What’s Your Secret?

I love this question!! I think we’ve all had a moment where we see someone’s weight loss progress and immediately think, “Gee, I wonder what her secret is!?”

Fact is… the real, lasting, make it happen and keep it off kind of weight loss has zero secrets to it. No magic potions, no special pills, and no creative diets of only this or that, “and be sure to drink water while standing on your head.”

Oh how I have wished over the years that there was some secret to weight loss that someone could share with me to make all of my struggles disappear.

But this got me thinking… we all know there have been some crazy diets out there over the years. I’m ashamed to say that I became desperate enough to try a few, like:

The Bean Diet – You could have unlimited amount of beans – black beans, refried beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, etc. – for every meal. Just beans. And did I mention that before I even started this diet I ABHORRED all kind of beans, except green beans?!

The Egg Diet – I do believe this one is circulating again, and I honestly couldn’t look at eggs for like 2 years after this one! I blame my 20s for this error in judgement.

But there are far worse ones out there, so I did some digging. Here are a few for your enjoyment!

• 1925: The Cigarette Diet – sounds super safe, right? EEK!
• Early 1930s: Slimming Soap – as in “wash your fat away”
• 1954: The Tapeworm Diet – I cringe just thinking about this one
• 1960: The Sleeping Beauty Diet – Elvis helped boost this one – if you’re sleeping, you can’t eat!
• 1961: The Calories Don’t Count Diet – who hasn’t said “calories don’t count on vacation”? I never knew there was an actual diet for it!
• 1980s-2000s – The Breatharian Diet – Yes, folks, you survive on nothing but air. Clearly not for very long though! {face palm}
• 2000s: The Cotton Ball Diet – I actually remember hearing about this one. WHY???

I am happy to report that when people ask me now, “what’s your secret?” I answer them honestly, with zero off-the-wall made up ideas. I eat pretty much anything, but always in moderation. With gastric sleeve surgery I can only eat small amounts at a time, so if I’m really craving chocolate, I’ll have the chocolate. Unlike life before surgery, I will not eat a handful of chocolate chips, a row of Oreos, and a King Size candy bar because I can’t figure out what I really want.

My secret is… There’s no secret. I’m healing my relationship with food by eating consciously, listening to my doctor’s advice, and asking myself if I’m truly hungry, or if I’m being emotional, before I eat the item I’m looking at. Mindless eating is a big player in gaining back weigh after weight loss surgery, so I’m working on healthy habits all the way across the board!

What are some crazy things you’ve tried to lose weight in the past?