How I Stopped Yo-Yo Dieting and Lost 90 Pounds for Good

My grandpa painted this picture of me from my senior picture, and whenever I look at it, I think about what a talented artist he was—and what a sweet grandpa he was to me.

But looking at it recently also brought back memories of my school years.

About this time every year, as the beginning of school approached, I would often decide I needed to lose a few pounds.

I'd recommit to counting calories or find a new diet to try.

Sometimes I was successful. I'd lose some weight and feel better about myself.

But then school would start, life would get busy, and eventually I'd go back to my old way of eating. The weight would come back, and sooner or later I'd start the process all over again.

I spent years doing some version of that.

What I didn't understand then was that I didn't need another temporary diet. I needed a new way of eating that I could live with for the rest of my life.

One of the biggest turning points came when I accepted the addictive hold that sugar and highly processed foods had on me. Instead of continuing to try to eat my binge foods "in moderation," I became willing to give them up.

That decision changed my life.

With God's help, I found freedom from the cycle of overeating and dieting. I lost 90 pounds, and I've now maintained that weight loss for more than 18 years.

When I look at this painting today, I see much more than my senior picture.

I see a young woman who had no idea that one day she would finally find freedom from a struggle that had followed her for so many years.

And I'm very grateful that she did.