Hi – you sound a little like me! I was never overweight as a teenager but once I gave up smoking in my late twenties & had a couple of kids, I put on about 30 pounds or so. Since then I got on the standard yo-yo dieting lark – low cal/low carb/ detoxing etc – losing some, gaining some more etc. I stumbled across Matt’s work about 8 months ago and it fascinated me. I read most of the books and have been more or less following his advice since. But its been hard. I’ve seen my weight increase to its highest level ever, and have been so tempted to start another diet. But I’ve stuck with it, bought some bigger clothes and tried to keep the faith. On the plus side, my health is definitely better – I used to be constantly cold, a poor sleeper etc and now that is all gone.
In the last month or so, I have finally began to lose a few pounds. My approach has been to really slow down and make time for my food. No more grabbing a quick snack while reading e-mails/facebook etc! When I eat, I eat very, very slowly – and try to really enjoy every mouthful. I try to pay real attention to my stomach to let me know when it’s full, and then I stop. Even if I’ve only eaten a little. Its actually pretty amazing how little you need for your stomach to feel full. If I find myself hungry again an hour later, I’ll eat again. Plus I try to decide what it is I really want. I used to be the kind of person who could never leave food on her plate but I’m trying to change that. There are still times when I eat too much, and it’s hard with a family, but I feel like I am getting some control back now.
The weight loss has been really slow – only about 3lbs in 3 weeks. But the interesting part, for me, is that when I do overeat, at weekends or a night out, that three pounds seems to go back on quickly, but a day or two later & its off again. I’m taking this as a sign that my metabolism is working better to stabilize my weight!
I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel. And I wish you well on your journey through it!