This is What Happened When I STOPPED Dieting

Since I was a teenager, I've always been a little obsessed with dieting and losing weight.  I tried all sorts of diets, took weight loss pills and fat burners, and succumbed to many other gimmicks.  None of this actually made me feel good, it left me feeling deprived and grew my obsession for trying the next best thing.  I was a classic yo-yo dieter because the results wouldn't last.  I would focus so hard to lose weight and look good for whatever vacation or special event was coming, and then I would totally fall off track after I hit my goal because life seemed so much more enjoyable when I could eat what I wanted and not feel deprived!

This is an unhealthy cycle - physically and mentally.  

The only thing that helped me to truly change my habits and to look at food as fuel (instead of a tool to lose weight) was 21 Day Fix.  I had started this program to lose weight, I can't lie about that.  But for the first time in my life I had a good grasp on why it is important to eat certain foods and how to consume well balanced healthy meals with healthy portions.  I did 21 Day Fix 3 times before moving on to a new program and somewhere within those 9 weeks I learned how to eat with purpose and I stopped looking at what I was doing as a diet.  Diets are only temporary, but a healthy diet should be permanent.  

Here is what happened when I stopped dieting:  

1. I stopped eating crap "food".  To use the term food is a little over exaggerated, because what I am talking about is processed stuff that more resembles a science experiment than a meal.  I stopped eating those awful Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine frozen meals - which are really gross, and not filling, but I would eat them because they were supposed to help me lose weight.  I stopped consuming artificial sweeteners and other processed "healthy" food.  I found happiness, balance, and results when I started eating actual food that made me feel good, feel satisfied, and feel nourished.  
2. I stopped yo-yo dieting and maintained my results.  No I don't eat perfect all the time and no I don't always measure my portions, but yet I have continued to maintain my healthy nutrition habits and transform my body.  This is because I am not eating to lose weight.  If I was doing that I would have stopped almost 2 years ago when I hit my first weight loss goal.  Now I eat because I want to feel good.  I eat to fuel my workouts.  I eat to feel energized.  I eat for pleasure and have found balance in maintaining my healthy nutrition while allowing for those indulgences that I sometimes NEED or crave.  
3. I started to love and appreciate my body.  When I started focusing on healthy goals like feeling confident and feeling energized (instead of the usual "I am fat I need to lose ___ lbs to feel good" goals) I started to think more positively about my body.  I accepted the fact that the scale will fluctuate about 5-10 lbs for me.  I stopped weighing myself every day and now weigh myself once a week at most (there have been times through this journey where I haven;t stepped on the scale in months!). Now that my mind is focused on positive feelings and accomplishments, instead of negative-minded goals, I am more motivated than ever!  

For me, stopping the dreaded diet cycle has been liberating.  I have honestly never felt healthier, happier and more alive than I do now.  I just had my 37th birthday and I feel like I look and feel better than I did turning 21!  

Are you sick of dieting?  Are you feeling trapped in a frustrating cycle of weight loss / weight gain?  I can help support you to break free and build healthy habits that last!   

CLICK HERE to learn more about my  FIT FOR LIFE CHALLENGE.