Why Diary of an Ex-dieter?

At 40 years old I cannot tell you how many diets I've been on. It started early for me. I'm not exactly sure how old I was the first time I did a formal diet, but it was for sure in middle school. During those years I was taken to a childhood obesity specialist of some sort. I remember his walls full of pictures of kids and their before and afters. It was so inspiring I really planned to be on that wall. The "healthy eating plan"  I was given was a 1200 calorie diet full of unsweetened yogurt and plain air popped popcorn. That's when I started buying my own snacks from the school store. Rasinets and goobers I hid them in my room. Needless to say I never got my after picture on the wall. When I was entering high school I was nearly 200 lb.
At age 15 I started with the diet soda, followed closely by cigarettes.  This did cause some dramatic weight loss. Between 18 and 22 I lost weight a couple of time just by not eating much. Then began years of Atkins, weight watchers, and Monarch. I've tried weight loss vitamins, pills, shots, I even joined a gym a couple of times. It was always up and down obsessing about food restricting calories, worried a banana might throw me over my point allotment for the day. Weight watchers was probably the diet I did the most. For a couple of years I restarted each fall.  Next I discovered the idea of "Clean eating" through someone I met on FB.  A beach body coach who exercised regularly, drank shakeology and ate "clean".  So I tried it. This when I was able to give up diet soda and artificial sweetener and other "diet" food. I eventually traded the shakeology for home made smoothies, but kept the idea of clean eating. I found that I as much more successful losing weight when I just ate real food. A year and half ago a friend introduced me to Whole30 this was really a life changer for me. Since I stopped dieting my weight has been lower and more steady. I work very hard to eat healthy most of the time and exercise regularly.

This my new life as an ex-dieter.