All I thought I Knew about Dieting Was Wrong!

I have struggled with my weight for many years, and been on every diet invented! I have choked down premade portioned diet food, deprived myself and drastically limited my calories, I have eliminated carbs, drank shakes in place of eating, tried fasting and so much more. I even struggled with Bulimia in college. I had and continue to hear calories in, calories out.  Most diets I have tried have not been sustainable nor has the small amount of weight loss lasted. I have had my thyroid, cortisol levels and hormones tested and even done food allergy tests.  I also work out 3-5 times per week. To say I was frustrated was an understatement.

I started a new job a few months ago and the girl who works for me, is a physically fit 23-year-old who was talking to me about her diet and macro coach. She mentioned that her coach actually helped her Mom ‘s entire tennis team lose weight. That intrigued me, as I am probably closer to her Mom’s age and I wanted something that would work. I called her coach and had an excellent conversation about reverse dieting and macro tracking. I know that sounds like another one of those fast fix and pain in the butt diets that don’t really work. Well, Just like I always do, I decided to try yet another diet plan!

Let me tell you how scary it was when we increased my calories by 500 calories per day and then she told me how many carbs, fat and proteins I could eat daily. I was sure this was going to make me gain weight.  However, I committed to trying this for three months to see if it worked. Well, I am now a believer that sometimes people can eat too little and hold onto weight. With this diet, the weight comes off slow and steadily, I eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my daily set numbers for protein, fat, carbs and calories, and I am satisfied and not hungry.  I am down 15 pounds in 84 days.  I still eat out, drink wine and eat junk food, but all within my daily limits. This has also helped me consistently eat a lot cleaner. I cook more than I ever have and resist the urge to get takeout when I am tired. It takes a fair amount of planning, but it is worth it. Also, I give a lot of credit to my  coach, who holds me accountable and has taught me so much!

My point in telling you all of this, is that sometimes traditional diets don’t work. If you struggle with weight loss and have tried everything like I had, don’t give up. Take another look at your diet and diet habits. You could be eating too little.  Using a tracker like Myfitnesspal.com is a great way to see if you are even close to where you should be with your calories. My husband and mother-in-law are also seeing great results with reverse dieting and macro tracking. My only caveat is that not everything works for everyone, so find what works  best for you. Stay strong, don’t give up and make sure you find something that is sustainable for you and your lifestyle.