things to my digestion. If I eat too much dairy my face starts to swell up. So, it hasn't been too difficult do these things.
Next, I emptied my cabinets and fridge of everything that wasn't decent to eat. At this point in my life there was hardly anything like that laying around, but it's always good to check. Every so often I run through them to see if anything has creeped in, like as the result of having a party or of Hubby-san shopping on his own.
My last rule is that I would have no other rules, I don't want or need to do anything that will cause me to crave food or obsess about it. No weighing and measuring, no counting calories or carbs or fat grams. No setting goals like "I will lose 5 pounds by the end of the month." Nothing. I'm not dieting anymore.
I think another part of this non-diet diet thing for me has been talking about what I've been through and what I think. For years and years I just took it meekly while people said or did negative things to me using my weight as an excuse. I'm not doing that anymore, which is why I've come out so vocally on these boards. I guess it's part of my own recovery therapy or something like that.
