Like many people I have tried and failed on my share of diets. Even when I wasn't actually dieting I would opt for fat free or sugar free options. Grocery shopping and eating became a chore. At times it seemed like nothing was ever enough to lose the weight I wanted to lose.

I did the only thing I could; I stopped the diet insanity, took a breath and learned how to eat.

I know, you're probably thinking why would someone need to learn how to eat or how would someone learn how to eat?

It wasn't so much that I had to learn how to eat, really I had to learn how to eat without having any guilt or in some cases pure panic. Each day I measured everything, and I mean everything. If I wanted some green beans with my dinner I would have to measure them to make sure that I had the right amount and not one green bean too many. It was near impossible to get me to eat anything that came from a restaurant, unless they had something like a cup of fresh fruit. As for dessert or snacks, they would need to come from the store and they would have to be fat free, light or sugar free. 

When I decided that enough was enough, I started buying regular everyday food and I stopped reading labels all together. This caused a great deal of mental anguish and to be honest, I still have to fight myself at times to eat what I want. I learned some amazing things, I learned that my food now fills me up better, no more hunger. I also have found that I have more energy in the gym.

Having more energy in the gym combined with eating quality food has had some amazing benefits. I don't actually count my calories anymore so as an estimate I would say that I eat about 2600 each day, give or take 100. My calorie intake was 1800 and I was barely losing weight. That's how much my metabolism has rose by simply tossing all the preservative filled diet foods and adding quality fruits, veggies, meats, fats and grains to my regular diet, that an being able to get a better workout in.

One benefit that I also discover is that I can have a slice of that chocolate cake I always had to turn away; I can have my cake, eat it and not feel guilty. Of course I don't have it everyday, but I can have it from time to time. Can you guess what that means? 

Since I can have my treats when I want, usually once a week I don't have uncontrollable cravings that torture me.