Been away for two years...

[Ed-Alexander]

Rather depressingly I am the same weight to the pound I was in 2016 when I joined - 18 stone 2 lbs. But they say the most important thing is never to give up so here I am back again & this time I mean to stay the course. I do remember how positive and supportive, as well as educational, this wonderful website was and I'm not really sure why it's taken me so long to come back. I hope everyone is well and would appreciate it if anybody could jog my memory as to how the website operates if the weekly weighings are the same as they used to be etc. Thanks so much, Ed

[Lytham 3 stone]

Welcome back ! You used to weigh in on a Wednesday and you can rejoin tomorrow or weigh in today with the Trimmers, here's the link! x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[lucigret]

Hello and welcome back,

All of the information you will need to navigate the forum can be found in Pinned Posts,

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

It is best to use the full website and not the app. The app doesn't give you access to everything.

Take the time to read all of the threads , you will find lots of useful and informative information there to help to inspire you.

Please also take a look at all of the Challenges, Clubs and Events that we have, to help to keep you motivated and engaged with the forum.

Participation is key to success and I would recommend that you at least join the Daily Diary and a Weigh In day of your choice.

As a peer to peer support group, we all benefit from encouragement and support from one another, so look forward to seeing you join in around the forum

Wishing you the best of luck on your weight loss journey

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome back Ed-Alexander, I remember you, and moreless is also still here 😊

A few things have changed so please read the information Lucigret has provided but just ask if you have any questions

My advice is to remember what worked last time and build on that, they say it’s not a mistake if you learn from it. And also take time to establish good habits that will help you sustain the losses

Good Luck!

Indigo 😊

[Subtle_badger in reply to IndigoBlue61]

I disagree. Losing weight then putting it back on again is not success. If he does the same thing he did before, he will likely have the same result.

Ed, if you calorie counted last time, and stuck to the high carb Eat Well Guide, I would strongly suggest going a different way. I've been low carb/high fat and intermittent fasting since December, and it feels sustainable. I don't need to get out a scale, or check nutrition labels, or really think about it much at all.

Whatever you decide to do, you should be planning your maintenance now. Try to examine why you put the weight back on, and how will it will be different next time. A maintenance plan that requires constant will power and self denial will fail eventually.

Yeah, I've only been doing this for 6 months, so I can't personally attest to it being anymore successful in the long term. What I do know is that my weight has gone up and down between 72-88kg over the last 10 years while following the recommended high carb diet, and I am now 68kg so it's more effective at weight loss and can't be any worse at maintenance, because I never managed to maintain a loss.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Welcome back

I would say the most important thing is, at this point, if something didn't work or wasn't sustainable the last time, find a new way.

I see you were a Wednesday Wobble Warrior: they are as positive and supportive as ever and you'll get a warm welcome - but you will, whichever weigh in you join

[Ed-Alexander]

Thanks all for the advice - much appreciated. The point about trying something different rings very true to me and that is something I really need to think about. I did the high protein and low carbs last time I was here and it worked - I lost a stone and a bit - but then I got into a habit of falling off the wagon every other night and eventually every night, eating bread etc. at 2 am -a horrible habit I still have and don't know how to break. I brush my teeth, drink herbal tea, get ready for bed but I've never found it easy to get to sleep and if the sleep doesn't come the temptation to hit the fridge becomes overwhelming. I've tried mindfulness everything and I'm a bit desperate. I'm thinking maybe I should eat a bigger meal at 6ish - maybe I'm tempting fate by not eating any carbs at all in the day and then succumbing at night. Anyway, thanks again for responding, Im really happy to be back here.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Ed-Alexander]

My advice is to post on the Daily Diary and see if we can spot anything different you could do. I know fat is an important component of the diet, for nutritional reasons as well as satiety so maybe that’s one tweak you could make 😊

[Ed-Alexander in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks IndigoBlue that's great advice.

[Subtle_badger in reply to Ed-Alexander]

I think you might be insulin resistant. Have a read of this excellent summary by Hidden healthunlocked.com/lchf-die...

Your insulin is high, so you can't hear your leptin, and your grehlin is telling you to eat. Insomnia raises cortisol, which also leads to weight gain. Replacing carbs with protein won't fix this, because protein also raises insulin, though not as much. You can only reduce insulin by eating fat or not eating at all.

I think you should try following dietdoctor.com's 14 day keto plan dietdoctor.com/low-carb/ket...

See if you can break you carb habit.

I've decided I will not be eating beige carbs or sugars anymore. I had 4 hot cross buns over Easter, I ate freely on Christmas day, I went to a dinner party and partook in dessert, if it wasn't for the lockdown, I would have been out for pizza, but that's it. That's all the grains I have eaten in the last six months. I have eaten very little fruit, no potatoes etc etc. As a former sandwich lover whose favourite food might have been bread and butter, I can say "it's ok". I can live well like this.

[Ed-Alexander in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thanks so much, I certainly have a carbs issue, so look forward to reading these articles. Well done on making a journey away from the sandwiches - those long entrenched habits are so hard to break.

[JiminyCricket 7lbs]

Welcome back!! I'm still here too, and since I weigh not much different to 2016 I'm going to be here a while! Best of luck this time around and shaking things up

[Ed-Alexander in reply to JiminyCricket]

Thanks a lot - best of luck to you, too!