I have started today, I have always struggled with my weight. I have tried every diet under the sun. I am now the heaviest i have ever been! Which is scary. I recognise that i eat healthy meals on the whole but just way too big portions.
I have worked out my BMI calorie count and its more than the 1400 cal the website advises, has this happened to anyone else? Am I best sticking to 1400 .
I am going to do this this time
If you want to lose weight the best motivation I can give you is to watch this brilliant BBC Horizon Programme, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" vimeo.com/54089463 which aired in August 2012 and started the 5:2 Diet.
The first thing I realised when watching it was just how awful your internal fat is for you and immediately started to eat small portions from smaller plates. It's so true nowadays that portions have got way too big - if you try one of the low-calorie ready meals from the supermarkets (M&S Count on Us are delicious - Weightwatchers are pretty disgusting) you'll get an idea of the size of portion you should be aiming for. I still add a portion of frozen green veg or mixed veg on the side.
Another incentive is to use the free MyFitnessPal app and count everything you eat!
Thanks Gingernut 49 I will watch that clip, I have uploaded the fitness pal app and endomondo app and am feeling really motivated.
Good for you! I'd also recommend Kate Harrison's book The 5:2 Diet which is an excellent read. If you have a Kindle you could start reading it when you've watched the programme! amazon.co.uk/Feast-Weight-B...
If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them if I can.
Thanks
Gingernut49 looks incredible! You would be my role model.
How kind! Not bad for 64 I suppose. 
Hi
My opinion would be that you have the calories advised by the website and then reduce the calories gradually to 1400 as you lose the weight. Instead of thinking of the 8 stone you need to lose, break it down to smaller goals, i.e. half stones or one stone at a time. I have also tried every diet under the sun and have come to the conclusion that the only way is the 'old fashioned' way of calorie counting with regular exercise. I have 4 stone to lose, my cholesterol is too high and my blood pressure is too high so that's where all these faddy diets has got me!! This site is great, with sensible advice. I'm finding it really motivating and feel that this is my time now to lose the weight for good! Good luck to you - you can do it! 
Hi
I use fitness pal it's a great app for counting your calories and if you have a smart phone you can scan the bar codes, I have been using calorie counting and excercise and that works for me. I am taking gingernut49 advice this week and I am doing the 5:2 diet ago, not just to loose weight, but for the medical benefits.
You've identified the problem - too big portions. The obvious thing to try would be using a smaller plate. You've done well so far. Identifying the problem and its cause are the necessary first steps in solving any problem.
When you say you 'eat healthy meals on the whole', the next thing to look at would be what you actually eat, what do you define as 'healthy'? People have different opinions on that.
Hi Clarelouo
I also have 8 stone to lose but I am trying not to think in those terms as the numbers are way too big. I found a group through my GP called Choose to Change and its proving really helpful in getting me to really think about everything I eat. We are given a journal and told to write EVERYTHING we eat and drink and how we feel at the time and to monitor the portion sizes. Its been approx 3 months now and whilst I had hoped to lose more than the 1/2 stone I have lost, the reality is that I have reviewed my eating and more importantly me drinking and really adapted to the new way of thinking about food by eating less but more often. Good luck and keep in touch so we can share progress and ideas
I also need to lose 8 stone. I have been dong the 5:2 diet as mentioned above and I love it! The fasts are tough at the beginning but do get easier and knowing you can eat whatever you want the rest of the days is a great incentive. Also, make my fitness pal your new best friend. Seeing your daily calories can be a real motivation when your doing well. I've been doing the diet for 4 weeks and have lost 22lbs. Good Luck
Well done you - that's a super loss! It's fantastic isn't it - and you're right, it does get easier. I find it's easiest if I go out on my fasting days to stay away from the kitchen!
Hi Clarelouo,
They say the key to losing weight is to work out how you gained it. So, taking some very real and truthful - probably painfully so - stock of what and how much you currently eat isn't a bad thing to do.
BUT you do need to count E V E R Y T H I N G. Lattes, G&Ts, glasses of wine, gravies, toppings, sauces, custards, etc., etc.
And - sorry about this - most people who keep a food diary under-record what they eat. So, you do have to be brutally honest about it all.
Lots of good and free advice on the NHS live well lose weight web-pages - well worth reading.
Good luck with your weight loss journey.
Thanks, I have recorded everything so far on fitness pal app. I know that I eat when happy sad tired and every other reason. Got to do it this time as I can feel the effect on my health
good luck with your journey too
Having been a Weight Watcher for over 40 years [yes really !!] and lost the same 2 stone more times than I care to remember, a health scare a year ago sent me running back to WW as usual. After a month I realised they were just a huge con and only interested in making money for Heinz,who owns them. Needing to sort my self out for health reasons I adopted a Low carb, High Fat diet - LCHF - which for me has been brilliant. Slowly over a year I have gone from 11 stone 9lbs to 8 stone, 9 lbs and hav e never felt better. Walking the dog regularly helped too. If I can do it anybody can !!
Different diets suit different people and circumstances. I have adopted a similar way of eating to Gardengnome. It has also worked well for me, both health and weight have improved. I do not count calories or go hungry.
This is one site, there are others.
I don't count calories now that I'm maintaining my weight loss, but I counted them religiously on MyFitnessPal for the six months it took me to lose the three stone. After six months you tend to know what a healthy diet looks like.
I do weigh myself once a week though so I know whether to fast one day or two the following week. I'd want to catch any rogue pound before it multiplies!
Whoop whoop end of week one and I've lost 7 pounds,
Brilliant. Well done, a good incentive to carry on.
Good on you for starting to loose it. I've got to loose more than you but I think breaking it into more achieveable amounts is the way to go 1 stone at a time, we CAN do it
This may sound drastic but it isn't. There is a lady on FaceBook who was 39 stone. she is now 16 stone and runs a site on FB diet or die. There are thousands on there all losing weight by different methods and all very supportive of each other. Have a look - it may help and motivate you - good luck
8 stone is a lot to lose, I know because I need to lose a similar amount. I've been told that it's too big a goal and that I should break it down into smaller achievable goals, like half a stone to start with and then reward myself with a non food treat. Am giving it a go. Good luck! xx
Need to loose weight
Need to loose weight!
frustrated and need advice.
