I've Found the One

I've found the one!

I've been on a quest to lose weight since May of 2007. I came home from college with five extra pounds and added a "little" bit more since. I remember thinking that five pounds was a tragedy, and now I find myself wishing for those days. The last year and a half has been very stressful and as an emotional eater, the more agitated my mind was, the more my waist expanded. After gaining weight, weight that I successfully lost and kept off for three years, "rock bottom" seemed to be the only place my heart and mind were in. I became a recluse and found myself too ashamed to be seen in public. This made things worse, not better, because the more I isolated myself the more weight I gained.When life changes from pretty great to bleak in a matter of months, it's very hard to pull yourself up. I succeeded after getting help in the form of my school psychologist. I realized through therapy that my mantra needed to change. My current one at the time: "What's the point of trying? I'm going to fail anyway." Anytime I set out to succeed I always seemed to fall back on the debilitating words, "what's the point?" I was sick of my weight gain, and more than anything, I missed my jeans. I had really cute jeans that I had to put away because they were too small. Instead of thinking of solutions, I criticized myself constantly. I kept myself from doing the things that I used to do, and let my weight control my happiness. For those who are thinking of losing weight, I would suggest that they have fun. If I had simply lived life instead of waiting for the day that I lost weight, I probably would not have been as depressed, and I probably would not have gained as much. After getting myself out of my mental rut, all that was left was doing something! There is nothing cheaper than talk. This time, there was another obstacle. I tried several diets during the summer and they all ended badly. This set me back a few steps because I felt terrified. Nothing was working. I felt overwhelmed, like weight loss was not possible especially since I have so much to lose. But a week ago I found the perfect diet. It's something that allows me to live life how I've normally lived it. It's all about portion control. I've now come to accept that it will take me a while to lose weight and I'm in no rush. I'm finally in the right state of mind.

Tips: Pick a diet that is the most convenient for you. If you need a strict program, pick a diet that monitors every single calorie. If you want the least amount of work, try a diet with pre-packaged foods. If you need flexibility, pick a program that guides you with portion control. It's all about finding what works for you and the most popular diet may not be it. It will take a while to find the right one, but consider how much you're willing to spend, and how much you're willing to do. Keep in mind that extreme diets produce results very fast, but are very hard to maintain. Whatever you pick, make sure that it is something you can do from now on. My mistake was thinking that losing weight meant that my work was done. Once you lose the weight, the next goal is to keep it off indefinitely. Good luck!