Last July, I became exasperated as I tried my clothes on and found none of them really fit me anymore. They were all too snug. When I went shopping with my husband, I was embarrassed that I had to go to the next size, size 3X. I have never been that large before. I had heard that as a woman gets into her 50's, after having children, her measurements often spread around the middle.
To make matters worse, my doctor told me that my blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure were too high. I decided to fight back. I already owned several low-fat, low-sugar cookbooks plus the program books. All I needed to do was journal-write everything I eat and drink down daily, drink eight glasses of water a day, take regular walks, and I would lose weight.
Five months' later, I've lost 23.5 pounds, my blood test results have returned to normal, and so has my blood pressure. Although I followed a lifestyle program that included journaling, counting points assigned to foods and daily walking, I've met many people who've successfully lost weight on several different dieting programs.
The key is to realize that you are making a lifestyle change and must maintain it. I know that I can never go back to eating indiscriminately the way I used to or else the weight will come back.
I had to realize that I control my life, and that I could choose to change it. It takes discipline to journal every day, to learn the program, to count points, drink the water. The fun part about losing weight was getting too small for my clothes and having to go shopping with my husband to pick out new clothes that showed off my new figure. It's important to reward yourself when you meet some of your goals too. For example, you might want to reward yourself with a manicure every time you lose five pounds, or buy yourself a new, inexpensive blouse whenever you lose ten pounds.
The biggest reward has been that I feel better. It took about three to four months for my health to really improve, but that alone makes it all worth it. The best advice I can give is to take control of your life, and either join a dieting program, or if you can't afford to or don't have the time, at least go long enough to learn the program and stick with it.
Another alternative is to buy one of the popular diet books or ask your physician to recommend a diet. Once you meet goal weight, you need to be very careful to follow a maintenance program where you add calories back to your daily diet. My improved health is my biggest reason for sticking with the program, but looking and feeling better is very important too!
