Diets don’t work

I love to go for daily walks.

Hi there, this is Lorraine.

Here we are in 2025. Before moving forward, I am going to take a look back at the past ten years.

I have my sister Catherine to thank for taking me off a very long dieting roller coaster ride. Catherine was working on her computer one day. She likes to have the TV on while she is working for background noise. On this day, an episode of Dr. Oz comes on. There always seemed to be a new diet to talk about and discuss, but this one caught her interest. She decided to stop what she was doing and listen to what they were saying. They were talking about the Paleo Diet. I don't like to use the word diet because diets don't work. I will call it a lifestyle. Catherine approached me with the idea of trying it out. I immediately said yes, hoping that this would be "the One".

June 2014 just before starting a paleo lifestyle of eating

I can easily name 10 Diets that I have tried throughout the years and failed at. Weight Watchers was probably the one that I failed at the most, but I kept trying! I thought it was me failing, not the diet.

Dieting is a billion-dollar industry meant to fail, so the dollars keep flowing. Now, it has become even more expensive and profitable with new products like Ozempic and Wegovy. They come with a lifetime commitment. Personally, they scare me.

Paleo piqued my interest, and I had Catherine helping and supporting me along the way.

The list of foods that I could eat ticked a lot of boxes. I didn't mind giving up the items on the "don't eat" list. I love fruit, and it was on the approved foods list. Hooray! Back in the day, 30-plus years ago, we tried the Atkins Diet. I didn't make it past breakfast. I really wanted a banana, haha. I didn't understand the point of it until now.

In the past, my number one problem was hunger. When I ate a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I was hungry by 10:00 and obsessing about my next meal.

How lucky was I, August 2014, to have Catherine make me a frittata every day? I had them for breakfast and was full until lunch. Now, when she is on the ship, I use her cookbook Recipes and stories as I Sail Through My Day, and make my own. Delicious!

Some would say the Paleo lifestyle is too restrictive and not sustainable long term. There is no such thing as perfect, but I have maintained the paleo lifestyle for over 10 years while still having "treats" during celebrations and vacations.

This is why we need to custom-design our own paths to health and wellness. Are you vegan, vegetarian, carnivore or low carb? Are you able to eat moderately without "dieting"? There are common factors and lots of information to share in all of these topics.

We have so much to talk about!

In the meantime:

Take care, until next time

Lorraine

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