Why I started dieting, found Slimming World and transformed my eating

by Sep 26, 2023Slimming World0 comments

Why did I start dieting?

What a question. Why did I start dieting? I feel like I have been on a diet all my life. My first memory of noticing anything to do with weight started when I was at school, and the school nurse would weigh me at the start and the end of the term. Then I was always underweight and told that I needed to add a few pounds. I didn’t understand what she meant and just carried on with my school life.

My next memory was watching my mother getting dressed for a party, putting on a red dress, and complaining that she was getting fat since she had stopped smoking, and my father had made a few comments about it. She was a size 12. She said she would join a weight-loss club and wanted me to go with her for company and support.

The price of coffee!

I joined her and listened to other women complain about the cost of diet food and the limited selection of diet foods available. These discussions would last for 40 minutes once a week for months. We would have the same debate, but from different people as the membership constantly changes. I refer to this kind of discussion jokingly ‘The price of coffee today is’.

Alternatively, they would moan about having to eat different food from the family and constantly moan about how hard done by they were. The final straw for me came when the instructor turned to the group and told each dieter that they should look at eating food as a treat and make it a performance. Lay the table and make it look beautiful. Turn off the TV and radio and don’t answer the phone and give themselves the gift of 20 minutes to enjoy their meal. I agreed with what she said, but the complaints from the women. Oh no, I can’t not answer the phone; it might be my child needing me. My husband works overseas, and if the phone goes, I will answer. The short-sightedness of what the instructor was trying to say was ignored.


The instructor was trying to say that they should look at their food, and their meal as something to enjoy. Think about what they are eating and be conscious about the food they are putting in their mouths. I was about 14 years old, and the group closed not long after, from memory.

What did I learn about dieting?

What this taught me was that all women should watch their weight. This is part of being a woman, one of the most important aspects of adulthood. A rite of passage. So, I started dieting because at 14; I was a size 10, five foot three, and told I should be a size 8. Moving on several years and dieting successfully and unsuccessfully since then, I managed to get myself to a size 24 and dream of being a size 14 as my ultimate goal. How things change!

It is true to say I started dieting because I wanted to lose weight. It seemed like the logical thing to do; after all, I had been told how to lose weight this way since I was 14. My logic was I was overweight. I should diet to lose weight. But it’s not that simple. Weight loss is complicated, both physically and mentally. It requires a lot of willpower and self-control, which I often lack. And even when you do everything “right”, there’s no guarantee that you will lose weight.

Dieting is such a deeply ingrained part of our culture, and it’s hard to imagine a different eating method. In my early 20s I learnt one style of dieting is not the only answer. I tried Slim Fast and going to the gym three times a week. I tried the cabbage diet, for two days. The 28 days to a better bottom diet, and Rosemary Colony’s diet and exercise. I also followed Susan Powter for a while and Jillian Michaels. For me, it lead to obsessing over food, feeling deprived and unhappy, and eventually giving up and overeating.

My thirties were just the same. So why do I keep doing it? Good question. Partly because I hope that this time will be different, and partly because I don’t know what else to do to stay healthy and look the way I want to. I have found a plan that works for me. I am a massive advocate of it.

Why I Started Dieting and found Slimming World

The Slimming World Food Optimising option works for me and my lifestyle. I like the fact that I can eat anything I want and that I am finding new eating habits. When I joined Slimming World I was over 17 stone. Now, 4 stone lighter I look and feel fantastic. I love the way I feel and that is what this site is about. It’s about my journey and what I have and will learn. It’s about me becoming a Slimming World Consultant and what I am learning and how this role is changing my life. I will tell you the good bits, the bad bits, and those that just don’t really matter to anyone except those who are in Slimming World.

Is this a new diet or way of life?

I have decided to live the life that works for me. A method that doesn’t involve just dieting but also focuses on listening to my body and eating what makes me feel good, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Because food nourishes us, not punishes us. And our bodies are meant to be loved and respected, not constantly criticised.

If you’re struggling with dieting, I encourage you to explore options that include a reduction in the foods you put in your mouth. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to eating, and what works for me might not work for you. If you’re tired of feeling a failure every time you diet, know that you are not alone. And know that there is another way. Dieting doesn’t have to be your only option–there is hope for something better. Something that feels good instead of bad. Something that leads to self-love instead of self-loathing. You deserve it, as do I. As mentioned above, I have found that Slimming World is working for me. Diet is about numbers. The number of calories you put in your body and the ones you expel through exercise and just living.

In conclusion why I started dieting

If my mother had never started her weight loss program or taken me to her slimming club, I don’t think I would have ever put on so much weight. I’m not blaming her for my adult decisions, but it started a cascade of Yo-Yo dieting and focused on weight, weight loss, and physical appearance. Before then, I did not know the minefield of weight loss and the psychological difficulties of control over your own body. I still want to lose weight, and I still have the image in my head of how I want to look and how I look now. The image that I see may differ from the image you see, but ultimately it’s all about me in my head.

Why I started dieting was personal for me, why did you start? Was it for similar reasons?

There is a link to the Slimming World website; I am not paid for this link but. I thought it might be of use if you wanted to check it out.

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