Newbie

Still learning about NHS. Hope this is for me. Tried a lot of yo yo diets. Anyone else just starting here?

[Heidi162]

Hello, I just joined today...hoping for some great support and advice......mail me if you want a buddy.

[Hidden in reply to Heidi162]

I like to be your buddy!

[Primrose3]

Welcome jh. You'll find it's a very encouraging forum. Good luck in weeks to come .

Primrose x

[Priodas2015]

I'm just day 7 in and finding it OK. I'm trying not to read on too far and taking in board all the detail in week 1. Never calorie counted before so have drawn up a daily plan and listing everything that passes my lips. Have managed the target aerobic exercise by swimming four times but only done one strengthening session. I need to loose 5 stone

[Dellah]

Hi I have just this minute signed up. I am hoping that I will be successful this time.

[Floppy123]

Hello and welcome.

I am just coming to end of week 2,so just starting too really.

I am making changes everyday.I have never calorie counted or tried portion control and it has been a real eye opener regarding how much I used to eat.

Week 1 I still could not face breakfast.

Week 2 I am having breakfast everyday,just had my boiled egg with piece of seeded wholemeal bread,my favourite!

I can see I need to try and swing my eating around to more early on eating in the day rather than starving all day and stuffing my face late evening!!

I probably want to lose weight more now than even when I joined the NHS plan,fact was I ate way too much and it has had a really negative effect on my confidence,I was not"fat and happy"!

Look at what and when you are eating,that has helped me a lot,it is not a magic weight loss plan,it really is educating yourself about food and making lifestyle changes for yourself,Good luck and welcome.

[Carol-D]

Welcome. I've been using this site for 3 weeks now. Like someone else has mentioned take it one week at a time. I've now lost 9lb by counting calories and being a bit more aware of how much exercise I should be doing. Like you I've yoyo dieted over the years and now I have to do this and stop my nonsense as I am the only one harming me if I don't. Good luck

[trafford1]

Hi jh1966, the nhs 12 week plan is brilliant have a read through the plan to start with. It gives you the full picture from start to what you can expect at the end of the 12 weeks. It is just a guide so if something on there doesn't work for you then you can adjust it to suit your needs/desires. Make sure you plan everyday in advance and use myfitnesspal

to track your calories. There are many of us who have already completed the 12 weeks and are still posting on here. I love it on here and am sticking with it. I have just completed week 29 as my journey is for the rest of my life not just 12 weeks. I wish you the very best of luck on your journey and hope that this works for you

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

Good for you. So you started the plan over? You said you at week 29.

[trafford1 in reply to Hidden]

I didn't start over I don't use the plan anymore but it got me off to a good start. At the end of my 12 weeks I lost 35 lbs so it was very, very helpful. Today I have lost 61 lbs by continuing with the changes I have learned so far. It has been so helpful and life changing

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

You are up early like me lol!

So, follow the plan week by week. The plan that is on website, correct?

[trafford1 in reply to Hidden]

Yes I am an early bird.

I didn't do the 5 k which is mentioned in the plan until...I think week 10 because I didn't like running I also worked out much more than 150 mins which is also mentioned as I grew to love working out. So chop and change things to suit your lifestyle and your own capabilities and good luck

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

We use the website, correct?

[trafford1 in reply to Hidden]

yes

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

1400 cals for women?

[trafford1 in reply to Hidden]

it is and it isn't. If you log onto myfitnesspal this will give you a good indication of just how many calories you should have for the day. It goes off current weight, hight and gender then it will ask you about your exercise goals. Input all of these and it will give you the answer

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

I already use myfitness pal. So what are the calories NHS mentioned?

[trafford1 in reply to Hidden]

1400 is a general number posted for all women. It is a guide but you can choose what works for you. If mfp says 1200 and you still feel hungry then go up to 1400 and see how you manage on that. Both are good numbers. MFP tells me to have 1390 cals a day and I don't always reach this amount but just remember it is a guide. Fill up on your veggies and protein and have a smaller portion of carbs, a cup size when cooked is advisable. Any carbs left over just refrigerate and have it for dinner the following day or just throw it away. The carbs contain most calories

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

Good to hear 1400 is good too. I always feel so hungry on 1200. Also I have to plan.a day in advance

[Hidden in reply to trafford1]

I will be on 1200 according to myfitness pal. Not a lot room for error with 1200 daily calories.

[Scrit1 Restart Feb 2024 in reply to trafford1]

My you have done amazing,congratulations and a great motivator ,I still struggle with the carbs but mainly one day in the week,almost like I feel I have to treat myself but it sets me backwards.

