Hi! I’m Donna, I’m 47 and I’m sad to say I’ve spent nearly 20 years of my life on diets (mainly slimming world but I tried pretty much every one you can think of).
Over this time, food to me became either good or bad. I’d be on the wagon or off it. If I went out for dinner with friends and had a few drinks I would feel I either needed to earn it by exercising, or scrape it back afterwards, and that one evening out would also usually result in me thinking screw it, I’ve ruined the whole week so will just eat what I want and start again Monday (which is as effective as getting a puncture on your car then thinking sod it may as well stab the other three tyres with a knife too).
I would weigh one day a week and take whatever the scales said at that moment in time as my measure of success or failure, and therefore my mood and happiness, for the forthcoming week. I would go through periods of restricting and seeing losses, which were then always followed by cravings, over eating, and gains. I didn’t understand the basics of how my own body worked, or how nutrition fuels me, so I made choices that not only didn’t always nourish me optimally, but I also developed a seriously unhealthy relationship with food.
Ultimately, what I lost in nearly 20 years of dieting wasn’t weight (in fact over time I gained more and more, slowly becoming heavier and heavier), but what I did lose was a shit load of money, my relationship with food, many many socialising opportunities turned down so as not to ruin my diet, and my self-confidence smashed into smithereens, because eventually my self-worth became connected to a number on the scales.
It’s been several years now since I decided no more. I don’t want this to be my life. Constantly fretting about food. I wanted to just eat like a normal person. And now I do.
It hasn’t been quick, it’s taken time and practice to change my mindset, but I no longer spend my life with food constantly on my mind. If I want something, I have it. I find myself forgetting to eat (who even am I?!!!). I don’t feel guilt over anything I eat. Ever. And the result of all of this is that actually, I’ve maintained my weight for several years without even trying.
I’ve learned to enjoy all kinds of foods again without attaching them to behaviour (I was ‘good’ or ‘bad’ today). And now that I’ve done all that, I’m ready to start working on changing my body composition and working on fat loss, from a healthy perspective, not a diet mindset.
On top of that though, I’ve learned to enjoy movement and take it from being something unenjoyable and all about weight loss, to something I get enjoyment from.
Breaking free from diets doesn’t mean giving up on your body goals, it’s just about doing it in an informed way that won’t mess your head up.
This blog is all about my journey and what I’ve learned along the way. I’m not a doctor or a professional, but I have spent a lot of time learning about everything from diet culture to nutrition and movement and I will gladly share with you what I’ve found useful.
You can find me on instagram and facebook too, so please do go give me a follow.