I'm not looking for the thing what makes me thin. I'm looking for the thing that magically makes me WANT TO DO the things that make me thin. Because I want to be thinner. But being thinner is based on doing a whole lot of stuff I can't really stand.

Even though I've had relatively successful weight loss surgery, I have gone through several bouts of weight gain that I felt needed to be addressed through stricter dieting. This year, I spent about $70 on the South Beach diet book and assorted accessories to the book like quick-guides, etc. I dropped about $125 for an online bitch-slapping tool that sent me email "reminders" when the information I entered about my daily food intake was not according to plan. I've easily spent $300 on shit like Hoodia, TrimSpa, and the like.

In my life? How many in my life? I think five actual "strict" ones come to mind, 4 of the 5 put onto me by my mother: 1. Doctor-purchased liquid diet (thanks Oprah, you fucked up my summer with that one) 2. Scarsdale 3. Some chemical breakdown diet she got from "the air force" (in reality from a friend who got it from a friend etc). 4. The "don't eat that or I'll yell at you" diet which she sort of made up as she went along. 5. I had two bouts of Jenny Craig as an adult, both moderately and temporarily successful.

Oh, I was also on the "start smoking and eat nothing" diet for a while as well as the "with this mix of antidepressants and other drugs you'll lose weight" diet.

The only thing that ever worked for me was my weight loss surgery. Of course that's come at a very high price for me. Not the 360k based on the $1660 per pound, but wow, if you figure how much WLS would have cost without insurance plus my plastics plus the emergency surgeries for the side effects plus the supplements and medications I have to take for life...maybe so.

Great. Now I want a cookie!

I tried Weight Watchers in 2007, for the second time. And here's the thing: did I lose weight? Yeah. Did I feel myself becoming more obsessed with food in a way that wasn't joyful and abundant but was calculating and nitpicky? Yes. Did I gain it all back and then some. Yes again.

So now, I'm over them. I'm on the Victoria Moran diet now, which is not much of a diet at all. :)

Oh God, it would be easier to name one that I HAVEN'T tried! I've done Weight Watchers, both the old and new versions, Scarsdale, every diet pill you can name...I think I have NOT been on Jenny Craig. Finally I had gastric bypass about a year ago. Now that one works: I feel wonderful and not deprived, and have lost almost 150 pounds.

I've never done a formal "diet" program. I have just been a calorie counter, trying to stay around 1600 a day. Therefore, I guess all the money I've spent getting healthy has had to do with gym memberships, workout equipment/DVDs, and buying healthy food (although sometimes I think its cheaper than junk!)

Let's see; Weight Watchers ( 3 times), Jenny Craig, South Beach, Superfoods RX, Sonoma, French Women, and plain old calorie counting. Like Sarah, WW turned me into a point-counting, over-exercising fanatic. And I ended up only losing 5 pounds or less each time.
I've also tried bulimia, exercise bulimia, and borderline anorexia. Oh, and panic attacks. Those helped me lose weight.
Now, I'm doing Intuitive Eating. Non-dieting. No more diets for me!

Let's see; Weight Watchers ( 3 times), Jenny Craig, South Beach, Superfoods RX, Sonoma, French Women, and plain old calorie counting. Like Sarah, WW turned me into a point-counting, over-exercising fanatic. And I ended up only losing 5 pounds or less each time.
I've also tried bulimia, exercise bulimia, and borderline anorexia. Oh, and panic attacks. Those helped me lose weight.
Now, I'm doing Intuitive Eating. Non-dieting. No more diets for me!

I've done everything but the prepackaged food plans including thousands given to a medical weight loss program with a psychiatrist and dietician. Average weight loss for each time is 20 pounds or less. I'd hate to think what I've spent per pound particularly per repeat pound.