Let's Talk About...Diets

OK. We have all been on a diet. Whether it's to lose weight (me), avoid allergies (yeah, I am looking at you, gluten), improve your health, or just a lifestyle choice, we have all adopted a diet from time to time. Of course, sometimes that diet is hot dogs, pizza and hamburgers (and don't forget the onion dip and Fritos), but most often it is a choice of certain foods to obtain the desired result.

In other words, we are what we eat.

I believe diets fall into three basic categories:

Food choice diets.

These include vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, low-carb, macrobiotic and my personal favorite, eat like you are French or Italian.

Diets that have proper names. These are usually peddled to you through a magazine, book, or online. These include Atkins, Paleo, Keto, Zone, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Mediterranean, Nutrisystem and the granddaddy of them all, Pritikin.

The what-you-see-is-what-you-get diets. These tend to be exactly what they sound like.

There is the raw diet, mindful eating, the 1200 calories a day diet, gluten-free diet, the white diet (no white foods) intermittent fasting and that scary Master Cleanse. And who hasn't tried the cabbage and onion soup diet or the apple cider vinegar diet?

Take your pick.

Or be like me and try them all! They all work to varying degrees.

Because for some (and you know who you are), isn't dieting just a hobby? A method to gain control of your life?

And isn't there something euphoric about seeing that number on the scale decrease or your health improve? And if you are honest, there is a certain kind of high in feeling on the brink of starvation.

But nonetheless, the minute you tell me I can't eat something, well, that's all I want. For example, try giving up sugar. I guarantee that suddenly cakes, pies and Girl Scout cookies become irresistible. At some point for me the call of carbs, sugars, dairy, and wheat becomes overwhelming. That day is precisely the moment I become hopelessly bored with whatever diet I am on. For me that's exactly six weeks in. Yes, that's my limit. Then it all comes back.

That is because I live to eat. I don't eat to live. I wake up thinking about what I am going to have for dinner. I have a friend who just eats to keep herself properly fueled so that she can ask her body to run 20 miles a day. Well, that keeps it simple. The grocery list then isn't a big ordeal. Just rinse and repeat from last week. Not me.

I have thought about this. I think most hobbies enhance your life and add to your overall day-to-day enjoyment. Think about reading, knitting, biking: all fun. Dieting is by nature a deprivation; it takes away something and, therefore: no fun.

So, yes, I have lost and gained back that same 10 pounds over 40 times. Do the math. I have lost over 400 pounds. I should be inside out. But, no, I am right back where I started. Sure, I have added exercise, 8 glasses of water a day, meditation, and a personal coach. Still, I am right back where I started.

So, in the end, our mothers were right. Moderation is the key. Eat smart, eat less to lose weight, and stop eating things that give you hives or a stomachache. Most importantly, embrace and own who you are.