Serious thinking

I was given a book to read by Ashleigh, my naturopath. This book describes me to a t - me and thousands of other failed dieters. The author offers a simple solution. This is where the problem arises. Surely, if it was that simple, wouldn’t the world be following his advice? I shall have to sit myself down and do some serious thinking. I had heard the words ‘’diets don’t work’’ many times in my life. When I went on Jenny Craig, I heard them, but my reasoning at that time was that I’d rather get rid of the weight first. I did lose it and I felt good for a while but of course, all that weight came back on again. The next time I tried Jenny Craig, I wasn’t nearly as successful at losing the kilos and I soon regained what I had lost. Hypnosis and intermittent fasting worked in the same way. 2021’s keto was successful, but by the end of last year all that weight was back on as well. I had big intentions to resume keto this year but I haven’t managed to stay on it long enough for any success. I have regained the two kilos I did lose.

In his book, the author talks about all of this yo-yoing and he describes the different food problems such as the binging that I suffer from. I must admit that I was quite excited as I started reading the book but as I progressed, I was faced once again with conflicting advice. This is where my dilemma lies. Do I try his method? Is his advice not just a further diet, one where we suffer restrictions and end up binging to put any lost weight back on again? I need to look at what he is proposing and decide if I want to try his method. His way of eating is in direct contrast to keto, for example. He is encouraging fruit while at the same time discouraging meat. In keto, protein is important, while anything holding carbs is restricted.

The author recognizes sugar addiction, one of my biggest problems, and he rightly points out that any processed foods containing sugar are nutrient empty. He suggests eating fruit instead. I love my fruit and that was the main thing I missed on keto. Yes, I was permitted a few berries, but not the amount I had previously consumed.

Ashleigh has been making suggestions for my diet, and amongst these are two fist-size portions of protein each day. This is against the author’s advice. Although meat is permitted, he suggests not having a lot of it.

One thing the author is right about is that diets don’t work. Yes, we lose the weight but it is not long before it is all back again. I know I need to change something, but the question is, do I try his method, stick with what Ashleigh is proposing, persevere with keto or try something different altogether?

This is where the serious thinking comes in.

The book I am referring to is The Easy Way for Women to Lose Weight by Allen Carr.