I have Been There

If you are seriously looking to look weight, don't do these diets! Believe me, I have been there. This is a picture of me around 18 years old. By this time, I had tried over a dozen diets including the grapefruit one, the burger one, the prepared meals one, the hypnosis one, the soy one, the canned tomato one, the laxative one.... you get the picture.

I look at my face here and my heart sinks. It's not about my weight, but actually how I felt on the food. I was sad, lacked any energy or motivation and dreaded get dressed every day. I was so depressed and just felt "flu-ish" all the time. When this picture was taken, I had no idea how much the food I was eating was effecting my mood.

No one had ever mentioned that the way I was feeling was directly related to the denatured food I was eating. Nothing I put in my mouth was fresh or alive. Everything was packaged, processed, created in a factory and rarely a vibrant green! I was so focused on weightloss I had no idea I was lacking nutrients! I thought being healthy meant being skinny. So, I went from weightloss program to weightloss program looking for answers.

For a couple decades I was trapped in a roller coaster created by the weightloss industry. I bought into so many of those programs figuratively and literally. I spent thousands of dollars purchasing programs that promised me the moon. Over and over, I would get myself psyched up, I would purchase food and supplements and change my whole kitchen over, only to fail in a matter of weeks or sometimes days.

I have always wanted to help women avoid the diet traps that I fell into. They were only a waste of money and energy! It took me years to discover that weightloss does not have to be this mysterious or painless.

There are so many success stories of women who have permanently lost weight and felt great. I knew it could be done, so I never quit. After learning these secrets I changed my life for good and having helped hundreds of others, I know these tricks and tips can work for you too.

I want to help you too.

I struggled for years with food and weightloss. Over and over I got my hopes crushed after a failed diet. I thought it was me, but I found out it was the weightloss industry. There are things they don't tell you!! Once I figured out what techniques worked,  I decided to become a nutritional counselor. I had to save others from the suffering I went through. 

The weightloss industry is an INDUSTRY. Their goal was to keep me coming, and keep me spending money. They are a business, and while that is fine, yes we all need to make a living, I was looking for something else. My goal was weightloss and ultimate healing. So, my goals were different then their goals. It didn't make them bad, but it did make "going to them" for weightloss a frustrating journey.

I want to lay out some of the major weightloss programs and why they do nothing more than make money for the weightloss industry. I will give you some free tips and tricks on how to be really effective at weightloss.

#1 Weightloss Pills and Supplements

One of the most popular ways to lose weight fast are the over the counter pills and supplements. These are usually by the cashier and have some super skinny model on the cover smiling and in a bikini. You know the ones? There are others that you might need a prescription for. For these, you usually have to pay a Dr a large upfront free, and then a weekly cost the pills themselves.

These seem like true miracles, especially in the beginning. And, for a time, they really do seem to work. Diet pills are great for taking away the appetite. They also help to bring on the "Binge/Purge Cycle."

The "Binge/Purge Cycle" has many forms, but if you tried to lose weight in the past, you most likely know what I am referring to. The basic idea is that you overeat and then undereat. These two extremes kind of play off of each other more than you know. And, the more you restrict and starve yourself, most people will feel an equally strong need to overeat. 

When taking pills, the initial few days help to reduce your appetite enough to also lose a few pounds. It works like calorie restriction. Since usually what happens is that those calories you do have are low, you most likely overeat after.

The pills also make you super shakey and jumpy. So, as you have less and less appetite, your mood isn't stable at all. It brings on, or makes more intense any feelings of anxiety or depression.

#2 Packaged Meal Weightloss Programs

These programs are the type you get delivered in a box. The ones that allow you to exchange meals throughout the day. They are packaged, no need to refrigerate.

Most people find success on this program for a short time. It is not only comforting to have a "program" to follow, but also easy to do since you aren't making any decisions. You just unwrap and feed yourself from those boxes.

The trouble with these programs is that the success is fleeting. Calorie counts from these meals are super low and the body needs food to survive. The body will swing back the other way. Here again, the "Binge/Purge Cycle" comes into play. 

Another issue is that since most of these products are loaded with  artificial sweeteners and ingredients, the body isn't getting actual nutrients, so you don't thrive, you just start feeling worse. And, since those around you say you are looking better and better, it contradicts what you are actually FEELING.

The problem is that while it might say a certain calorie count in the lab, it's really about how your body metabolizes those calories.Your body doesn't function as well as it could be functioning if it were running on real food.

These packaged foods are also filled with refined soy products. This kicks up the appetite and also messes up hormonal balance. Soy and estrogen collide. So, men might start growing the "man boob" thing and women might gain weight on hips or butt and other areas they might not normally gain weight on. Refined soy is something to really avoid.

These programs also keep you out of the kitchen so you never learn how to cook you don't learn how to take care of yourself. That is the key to growth and the key to success.

#3 Calorie Restricting Diets

Artificially setting a calorie count according to some chart you read offline is a recipe for disaster. Most of those charts don't take into account your health histories and habits. They have no idea what your body needs and what it is lacking. It artificially imposes a number on you that is usually impossible to maintain.

Low calorie counts also mean low energy, constipation and lack of vitality in general. 

Usually these calorie counts are quite low, lower then what the body needs. Here again, it is the perfect set up for the "Binge/Purge Cycle." Since when has food become such an enemy? Remember that if you are eating more plant-based you're going to need a higher calorie count than what's usually shown and that's a good thing because you want to be eating fruits and vegetables. Eating more real food means more satiety, which means more fullness and more detox.

#4 Fasting

Fasting is an amazing way to detox and to rest the body, but if you are using fasting for weight loss, you are falling into a huge trap.

If you have a very strong body, fasting is actually a beautiful break from what we normally consume. But, if you've been trying to lose weight for a few years, detoxing symptoms will be hard on you and maybe even dangerous for your system. 

Most of us need about five days to prepare the body for fasting. And then most need about 5 days to re-feed slowly to get the most out of the whole experience.

#5 Gluten Free, Low Fat, Paleo, and other programs like these.

This may come as a surprise as most would think I would say TO DO these things. That really isn't true because if you are doing these programs just for weightloss, you are not coming up to them organically. That means that you do not have a true understanding of why you are doing them and they are just restricting rather than freeing. Restriction is hard to maintain!

These programs may work for the first few pounds, but after a short while, you might find yourself twisting and bending the rules to make it work for you. The boundaries are artificial though, and not sustainable. Your other life will have a lot of pull.

Unfortunately, there's just no getting around slow and steady change over time. That might not be as sexy as those other programs but please save your money for a new wardrobe!

I am hoping this post explains a little bit why these big weight loss programs don't work. I hope I can save you some time and energy.

If you want to see the video about all this, click on picture below. If you tried any of these programs please let us know in the comments section.

until next time, Ciao