About Dietgirl
who goes there?
I'm Shauna Reid, a Scotland-dwelling Australian lass.
My lard-busting adventure 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.
I've been blogging my ups and downs since day one, and now I've written a book. The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl is out now from Corgi (Transworld Publishers) in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. You can find out more and get your copy here.
how did you get started?
Back in 2001 I'd convinced myself that ice cream was one of the five food groups. A family 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 was reclusive and struggling 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 good on the surface - I had a great 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 darn fat?
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 was never just food for me - it's been a way of escaping from the world; a comfort and a coping mechanism. It's taken me a long time but I've finally managed to unravel my relationship with food and develop a healthier attitude to both my body and the way I eat. Seven years of writing and blogging has been a big part of that process.
how did you blast the blubber?
First, the practical details. I don't follow a specific diet these days, but 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 before long I spread my flabby-armed wings and flew out on my own.
I don't have a magical formula for weight loss. 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've learned to savour smaller portions and 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, cycling, walking, hillwalking, weight training and fitness DVDs.
The biggest changes took place in my head. I started out as a hardcore dieter, full of self-loathing. I thought my mission was all about bullying my body into a more socially-acceptable shape. But soon I realised what I really 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 more often than you don't do the healthy thing. It's not about numbers and scales, it's about persistence and effort over time. Eating well and learning to be kind to myself. Getting back up when I fell over. Over and over again!
if you don't follow a diet, why the hell 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. Perhaps one day I'll go to the gym in a cape and lyrca suit like my book cover, just for a laugh.
