Today
There are Diets and there are Diets
by Yvonne DiVita
Posted January 12, 2006 11:21 AM
Posted January 12, 2006 11:21 AM
Posted in
I hate to do this, no really, I do. But, it's January 11th, 2006, and...I'm still talking about "when I was thin."
Beyond the realization that too many Americans are overweight, beyond the passion we have for Barbie-doll shaped women (so grossly unrealistic!), and beyond the fact that more Americans than ever eat out (a belief I maintain, counting from experience - golly, where do all those people at restaurants come from??? why aren't they home cooking dinner? can it be because they, like me, are tired of cooking?), is the recognition that we, in America, are obsessed with dieting.
I know I'm not the only woman, or man, who lies in bed each morning, slowly breathing in and out - hoping that extra helping of mashed potatoes at dinner last night isn't now attached to my behind - knowing full well that it is. Or, that the ice cream (low-carb) that I had for dessert isn't floating around my mid-section. For a few minutes each morning, I can lie there, in the dark (why is it still dark at 7 a.m.?), hoping to fool the dog into thinking I'm not awake yet...all the while thinking that I really feel thin today. Yes, in the comfort of my room, with my belly sucked in...I can tell that I'm at least...one or two pounds lighter than the day before. I can fool myself (but not the dog) into believing that my 20 minute morning walk the day before, in the brisk Upstate NY dawn, melted the pounds away.
And then, of course, I get up and wobble into the bathroom and the vision that greets me in the mirror makes me wonder who that stranger is! It can't be me! Why, just last week I was a tiny thing...not even 115 pounds, with strong arms and svelte (love that word: svelte) legs! Heads turned when I walked down the street! When I took my son to college, the barkeep at the restaurant we had lunch at said I couldn't be his mother, I must be his sister! So - how can this mirror image be ME? With its tired eyes, baggy pajamas, and funny-looking hair?? I know this much - I didn't look like that when I went to bed, the night before!
Well, anyway. Back to the diet thing - sure, I'd like to drop a few pounds. And, I could, if I would take the time to exercise. Golly, I remember when I did 300 sit-ups every day! I remember when I used to run every morning. I remember - isn't that a fun game to play? I remember, to be honest, when I only had to diet after having children. Now - if I want to lose these extra pounds, I will have to commit to a real diet of some sort, not the imaginary one I toy with every day (you know, the one where you leave a few bites on your plate, and that negates all the bites that went before?). I'll have to commit to Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig or going to Curves. While there is nothing wrong with that - I heartily approve of maintaining a decent weight, for health reasons, the reality is that - I'm tired. I work hard all day. My metabolism has changed and I can no longer consume the foods I love, in the portions I would like. So, dieting becomes a chore I avoid.
If you have dieting tips, or good recipes that include yummy stuff like chocolate and ice cream and mashed potatoes - send'em along! I know our own Pat Samples will have some good advice to share - she's so knowledgeable about all this body image stuff. And, Susan Mitchell, our nutritionist, has great content right here, on this blog, about eating right. My problem transcends their excellent advice, though. I think I don't diet because...dieting is seen as giving in to weakness and I hate the thought that I'm weak. If we could rename the act of losing weight...call it, reshaping yourself, or refocus on who you are, or something with a more positive spin, I think I could accomplish this chore of dropping the 10 or 20 pounds I've put on in the last 8 years. Before I put on 10 more! Do you think that would work - calling a diet by a different name??
Here's a ditty I found many years ago...would that it were only true!
Methusela at what he found on his plate,
And never, as people do now,
Did he note the amount of the calorie count,
He ate it because it was chow.
He never bemused as at dinner he sat,
Devouring a roast or a pie,
To think it was lacking in granular fat,
Or a couple of vitamins shy.
He cheerfully chewed each species of food
Unmindful of troubles or fears...
That his health might be hurt by some fancy dessert...
And he lived over 900 years!
Amen!
Comments (13)
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Posted May 23, 2006 3:48 AM
I've found that if I can keep myself busy that I can lose weight. Sitting in front of the TV is my biggest killer.
Posted January 12, 2006 10:03 PM
Yvonne, I found myself saying "I remember when, etc." but that doesn't help where I am now. Most of my life I was a slim guy, I weighed in the 120's when I was in my twenties. Now I'm in my early fifties and I thought I weighed 190lbs, much to my shock and disappointment our new digital scale read 212.5lbs. I was never much for New Year's Resolutions but whatever you want to call it I am determined to stop abusing myself with excess food. I want to have a little room in my waistband and look forward to teaching that digital scale a lesson or two. I know very well there are no secrets to losing weight, I gained because I ate too much for too long. My wife is doing Weight Watchers and it seems to be working for her. I bug her to exercise so she will tone up along with the weight loss but I need to work on myself. Thanks again for a great blog.
