DIET: the four letter word

When used as a noun, the word diet simply means "The kinds of foods that a person, animal, or community habitually eat."  It's when its used as a verb that the word diet becomes a dreaded four letter word!  Restricting oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight.

I've tried every "diet" out there over the years:  low carb, grapefruit, cabbage soup, 1200 calorie.  I've tried diet pills, vinegar, water pills, magical coffee beans and strange supplements all promised to aid in weight loss. None of them were successful because even if I did have weight loss success, I still went back to my old habits and portion sizes once the weight was off.

I did end up having gastric bypass surgery in 2010.  I have lost the weight and am maintaining at my current weight, give or take 10 pounds.  But, just like the pills and diets and magical beans, gastric bypass isn't the cure.  People can gain weight back after the surgery.  If they slide back into their old habits, they stretch that new stomach out and are able to eat more.  I could very easily get back to my former size, which terrifies me.  

The reason I'm even bringing this up is because I want to let all the young ladies out there who feel like they need to lose weight to know that the pills and special diets should be avoided.  Your best bet is the Weight Watchers plan, which is essentially portion control.  Now I know that a 14 year old girl with a weekly allowance cant afford to join Weight Watchers.  That isn't realistic.  But if you control your portions and fill up on fruits and veggies, you can do it alone.  My WW leader shared a tip with us at my last meeting that I want to share:  fill half of your plate with vegetables, the other half split between protein and grain.  

Also, you should avoid soda. If you are not a fan of drinking water, I suggest you try the Crystal Light or Mio types of drink mixes   Soda, whether it be diet or regular, has carbonation in it which does inflate your stomach.  Over consumption of soda will stretch your stomach, and a bigger stomach means you can eat more.  If you overeat, your stomach becomes accustomed to the larger portions and then when you try to reduce your food intake, your stomach "freaks out."  It sends a message to your brain that you wont be full unless you eat the amount it is accustomed to, so your brain tells you you're still hungry.  The cycle of overeating continues.

Don't think of the word DIET as a four letter word, think of it as the noun it was meant to be.  Your diet should be what you consume to survive, not what your restrict yourself of to lose weight.