Diet

[Sophs_82]

Hi has anyone got any good diet plans to stick to , I'm 37 now and put on 2 stone I really want to lose it but I'm a junk junkie lool x

[Zest]

Hi Sophs_82

Welcome to the Healthy eating forum. Have a look around and see what interests you - we have some great Pinned posts and lots of Topics.

Regarding diet plans, I think the NHS 12 week plan is well structured and it's helped me to lose weight in the past - I still go back to it from time to time. If you want to have a look, a link is here:

nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-we...

Zest

[Sophs_82 in reply to Zest]

I defo will thanks alot

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Welcome to the group, Sophs_82 . Feel free to continue posting and commenting, asking questions, etc. anytime. Here's a link to the Topics section for different types of diets. Hope this helps. healthunlocked.com/healthye... Please check with your doctor before you start any new diet/exercise routine to be on the safe side of things. We don't want anyone getting sick or worse.

[Praveen55 Star]

Sophs_82

Consider LCHF dietary approach to lose weight and keep it off. Follow the links below for more information:

dietdoctor.com/low-carb

healthline.com/nutrition/lc...

[PandQs]

Hi Sophs, just an idea (that worked for me! ) Don’t go on yet another diet. Change the way you think about food and what you want to eat. I watched a series of videos online called The Skinny on a Obesity, and realised what I had been doing to myself for decades. I’ve loved the switch to lower carbs higher fats when selecting what I want to eat and the weight loss as a side effect was a bonus.

[Sophs_82 in reply to PandQs]

Tried that but cakes always get in my head lool I know it's not good I also quit smoking 3 months ago and made my eating habits a hell of alot worse , but I will give it a watch thanks x

[Hidden]

Hi Sophs_82 you've answered your own question here and need to change your attitude to junk food and gradually change it to healthier options so that your diet works for you and continues to work for you.

Sadly junk food does not satiate us as our bodies are screaming out for real nutrition and what do we do eat more junk food...As sadly many over weight people are over fed and undernourished.

So well done for joining us and introducing yourself and you are in great company on here for all things healthy eating so good luck and welcome to our friendly forum I hope that you enjoy being a member.

Jerry 😊

[Sophs_82 in reply to Hidden]

Thank u

[Fran182716 Prediabetic]

Hi Sophs_82 I agree with Jerry, eating junk food sets off a vicious circle of hunger/craving and taking in too many calories but too few nutrients. Lots of us have been there - I have always enjoyed healthier food but when I get tired or stressed I have a tendency to lose motivation to plan and prepare healthy meals, and I gained weight from grazing on junky snacks through the day instead of eating proper meals.

You can lose weight simply by eating fewer calories than you burn, including junk food in your diet, but it’s not healthy long term, and not likely to be sustainable because if you’ve changed nothing as soon as you stop restricting calories you will go back to square one.

Getting a prediabetes diagnosis made me focus on my health, and I haven’t eaten any junk food for 9 months now, lost two stone and my blood sugars back in the healthy range. I’m also not fed up, hungry except for normal time-for-lunch hungry, or feeling deprived in any way, which is good because I still have 9lb to lose and need to keep eating this way for life if I don’t want to become diabetic, I’ve had my warning!

What I have learned from my experience and would like to pass on in the hope it will help someone else:

1. The cravings do disappear, it’s hard at first and you might feel headachy and not have a lot of energy as your body is used to a constant stream of sugar. By the third week this was gone for me and I was starting to feel a more sustained energy that was there without requiring sugary top-ups.

2. Your tastebuds adapt once they are no longer being overwhelmed with sugar, salt, and artificial flavourings. You start to notice more subtle flavours in fresh foods and enjoy them more.

3. Higher fibre foods (very little fibre in junk foods) help you to feel satisfied by your meals.

4. You may notice you feel generally better after a few weeks due to getting better all round nutrition. I noticed I have not needed my medication for reflux in a long while.

5. After a while if you have a taste of junk food it tastes horrible - too salty/sweet/greasy. Over-used processed seed oils make fast food smell awful. So it becomes something you don’t want to eat rather than just “being good” which is a lot easier psychologically.

