The DIET series: #1

To go on diet or not to go on diet: That is the question!
I was reading Beth story on her battle to lose weight posted on her website/blog: www.theplussizemommy.com, sad but oh so common.
Since then I started to reflect on who do I know who have been on a diet (every single person I know!) and who has kept the weight off (nobody I know!)
Quite puzzling, indeed! (I love this word in English, indeed)
Are you like me? Each time I see an add to encourage us to lose weight I get skeptical. Especially those with pictures of a dieter taken before and after. I can't help to look really close to make sure the "before" and "after" person look alike (never too sure) and always wonder if they are still like the "after" or since then went back to the "before". Who knows....
As I said nobody I know as kept it off.
Well... there is actually 3 people who have lost weight that I know or that I can easily verify if they are for real and still on track, which might give us our 3 ways (no magic, sorry!) to lose weight:
- my friend Chantal has gone through bypass surgery and has lost a lot of weight. (I'll try to get from her the "before" and "after" pictures).
- Roslyn Franken (www.roslynfranken.com) offers counselling services based on her own experience(pictures of her "before" and "after" on her website), "Helping you make realistic, attainable AND sustainable changes for Healthy Eating, Postive Living and Effective Weight Management." (I can easily verify that she has kept the weight off, she lives in Ottawa).
and
- Louise' programme (in Vancouver area) at The Body Exchange is all based on.... Fitness (Louise runs bootcamps for plus size people in various locations in and around Vancouver, BC) and her last newsletter features Martin Hill who has lost 85 pounds! (I will tell you later if he kept it off)
Told you, no magic there, it's a lifetime battle and we, deep inside, all know it. Sorry Beth. But interestingly enough I guess a little bit of the 3 solutions used together would probably be ideal.
Ain't you excited? I have found the solutions that will solve our problems...
Okay, I know what you think: no energy to go ahead and do it! Yep that's the first part of the problem. We kind of know that there is solutions out there, that it won't be easy, that we'll have to work on it forever, BUT YET, most of us don't jump on it. WHY? why not take the chance?
Stay tuned, I'll address all that in the following articles.

This is my story of the day.
Catherine LG
Ottawa, June 25, 2009