About Dietgirl

Who goes there?

I'm Shauna Reid, a Scotland-dwelling Australian lass.

My adventures began in Canberra in January 2001, weighing in at 351 pounds (almost 160 kilos). Six years later, on the other side of the planet, I'd lost exactly half my body weight.

Since day one I've blogged about my ups and downs and the quest for a healthier mind and body, while ditching the diet mentality and learning to feel happy in my own skin.

After maintaining my weight for three years, I regained around 50 pounds over 2009-10 after a long period of depression, misguided priorities and falling back into my old all or nothing ways. I'm now happily working on my relationship with food and body thanks to counselling, intuitive eating techniques and just living more mindfully! Progress is slow but it's great progress nonetheless! There's more about this new journey in the Mindful Living category.

I've also written a book - The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl is out now! Read more about the book here.

• How did you get started?
• Why did you get so big?
• How did you lose the weight?
• If you're not on a diet, why are you called Dietgirl?

How did you get started?

Back in 2001, a block of chocolate was an afternoon snack. I couldn't walk to the end of the street without feeling like my lungs would explode. I had rubbish self esteem and struggled with depression. I'd outgrown the largest clothes in the Fat Shops.

For years I'd told myself that I was doing okay. Life looked great on the surface - I had a good job and wonderful friends. Part of me was waiting for a grand epiphany where angels would sing and clouds would part and I'd declare, This time I'll do something about my weight!

But it didn't happen like that. Slowly I began to see how I was letting my weight dictate everything I did with my life, or rather what I didn't do. It was just a quiet realisation that I couldn't go on this way any longer. I had to try and turn things around.

Why did you get so big?

Aside from a love of Nutella that knew no bounds? A myriad of incidents and issues led to me using and abusing food for all the wrong reasons from an early age. Food has never just been food for me - it's been an escape from the world; a comfort and a coping mechanism. It's taken me a long time but I'm finally understanding my relationship with food and I've developed a healthier attitude to both my body and the way I eat. Ten years of writing and blogging has been a big part of that process.

How did you lose the weight?

First, the practical details. These days I am not on a diet, but in 2001 I started out with Weight Watchers. WW reminded me of what I'd chosen to forget about healthy eating. They held my hand and helped me get back on track. But after a year I decided to fly out on my own.

Initially I was shooting for a goal weight of 75 kilos. In August 2006 I reached 79.6 kilos - half my starting weight. I'd gone from a too-tight size 26 (US 24) to 14 (US 12).

After a few months of soul searching I decided I was happy to maintain that weight. I didn't blog much about the decision at the time as I was bogged down in book-writing, but I decided I was happy with my body and all done with the number crunching.

I don't have a magical formula for weight loss. If you read the 2009-10 archives of this blog you'll see I managed to lose my grip on maintenance. But from all my years of trial and error, the most important thing I've I learned is that it's essential to figure out what works for you and what fits into your life, rather than trying to fit your life around some diet.

I focus on eating healthy food with loads of fruit and vegetables. I don't believe in Good and Bad foods, so I'll never surrender my precious chocolate and ice cream. But I can savour smaller portions and I'm learning to tune into my hunger signals, now I can finally enjoy food without guilt or shame.

I've also learned to love exercise. I began with walking to the end of the block and back, and kept adding more blocks until I got the nerve to join a gym. I've gradually built up my fitness from there. My current favourites are kickboxing, Zumba, Pilates and weight training.

The biggest changes took place in my head. I started out as a hardcore dieter, struggling with self-loathing. I thought my mission was all about bullying my body into a more socially-acceptable shape. But soon I realised what I wanted more than smaller jeans was to feel comfortable in my own skin. To just like being me.

Once I started treating myself kindly with good food and exercise instead of disgust and anger, I started to appreciate my body, lumps and bumps and all. There was more to me than the size of my jeans, after all. And that has been the best lesson of this whole adventure.

Overall, my philosophy boils down to: Do the healthy thing more often than you don't do the healthy thing. It's not about numbers and scales, it's eating well and being kind to myself. Persistence, not perfection. Getting back up when I fall over. Over and over again!

If you're not on a diet, why are you called Dietgirl?

Because "The Amazing Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl" would sound bloody stupid. When I started the blog in 2001, I figured if I gave myself a superhero-esque name then maybe I would try and live up to it. I'm kinda stuck with it now! Perhaps one day I'll go to the gym in a cape and lycra suit like my UK book cover, just for a laugh.