jo

[fg19jw62]

hi all i need to loose over 160 lb so any help and advice will be greatly received i'm a full time carer for my husband and i have 3 kids

[Slowbro]

I imagine keeping active is not the issue you have then what sort of foods do you have to eat and snack on?

[amateurwriter]

Hi I originally put this up for someone else but think it could benefit you as well, I also am on here because I weight to much for my height, I have read various articles, books on diets, spoke to various people and watched a lot of diet and cookery shows on tv and to be quite honest most contradict the other, the way I'm trying to lose weight is to find what works for me, it's not a diet but a lifestyle change as I got told in my high school cooking class once that 'a diet is just what you put in your mouth' no matter what you put in it's your diet, every one is different so you have to try to find what works for you, for me for example I have found reducing calories helps but I only reduce my calorie intake to around 1800 a day and I spread it across the day so I'm never hungry and my metabolism is burning full speed ahead and will burn more calories if you include a bit of exercise e.g. you have children, maybe going out into the garden and playing catch and just running around enjoying a bit of sport with your children, at the time it may not seem like exercise because it's fun, but even a 10 minute run around is really beneficial for someone who is trying to lose weight. I try to go to the gym 3 times a week, but that's only because I have no children (would love to have some though) and it's for rehabilitation as well from a brain injury, but I forget some days when I've planned to go, so I've started writing up when I want to go gym in my little diary that I can carry around with me.

You could do simple things as well as changing your diet, you could do simple things like if you watch a lot of tv (I'm guilty lol but trying to change that) you could get up during the ad breaks and do a few sit ups, lungees, wall press-ups, squats, if you look on the internet you will probably find a ton more simple exercises that can be done in a few minutes, because they are just off the top of my head, it may not seem like much a 3-4 minute ad break but add them altogether in 1 hour length tv show you've done anywhere from 12-16minutes of exercise, now I'm not saying you have to do this for every ad break you could always start with 1, 3-4 minute ad break a day try some exercises in that, maybe include your children, my sisters love it when I let them join in with my exercises, and build it up from there in next to no time it will become a habit and you will see the weight come off, at first when I started working out during the ad breaks, I am being totally honest I have a bit of social anxiety so I would start off with the wall-presses and sit ups as then no one would be able to see me but after a bit I realised that I'm doing this for me and nobody else, but if you feel a bit self-concious then I'd close the curtains, or do the ones on the floor or wall until you feel a bit more confident (if you aren't confident already, I'm not saying your not confident and I'm sorry if you took that the wrong way).

I'm not a professional dietician or doctor, I am just a gym instructor only level 2 so it's only basic, but I find things fascinating, to read, but I hope I have helped you with some things and I'm sorry for the length of the comment, anything you don't understand I will be more than happy to explain to you, and I wish you all the best in your weightloss journey and your future as well.

[katedaniels]

Hi,

There are a number of ways to go about this and the important thing is to find a way that works for you. The simple way to lose weight is to eat less and move more, unfortunately there's no magic cure So far I have lost 41lbs by calorie counting (I use my fitness pal) and exercising. I aim to eat around 1200 calories a day, it's actually fairly easy to do and still feel full if you incorporate more veg into meals. I still have 'unhealthy' food such as chinese and chocolate so it's not been a complete 180 on what I eat and i'm still losing weight.

Can you cut out snacks? It's easier to just not have them in the house, stop buying them as part of the weekly shop then the temptation isn't there. If you want a sweet/biscuit/crisps etc make a trip to the shop for them, that way you're getting some exercise. Or if not cut out completely then cut down?

Does your husband require you to be with him 24/7 or can you get out for a walk? Are the kids old enough to watch him for a half hour so you can get out? While it is possible to lose weight by just changing what you eat it is easier to lose it by exercising as well. There is no way I would go to a gym so I exercise at home. I have various work out dvds, an aerobic step to use in front of the tv so I don't have to miss any programmes. There are also the free options available on youtube, have a watch of some videos then you can do the exercises any where at home.

I made small changes, having failed at dieting previously I knew a complete and sudden change does not work for me, I also know that I love chinese and chocolate and that I would miss them if I didn't have them now and again. I started by cutting back and it's working. I feel so much better, i'm looking better (people have commented on the weight loss ) and as i'm getting better it's easier to keep to healthier habits.

One thing you really need to get your head around for this to be successful is to accept that this is going to be a long journey and that there will be blips along the way. There have been some weeks where I have eaten within my 1200 calories and exercised but this has not been reflected in the scales. it happens, I don't know why, but the overall trend has been downwards so I'm happy with that. The odd blip will not derail me

Wishing you the best of luck, you've made an excellent first step in finding this forum.

Kate

[Hidden]

One place you might start is looking at breakfast, if you eat one. Breakfast is traditionally carb-heavy with cereal, toast, pancakes, syrup, donuts, etc. That's what puts on the weight, spikes your insulin and leaves you half starved by mid morning. If you eat breakfast, switch to eggs and bacon. And the fruit juice is very heavy in fructose which will nuke your plan in a minute. Watch the carbs and sugar- they both trigger insulin release, and insulin is what moves fat into fat cells. Good carbs are what you need from vegetables and some fruits. No potatoes, bananas, and grapes in particular- very high in carbs that will spike your insulin. Check out what they call LCHF - low carb high fat, the links someone put in a previous post at dietdoctor. It works.

[dutchbike]

Jo well done for taking action, it sounds like you are a very busy and caring woman, time to look after yourself now! Although I have never been obese I have always had to watch food intake as I (and my 5 yr old daughter) love eating just anything!

I found the best is to be active outside as much as possible- it takes your mind of eating! Sun light also improves your mood and reduces appetite!

Can your husband leave the house at all? Go for walks with him and the kids, walk to school, to the shops, any 10 min or even 5 min trips are worth it.

Some cities have specially adapted bicycles for less mobile people and their carers to rent (not sure if this applies to your family) so everyone can enjoy a bike ride

Clean clean clean and garden garden garden- again it gets you active and takes the mind of other things!

Food wise: make a plan and stick with it, don't cut your kcal intake too much otherwise you will binge. I stick to normal REAL foods that really fill you up, typically I will have:

Breakfast: 2 slices whole meal bread, little peanut butter (3x a week a boiled egg), a glass of semi skimmed milk, piece of fruit

10 am: fruit

lunch: 3 slices of whole meal bread, little houmous, 200 g chopped veg (cucumber, tomato, peppers, salad), glass of milk

mid pm: fruit

evening meal: lots of vegetables, no or little sauces, small piece of meat and some carbs

9 pm: low fat yogurt with some plain muesli

It may seem a boring menu but there is flexibility if you vary the vegetables and cook some nice dinners!

Good luck to you and your family!