Being there for your kids - Dieting? Ugh! Not again.

Episode Date: July 23, 2025

Dieting is never fun. It seems like forever to lose to your goal weight. Once there, though, the reward in confidence, self-image, mood, and assurance is fantastic! Pattie needed to lose the final 30 lbs. to reach her pre-pregnancy weight. See how she got there. She's a whole new person. I have more such stories in my new book, The Healing Journey: Overcoming Adversity on the Path to the Good Life. Find it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY9PQXMZ.  Blessings, Dr. Jon

Hi, I'm Dr. John Robinson, and this is Teachable Moments. Let me ask you a question. Is dieting ever fun? Nope, not ever, but is dieting worth it? Yep. But only if you stick with it and lose to your gold weight. While dieting can get you to your goal weight, weight management will keep you there. That's the rub.

Patty was a 28-year-old married woman with a five-year-old daughter, Amanda, and her husband of 10 years, Alex. During her first therapy appointment with me, after pleasantries and settling in, I asked, how can I help? She came to me for tools to help her overcome her resurging anxiety and depression by not keeping her weight off. She had gained over 100 pounds during her pregnancy with Amanda and had yo-yoed her weight loss still 30 pounds from her pre-pregnancy weight. After a horrible childhood, I finally put it all together my senior year in high school, found and married Alex after graduation and vowed never to be fatty Patty ever again.

And yet, look at me now, she sighed. Patty recalled for me a childhood of being bullied and body shamed for her flabby shape. Both her folks had been big-boned and overweight. However, Patty was small and a petite build taking after her maternal grandmother. She had been in and out of therapy for years with a modicum of success, losing weight and feeling better about herself. before her senior year in high school, her folks, quote, sent me to fat camp for two months, end quote. Patty shared with me how bitter and resentful she felt for being singled out by her folks, of all people, but that summer changed my life.

She beamed about how she developed healthy food, exercise, and lifestyle choices during her summer camp experience. She got to her goal weight and kept it until she got pregnant. How could I be there for me when I was growing new life inside me? After developing therapeutic rapport with Patty over three appointments and having her fill out a multimodal life history questionnaire to help me understand her better and develop a realistic treatment plan, I shared with Patty a weight management program I had developed and used successfully with patients over many years of clinical practice.

Okay, Patty, so to review, I can help you lose the 30 pounds to your goal weight by following my weight management protocol. Remember, the protocol works best within your sticking to the Mediterranean diet, and working out and walking three times per week to stay on track to lose weight follow these guidelines first use water as your only beverage nothing else it's the only beverage with no calories second avoid what I call the three S's that is no snacks no seconds and no scraps third no food intake after your evening meal between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. until breakfast the next morning after following my weight management

protocol and weekly therapy for three months, Patty reached her goal weight, began balancing her self-care with other care, was less anxious and noticeably happier and more pleased with herself. In my new book, The Healing Journey, Overcoming Adversity on the Path of the Good Life, I introduced mental and psychotherapy and share several treatment protocols that help you soar through adversity and develop a positive perspective on your life's circumstances. Check it out on Amazonbooks.com. Dr. John. If these comments, stir questions of your own, contact me through my website at www. Thereformykid.com or email me at John Robinson 0.0. at bell-saf.net. I'm Dr. Jonathan C. Robinson, licensed clinical psychologist and author of Teachable Moments Building Blocks of Christian Parenting

and my new book, The Healing, The Healing, Journey, Overcoming Adversity on the Path of the Good Life. Blessing. Teachable Moments, Building Blocks of Christian Parenting is available online at AmazonBooks.com and in local and national bookstores. More on Dr. Robinson at TMC-P-I-N-C.com.