I have tried nearly every restrictive diet plan out there and have been stuck in the cycle of either being on a diet or eating with reckless abandon since I was a pre-teen. I honestly didn’t realize there was anything in between either "being on a diet" or not, and I didn’t know there was a way to live life without constantly thinking about food and my weight! What was missing was a balanced, reasonable approach that focused not just on "what" I was eating but on "why" I was eating, instead of just how much I was eating, and how I could lose weight in a way that didn’t make me miserable. Prior to MyBodyTutor, I had lost all concept of what reasonable, healthy, and satisfying eating looked like. I was stuck in a cycle of either super restrictive dieting that left me miserable and full of constant cravings, or eating “whatever I wanted”—which also left me feeling miserable because I felt like a failure for not having the “discipline” to lose enough weight to feel comfortable in my body. I had also largely given up on working out, even though I love running and HIIT workouts, because it felt like they weren’t leading to any weight loss. I was struggling with feeling uncomfortable in my own body and thinking that since my old methods of yo-yo dieting didn’t seem to be working anymore, I would never feel good about myself again. Between COVID quarantine and gaining a lot of weight during my pregnancy with my daughter—weight that didn’t come off after I gave birth—I was starting to feel desperate. The old yo-yo dieting tactics I had relied on in the past just didn’t seem to be working anymore. With a high-stress job and a toddler, I didn’t have the willpower to white-knuckle through the super low-calorie diets I had always used. I started searching for weight loss programs and came across MyBodyTutor, which intrigued me because it promised such a personalized approach. Before joining MyBodyTutor, I had thrown in the towel on dieting. I felt like I was never going to lose enough weight to feel comfortable in my body, so I decided to just eat whatever I wanted in the moment. I was worried that MyBodyTutor would put me on another restrictive plan that cut out all the foods I loved and that my tutor would chastise me for my love of sweets and carbs. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth! I hoped the daily accountability of MyBodyTutor would help me figure out where I was going wrong and how I could course-correct to get back to the lifestyle I wanted. I lost 15 pounds! Before joining, I had started seeing a nutritionist who suggested ways to balance my eating and actually increase my calories. I was skeptical. I had lost a few pounds, but my progress had stalled because I couldn’t let go of my all-or-nothing mindset—either being “on a diet” or eating “whatever I want.” My tutor helped me understand that filling up with a variety of nutrient-dense foods when I was actually hungry, instead of starving myself with low-calorie processed diet food and then overeating later, would help me feel better and reach my goals. MyBodyTutor also taught me how to be truly in tune with my hunger. I had no idea how much I was overeating by always cleaning my plate, instead of stopping when I felt reasonably and pleasantly full. I also didn’t realize how often I ate when I wasn’t physically hungry but was trying to fill an emotional need—like eating sweets or indulging in alcohol when I felt stressed or bored. I’ve also learned how to include indulgences in my life without guilt or weight gain. I’m a “foodie” and love everything from gourmet Michelin-star meals to a cheeseburger with beer or an ice cream cone. This program showed me how to incorporate foods I love into a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Truly, nothing is off-limits, which means I’m no longer stuck in a binge-and-restrict cycle. It’s been liberating and life-changing. The program also helped me rediscover my love for exercise because I’m no longer working out with weight loss as the goal. Instead, I do it because I love how it makes my body feel. I just ran my second half marathon and have started taking HIIT classes again. I feel stronger than ever, and now, exercise brings me joy rather than resentment. MyBodyTutor isn’t just a weight loss program—it’s a lifestyle adjustment program, with the added benefit of weight loss. Having a personal tutor who reviews your daily food log and offers real-time advice helped me make small tweaks and adjustments I didn’t even know I needed. I truly didn’t believe I could lose weight without counting calories and obsessing over every meal. But MyBodyTutor not only helped me reach my weight loss goals, it also gave me the tools to maintain balanced eating and exercise for the rest of my life. I encourage anyone who’s interested to set aside their hesitation and give it a try—you can always cancel if you don’t like it or feel it’s not helping. But I guarantee that once you sign up, you’ll be excited by the changes you see in yourself!