A Lifetime Diet?

The other day, one of the dozens of health related pages I follow on Facebook posted a familiar mantra: it's a lifestyle, not a diet.  I was a little surprised when someone replied that a lifestyle change sounds like a lifetime diet.  All my weight watcher instincts wanted to reply and correct this person.  A healthy lifestyle change = diet forever?!?!  

In a perfect world I wouldn't have to pay attention to what I eat and I would stay the same size and feel healthy.  Some people can do that, I suppose.  But, I am not like that.  And I'm pretty sure the majority of people have the same cause and effect relationship with food.  Over the past few years I have made several small changes that could be summed up as a lifestyle change: I have become active, I am mindful of what I eat an try to eat mostly healthy foods, I use the tools and routines I learn at Weight Watchers to be successful.   Will I ever be able to forget about what I put in my mouth without consequences? No.  Does that mean I'll always be "dieting"? No.  

I've made a choice to be in control of my health, to be a good example to my kids, and to stop buying larger sized jeans every year.   If I hadn't, my lifestyle would be this: gain weight, hate myself, diet, quit, repeat.  Sounds like a lifetime of diets and loathing and it wouldn't be fun. To that nameless Facebook commenter, I may be on a "diet" forever, and I may never convince her otherwise, but I feel good, look better than I have, and I am stronger!