Grazing For Weightloss

The problem with dieting is that it is based on deprivation. The instant we start to diet we start making a list of things we're just not going to eat anymore. For me, that's the beginning of the end.My childhood was constant awareness that I didn't look like the other little girls. They wore cute clothes and they were thin. My pudgy frame couldn't accommodate the normal children's sizes and fashions so I was draped in clothing that was made for grown women. Emotionally, weight became an obsession and I was determined to look like the other girls no matter what. By my late teens I had achieved my goal of "stick thin" but the price I paid was a struggle with anorexia. In the years that followed I drifted between underweight and overweight, never being comfortable in my own skin no matter how much or little of it there was.Hypoglycemia brought the struggle to an end. After being diagnosed, my doctor put me on the traditional hypoglycemic diet which requires 6 meals a day of healthy food, in small portions. My initial fear was massive weight gain as I had to stay well under 1000 calories a day to maintain my "skinny self" and I felt doomed to a lifetime of being fat to treat this odd disease. After 3 weeks of strictly adhering to the diet I discovered I had lost 17 pounds. It had taken me my lifetime at the point to realize that being hungry wasn't the only way to being thin.The body's metabolism is like a fire burning in a fireplace. When you stop feeding the fire, the fire goes out. When you add fuel to the fire, it burns fiercely. Constant fueling in reasonable amounts keeps the fire burning continuously. All the years of starvation had accomplished nothing more than a metabolism that had gone cold. A few short weeks of feeding it brought it back to life. No deprivation, no hunger pangs, no longing for something I couldn't have until tomorrow or whenever my next meal was allowed.I still have weight-related emotional quirks, but they no longer rule my life. Maintaining a healthy weight is a lifestyle, not an obsession. I admit that I use topical products that give a little nudge on the stubborn spots, but never pills, horrid protein shakes or any magic supplements. Overall common sense, frequent eating in small portions, and adequate exercise all keep the weight at a healthy level, and the occasional pampering body wrap for kicking out the stubborn spots is the icing on the cupcake. Yes, I said it, cupcake!