My last experience with a diet program was in 1990, when I subscribed to Physician’s Weight Loss. I lost weight down to 177 pounds, and Bam! became pregnant. This ended the diet, of course, rather annoying the “physician’s assistant” whose job was to weigh me in and sell me supplements. The next day I celebrated by filling a table full of all the junk foods I’d denied myself during the diet. Basically all foods were legal again. BTW, I also started gaining immediately, more than the pregnancy required.
The first time I consciously legalized was after reading Overcoming Overeating. I indulged in all my Formerly Forbidden Foods (FFFs), but never considered legalizing other foods.
This past year I’ve found myself legalizing vegetables, fruits and other healthy foodstuffs. It’s amazing how prejudiced I was against braised celery, or actually celery in any form. Celery was illegal in my intuitive eating lifestyle. So were many other vegetables. One subconscious rule I had was vegetables had to be accompanied by starches or meats. Then, a few months ago, I tried just eating a minestrone soup for lunch, without the “required” sides. Over the weeks my eating patterns have changed dramatically, and I like the feeling that I will eat this way for the rest of my life. Now I eat a high vegetable, lower protein/starch lunch most workdays, and I crave it. I’ve really gone away from those days when a good lunch could only be a baloney sandwich, chips and a cookie.
Of course, some foods will never be legalized. My permanently illegal foods include escargot, tripe and fried fish. Mrs. Paul, you can just get over it.
OMG, no fish & chips? OK, I guess it is fat bastard food, but I have to have some on occasion. Probably soon. I have to admit, I actually like celery. The stuff I get from my farmer’s market is actually kind of sweet, oddly enough. For all the neurosis and crappy eating habits that the mom gave me, she passed on her eating of fruits and veggies. I’m definately on the high fiber diet. I’m losing weight, slowly, slowly. I just quit smoking weed, and I eat much less.
BTW, you look much smaller in your last picture than you did in your 2006/7 photos. Is that really only 40 pounds? Hard to imagine.
Oh, don’t think that fried fish is off my list because it’s a “bad” food. It’s off my list because I grew up eating nearly charred Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks, and I can still smell that unholy stink. barf. But I FULLY AND COMPLETELY support the right of any intuitive eater to eat that miserable crap any day of the week. I eat plenty of my own miserable crap.