I need and want to lose 4 stones, but I find it hard to stay motivated. I diet for a week then go back to eating everything, help please?

[teeks01]

[loobyloo222]

Hi Teeks- I'm into my third week so it is very early for me to give any advice but I'm trying not to think of the 3 and a lot stones I need to lose. It helps me if I just think a small amount of loss will be good this week. Take it in small steps, don't make it a huge mountain.

For me the plan seems to be about making slow but secure changes to my routines that will last. I've never been on a formal regime before so don't have experience of the yo-yo effect. All I know is that the weight has gradually piled on over a long time and it would be silly to think I could lose it in days!

All change is difficult, and big changes are even worse- you have to really want to change your lifestyle and that requires a lot of effort and determination.

I would say that if you are pigging out after a week then maybe you need to make sightly different changes that don't involve food. Take up a new hobby, join a club, have day out etc- just try to get out and do something different that will make you feel good and help take your mind off food. It is all about breakig those habits. Good luck x

[teeks01 in reply to loobyloo222]

Wow good luck, hope it goes well for you! And i absolutely love this post, it was what i was looking for!! The truth! I know it will take hardwork and determination but i need to stay motivated, and hopefully I will, today is my first day but I will be fasting. And yes i've been making a list of what I can do during my spare time! Thank you for your time!!

[Prin in reply to teeks01]

Sod the family! (How old are they?) put yourself first, if you struggle (don't we all) with having crisps biscuits cakes in the house don't buy them. Try preparing something in advance to snack on I like sugar free jelly with a generous serving of 0% fat Greek yoghurt. If it's savoury you are after carrot or celery sticks are good. If you must have a treat limit it to one a day at a particular time, kit-Kat 107 cals or walkers squares 100cals good luck!

[Candystripe]

If you diet for a week, doesn't it make you feel good when you jump on the scales and know that you have lost weight? Why don't you join our weekly weigh in with Prin......she is amazing and so encouraging and you will find all the support you need. Find things to do that you enjoy to keep occupied and keep to your calorie allowance but allow yourself a little of some of the things you enjoy within your allowance. If you really want to lose that 4 stone you can do it here! Go into "my fitness pal" and it will do all the hard work of calorie counting for you. Good luck.

[teeks01 in reply to Candystripe]

Oh yes, I have the 'my fitness pal' app, i love it!! I had used to last year, i lost two stones with it along with eating healthy and going gym! But i put the stones back on, so I will be using that app for sure!! Thank youuu!!

[gingernut49]

Why not try the 5:2 Diet? youtu.be/W9Aj6hRYg4A(Not working as expected?) You can then eat the food you're craving on five days a week, as long as you don't exceed 2,000 calories. I lost three stone in six months, so you could lose four stone in eight months. It does teach you better habits. The first thing I did was to eat from smaller plates and not to snack between meals.

Up your exercise too - try going for a walk every day and walk briskly. If it's a rainy day then the Leslie Sansone walking videos on YouTube are excellent.

[teeks01 in reply to gingernut49]

Congrats for losing the 3 stones!! I will definately check that link out! The mains things i have to change too are my eating portions and snacks! I have made a timetable just to help remind me what im eating on what day!! And yes i've also made a list of youtubers that do exercises for home!! 8 months is the perfect time for me!! Thanks alot gingernut45

[gingernut49]

Do watch this video too - disclose.tv/action/viewvide... - it changed my life and the lives of millions of others too. It's a BBC Horizon programme that aired in August 2012 called "Eat, Fast and Live Longer." I was 62 when I watched it (64 now) and my BMI was over 27. Now it's just under 20.

No faddy foods or slimming clubs and it's far easier than you think it will be.

[Alusinska]

i know how u feel im ok with healthy eating but i dont know how to stop eat chocolates and crips , is really hard for me

[teeks01 in reply to Alusinska]

Yes, that is my main problem! It's just the snacking or shall I say, comfort eating!!

[Alusinska in reply to teeks01]

sometimes i clean my house all the time so im busy and i dont think about food!!! but how long i should keep this way!? i want mind comfort to say NO i dont need this

[teeks01 in reply to Alusinska]

I know right, once im doing nothing after a busy or so I end up getting 'bored' then find anything nice to eat. And it is also hard when you are the only one trying to lose weight and eat healthy, when your family are not.

[katedaniels]

I found the trick is to do it in small batches of changes at a time, let yourself adjust to them so they become normal then introduce some more. It's a lifestyle change rather than a diet. It means the weightloss is slower, in 3 months i've lost 22lbs, but, it's staying off, i'm not hungry, my cravings are now just about under control and I feel so much better about myself.

I started by not buying the things I couldn't resist, the cakes, chocolate and biscuits, if they were in the cupboards I ate them. I didn't stop having them, I just had to walk to the shop to buy them and I would just buy the standard size single rather than a family size or entire packet. It works out more expensive this way which is another incentive to cut back

I introduced exercise to my life, previously I used to vegetate in front of the tv, I started by walking 1 mile a day. It takes less than 20 minutes and does make a difference. Find exercise that you like, if you don't like something it will become a chore and very easy to stop doing, at the minute i've found my Just Dance for the Wii, i'm having a great time.

Also, if you have a bad day, try not to become disheartened and quit, a bad day is a blip, write it off and start again the next day.

Best of luck,

Kate

[SillyKat]

teeks I empathise with a lot of what you're saying - if you're succumbing to comfort eating after a week it sounds like you might be stuck in a compliance/rebellion cycle like I was. You give yourself rigid rules to follow, you promise to comply with them, but then after a while the inner rebel kicks in and you break out, eat everything you get your hands on and it's over. The book that got me out of it is "Eating Less" by Gillian Riley. Being surrounded by people who eat a lot makes it very difficult to be strong and do your own thing, but if you can find a goal that motivates you it will be something to cling onto when times are tough. Stick with it, and don't beat yourself up.

[Hidden]

When you feel like comfort eating why not eat plain porridge or shredded wheat, both with hot skimmed milk. They are both relatively low sugar and have useful fibre, and make you feel full, and cetainly not as bad a scoffing cakes, donuts, chocolate etc. Also wholemeal pasta (without any source) can be quite filling as a snack.