Free to Live and Enjoy Life, December 7, 1999

I have been following Diana Schwarzbein’s guidelines for about 4 months now. I have all the praise for the book that other reviewers have expressed here. For those whose progress has been slow, I thought I’d share this observation.

Looking back, I can say that after the initial significant loss of inches, I can best describe my progress as 2 steps forward – 1 step back. There are times when I simply can’t help myself but switch to a carb-heavy diet, including sweets and potato chips. This phase usually lasts for two or three days. At those times I gain some weight/inches back, and it can be pretty tough psychologically. The good news is that although at these times I think I’ve completely shot the results and gained everything back, it is usually a pleasant surprise to find out that the smaller size clothes still fit, albeit a bit tighter.

I’ve noticed that these “binges” happen after the next stage in inch-loss has been reached. It is as if the body is fighting back to hold on to those next fat deposits that are being attacked – and who can blame it! As D.S. explains, our bodies are programmed to gain – and hold on to – fat to provide for times of stress and famine. The beauty of the plan, however, is that once you are used to eating a protein-rich diet, it becomes easy to go back on track. The “binges” are nothing like what usually accompanies low-fat/high-carb diets. You’ll find it has suddenly become difficult to eat a whole candy-bar anymore, and there’ll be no more of that ice-cream consumption by the gallon. In fact, you’ll find the ice-cream so sweet, you won’t be able to go past the first several spoonfuls. (Trust me, I tried!) And after two-three days, you’ll feel like going back to the plan because you will simply be feeling like a wreck.

So be patient. After the next try, your body will give up a few more ounces of fat. But you have to convince it that there is nothing to fear – that there will always be a steady supply of balanced nutrious food, and those fat deposits are not needed. “Two steps forward, one step back” may seem like a slow progress, but it’s progress nonetheless, and that’s more than can be said about other diets.

Eating this way will also free you from the gym obsession. You’ll notice that once you’ve built a certain amount of muscle with weight-lifting exercises, your metabolism will be working without your having to stair-master yourself to exhaustion every morning. I do weight-lifting with some regularity (although haven’t for the last month and a half) and get the rest of my exercise from walking to and from work. Even extended business trips, with no excercise and abunadnce of hotel mini-bar temptations, do not throw me off anymore.

But the best part is that this way of eating and living has helped me take my mind off food and weight loss and free it for other pursuits. It’s the best result I could ever hope for.

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