I started my weight loss programme on the 7th of February, weighing 176 .5 lbs. I have 47lbs to lose in order to reach my target. (It seems a lot if you are only 5’ 1”)
In the first week I lost 2lbs and then 1.5 lbs over the next two weeks. (Very slow weight loss I know but it was better than gaining, which I had been doing at an alarming rate recently)...
Then something very strange happened...(Cue the theme tune from The Twilight Zone). I had been feeling as though my food plan was a little dishevelled and sat down to impose some sort of order on my thoughts. To illustrate my point I’ll quote a little bit of my diary here to give you some idea of what happened...


“Trying to pin down some sort of plan. If I have times and calories for a normal day /week then I can always jump back on the moving platform at any time......(haha)

Deep breath...

lunch 300 cals
dinner 600 cals
six snacks 100 cals
total 1500 cals


Exercise (At least) 1 hour walking per day

This may not be enough of a drop in calories for weight loss, I’m not sure. I think by upping the exercise with swimming and longer walks it would be. I could try and cut down more but it would unrealistic to think I could keep it up for long.
So, theoretically that should work...When everything invariably goes white...I will know where I am and what I have to do when the blizzard clears...
I will screw up. I just have to find a way of legislating for it.
Literally minutes after typing that I got up from the computer, walked into the kitchen and started eating...two days later and I still haven’t stopped...It would be funny if it wasn’t so scary...”


This wasn’t a particularly dramatic incident. It wasn’t like The Three Faces Of Eve or anything. It was just one of those situations that has happened to me regularly throughout my life in regard to food. I can control most of the things that I do and when I make a plan I generally stick to it but I find it very difficult to take control of events consistently when it comes to food...Most of the time I can stick to the plan (Whatever it happens to be) but every now and again I get abducted by the Binge Aliens and that’s when the damage is done...Anyway I just thought I would share this with you and wondered if it rang any bells with anyone...or is it just me?
PS I picked myself up and dusted myself off after that one... but not before I regained all of the 3.5 lbs that I had lost...I’ve now been back on course for a couple of weeks and have lost the SAME 3.5 lbs again...

Best wishes and thanks for listening...From the worlds worst dieter...

I just wanted to add:

~We are here for you any time.

~1.5 to 2 pounds a week is not slow-it is actually on the "faster" end of healthy weight loss, which is 1 to 2 pounds per week. You are doing great to lose at that rate.

~Lots of people lose at 1500 calories a day, including myself. As long as that rate is working, stick with it. You don't need to drop to 1400 or 1300 until you stop losing at 1500-and that might be 5, 10, or 15 pounds down the road.

~Stop thinking "diet". Think new lifestyle. If you screw up, let it go-and get back to your normal eating and exercise.

Definitely agree with Aphil, 1.5-2.0 lbs a week is amazingly good.

Sounds to me like you're afraid on some level that your food will be taken away. So, maybe there's something you can do to help that part of you feel less afraid. Clearly planning out every hundred calories isn't it! But maybe you could just list the foods you eat after you eat them--you know what would be healthy choices--rather than try to "make" yourself stay with only X number of calories per hour. That must feel kind of rigid to that scared part.

Enough of my amateur psychology!

Jay