Finally losin’ it

In her question of the week, Roni asked what dieting disasters we’ve fallen prey to.

That’s a hard question for me, because I don’t really consider my time on the low-carb diet a disaster. I stuck to Atkins for two-plus years, lost 105-ish pounds and looked and felt fantastic. While I was doing it, I didn’t miss the pasta, potatoes and bread, like I thought I would …

It was after I started eating those things again that the disaster began. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Over the next two years, I proceeded to regain 70 of those lost pounds. The boyfriend said he didn’t mind … in fact, I often think he likes me heavier (my chest is bigger).

But I did mind, and that’s what counts. So I joined Weight Watchers, and now I’m down almost 30 pounds. I’d like to get back down to 170-ish pounds, but that goal of 160 is awfully attractive. (I stalled out on Atkins at about 169, and kept regaining and losing the same pound or two for months.)

My biggest disaster is that whole “I ate _______, so I might as well keep eating crap for the rest of the day” attitude. It’s led me to scarf down Twinkies and Ho-Hos after having a burger and fries (instead of the salad I’d planned to order when I pulled up to the drive-thru).

I’ve been trying to work on it, but it still catches me more often than I’d like. I keep telling myself “every minute is a chance to start over,”  and on some level I know that eating one or even two (small) chocolate chip cookies or a slice of pizza isn’t the end of the world … but I still have a hard time believing it.

Guess that’s why they call it a “lifestyle change” and not a diet.