Is Dieting Ever Fun?

​          Nope. Not ever. But is dieting worth it? Yep. But only if you stick with it and lose to your goal weight. While dieting can get you to your goal weight, weight management will keep you there. That’s the rub.
          Pattie was a 28-year-old, married woman with a 5-year-old daughter, Amanda, and husband of ten years, Alex. During her first therapy appointment with me, after pleasantries and settling in, I asked, “How can I help?”
         She came to me for tools to help her overcome her resurging anxiety and depression by not keeping her weight off. She had gained over 100 lbs. during her pregnancy with Amanda and had yo-yo’ed her weight loss, still 30 lbs. from her pre-pregnancy weight.
            “After a horrible childhood, I finally put it all together my senior year in high school, found and married Alex after graduation, and vowed never to be Fatty Patty ever again. And yet, look at me now,” she sighed.
             Pattie recalled for me a childhood of being bullied and body-shamed for her flabby shape. Both of her folks are big boned and overweight. However, Pattie was small and a petite build, taking after her maternal grandmother. She had been in and out of therapy for years, with a modicum of success, losing weight and feeling better about herself. Before her senior year in high school, her folks “sent me to fat camp for two months.”
Pattie shared with me how bitter and resentful she felt for being singled out by her folks, “of all people, but that summer changed my life.” She beamed about how she developed healthy food, exercise, and lifestyle choices during her summer camp experience. She got to her goal weight and kept it, until she got pregnant. “How could I be there for me when I was growing new life inside me?”
After developing therapeutic rapport with Pattie over three appointments and having her fill out the Multimoldal Life History Questionnaire to help me understand her better and develop a realistic treatment plan, I shared with Pattie a weight management program I had developed and used successfully with patients over many years of clinical practice.
“Okay, Pattie, so to review, I can help you lose the 30 lbs. to your goal weight by following my weight management protocol. Remember, the protocol works best within your sticking to a Mediterranean Diet and working out or walking 3 times per week. To stay on track to lose weight, follow these guidelines:

1. Use water as your only beverage. Nothing else. It’s the only beverage with no calories.
2. Avoid what I call the 3 S’s, that is,

1. No snacks
2. No seconds, and
3. No scraps.

1. No food intake after your evening meal, between 6PM and 7PM

until breakfast.
          After following my weight management protocol and weekly therapy for 3 months, Pattie reached her goal weight, began balancing her self-care with other care, was less anxious and noticeably happier and more pleased with herself.
          In my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY9PQXMZ), I introduce Mentalligent Psychotherapy (MPT) and share several treatment protocols that help you soar through adversity and develop a positive perspective on your life circumstances. Check it out. Blessings, Dr. Jon

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