Yoyo-ing

Ah, yoyo-ing. I think we can all relate to this. With so many fad diets and quick fixes out there I think we've probably all fallen victim at least a couple times.

My first go round was with Herba Lite when I was 16 or 17. The "magic pill" that would suppress your appetite. I swear it made me act like a bitchy tweaker. I remember my mom saying, "Yeah, you may get skinny, but who's gonna want to be around you?" Good question. Yes it worked. For a minute. I think I took, like, 2 bottles of it. I may have lost 10 or so lbs. And of course it came back right away, as soon as I started eating again.

My next "magic pill" was Lipodrene. Can you say 'anal leakage?' I didn't even make it through 1 bottle. Who wants those side effects?!

Then I did the "Grapefruit Diet." This actually would have worked 'ok' had I used it as a jump start and continued to eat healthy past the 10 or 14 days, or whatever it is. It's pretty simple. 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon and a grapefruit or grapefruit juice for breakfast. Meat, salad and a grapefruit or grapefruit juice for lunch. Repeat Lunch for Dinner. "10 lbs and 10 inches in 10 days", or something to that extent. It did work. But then what next? Back to your old ways. Back to your old weight. Plus some.

In my early 20's I "tried" to do it right. Diet and Exercise. I busted out my Denise Austin, Fat Blasting Yoga and started dieting. Ah, herein lies the problem. "Diet." The word diet gives a negative, temporary connotation. People need to realize, before they even start, that you don't need to go on a "diet." You need to change your Diet. The way you eat. What you eat. FOREVER. Not temporarily. Also, as much as I like Denise Austin, Fat Blasting Yoga did not make me sweat, and in turn, did not "Blast Fat." I may have lost a couple pounds but not enough to satisfy my need for instant gratification to keep me going. So I quit. And gained more weight again.

Now we're at the point where my weight was out of control. I'm 5'3" and was weighing in at 198 lbs.  I was desperate. And determined. I REFUSED to hit 200 lbs. I bought Turbo Jam after seeing the infomercial. I followed the eating guide to a T and even did the 10 Day Jump Start, which claims that you "could" lose UP TO 10lbs and 10in in 10 days. I was skeptical, but I did it. And it worked!! I lost 14 lbs in my first 10 days. Now THAT'S the kind of quick start that'll keep you going. And I did. I followed the program and lost 40lbs in 8 weeks. Holy Crap!!! So what happened? I started playing Roller Derby and decided that was enough exercise. My body is already used to losing weight so skating 3 nights a week for 1 hour should be plenty. Eeeert! Wrong answer. Not only was I not working out enough, I also stopped eating well again. Then when I quit skating, I just didn't do anything. I gained about 30 lbs back. Damn. Success was so close I could taste it and I let it slip away. Again. Ah, well. Guess I'm meant to be hefty.