How I Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting
A meal plan user emailed:
"I was wondering if you could address the yo-yo diet effect. I've been trying to lose the same 20lbs that have come and gone from my body for years."
I did talk a little bit about yo-yo dieting in my post about my experience with it here:
I Have a Confession... (my battle with weight, yo-yo dieting and food addictions)
For me (and the majority of my clients who are former yo-yos) I found we had to come to a place where we accepted some things were just off limits, and that we also had to stay with whatever was working for us. (For me, that's following the meal plans strictly).
Any time I slip and start eating a lot of nuts or avocado, my stomach hurts, and I gain weight. I can't deny that anymore.
I also can't deny what vegan junk food does to me (physically and emotionally) now that I've faced it. And I think THAT is what needs to happen to break the yo-yo cycle. That breath of personal honesty, and then, a serious commitment to do what's right for us.
AND when the temptation hits, I think back to all of my past indulgences. How awful my stomach hurt, the 2-day headache, how I beat myself up as soon as I was done eating, and then bonked myself over the head for days for eating junk, and so on. That helps me grab the strength not to fall down the slide again :) Plus I know I could never stop at one bite, or one brownie. It's not worth opening pandora's box!
The truth is, and I say this as a former yo-yo, there are reasons I gained it all back, or some of it back, and most often, (okay always!), it was my diet. I'd changed my diet. Slipped on my nutritional excellence. Now that I've accepted this, I've maintained my loss for 16 months! And I feel better than ever! (physically and psychologically).
You can do it!
Having a plan in place makes it so much easier -- the meal plans save me from my bad habits!