New need a bit of help

[Disneyblues]

Hi I'd like to loose 6 stone my confidence has hit rock bottom I've just quit sw didn't feel the consultant listened was also very scripted.

I'm a busy working mum I know I need to make more me time but it just doesn't happen.

Any words of advice would be gratefully received I feel like that if I don't loose the weight now I never will.

[Disneyblues]

I just need to start with small steps portion control is going to be a big hurdle. Is the nhs weekly plan a good place to start? What works for everyone else

[BellaMalone]

Hello, I hear you and found myself at that point not too long ago. I felt so low one day I couldn't even get and go to work. My clothes were no longer fitting me and I just felt like "a big lump". I am not one to diet, calorie count or go to the gym so I thought long and hard about what healthy options I could integrate into daily life. I have made the following changes:

1-Ditched sandwiches for lunch and instead I take lots of chopped up fresh vegetables and 2-3 pieces of fruit. I don't have a big lunch, I just munch away at all my bits and bobs throughout the day. I have plain yoghurt at around lunch too

2-Ditched the buses and I now walk to my training the morning and in the evening when I finish work. It's about 4 miles, which is not loads, but it's a start

3-I have cut out all junk food

4-I eat a healthy home made dinner with some carbs, protein and veg with my family. It is the time we all sit together at the table. Dinner has always been a healthy fare, I have simply reduced my portions and increased the amount of vegetables on my plate

I have lost about 4kg in 5-6 weeks. It is slow, but I feel great already. Most importantly, it feels really effortless. My focus was not on dieting or depriving myself of anything but on making the healthiest food choices I can afford and doing more exercise as part of my commute.

I feel like grabbing a piece of fruit when I feel peckish has become a new habit instead of reaching for cakes or crisps.

I still enjoy a glass of wine, toast with marmite for breakfast, one teaspoon of sugar in my morning coffee as these items give me a lot of pleasure in the morning.

I hope this helps. In summary, I found focussing on changing my unhealthy habits first put me in the mindset to be able to lose weight. I am conscious of what I eat with each bite, but I don't sit and count calories. It feels liberating and it works for me.

Try starting with small steps and keep adding to it over time. It feels less overwhelming. For me the best part is not so much the weight loss in itself, it is just feeling happy again and just all round better.

Good luck and happy to discuss more.

BM

[Disneyblues in reply to BellaMalone]

Thank you Bella I think you've probably hit the nail on the head with the overwhelming part, I do feel overwhelmed by it all now I don't mind cutting out everything but at the weekend I do like to have a couple of glasses of wine I'm not giving that treat up just yet. I think I'm going to write everything down so I can see what I'm eating and go walking more even if I have to drag the kids. Thank you.

[SillyKat]

Keeping a food diary might be the place to start so you can at least see where extra food is coming from. It can be quite eye opening. I've just started calorie counting, but it's quite time consuming as I have to work out what the calories are in 100g and then work out how much I've eaten etc. I've seen a lot of people recommending MyFitnessPal so i tried that but it seems even more time consuming as you have to work out exactly which product you have so you get the right calorie amount. I tried it today and they worked out I had more than I've calculated, so that was a bit confusing! If you don't have time for that, try checking your portion sizes so you're staying in control without having to count everything.

[gingernut49 in reply to SillyKat]

Have you tried scanning in the bar codes of food with MFP? It really does work very well.

[Diana]

For me it was extras, chocolate is one of them, buy a whole large bar, I'd eat it all, a single one is just that, the extras, while watching tv, do add up. I find herbal tea, clear and stock type drinks help, a teaspoon of seeds can help too, if you happen to like them.

Sometimes I do night nibble, have coloured peppers, and carrots for that, sometimes cucumber.

Beware of not eating your childrens leftovers, someone said, put too much salt on them, so you are not tempted, which seems a great idea.

Distraction is another key, keep busy, good luck! x