Maria's Last Diet

by Maria's Last Diet

Once there was a little girl whose mother wanted the best for her. The mother had been chubby as a child, and she always felt disapproved of by her own mother because of it. She was determined not to let her own little girl suffer the way that she had. Kids had teased her. When she got to be a teenager, she was unpopular. No boys were interested. Her daughter would be different.

So she monitored her girl's food, day by day, starting when her girl was a toddler. No junk, sweets only for special occasions. The mother decided when her child was hungry, when she should eat, when she shouldn't. All the while this mother was still battling her own overeating. She was still chubby, constantly dieting, but eating goodies secretly so her daughter wouldn't see.

She loved her daughter with all her heart. This was the way she thought of protecting her from life's hurts. It didn't work.

Her daughter got to be a teenager with big food issues. She rebelled against the strict food rules. She ate junk any time she was away from her mother. And she knew her mother always ate secretly, and the daughter took up these same bad eating habits herself.

You can't blame the mother for trying, but there's a better way. Now that the daughter has her own baby girl, she's determined not to control her child's eating, to leave her alone to grow.

by Maria's Last Diet

A new law goes into effect Tuesday, April 22, 2008 in New York City requiring food chains - both fast and sit down - to post the calorie counts of their menu items for consumers.

Representatives of the restaurant industry say this is too confusing for people. They say people already know this and don't need the information.

The President of the Obesity Society, Dr. Gary Foster, says there is no downside to people knowing how many calories they'll be consuming before they order their food. He says overweight and obesity are big problems for people, and it takes a lot of work to conquer the problems. Dr. Foster says the calorie-count law might be one helpful step among many.

What do you think?

by Maria's last Diet

Dear Maria...

Dieting? I was born to it. I can recite word for word the tenets of at least twenty weight-loss diets, but I'm still overweight.

I know how to lose ten pounds fast. I know how to take my time and lose one to two pounds a week. I can crash diet, and sensibly diet. I can gain six pounds in one weekend.

I have diet highs and diet lows. I've tried the no-diet approach. It did me no good.

I like your slant toward the psychological side of dieting. That's where my weight problems lie.

   - Terri P.