[trafford1 in reply to Scrit1]

Hi Scrit1 thank you for your lovely comments. I struggled with carbs too in the beginning and I had to get my head around what a portion size really looked like on my plate and to my surprise it didn't amount to much once cooked and measured out. I have to be honest I was pretty devastated so what I did was use vegetables to fill up on instead and I would mix it up using cabbage, broccoli and coliflour together or carrots and cabbage. These are all good for you and low in calories. On some days I use quinoa as a substitute for the rice as this is a very good source of protein and a great filler. You really don't need much of this on your plate and can be purchased from Tesco. In the begging I would avoid crisps as this was my one addiction and now I do enjoy one bag of crisp as a daily treat. Have you tried Walkers pops they are really low in everything and have great flavour especially bacon and cheese one's.

You mention that having a treat sets you backwards but that all depends on the treat it's self and how you view having a treat in your mind. Is it naughty to have a treat (no) are you human (yes) we all like the occasional treat and it's allowed. As long as the treat we chose does not take us over our daily calorie allowance then add it in.

Eating 3 meals a day at set times as well as 2 snacks in between meals should set you up for the day.

I have around 230 cals breakfast, 100 - 200 snack, lunch is around 300 cals snack is 130 cals and dinner is 400 - 500 cals remember to drink plenty of water up 8 cups a day and in the evening just have a hot drink. I like a herbal drink before bed.

Good luck on your journey and if you would like to ask me anything please message me

Trafford1 x

[Scrit1 Restart Feb 2024 in reply to trafford1]

Thank you so much ,this has been most helpful to me ,I guess I do treat my treats as naughty and I take your points and actually by allowing myself and not depriving myself ,it is easier to not oversnack this week. I have noted your daily calories and this also is beneficial to me,thank you for taking the time and this week,I have stayed at the same weight as I did attend two special occasions and again ,snacks were available and so inviting.I did manage to say no on occasion but I am not being hard on myself.

Thank you again Trafford.

[Jenever]

Hi JH,

Just wanted to tell you and anyone else who has just started the NHS 12 week plan that you have made a very good choice, the plan and this forum actually work. I started the NHS 12 week plan at the end of March after having tried almost every diet known, some healthy, others not so healthy. Some gave me fast weight loss but as soon as I began to eat normally all the weight (and some) went back on just as fast! The NHS weight loss plan has taught me how to have a healthy diet and lose weight, it's a life plan for me, tomorrow will be the start of week 19; I've shed just over two and half stone and 3 weeks ago when I last measured my waist I had lost five inches. I'm not telling you this to blow my own trumpet but to encourage you to stick with it because you will succeed, some weeks you may not see a big reduction, other weeks you may not lose at all, be in it for the long term, and log into this forum as often as you can, the people who use it will always encourage and support you and there's always someone who will have an answer to any question, it's been a huge help to me over the past 19 weeks. Good luck to you and I look forward to reading your success story. Have a good week.

[Hidden in reply to Jenever]

Hi.

Do I follow the weekly guide?

[Hidden in reply to Jenever]

You should blow your own trumpet. Well done you 💃😃

[Jenever]

I used the weekly grid to log my daily calories and exercise (I'm the worlds worst at exercise, I use every excuse but I'm basically lazy...how's that for honesty?), I planned my daily meals and to begin with, until I was better able to judge weight, I used to weigh my food portions. I'm now quite good at gauging how much things weigh, I still check on calorific value if I'm unsure and I still am quite strict with myself about staying within my calorie allowance, but that's not to say I haven't had days when it's gone completely to pot but on those days I've moved quickly onto the next day and straight back to plan. I decided at the very start that I would be in this for the long term, I wanted to change the way I ate and my relationship with food and although I'm very happy with that I have achieved, it's still work in progress. You will get there, it may not be an overnight success but the best way to lose weight is slowly and for life. Enjoy your new lifestyle.

[Hidden in reply to Jenever]

That's what I want a lifestyle. Cant do yo yo diets anymore. So Do I use the guide online where I click on weekly?

[Jenever in reply to Hidden]

Yes. I used to read the notes for the relevant week every Sunday (my week starts on Monday) & because it suited my needs I printed off the weeks chart, but you may prefer to complete it daily online?

[Hidden]

Yes i am just starting, getting my way around this site is my first problem! Got a message saying click on email verification , which i have done, is my first annoyance! So laying on settee for last hour isn't exactly helping to shift the pounds. ☺

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Lets do this together since we both new. How much you need to lose?

[Yoyo10]

Hi Heidi, I like you have taken weight on and off for years, I'm finding this plan to be really helpful especially with portion sizes , I lost a lot of weight low carbing but it didn't help me with the portion size and it pulled back on. Using a smaller plate has def helped this week also. I added the my fitness app and it's really helped me to keep track. My weigh in day is tomorrow so fingers crossed hard work will be worth it !