Diet Masters: YO YO DIETERS AND OTHER THOUGHTS...AND A FUNNY STORY

DIET MASTERS

DIETMASTERS

MY YEARS AS A FOOD ADDICT

I was a heavy eater by the time I was 5 years old, only it was called a "healthy appetite" in those days, and they called me cute and chubby. By the time I was 18 I was a compulsive overeater. At 5'6", my weight ranged between 125 to 149, but only because I spent part of almost every month on some diet or another. I must have gained and lost more than 500 pounds on various crash diets before I turned 40.I could eat 3 half gallons of ice cream a week and 3 candy bars at the movies. At my favorite Oriental buffet I would start with 6 egg rolls and fill my plate (and myself) so much that the owners lost money. No matter what diet I tried, I dreamed of my next “fix”… boxes of cookies, bags of potato chips or maybe a whole pizza.I’ve always been an upbeat person with a good marriage, two children, and close friends, but on my 40th birthday I was feeling depressed. I took a walk on the beach and realized that my compulsive eating had to stop. I decided that I wanted peace more than pizza and vowed to put my extensive dieting knowledge to work. I re-read all of my material on the subject and designed a way of eating that would satisfy me and finally curb my appetite. My determination paid off in spades and changed my life. The numbers on the scale remained below 130 and before I knew it, I was helping curious friends and neighbors. That was the beginning of a long and exciting career founding and directing Diet Masters, teaching dieting classes and low calorie cooking and even self publishing 6 dieting books. Best of all, my weight has been stable between 124 and 129 for 39 years while I eat food that I enjoy.

THIS BLOG WILL BE EVEN MORE INTERESTING WITH INPUT FROM MY READERS. EMAIL ME WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR SUBJECTS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO COVER AT: ADVICE@LOSEWITHLOUISE.COM, AND I WILL ANSWER SOME OF THEM HERE.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

YO YO DIETERS AND OTHER THOUGHTS...AND A FUNNY STORY

Q What is yo yo dieting? It is when people lose weight and then regain it over and over again. I was a prime example of that for 23 years.

I was never shocked or angry when a Diet Masters' member would return from a two week vacation with an 8 pound gain. I would often gain 15 pounds in two weeks in the past. A good idea would be that they keep a record of everything that they eat and stay attached to a diet support group.

FUNNY STORY

I had been teaching my Diet Masters classes for several years when this happened. My husband and I were enjoying the last day of our vacation at a lovely restaurant in Texas and I had not been near a scale in two weeks. I was used to eating moderately by then and when I saw a tall scale near the door as we were leaving I eagerly jumped on..It registered 136 pounds. I was shocked...This number meant that I had gained 7 pounds. I got off the scale thinking something must be wrong and got on it again..still 137. There were a few waitresses smiling at me and all of a sudden I looked back and there was that husband of mine with his foot on the scale.