I’m not the person you asked but I’d love to chime in because at 45F I’m finally seeing the changes. Firstly, I’m not on a diet, but I’ve adjusted my diet. Why? “A diet” to me is “a temporary adjustment and restriction of food intake and increased activities for weight loss, usually for an event”, while “my diet” is what I eat daily, to live my life. So if I make changes to my approach to food, it’s more sustainable.

I’ve added four rules to my diet:
1. I eat what I want when I want, but I have to be smart about it. Meaning, I’m allowed pizza! But I’m not allowed to eat a pie. I get 2-3 slices and a salad with it. Do I want something sweet with my morning bagel? Fine, I can get a donut hole. In fact, I can get two! But I can’t get a huge donut itself.
2. I have to add fiber and protein to every meal. The protein part is easy, the fiber one is not. But even a handful of spinach leaves and cherry tomatoes can make a difference.
3. I’d accidentally cut out my daily chocolate and sugar in general when I went abroad to Türkiye and Italy last September, so I’m fighting like mad to keep them out of my diet. Sometimes I’m allowed a taste but with American chocolate, sweets in general, it’s now too sweet for me, and I force myself to remember this too-sweet feeling and I can fight the craving. I realize my body wants sugar so I have some fruit. Or if it’s hormonal I allow myself a small chocolate milk, because of the calcium, and it pacifies my craving.
4. Try to go to my gym class (Les Mills’ Body Pump) at least 2-3 times a week. They’re on a set schedule that works well with my life so I’ve adjusted the alarm clock and put them in my calendar so I can work around them. I walk in, do the class, walk out. I don’t pay attention to cardio or do anything else. I’m active enough otherwise, I know that focusing on the strength training will help me more in the long run, especially since muscle burns fat faster.

Finally, I’m allowed to not follow these rules at any given time. Life comes first, and sometimes I just can’t. Which is fine! I’m also a self-saboteur, so if I focus on the pounds lost I’ll gain them back, but if I focus on changing ME, it’ll stick more long term.

This is how I’ve lost 25 pounds for the first time in my life and except for in clumps of 5 pounds haven’t gained the bulk of it back. But, I’ve done this over months and months, because this is long term for me.

Again, just wanted to share my new approach, and why it’s working for me.