Three useful observations

[Biblia]

Hello, I'm at the beginning of losing a relatively small amount of 1st and 1 pound to reach my target weight. I'd like to share how useful it is to allow yourself to eat everything. I've had cake, chocolate, and crisps in moderation and have lost 4 and a half pounds in two weeks. I don't feel unduly hungry or deprived, and I think the key (for me, at least) is that nothing is banned. Because the minute you ban something it gets all sorts of emotions stuck to it such as guilt, shame, poor self esteem and more.

The second thing that seems to really help is to be extemely consistent in calculating calories so I know exactly where I am each day. At the end of each day I add it all up, take some off for exercise depending on how active I've been, and there's usually a healthy margin for coffee and chocolate. I've been able to eat out during this time.

Lastly, I chose to lose just one pound a week with the Nutracheck app, because I felt it would be easier to go slowly. I think I'm going a bit faster due to exercise, but that's a bonus. I reckoned there was no hurry because I could succeed with such a modest goal each week.

I hope someone can take something helpful from this.

[sueper]

I agree with you Biblia, as soon as you ban a food in your diet you just want it more. I have reduced (significantly) the amount of chocolate and cake I eat but still have a bit. I believe (for me at least) that banning foods leads to falling off the wagon and then piling on more weight when you remember how tasty those foods you had banned were. They say everything in moderation - I suspect it is true

[fibronfedup]

Hey i completely agree, making foods forbidden has always in the past caused me to binge and fail, ive got to the point now that im not going to let that one chocolate bar cause me to self loath. I have no interest in getting big again but by learning moderation i can enjoy food and still lose weight and get fit.

Sounds like you are in a good place mentally which is a great advantage. Good luck reaching your goal

[JuliaM72]

Hi Biblia I agree I've got a lot to lose and found that calorie counting has been the way forward for me. I usually have a glass of wine and a treat at the weekends so I don't feel like I'm missing out. But if I fancy something midweek I just have it and cut back or exercise some more. Hopefully it won't take you wrong to lose your weight as you're well on the way. I've also found by not restricting myself I don't actually want some of the things I would usually have eaten. Good luck.

[Biblia in reply to JuliaM72]

Hi Julia,

Oh, losing the desire for a food once you give yourself permission to eat it...thought that was just me. A kind of reverse psychology. I hope more people can try that.

[JuliaM72 in reply to Biblia]

Yeah I had a mint aero last night and didn't particularly enjoy it. Not sure whether it's because they've changed the bars or my taste is changing

[rmnsuk]

I agree, but it's probably a good idea to ban stroop waffles. I've just eaten a whole pack so that's good bye to losing weight this week and probably next week too Either that or I'll have to run 12 extra miles.

[elliebath Maintainer in reply to rmnsuk]

Lol 😀

[JuliaM72 in reply to rmnsuk]

What's a stroop waffle?

[rmnsuk in reply to JuliaM72]

stroop waffles are the food of the devil

They are two layers of split waffle, separated by caramel syrup, a favourite in Amsterdam. available from Tesco and Aldi and probably more.

The idea is that you put said waffle over your cup of coffee till it's warmed up, then nibble it. Trouble is like cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies and full English breakfast they are irresistible.

[JuliaM72 in reply to rmnsuk]

Ha ha ok they do sound lovely. Perhaps 6 weeks into my diet is not a good time to try them. I hope you enjoyed them and are now back on track Got to be done now and again. I've just found that pink and whites are only 50 cals each so I've bought a pack today. If you've got a sweet tooth might help.

[Biblia in reply to rmnsuk]

Hi rmnsuk,

Sorry to hear that about your waffle fest. You've probably tried this, but if not, maybe you could buy a pack once a fortnight and give away most of them, just leaving one or two for yourself. You deserve to have one, it's a perfectly normal food. Best of luck on your journey.

[rmnsuk in reply to Biblia]

No worries. I don't buy them often, hardly at all. It'll delay my weightloss, but I knew the consequences when I ate them, so I'd better just get back on track.

[iforsyth]

I fully agree. I have consistently lost 1-2lbs for the last 4 weeks by not banning any food but being aware of calorific value and watching portion size for everything - meals, snacks treats.

I've drank a lot more water and am more acutely aware of when I'm hungry & when I'm only thirsty. I think including exercise is also key. I've been using the MapmyWalk app to work out how many caI use on my daily brisk walk and have managed to increase my walking time from 30mins to 50mins. It all helps to keep me positive .

[elliebath Maintainer]

My view exactly !! And I've proven it can work as I've reached my goal and am maintaining my weight. My BMI is now 23, having lost 29 lbs slowly but steadily over 11 months, by allowing myself social drinks, party food, chocolate ...all in moderation, and counting every calorie on myfitnespal.

Sometimes I lost 1 lb a week, sometimes just 0.5 lbs, sometimes 0 ... but by living fairly "normally" I feel I can now maintain my new weight. Im 62 and feel ten years younger! ,

[fenbadger]

my doc would completely agree, as do I. going down is better than going up. Each pound is a small victory and each pound gives you more hope for quality of health and life time improvements (though nothing is guaranteed). You're also less likely to put it back on when you achieve target. Well done.

[Sopmarfree]

You have done really well!! I don't know how you calculate taking calories off for exercise though. Could you explain it for my benefit and anyone else who doesn't know please? What you have said makes a lot of sense! Good luck with your last little push😃😃😃😃

[Biblia in reply to Sopmarfree]

Hello sopmarfree,

Sorry if you wanted a different person to reply to your exercise question, I'm not used to forums.

If it's helpful, I work out my calories burned using the Nutracheck app. You can look up different types of exercise, or you can just enter pedometer steps. You can even enter different intensities of walking. I generally underestimate slightly on the calories burned if I'm not sure, which is partly why I'm losing weight a bit faster than I expected.

You don't need the paid version of this app (it's very expensive and by quarterly subscription), the free "lite" version they put you on after a week's trial still has this function.

[Sopmarfree in reply to Biblia]

I'm happy for anyone to reply and thank you for your advice. I'll look into that. Good luck to you on your journey and looking forward to hearing from you again.

[munstermaid]

I've also found that not banning any food has worked for me that way I've no massive cravings. I've just cut down on portion sizes and I write everything every time I eat or drink anything that way I don't suffer from calorific amnesia. Will check out the app you mention as always good to try something new. Good luck with the rest of your weight loss journey

[Penel]

Not sure that moderation works for everybody! After cutting down on sugary foods, I found that the only way to eliminate my craving was to cut it out completely. This has helped with weight loss and an improvement in my health.

I don't avoid all sugary foods now, if a friend makes cake to go with coffee I'm not going to turn it down, but I make sure that sugar is not a regular part of my eating plan. It's interesting how tastes change once you have been sugar free for a while, I recently had some shortbread, which I found I could not eat because there was too much sugar in it.

[Biblia]

That's really interesting, I have heard that sugar is basically addictive, so it makes sense. Perhaps you had to cure yourself of the addiction before eating any sugar again, so it didn't get out of hand. I'm going keep your experience in mind in case I get any cravings. Thanks.