Do the journey not the diet.....

icemoose

The Diet Guy
Well last client of the day has just gone.

And they said something which just blew me away.

They have lost 5 stone now and look fantastic but then he/she said "I love this diet, I can eat what I like soon and then just come back in a few months and grab some packs from you to lose it again"

I just so wanted to get them to realise that losing the weight is just the start of it and that while losing weight you must do the journey and realise that keeping the weight off is the real challenge and not just losing it.

If you spend the diet planning for what you are going to do differently when you finish the diet then the diet itself is merely a way to get slim and you kind of do it without ever really thinking about it.

To just plan to then go back to your old ways is absolutely heartbreaking :confused:
 
OMG, I bet you were gobsmacked at that one.

At least you are one of the best to council them, Im shocked.

I cannot imagine just starting to eat the way I did before, I have come too far on this journey to ever imagine being Obese ever ever again.

Wow, some people really take the biscuit, or the whole bloomin shelf full!
 
wats the point of going through anything like cd, ll or lt if you plan on going back to how you were before?! it you happen to end up there again its one thing, but to plan on making no changes after you've lost weight is just obscene!!
 
You would be surprised how often I see this attitude. And as someone who hasn't come to the end of their journey yet, it makes me feel sad :(
 
Very sad, As Kazz says, we can all drop cock it up without meaning to but to come through all this for nothing is madness
 
I still can't get over it and almost want to stop them doing the diet as if because it is successful that makes it easy to redo.

I have put an hour in next Sunday to really try and talk it through with them but just shocked me.

Saying that I have another client who has a similar mentality.

M.
 
I can't beleive someone said that either. I don't see this diet as a "quick fix". Although some of my "friends" think that's what it is. The amount of times I've heard "but you'll put it all back on when you've finished". The difference this time is that without the food I've had chance to sort my food issues out. I realise that I'm NOT addicted to crisps or chocolate. I haven't craved them once since starting this.
I can't beleive anyone would have that attitude. I really want this to be the one and only time I do this :eek: :eek: to think the way they are is just mad !!
 
I am NOT defending them but in a small way I can see what they are saying!

For me the goal since I was 17 was to get thin, until recently I had never ever thought about living life as a slim person and the thought scares the living daylights out of me. I hate the thought of not being able to eat what I want when I want it for the rest of my life.

This is why the counselling has been so incredibly important to me and I am hoping that even though I haven't managed 100% abstinence I am making wise food choices when I can to get me into the habit of doing that for the rest of my life.

Thing is the rest of my life feels like a very daunting and in some ways depressing prospect so at the back of my mind I do think to myself, well if I get out of control again I will go back to abstinence for a while.

Not sure that makes sense, I do hope so.
 
UNBELIEVABLE!! Why even bother losing weight !! This 'journey' is to be a life changing one for the vast majority of us on here, to hear things like that make my blood boil! I for one NEVER intend having to do this again (she says with another 5 stone to lose!!).Well Mike as the old saying goes " You cant help them that wont help themselves". I'm sure you have many more clients really chuffed with your great help and advice!. From a very DETERMINED 'loser' ,Sarah x
 
Well said Mike and everyone.

I used to say that getting to goal was just the start of my journey. Okay it wasn't really. Starting Cambridge was. Finishing Cambridge was when I stopped running and started the long distance walk to the finishing post which probably doesn't exist. Nothing left except to keep plodding and enjoy the view whilst doing so :)

It's been really refreshing to read messages on this board that show people are taking maintenance seriously, not just aiming for that goal medal.
 
Hiya!

I'm a 'serial restarter' too - and must admit that the thought of entering the food world again does excite & terrify me at the same time! By this I mean, my old mentality is saying "yes u can have all ur favourite foods" and the new mentality is sayin "lots of healthy food, with the odd treat."
Thankfully, I'm heading onto week 4 of my journey, so still have a fair while to go and hopefully I can address this once and for all.
I'm hoping that the feeling I get from being where I've longed to be for years - slim and healthy - will sway me away from over indulgence and regaining the weight. I know that CD/LL/LT will be there for me should I ever go too far and need some time-out from food again whilst I get things into perspective, but I also know I can't abuse this as there will be a limit of how much SSing/790 etc I can do!!!

