Then I found VLCDs and the NO food was a real problem. When I was on a high from the rapid weight loss I would reintroduce food and YUM YuM
I did Cambridge which does include food, especially in the last 2 months as you go up the plans. Even so, you eat every 5 weeks and that certainly helped me with the maintenance lark.
The Weight-Matters combination of mealpacks and food really suits me and I think I have cracked it. I know the cynics will be thinking just wait and see but I can honestly say this has been the easiest and most effective diet I have been on.
Wait and see
I think it's a very individual thing depending on our hang ups, our histories etc. Getting in that right mindset...and whether we are ready for it.
I've dieted for over 30 years. Lost 100s of stones
Bit by bit destroyed my brain and messed up with all hopes of ever having a sensible relationship with food again (or so I thought).
When I finished Cambridge, I was determined to live a normal life without the packs. That's not saying there is anything wrong with them. Far from it....but I wanted to be 'normal'. Eat 'normal' food. Never diet again...and that included not eating diet related foods in order to lose weight (or maintain). I wanted to be in a place where whatever I chose to eat wouldn't be influenced by the scales IYKWIM.
All went well. Even managed to give up my nicotine habit. Okay, there were ups and downs in my mood. The odd panic attack. Would this be just like before. I didn't put on weight, except for 2-3lbs here and there, then off again, but I worried about whether I would ever achieve normaldom.
My biggest stepping stone was at the year at maintenance mark. That's when I realised that yes I had done it. I had maintained. Now I just had to do it for the rest of my life.
That really scared me.
My biggest hurdle was being able to sort my head out enough to never diet again including never having to deprive myself. Never having to count calories/eat special foods/ etc etc. I had to get off that.
Now...if you saw the inside of my brain, you would probably call the nearest vet and demand I was put down. It was going to be a mammouth tast
I have my mealpacks to quickly get me back on track.
And this is what I wanted to avoid for personal reasons. Again, not saying there is anything wrong with it, but I wanted to be able to eat without having to get back on track. To eat the right amount in the first place and if more, be so in touch with my body that I wouldn't want to eat so much the next day.
I wouldn't need packs. I would just eat less without thinking about it.
That was my journey. So far successful. I may have been a tough ride for me, but for once I feel normal. I don't feel like an ex-dieter, though I do realise that I have a history. I must never forget where I was. As far as food is concerned, I enjoy it, but I have no desire to eat more than I need.
