Coming out of the closet

Right, I have a confession to make. I, WideBride, am a LURKER.

Weight loss blogs have been like crack to me since I got a laptop and internet access about 10 years ago. I first discovered such things exist when I used to go on the weightwatchers website in NZ and look at ‘success stories’ which linked also to online journals. And I got hooked. I can’t remember the journals I used to read but they were a great source of comfort and entertainment and I would spend whole days reading them, going through their archives, marvelling at their resolve and their selflessness in sharing what must have been sometimes very private and difficult stories and admissions with the whole world. Tellingly, I would only read them when I myself was dieting, so as not to make myself feel guilty.

And I still read them to this day. Journals have come and gone but I have decided to come out of the closet and finally give credit and thanks to two pretty special people. Now, as someone new to the blogging world I’m not too sure about acknowledgement etiquette so if anyone actually is reading this and I’m not doing it right, sincere apologies. I should also add, that I don’t mean to disrespect anyone or make anyone feel slighted by any sort of ‘ranking’ but at the same time I do want to really give a special acknowledgement to the undisputed weight blogging queens, Diet Girl and Diet Chick.

Diet Girl – www.dietgirl.org
Well, what can I say about Diet Girl that hasn’t already been said by everyone who reads weight loss blogs? Diet Girl is, and I don’t say this lightly, an absolute inspiration. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve shrieked, I’ve clapped my hands and stamped my feet. DG is awesome. So brave, courageous, hilarious and painfully honest. And she really does give me hope that one day I will leave all this yo-yoing business behind me and actually learn to like my body. DG, you rock.

Diet Chick – www.dietchick.blogspot.com and www.justnesting.blogspot.com
Dietchick recounts an incident that stays with me to this day. She was at home and feels the need to cheat on her diet. She opens up her fridge and takes all this food out, ready to binge her way through it. Then she looks at it, thinks about what it is she is trying to achieve and puts it all back. I often think of that and Diet Chick has helped me out of quite a number of similar incidents. Like this afternoon when I was at the supermarket and prowling around the cream cake fridge. Eventually, I thought ‘what would Diet Chick do?’ and backed away from the fridge, basket empty. Diet Chick is currently concentrating on conceiving and house flipping and weight loss is on the backburner at the moment but her honest writing and recounting of painful experiences in her current blog still inspire me to be honest in my own decisions. I really hope the American economy sorts its shit out soon because Diet Chick could really catch a break right now.