Know going into it that this is MY personal story. It is not the answer for everyone, and there is no answer for me. That being said, this is my journey of trial-and-error, what has worked and not worked, and where I'm headed.
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As someone who yo-yoed my whole life, I (once again) started losing weight around 225-230 lbs., which I estimate as I never weighed myself before I was 220 lbs. or so, and I had already lost some weight at that point. I was at my heaviest the year I graduated college. I yo-yoed a bit after that, and then lost weight during grad school, maintaining around 180-185 lbs. for a couple years.
In February of 2013, I decided I finally wanted to be at a weight where I felt the most comfortable - although I felt fine about the way I looked at 180 lbs., my relationship with food was still unhealthy. I would go through phases where my thoughts revolved around food, and I couldn't stop eating - binge phases - then would go through phases where I was trying to restrict what I ate and control portions and treats. I wasn't really aware of what I should be eating and what would work for my body. So, I decided to take control of the situation and add more structure to my diet, so I joined Weight Watchers.
I really responded well to Weight Watchers, and although I had some problems with the structure of being on a diet in general, it did help me lose weight.
After still struggling with periods of binge eating and restriction after losing weight, I started going to therapy. This has really helped me figure out some of the messages I've learned to tell myself regarding foods, some of my specific food and non-food triggers, and what strategies I can use to help myself.
I did my first Whole30 in November and December of 2014. Whole30 is a thirty day program where you cut out sugar in all forms, gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and alcohol. Sounds like a lot of NO, but there's also a lot of YES - lots of fresh foods, meat, vegetables, fruits, and other things that are awesome for you. My first time around, I had great results. I lost a bit of weight, my mood was awesome, I wasn't getting tired during the day... awesome.
Then old habits snuck in again. Especially with excuses - the holidays, my birthday, vacations... Tuesdays...
So right now, I'm working on it again. I'm completing my second Whole30, and working on getting the food stuff back in check. I'm also revisiting learning more about food, through the book affiliated with the Whole30 program, It Starts with Food. I've learned a lot about different types of foods, and how they might affect me in ways that are totally unrelated to weight. Eating real, whole foods - who'd have thought?! :)
For this reason, I'm planning to stick to a Paleo diet when I'm done with the Whole30, although I may make some modifications based on what foods my body can handle better than others. More importantly, I still need to find that balance between sticking with something and allowing for "cheats" or occasional breaks, since I know that my brain rebels against too much rigidity and restrictive thinking when it comes to food.
After all, it's about me. It's about respecting myself and my body enough to treat myself well, to feed it foods that are nourishing and are going to make me feel good. And that, my friends, is what matters. I've come to the realization that eating more whole foods will work for me. I've even found that I love to cook, and to experiment with new recipes to make sure that healthy eating doesn't bore me!
So, this is where I am right now. It's a process, it's not easy, but it's the process that helps you learn, grow, and find what works.
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