Posted January 12, 2006 8:39 PM
Hi Yvonne -
You know it is a funny thing. For years, I worried about my weight. Thought I was too heavy - even when I was a size six. I tried diet after diet to lose five pounds or so. Then one day I came to the realization that I was "enough" no matter if I weighed 115 or 120 - and by "enough" I mean I was finally happy with who I was. My inside outlook defined my outside look.
Now, I teach inpiration workshops for women, where we combine creative playfulness, fun, and empowerment. We shout, scream, and holler, "I am enough as I am." Because you are.
Posted January 12, 2006 4:41 PM
I found that the divorce diet does wonders. From May to Sept, I lost at least 25 pounds, going from a steady size 8 to a size 2. I was too skinny at that point, with many people asking me what was wrong. I've since regained 8-9 pounds. I don't recommend the diet, for obvious reasons.
Posted January 14, 2006 9:20 PM
Hi i;m new at blogging. i am trying very haard to lose weight, I'm serious this time. I know it's not easy, but any good advice would be good. i did manager to stop smokeing last year(With GOD'S help)so i am determined at age to lose at least 67lbs. HELP!
Posted January 16, 2006 2:26 AM
There is no trick to losing weight. You have to be willing to walk around hungry and unsatisfied and you have to exercise. I think one reason why so many people fail is that many dieting gurus try to tell people that you don't have to be hungry or you don't have to deny yourself what foods you really crave.
The way to lose weight 50 years ago is still the way to lose weight today. It take WILL POWER to lose weight and you will only keep it off as long as you continue to have will power.
Posted January 15, 2006 9:50 PM
diet shmiet! Portion control,water,water,water, and you cannot get in shape without movement.I'm 46 and do atleast 30 minutes a day.I have a library of tapes that I work out to.So I can do something different everyday.I found Callenetics (by Calen Pickney) to be the best type of workout for me.The non-impact,deep pulsing movements have produced a better shaped body than I ever had in my 20's.Plus, what really did it for me was the thought of entering my 50's with a host of health issues if I DID NOT do something.So I have been for the last 6 years working on preventing high blood pressure,diabetes, and other weight related issues that will come if I allow my body to go to pot and put on weight.Plus, I enjoy alot of activities,I enjoy my husband,I enjoy throwing on a pair of jeans and t-shirt and not having to worry about how I look or feel.that is the best thing about making exercise a routine.My body now craves that movement on a daily basis.I look like I'm in my thirties as a result.So far,I have no health issues and I want to be free of any pharmaceuticals for as long as possible.So just move,use visual imagery to get yourself to the place you want to be.I once weighed 189 lbs.That scare me to death.So take a walk,find a tape.Just move and the weight will come off.
Posted January 29, 2006 6:49 PM
For what it is worth I'd like to pass on what has been working for me over the last 6 months (I've lost 34 lbs).
Pictures! Have you ever seen a picture that conjured up the desire to become thinner? Perhaps it is a picture of someone you would like to look like dressed in a bathing suit and basking in the sun at the beach. Perhaps it is a picture of an old school friend that looks better than you. The point is that pictures can be a powerful motivator.
When I'm surfing the net if I see a picture that motivates me, for whatever reason, to want to lose weight, I save it to a file on my hard drive. Then whenever my resolve to resist food is starting to wane I brouse through the picture file I have gradually built. It really helps remotivate me.
Posted February 5, 2006 6:06 AM
I've given up on diets. I just try to eat less on a regular basis and to try to delay eating but I have no specific weight goal in mind. I also try to exercise more by doing things that are fun. Things like taking long walks in the woods and playing raquette ball.
Posted February 11, 2006 2:38 AM
In the end it all comes down to discipline. Unfortunately that's why I'm still heavy.
Posted February 11, 2006 2:34 AM
I really hate being fat but I think I really hate being hungry more than I hate being fat. There in lies my problem.
Posted February 11, 2006 2:30 AM
The best way I've found to lose weight is to go on a 14 day backpacking trip. I lost 10 pounds last summer doing this. If I could find the time to do this 3-4 times a year I doubt I would have a weight problem.
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