I wanted to update you on what has happened with the diet I previously described. I also wanted to say my final words about the body shaping treatments I was getting to help speed up the weight loss process.

I started my diet under the supervision of dietician Mr. Selahattin Donmez www.sdonmez.com at the beginning of February (days after I concluded my RAI treatment for thyroid cancer). I weighed 74 kilos on my first weigh-in. The most I have ever weighed is 75 kilos which was right before the birth of my second baby so needless to say, I was very unhappy at a weight so close to my weight at 9 months pregnant.

I was unsure of how to lose the weight but certain that I had to lose at least 8 kilos by June. I asked everybody for their weight loss recommendations and some argued that I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of a dietician while others said “why bother when you can just eat less on your own” for free.

Of course we are all smart enough to do a lot of things without the help of certain professionals, consultants, specialists and what not…but it’s not just about being smart. Dieticians for instance have hours of research and experience on their side AND they support you and hold you accountable. Most importantly-if you find the right one-they teach you new eating, selecting, preparing food skills and help you form new habits.

The operative phrase here is “if you find the right one”. So let me save you some trouble and offer you some tips on choosing the right dietician or diet regimen:

1. Is there a fast, detox phase or a liquid diet involved?? BEWARE. What will you do after this phase? I have tried all of the above and learned very little during these severely restrictive phases. I have lost weight but missed eating, dreamed of food and rebelled after they have ended and gained more weight than before.
2. Is there some sort of weight loss supplement (pills/drinks) or a meal replacement strategy involved? What happens when you run out of money to buy more and when you eventually stop? If you haven’t changed your habits then you will most likely eventually go back to eating like before.
3. Is the diet unrealistic or does it restrict an entire food group? Super low calorie, high protein, no carb, no fruit, only fruit…whatever the approach….these are all difficult to sustain…and dangerous?? Unless you have some legitimate medical reason for excluding an entire food group or are a vegetarian and substitute smart…these diets don’t make sense to me in the long run.
4. Is it too complicated? This is a no, no for me too. My life is complicated enough, I don’t want to track calories and grams of fat all the time. These work well for some people though.
5. Finally, is it a sensible, reduced portion, eat a bit of everything and learn which foods fill you up and are good for you for life diet?? Then, yes! This is the one I would recommend as this is what I was able to lose 14 kilos on in three months.

For the diet to really work I feel that one needs :

• sustainability, simplicity, common sense (good old lower calories, more movement, more complex carbs and fibre to keep you full, variety, availability of items)
• a learning, new habit forming component
• accountability to someone
• positive but firm support
• a diet buddy if possible

The approach that Mr. Donmez utilizes encompasses all of these components. He makes you commit to 2-4 months of weekly sessions and gives you a new eating plan each week depending on your progress, lifestyle and needs. Several of my friends were put off by the fact that you have to commit to several months right from the start. One of my friends started a month ago and has also lost 5 kilos in 4 weeks. She too is never hungry and is able to fit her eating schedule around her life, not the other way around.

I am 59 kilos today and feel really good. My weight loss program will end in two weeks and I will keep you updated on how well I have been able to keep the weight off. I hope that I won’t have to eat these words of wisdom in a couple of months. But for the first time I am confident that I have really changed my relationship with food.

As for my big fat belly and love handles…they too are gone. Now I can attribute this to the general weight loss or I can assume that this happened as a result of the body shaping treatments I got done at Scultpture. I had 10 treatments of LPG-Endermolab and 8 treatments of Smoothshapes. I just concluded both treatments and have lost 5 cm around my belly, 4 on my waist and 4 on my thighs.

These are often very stubborn areas resistant to dieting (at least for me) and so when asked whether I would do both treatments again, I would answer definitely yes. I started them after I had already lost 10 kg and was having a hard time losing more and especially losing from these areas. The results are very good.

Finally, a word about Mystic Tan which I had previously review and raved about. I still really, really like it but a word of caution: be sure to apply lots and lots of cream on your hands and feet otherwise you will end up with orange hands and toes…as I did the second time I tried it. I had accidentally washed my hands after the first time and if I am to get another spray tan, I would probably wash my hands post-treatment again.

Hope some of this info was helpful…

P.S. I also started exercising two weeks ago (40 minute walks x 4 a week). It feels really, really good to feel my heart pumping again.