3 Reasons I Said Goodbye to Dieting

 In Uncategorized

I can safely say I have tried almost every diet known to man. I have gained and lost more weight than I care to count. Sometimes, I would keep the weight off for a while after focusing really hard on the plan. But most times, I gained the weight back quickly.

Have you ever struggled with your weight?

If you have, you know that it can be extremely overwhelming trying to figure out the best plan for you. There is so much conflicting information floating around from various experts, and in the age of information readily available whenever we need it, sometimes it’s easier to just say, “forget it!”

I was an athlete when I was younger. While I was never skinny, I was very fit. I was healthy and strong. But then there was college, and marriage and babies. I gained so much weight with both of my kids. And honestly, while I lost a good portion of my baby weight, I have yet to fully lose the extra weight I gained all those years ago.

On December 26, 2013, I vowed to change that. That switch in my head flipped and finally said, “ENOUGH!” I also decided that I was done with dieting forever.

Trust me, I have been in this position before. I’ve been at the point where I was desperate to change something. But this time was different. This time I decided that I wanted to be healthier. Not for a specific reason, like turning 40 or an upcoming event. I chose to get healthier for me. My husband and kids were big motivators as well, but this time I committed to myself that I WILL learn to live healthier.

healther

The journey of living healthier begins with me. One healthy choice at a time. That’s how I started on December 26th. The decision on that day was to cut out sweets. After eating ridiculous amounts of sweets over the holidays, I knew I had to stop. After a week or so of making healthier decisions, I also decided to stop eating bread. It’s been something that I have done in the past, and I knew once I got past those first few days, it would be okay.

In January, I started a nutrition class with the owner of my gym, Center-Fit. I was very nervous to start this class, because I knew that Tori was going to challenge me to look at food completely differently than how I had viewed it for most of my life. She is extremely knowledgeable about the food industry and how so much of what we might consider to be healthy is actually the opposite. My friends have been talking to me for a few years about making better food choices, but it always seemed so overwhelming to me.  However, I knew it was time to change my lifestyle. And Tori has walked with me every stepped of the way.

I won’t go into the specifics of the program other than to say that Tori helps you get at the root of many of your health issues, including digestive and many other causes that could be causing you to keep the weight on. It has been incredibly eye-opening to me.

I have been eating “clean”, meaning mainly vegetables, lean proteins, fruits, and healthy fats for almost two months. I no longer eat processed foods or grains.  I’ve lost 20 pounds. While I am thrilled with the number, I am more excited about how I feel. I feel fantastic! I feel great about the healthy choices I am making, and know that this is sustainable for me. My goals include wanting to shed more of the weight, but honestly, I’m focusing on this as a lifestyle, and when the weight drops off at whatever pace it decides, I am okay with that.

This is not a diet. I’ve said goodbye to that word for three reasons.

1. Dieting is temporary – if you allow yourself to keep calling how you are eating a “diet”, your mind will keep telling you that it is. You will continually think about how you can’t wait until it’s over, at which time you will most likely revert back to many of your bad habits.

2. A diet is restrictive – it’s typically about losing weight only, and not about learning to make healthier choices.

3. Diets typically aren’t customizable – All of our bodies are different. We have our own unique challenges or health issues, and getting to the root of those problems is often how we can truly start taking control of our health.

I am very excited about the choices I’ve made on this journey. I have so much more to learn, but I am confident that this lifestyle change is  healthy and helping me on my journey towards wholeness.

Have diets worked for you? I’d love to hear how your journey of getting healthy is going.

 

 

 

 

 

Recent Posts
Showing 2 comments
  • Jim Woods
    Reply

    Wow, rock it Tammy! I’m doing the same kind of thing with Kristal. After a few stops and starts, we’ve decided it’s time to just eat better and eat less processed food. That’s doable. Forget all the rules and restrictions. I’m very excited about it and keep rocking it!!!!!!!!

    • Tammy Helfrich
      Reply

      Thanks, Jim. It is incredible how much better I feel without processed foods and caffeine. It takes a little adjusting, but is so worth it! Keep up the great work.

Leave a Comment

0

Start typing and press Enter to search