I know a friend who has lost 5stone on CD and she watches what she eats very carefully throughout the month, but one day a month she has (what she calls) "a blast from the past" day, and eats whatever she wants (I don't mean in the quantities she used to before, she just eats some of her favourtie 'bad' foods). She says she does this for 2 reasons, 1-to remind her of her old ways, to remember how crap she used to feel and 2- to show herself that she can have an indulgent day like slim people do, and know she can maintain her loss.
Incidently - she has maintained for a year now and hasn't even gained 1lb!
By the way, I'm not saying this is right for everyone, it just works for her :)

I hope ur client can see past this Mike and that they realise that food cannot be abused or else they'll end up in the same predicament that let them to do CD in the first place.

Much love, Chelle xx
 
I hate yoyo dieting I wish I could learn to keep the weight off.
I did CD last year and wanted to keep the weight off? I never wanted to do any VLCD AGAIN.............sadly I am here AGAIN but I know I couldnt do this again as THE 2ND TIME AROUND IS MUCH MUCH HARDER THAN THE 1ST TIME ROUND SO God forbid what 3 times round would be like?:eek:
xxc
 
I can completely understand where this person is coming from. It does cross my mind... ooh.. only 100 days and then I can eat all my favs again. Then I remind myself that actually NO... 100 days is unlikely to undo the damage I've done and it will probably be considerably longer than that and even when I do start eating again, I can't go back to my old ways.

I've yo-yo dieted my entire life and it hasn't made me happy up to now! As I've mentioned once before, I previously lost 6 stone (through the "being dumped by someone you love" diet) and kept it off for about 6-7 years. I need to regain that old me who, IIRC, did basically do the 80/20 thing. 80% of the time I was very mindful of what I ate. 20% of the time I "let go" - but was aware that I was doing so - rather than in an uncontrolled way.

I SO want to be that person again. Good luck with explaining all the pitfalls to you client Icemoose!
 
The only time I can properly think about food is when I'm doing CD or LL because cooking a meal at the end of a long working day isn't a necessity. I feel I can plan meals and healthier options and I actually enjoy reading cookery books. Spent the weekend reading "you are what you eat" and relish the thought of Mung Bean Casserole and veg and fruit smoothies.

I'm on Day 4 of my second attempt at CD (first attempt lost 2st 6lb) but put some back on when I took a month off. Am of the mindset that this is last attempt. I don't find VLCD the easy option but my councillor at LL once said that you wouldn't ask someone with an alchol problem to limit it to just "one a day" because they just couldn't so why ask someone with a food issue to do the same which in theory I suppose the like of SW and WW are doing.

Being on CD lets me think about food for the future and the healthier person "as a whole" I want to be.

Good luck to everyone.
 
I can understand that. After losing 4 stones on LL I did think oh I can eat what I want again and curb it when I start to gain weight by doing LL again. What you dont realise at that point is how quickly the weight will go back on if you restart your old habits, and by the time you do, you're almost back to stage one again.

I want this to be the last time I have to do a vlcd, I certainly dont want to make a habit of it. Maybe your client will come to that realisation the hard way like I did!
 
I'm sure most of us here have at one time or another in our lives done exactly what your client said.

I've been a yoyo dieter all my life. Never with VLCDs though.

When I first got to target "this time" (the FINAL time!), I admit that I hadn't thought enough about the maintenance process. I distinctly remember waking up the day after reaching target and thinking: "what now?".

I regained and relost 7lbs for about six months before I found a way of staying stable, using the 80% "good", 20% "less good" method.

I think your client has just put into words what so often happens after diets are finished for one reason or other (either because the dieter reaches target, or falls off the wagon).
 
Hope you can talk them round Mike and help them realise that weight loss is for life. Why would they want to sabotage all they have lost to eat more rubbish!
Defo not!

Its a life changing habit :)
 
Your client has an attitude that was exactly the same as my own for a while on LL. Going through the programme made me realise what a folly this would be.

So I am not disgusted or apalled or judgemental at the sentiments expressed by them, I am just sad that this person hasn't reached the same place I am just yet but if anyone is going to get them there it will be Mike :cool: :)
 
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