The Moment I Knew I Didn't Need To Diet (SUBMIT YOUR VIDEO)

Our readers have taken an interesting spin on our exciting new project, The Moment I Knew.

We had originally suggested you tell us about "The Moment I Knew I Had To Lose Weight," which brought us inspiring stories of people who have dramatically changed their lifestyles in order to get healthy. We're still excited to hear from you on that topic, but we've also been inspired by the personal and honest accounts from readers who told us about "The Moment I Knew I Didn't Need To Diet."

For many, losing weight can become an obsession, and often an unhealthy one. Reaching a healthy weight isn't about trying fad diet after trendy cleanse after "magic" pill -- it's about turning healthy choices into lifelong habits.

In this video, Nina tells us about how she threw out her scales to be a healthier role model for her two daughters. "I didn't want them growing up feeling this sort of constant, background hum of body anxiety, of feeling that their bodies were these imperfect things that needed constant alteration and work," she says.

Instead, she has learned to listen to her body to tell her when she's hungry and when she's full, and taught her daughters to do the same. She also says exercise is no longer "a grueling chore" but "done purely out of the joy of movement." She says her life has greatly improved since giving up dieting. "The best thing about it is seeing my girls growing confident every day and feeling proud in the space they inhabit."

It's really easy to contribute! You can create your video using YouTube or Vimeo and send the link/URL of the video to [e-mail]. If you create your video using your laptop or mobile phone and have a video file, please attach the file in an email to [e-mail].

Your video submission is subject to our User Terms. Please make sure to include your full name with your video submission. Each video should be 30-60 seconds long, and should feature only you, speaking right into the camera telling your story. Please start your story with the words "The moment I knew..."

We can't wait to hear from you! And if you have any questions, please email [e-mail].

Take a look at more of our readers' submissions below:

For more on The Moment I Knew, click here.

Comments

[Danilo-11]

07:48 AM on 10/13/2012

"Nina tells us about how she threw out her scales to be a healthier role model for her two daughter" .... What the h.... does having a scale have to do with being healthy/unhealthy?

[William Anderson LMHC]

07:59 AM on 03/16/2012

I, like over 100,000,000 other obese children and adults, have been hearing the "listen to your body" mantra for years. Like most of my successful clients, as long as I listened to what my body was calling for, I gained weight.

Diets don't work, but for people who have become overweight and developed addictive-like conditions with food (over half of us), solving the problem takes a Behavioral Medicine approach. Simplistic tips and a few ideas are not enough. It is a great thing to publish articles showing that people can succeed with weight loss, but please don't promote the idea that success is just a decision to diet or not to diet, and that quitting the diets by itself is a solution.

I lost 140 pounds after 25 years of failure with diets and exercise when I discovered the solution as a behavior therapist and addictions counselor. Please read my article about Behavioral Medicine's solution the obesity: http://theandersonmethod.com/category/what-is-behavioral-medicine-and-behavioral-healthcare/

William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
www.TheAndersonMethod.com

[Atchka]

10:37 AM on 03/16/2012

Mr. Anderson,
I've seen you promoting your "Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss" on here repeatedly and I have just one question: do you have any clinical evidence to back up your claims that unlike diets which don't work, you have found the REAL solution to long-term weight loss. Because the overwhelming data suggests that the average weight loss attempt results in a lost of between 5% and 10% of your starting weight (15-30 pounds for a 300 pound person), but that two years after reaching your goal weight they regain most, if not all, of the weight back.

So, what long-term data can you show me that you have a "permanent" solution and that you are a "weight control expert", aside from the anecdotal evidence of your own story?

Peace,
Shannon

[William Anderson LMHC]

06:53 PM on 03/16/2012

Thank you Shannon, for your interest. Here is a link to an ABC 7 news report of 2009 that provides evidence that I have a permanent solution and that I am a bona fide expert in the field. It is a news report about the release of my book where clients had come to the release and on their own initiative spoke to the reporter, who also went public on her own initiative (it would be a violation of standards of conduct to ask clients to "go public" and advocate) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09cYWqvLsz4 Because they have accented to disclose their experience, I can tell you that years later, they are all still at healthy weights, having taken off substantially more than the 5-10% you refer to.

Peace back to you,
Bill

[twowhitedogs]

02:52 PM on 03/19/2012

Shannon if you need to lose weight, eat clean. Meaning nothing processed. All calories are not the same. Your body will respond differently if you eat 2000 calories a day of junk vs. 2000 calories a day of clean food. Clean food is key. Cut out sugar(but on occasion, and I mean occasion), it's the enemy. Don't drink your calories. Lift weights hard and heavy 5 times a week to increase your muscle mass. Get in 40 minutes of cardio 4 times a week. I am a fitness and figure competitor and I guarentee this works. Diet is 85% of the battle.

[StrayArrow]

08:51 PM on 03/15/2012

Its a hands down thing that if you become that big, you need to lose weight. I believe that being healthy is a long and continuing process. Its a combination of healthy living,healthy eating, exercise,moderation, good decision, self control, patience and perseverance.

[paindatabase]

02:54 PM on 03/15/2012

I'm not sure people realize what they're getting into with big weight loss projects. Weighing yourself every day is like Russian roulette (but much milder). Weight can vary because of feces, urine, glycogen, etc etc.
http://paindatabase.com/weighing
The amounts are pretty huge!

[astroup123]

03:14 PM on 03/15/2012

I've spent the past 2 years losing 112 pounds, still 40 to go too. This time I had no scale. I finally learned that gaining a pound when I had been "good" was ruining all of my efforts. I now weigh only when I go to the doctor and no more day-ruining little weight fluctuations to ruin my life and make me give up.

[paindatabase]

03:19 PM on 03/15/2012

Awesome! I go back and forth on weighing frequency. Sometimes I'm like "screw it!", for the reason you mentioned. Other times, weighing makes me accountable for what I eat. Unfortunately I can't predict ahead of time which will be better for me.

[Wonder Woman2]

11:06 AM on 06/15/2013

I weigh once per month.

[ajm8127]

08:26 AM on 03/15/2012

I'm no expert, but if your BMI is in the normal range, and you are not pleased with your appearance, then maybe you should exercise.

[Chickydoodle]

11:23 PM on 03/16/2012

The BMI stands for Bull***t manipulation Instrument.

The BMI doesn't take into account someone's bone mass, muscle mass, or other factors. By its calculation, a lot of bodybuilders and athletes are "obese." It's a bunch of crap and shouldn't be used by the medical or insurance industries to measure someone's health.

[Denise Kimberly]

02:42 AM on 03/17/2012

F&F Chickydoodle!!!

[Danilo-11]

07:49 AM on 10/13/2012

Based on BMI, every single football player is overweight