Off the Wagon

Off the Wagon
By Laura Dion-Jones

"No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself."

William Penn
(1644-1718, British religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania)

Dear Laura:

I fell off the diet and fitness wagon and I'm back at 149 lbs! I started following your advice 2 years ago when I was at 152 lbs and went down to 139 lbs, but now I'm up again.

I never really allowed myself to reach my goal of 125-130, which would be wonderful for my petite height. 149 pounds is just way too heavy for me.

I think my hormones are playing a big part. I started pre-menopause (Keep it a secret, it makes me feel like I'm entering middle age!).

I had lost my weight and maintained it on The South Beach Diet, but didn't stick to it all during the week, like you advise. I failed to make it my lifestyle.

Do you think I should go back to that diet?

I need your words of motivation and advice.

D


Dear D:

I'm on my way to the club for my daily cardio (1.5 hours) and Sunday morning Gyro-kenesis class (sorta like Pilates, but not, for 1 hour, 10 min) and then a few of my other strength building exercises I do in my Sunday routine. I'll get back to you more in depth later.

Meanwhile, cut the damn carbs!!!

You know what works for you from your last dieting attempt with The South Beach Diet. Low carb. You had tremendous success with it. Why not try it again? I certainly would.

Sooner or later, you're gonna get sick of the yo-yo and just do what it takes to get your weight off and keep it off.
Get the diet book out and reread the quick start and begin again - right now - your very next meal.

Either you're gonna eat low fat or your gonna eat low carb - you cannot combine or mix the two. It's gotta be either one or the other. Not both. All those yummy desserts you bake for your business might be one of your downfalls. This is where the low fat VS the low carb concept becomes so important. And bananas are poison to a low carb diet - and to anyone like me that overproduces insulin. (And I know you eat them!)

Insulin's the fat hormone, not dietary fat.

And keep away from bread - eat your deli meats rolled in nice, organic lettuce! No wraps, either. Carbs are your enemy.

I knew a while back when we spoke that you were going to get into trouble and fall off the wagon when you told me how you were baking all those goodies for your shop. "But it's all low fat!" You cried.

I knew that was it. You were doomed. You forgot that what worked for you in the first place was cutting the carbs.

Reread my booklet Commit To Get Fit: The Secret to True and Everlasting Weight Loss, and begin again. It will help motivate you.

You need a significant low carb intervention right now.

Do some serious soul searching to see where you're really going wrong with your eating, and no fair blaming it on hormones just yet. Don't get me started there.

It's your carb consumption, Girlfriend, pure and simple.

And lack of daily cardio. So get back into it, no excuses. Start walking again. Spring's coming. Trust me on this.

And start weighing every single day and write it in a log. Record your walking steps daily. I still wear my dang pedometer without fail every single day, too.

On February 10th I'm doing a motivational seminar at The Lemont Public Library in Lemont, IL, at 7 PM, sharp. Go to their website, www.lemontlibrary.org, get the info and sign up.

You should come to it. Maybe you need a refresher course, or another good dose of my motivational magic. It's up to you.

All I can tell you is this: I'm maintaining my weight and have lost probably another 10 pounds or so since summer - and a few more since the Holidays ended. I follow my own best advice.

Not a day goes by that I don't get positive comments from people who see me every day at EBC or on the street and around town. These compliments are some of the things that keep me motivated to stay on my diet, health and fitness wagon. There is no going back, no falling off the wagon for me. I refuse to let my weight get even 5 pounds over my current lowest. I weigh almost every single day, do cardio every day and keep a strict eye on my daily carb count. When I want to lose more, I don't go over 30-35 carbs a day.

I do not count the carbs in low-glycemic veggies, tomatoes and such. I do count all the white starch and sugar carbs, however.

I refuse to eat even whole wheat breads and pastas because I know how highly carb sensitive I am and cannot afford to regain any of my lost weight.

When I eat whole wheat products, sweet potatoes, brown rice and the like, I don't lose any weight, so why bother eating that stuff at all.

I don't miss any of it and am healthier than I've ever been.

I look and feel amazing and there's no food on earth that's worth a backslide.
I know better now and so should you.

You have to make that diet, whichever one you chose, your forever eating lifestyle. Period. There is no other way.

You gotta wanna do it.

I can't come do it for you.

You know my number. Call me if you're really in trouble.

Hugs and best,

Laura


Laura Dion-Jones
550 N. Kingsbury St. #120
Chicago, IL 60654
312-933-7325
dionjones@aol.com
January 31, 2010©
www.lauradionjones.com
www.lauradionjones.blogspot.com