[poll=7]
Why am I asking? Because I genuinely want to know. I see it as a sort of self-esteem check, sort of like monitoring the morale of the troops. There are no judgments here: the choices you make are based on your own circumstances. Speak about them or don’t; only I see your IPs and I delete all trolls here.
Comments
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I marked yes on the poll, but I really deliberated as to whether or not what I am doing is actually a “diet” — I have given up a lot of foods, but for health related issues, not weight loss goals. No wheat, no sugar, no refined foods–sounds like a diet, doesn’t it? But I am not looking at it as one. I am working toward becoming healthy, and if I lose some weight along the way (35 lbs since July) that is great; I have plenty more to lose. But I am doing it because I am approaching 50, and I know how quickly a person’s health can deteriorate if they don’t do things to take care of their body. I am doing it because I want to love my body–I mean I DO love my body, but I haven’t shown it that I do! Does that make sense?
TM
Absolutely makes sense, and thanks for speaking up - health diets are distinctly different from weight loss diets, something often glossed over in the hyping of the incorrect correlation that thin = healthy.
Heck, no, I’m not on a diet. I say I’m “trying to eat right,” but some days I eat “righter” than others.
To me “eating right” means lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, moderate amounts of dairy, meat, and nuts, and the occasional sweet treat. I avoid “diet” or “lite” food, except for fat-free yogurt and skim milk…and diet cola. I put sugar in my tea and butter (the real stuff) on my popcorn.
I haven’t “dieted” in like 18 years, and I’ve never followed a fad diet. My last diet was an 1800-calorie exchange-type diet that required food from all the food groups. Since I’m not diabetic, I ignored the parts about avoiding sugar and sweets. And I got into exercise, like swimming and aerobics. I lost about 40 lbs.
I haven’t dieted since then partly because my lifestyle and eating patterns changed for a variety of reasons. Mostly, though, I’ve avoided dieting because it’s my experience that when I stop “dieting” (even though the diets I’ve followed have all been “reasonable,” not extreme, not faddish)….I gain the weight back, and then some. Right now I weight about 240 lbs (I’m 5′5″), and my weight has been stable for the last 13 years or so. I’m worried that if I start dieting again, and then stop for whatever reason, I’ll end up at 300 lbs or more. (I’m totally OK with people weighing 300 lbs or however much, but I just don’t want to gain even more weight than I already have.)
K