Hi,

Does anybody else find that as you age (52, female) previous dieting methods don't work anymore? Some of you might remember i went on a diet in the Spring and got devastated when i only lost 2.4 pounds over five weeks. I weighed-in and counted calories just like i'd done ten years before when i'd lost 65 pounds in a year but it just didn't seem to work anymore and i got frustrated and quit.


It's still early days -- i started on Labor Day, five days ago -- but i am trying a new method and it's going so well! I'm not counting calories and i'm not weighing myself. I read that (for women especially) you can't force you're body to lose weight at a prescribed rate so it's better to focus on how well you're you're sticking to your diet to determine how well you're doing.

This makes a lot of sense to me. I'll also measure my progress by how my clothes fit and how my body feels. I'm giving myself basic rules to follow, like swilling water, only two Coke Zeros a day max, eat an apple, drink a protein shake (i'm a new vegetarian!), etc. I'm eating according to my hunger and not according to a schedule, which is my preferred style. I'm not panicking if i have a screw up.

This feels a lot more sustainable than tediously counting calories and doing make-or-break weigh-ins and enduring unbearable suffering and being punishingly restrictive. I'm not even calling it a diet. I just tell myself i am 'eating healthy in moderation.' It may take me four years to get to a healthy weight but that is just fine.

I feel better already!

[yellow_fleurs]

I think your new approach is great! I have had issues with obsessive counting of calories and weighing due to an eating disorder in the past, and now that I am recovered rarely weight myself and never count calories. It's a great place to be, just focusing on nourishing and listening to your body.

[*Laurie*]

I weighed 110 lbs in my adult life, 5'6", was always trying to gain weight. Went on Seroquel, gained 125 lbs. over a few years. I've completely lost track of being able to control my weight, and since I never had a prior weight problem I have nothing to compare this to.

Originally Posted by yellow_fleurs

I think your new approach is great! I have had issues with obsessive counting of calories and weighing due to an eating disorder in the past, and now that I am recovered rarely weight myself and never count calories. It's a great place to be, just focusing on nourishing and listening to your body.

Thanks for the support, Yellow Fleurs! I also had an eating disorder in my teens. It's ages ago but this Spring's obsessive dieting was still destructive of my demeanor. "Focusing on nourishing and listening to your body" -- well-put!