On the up

And it's not nice. Trying to not focus completely on my diet and exercise and it's not working. Weight is moving on up. To be fair to myself, it's been a bit of a slog of late and I've got other things to think about. But to keep my weight down, I've got to prioritise it no matter what. And after a while, that doesn't satisfy my intellectual sensibilities.

So back to it folks. Breakfast of 260 cals and getting those steps in. Actually, I've been getting the walking/moving in everyday. Just proving once again, it's calories in that needs to be focus in order to loose the weight.

GRR, don't like being grumpy about this.

[gillyflower88]

Hi Jessthe teacher, i,m having a hard time with weight loss, well, no weight loss. Cut the cals to the bone = hunger. Stress high at this time too = carb craving. I,m fed up with me too. What,s a girl to do? Take a deep breath and keep going, at least i,m eating healthier meals most of the time. Take care.

[Hidden in reply to gillyflower88]

Stress is the biggie in my opinion. And I keep trying to reassure myself that health is the priority. The desire to be thin is a negative thought that is brought on by stress within myself. I've got to figure out how to not let those thoughts dominate and still loose weight and be healthy.

None of this is fixed over night and it's always on-going isn't it?

[Penel in reply to Hidden]

Stress can have a huge effect on our health and well being. Reducing calories can also cause stress to our bodies. Perhaps it might be a good idea to focus on healthy eating and stress management for a while and see if you can stop the weight gain?

If you've got time to do some reading, have a look at the science on the gut-brain axis and the gut biome. Chris Kresser probably has a more user friendly explanation than the PubMed articles.

[Penel]

If it's not working for you, try something different. You can't keep cutting calories indefinitely! And not all calories are the same.

Cut out the "white" and go for the "wholegrain", but not too much. Make sure you have protein with every meal. Keep sugar to a minimum. Cook from scratch whenever possible.

If you're still having problems, have a look at Low carb/High fat diets.

[fenbadger in reply to Penel]

Don't expect big steps. they tend not to work. Small steps and if you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up but get back on asap. We all know why we should control our weight. If it was easy we'd all be slim. Just listened to an interesting Inside Health on R4.a different take on traditional diet strategies.

[gingernut49 in reply to fenbadger]

That's why I'd rather just do two days a week!

[Sunflower63]

Hi I struggled for a few weeks too. But decided to take control again. I started the 5.2 diet. I never thought I could do it. But you know what I didn't faint, pass out or feel hazy. I managed the 500 call fast. On the feast days I stick to 1300 to 1400 and it works. Drinking loads of water and increased my steps. Now go for a 20 min walk at lunch time instead of doing emails at desk and another 30 min at night . And I am now down a stone since new year. Keep going. Prioritise yourself for once you need to make this your priority. Not work or any one else. Good luck.

[gingernut49]

I see Sunflower63 has mentioned the 5:2 Diet so here's a summary of how it works:

I lost the three stone I needed to in six months on the 5:2 Diet after watching Michael Mosley's excellent Horizon programme in 2012, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" tinyurl.com/qzgo7tq or tinyurl.com/a8ppjl7 and went from a size 16 to a size 10 by eating 500 calories two non-consecutive days a week. I've been maintaining my weight loss since April 2013 by just fasting one day a week - in the past I piled the weight back on as soon as I finished 'dieting'. I'd very much recommend you read Kate Harrison's book, "The 5:2 Diet" (tinyurl.com/qe6mz4u) - it really does work and it will save you a fortune (towards your smaller clothes!).

I'd also very much recommend a free app for your phone called MyFitnessPal. Counting calories is very important so you can see how much you're eating and therefore eat mindfully rather than mindlessly. There are excellent videos in the Help section on the app that show you how it works - there's even a barcode reader to scan in branded foods.

It's important you don't eat more than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) on non-fasting days. You can work that out here thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-.... If yours works out at more than 2000 then aim at 2000 on non-fasting days.

Here I am in the Daily Mail on 7th January tinyurl.com/m7rqecq. The other two ladies’ stories are inspiring!

Here Michael Mosley answers many questions on it dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

This little video explains more youtu.be/W9Aj6hRYg4A(Not working as expected?)

[14-slaister in reply to gingernut49]

You have inspired me to start today. I have the books - just need to get my head in the right place. Mum died last month and I was her main carer - have put on half a stone since - just eat anything and everything at the moment - need to lose 3 stone. Thanks - will make it a mission and follow your advice!

[gingernut49 in reply to 14-slaister]

Oh I can empathise so much - my mother died on Saturday and travelling home on Sunday I stuffed my face on the four hour journey home and I wasn't even hungry. I think sometimes it just has to be done. Now we must pull ourselves back together and do what's good for us. You now have the freedom, albeit unwelcome, to start a new chapter in your life. 5:2 transformed my life and I feel so good about myself - I can wear anything - and full length mirrors no longer hold any horror for me. Have a look at my profile and you'll see what horrid shape I was in before.

Love and hugs,

Linda x