New to this site, everyone seems friendly but I just don't seem to knuckle down and start making healthy choices. Everyday I start with good intentions but at some point I make a silly choice.
Really need to give myself a shake. I would like to lose 2 stone. Have done it before (well almost) 2 years ago with a slimming club but I am unable to get going!
I weighed myself 27th Jan so have my starting weight.
What little steps could I take that will get me started.
I think this website has a lot of information, I probably need to put a couple hours aside to take time out to read it all.
Hi Hidden , you have come to the right place for support. I spent a couple to weeks on and off coming to this site and just reading peoples posts and looking at some of the information of the NHS 12 week plan. Eventually I became frustrated and joined because I was only able to see limited posts. I started by making sure I had some healthy\low calorie snacks in the cupboard. So I have flavoured rice cakes, almonds, pop corn, Weight Watcher Caramel Wafers for when I get an attack of 'I need chocolate'. I also made sure I had plenty of fruit and veg. I have a notebook and write down everything I eat and plan the night before what I am going to have including my snacks. This way I avoid getting up and making bad choices. I'm sure more people will post with lots of other ideas for you in a short while. Keep starting the day with good intentions and sooner of later it will all just click into place. Good luck.
Big tick for taking the first step-you have joined up! It really is supportive and you get lots of hints, tips and advice.
Counting calories works for me, I then plan meals/portions around available calories. To be fair I am off work recovering from an operation so have more time. I use MyFitnessPal (free) to count calories. Also, as I am a keen cook, I am developing a spreadsheet of calories of ingredients (using NHS calorie counter), to that I can work out calories of anything I cook.
I also walk each day and use MapMyWalk which links to MyFitnessPal and tells me how many calories I have "earned" through walking. I don't eat the extra calories but it does feel good!
It really is about choosing the best way for you and settling for a marathon rather than a sprint. I think about the benefits to my health of eating good food that is well cooked even if I am not shedding the desired amount of weight each week.
Good luck and keep visiting the forum.
Thank you, it does seem an excellent forum. Helps how there seems to be so many people willing to take time out to reply to people's posts and questions.
Hi Hidden all the best with your weightloss. I don't know if you have many sugars or not but if you do it would be best to try and cut them down. Many years ago I dropped from 14 stone down to 11 stone just by doing things like swapping my sugar in tea and cereal down to sweeteners. At first I found it hard for about the first two weeks but after that it is harder to try and have it again. I went to someone's house and they didn't have sweeteners and they gave me sugar in my tea and I couldn't drink it as it was too sweet. I keep them in my bag to stop this happening again. I couldn't believe how much weight I lost just by swapping them.
Hi Newgirl1970, there is just one piece of information I would like to give and that is: the 12 week plan is set up because that is how long it takes to make a changes to our diet stick, so if I was you I would get the microscope out on yourself and see if there is anything you can change and then stick to it for 12 weeks, after that period you should feel like it will stick. myself I have given up smoking (6.5 years ago) stopped binge eating (6 months ago) cutting down on portion sizes and cutting back on snacks (5 weeks ago). I have to say the longer I diet and the more tips and hints I get that I try the more I make positive actions where a previous time I wouldn't of. You can do this. Good luck. Jp.
You are definitely in good company here and inspiration is daily not weekly from a meeting. On reading your post my advice would be that if you make a 'silly choice ' don't beat yourself up about it and write the day off as a failure. Move on. Think positive and make better decisions for the rest of the day. Dieting is not black or white, good or bad, its lifestyle. Best of luck and keep going no matter what.
Hi, Thanks for your reply.
Hi and welcome. I am newish too and also need to lose 2 stone. I have joined Weight Watchers, mainly because having to be weighed by someone other than myself each week is giving me the push to try very hard not to disappoint! I can't eat using their points system as that doesn't work for me, I do use My Fitness Pal and find it really good. I also have a FitBit which seems to encourage me to walk further. To kick start my weight loss I have been eating along the lines of the Michael Moseley 8 week blood sugar diet, where you only have 800 calories per day, but it does get the weight/water/fat moving pretty fast. There are also some really good meal suggestions too, things I would not have considered. Currently addicted to portobello mushrooms grilled with either a small can of baked beans or a poached egg. Good luck with it all. I also try and walk a fair way each day - I am retired so maybe it is easier for me to do this.
Thanks Twizz,
You sound organised and motivated! 800 calories doesn't sound like much, are you not hungry? Wishing you lots of luck! X
in reply to
It doesn't sound like much but I have certain foods that I now love cooking and eating which appear to be low calorie. Drinking lots of water takes a bit of doing on these cold days, but I am getting there. I lost 7lbs in the first week, so very pleased with that. The first few days I felt hungry later in the day, but I would then have a cup of tea or water. By week 2 I am not feeling hungry as I think the body had adapted to less food. I do tend to be organised, I am retired and live alone, so don't have others to cook for and maybe get tempted. I tend not to buy temptation foods so I am not 'tempted'!! One snack I have found which I really love is the Proper Corn popcorn at only 88 cals for a 20g bag. I try not to spend too much time at home, as kit is then that I want to eat. I try to walk a lot and am trying to find some good exercise classes in my area - which is proving rather difficult in Dorset. Most are 20 miles away or so.
Good luck with your new eating plan - don't like the 'diet' word!! x x
I also write my calories down every day..I call it my bible 😊 as I swear by it and find it really helps me and also graph my weight weekly so I can see it going down ..it really does help ..I've lost 3 stone and still have 2 stone to go....so good luck and be determined hon and you'll get there 😊
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