Hi there :) im new and very nervous about starting my weight loss journey, does anyone have any advice on how to push through n stick to it?

[peachesephgrave]

[Sparklejaffa]

I'll be interested in what suggest too!

[mrslazy]

I am not sure my way is for everyone, I have cut out all sweet foods. My mum has diabetes and has turned it around by diet. It was a wake up call for me, I had to get some weight off or face the possible chance of going down the same route as her.

The first week of no sweets, cakes or biscuits was hard, but as my body quickly got used to my new diet the cravings went away. If you stop having sweet stuff you realise the power it has over your willpower. Without this influence resisting is so much easier.

Example - make a cake and look at what's going into it, think about which ingredients are good for you! Shocking.

I started at the beginning of August and have lost half a stone. I am mindfull of portion size and try to adjust it to how hungry I am. I never eat before I go to bed like I used to, if I'm a bit rumbly I have a glass of milk or a milky coffee. I snack on fruit and nuts and seeds. I also like the fresh young carrots with the leaves on.

Alcohol in moderation and often have a slimline tonic instead.

Avoid sugar and you are on to a winner.

I have also been running so get into the couch 2 5 k plan, there is so much support on the forum.

Good luck x

[Natty2013]

Well what I would suggest for starting is not to say no to food but also don't say yes very often to some foods. I guess those foods would be take always, sweets, crisps... What your food vice is really (for me crisps and snacking on big bags so for me that has to be a total no). I guess I see my eating as an addiction, it has a pattern and a cause and for me it is about breaking the pattern and facing the cause. Everyone is different and treats food differently but everyone here has an issue with food.

So what could help you through. Well here is a quick list of things that help me.

Go to nhs.uk/livewell/weight-loss... and have a look at the 12 week plan for losing weight through calorie counting. There is a weigh in on Monday's on the forum for a bit of support.

Set small goals like losing 5lbs or maybe 5% of your body weight. Whatever suits you.

Set times to reward yourself on your journey. I have a lot to loose so I get a reward for each 6lbs I loose. Make sure they are non food rewards. What every you want really, obviously something you like!

I use an app called my fitness pal which is free. It also has a website. It can help you count calories so there are no surprises or getting caught out with your eating. You can plan everyday and for the whole week if you like. It has a massive database which is filled by other users, you can find most of what is in the shops and if you can't you can add your own foods.

If you don't exercise start slowly such as having a walk around the block. You can build from there but don't overwhelm yourself.

Count all calories. Don't miss drinks particularly alcoholic ones as they have a surprising amount. Make sure you weigh your food. One I learnt was that 30g of cereal is quite a bit less than I thought.

Use the forum

Best of luck with your journey and hope that helps.

[Blackpads]

I read through and downloaded the NHL 12 week plan that Natty2013 has given you the site of above; I also read through the blogs and questions and answers before I actually joined this site and got loads of good and useful information: I joined last week, and just finished today the first week of the weight loss club and what has really helped for me, as I have about four and a half stone to lose, is to take it day by day, I spend about five minutes in the evening deciding what I will eat the next day and enter it onto My Fitness Pal - another tip from this site - somehow this is not making it seem such a huge issue for me, just concentrate on one day at a time.

[peachesephgrave]

Than you guys. All of these suggestions are brilliant!!

Xxx

[Sarahd56 in reply to peachesephgrave]

hi there! i joined this forum as im helping my partner lose a lot of weight. so far he has lost 1 stone and 1 pound!! we have done that by cutting down on his portion sizes and also eating the low fat option of foods instead of just grabbing stuff off the shop shelves.it has taken him about six weeks to lose the weight , slowly but surely. we have a weigh in at Boots every 2 weeks, i think in his case every week would not be a good thing for him. I also BIN all leftover food which cannot be frozen, as he has/had a habit of eating EVERY bit that was leftover.Im only buying what we need at the shops now,and not buying big packs of butchermeat either. im going to the butchery department and buying only what i think is enough for two.he has never been hungry once since we started this and the added benefit is ive lost a bit of weight also. he cannot exercise at the moment until he gets the ok from his gp (heart problem) but hopefully soon we can start a gradual exercise routine. so hope this post inspires you to get to your goal. we dont have a goal as he is needing to lose another 5 or so stones so we just take things weigh in at a time! good luck x

[jack21]

Hi Peaches, no need to be nervous, you can do this. I'm an 80/20 girl. You know what the right choices are and you just need to aim for them 80% of the time. We all slip up now and then and to make this something you can do pretty much forever, whether for weight loss or for health, you need the odd cheat or at least need to know that the odd cheat is ok. I hate to tell you but yep, the old story of eat less/move more is true. Whatever you do on the diet front will be doubled or even trippled if you combine it with exercise. Mrs Lazy made a very valid point, I try to avoid highly sweet things because it will give you a suger rush high followed by a tragic low, leaving you to crave more suger, if I want something sweet, I go for blueberries, they will serve you right and won't leave you craving more sugar. Best of luck, you can do this x

[carbjunkie]

All the above is sound advice. I would add to start today! The longer you leave it and the older you get the harder it becomes to shift it. I know from personal experience, unfortunately.