6. My sleep is not always good due to menopause symptoms but it has improved since I changed my diet.

7. I have counted calories to lose weight, but by eating whole foods and measured quantities of natural fat I have been able to stick to my calorie allowance without difficulty as my food is satiating.

8. It’s a psychological boost when you feel like you have beaten cravings, which is very motivating!

Good luck 😀🍀

Edit: just to add I still need quick and/ or easy meals for when I’m tired/stressed, I have built up a range of healthy quick-fixes for these times, like omelettes, baked sweet potatoes, frozen left-overs or soups in the microwave, egg on Seeded Wholemeal toast, feta cheese crumbled over microwave frozen veggies. These might not be the most imaginative but it’s better than grazing on chocolate and crisps!

[Sophs_82 in reply to Fran182716]

Thanks so much😘

[san_ray70 in reply to Sophs_82]

I go for small treats when I need them, it works I am losing weight, I do eat a lot of fruit. If you like fruit it is good, I also eat 25g chocolate pretzels. Good luck working out you menu's enjoy what you eat but eat a bit less. I eat chicken and ham as a snack also small amounts of low fat cheese.

[rossie1942 in reply to Fran182716]

Great advice. thank you

[Want2BHappy3]

There is NO such thing as a diet, people who try cannot sustain ANY diet. The body wants what it wants. I know, I lost 75 pounds eventually gained it back Plus, now I'm Diabetic

[Fran182716 Prediabetic in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Want2BHappy3 Im sorry you had no lasting success, but maybe the way you lost weight wasn’t sustainable for you? There are several of us here who have lost weight and managed to comfortably sustain it, I’m not completely done yet but doing better than I’ve ever done in the past. I think it’s a bit of a shame to be so negative to someone new asking for suggestions.

[Want2BHappy3 in reply to Fran182716]

Sorry I have to disagree, I've been to nutritionist and spoken to doctors. People cannot sustain them. You just need to eat balanced meals. Well have to agree to disagree. I have many friends who have tried diets with the same dissapointing results.

[Fran182716 Prediabetic in reply to Want2BHappy3]

I agree if you are talking about named, fashionable or “fad” diets. I think the advice I gave above did illustrate the need to eat healthy balanced meals.

[PandQs in reply to Want2BHappy3]

The body wants what it craves, not necessarily what it needs - as a characteristic of an addiction to sugar in processed food. I don’t know anything about diabetes but I think there is somewhere on this forum where you’ll find people who do, and if LCHF is mentioned as an alternative approach (rather than a diet), then Id say look into it for yourself . My cravings for sugar have certainly diminished.

[Want2BHappy3 in reply to PandQs]

Cravings and wants are the same thing just worded differently. I'm already a member on a Diabetes site. Your lucky you don't have it

[PandQs in reply to Want2BHappy3]

I think I came back from the brink, as I was diagnosed pre-diabetic about 18 months ago.

[Want2BHappy3 in reply to PandQs]

Your lucky, being Prediabetes you can get back to Normal. I've had bad luck with doctors who didn't tell me what was going on. A Urgent care doctor is the one who told me, by then it was too late. So I hope your taking advantage of the diagnosis and move it back?

[Hidden in reply to Want2BHappy3]

Sorry to hear about your health woes, but don't give up just yet. How about watching this most recent enlightening and inspirational presentation by Dr. David Unwin? There is light at the end of the tunnel....

youtube.com/watch?v=OlKDM3S...(Not working as expected?)

[san_ray70]

HI Sophs 82 I have lost 2st with S.W. I was sceptacle at first, did not think it would work but 28 weeks and 3lbs to go to my goal weight. What ever you choose do not stress over it, good luck to you whatever you choose.

[Sophs_82]

Sw you mean slimmers world ? That's amazing well done :))

[TheAwfulToad]

I agree. Once you remove carbohydrates from your diet as a staple source of energy, your body can cope just fine with the odd slice of cake (or whatever). Once in a while I treat myself to a doughnut or a burger and have no need to feel guilty about it because (a) I know it's not doing me any harm and (b) I don't feel the need to eat three more of them.