Hi, I have just joined and am trying to get to grips with the site. Have read the newbie pinned post.
I have been a slimming world member for 5 years got to target after losing almost 3 stone. Maintained for 3 years. then had to start some medication, my weight slowly went up and up. Have now put on 18lb, been trying to loose since after Christmas, but nothing has happened, I feel like ive lost control. I have got seriously obsessed, weighing myself constantly, under eating, over eating, bought slimming pills, its as if im scared to try anything else, frightened I might put more weight on. I have got myself into a right mess.
Feel like im missing something with this plan!!!! Is there actually anywhere that says eg breakfast 2 Weetabix with milk is xx calories??? etc, etc.... Not sure where to look, or if im missing something??
One of the links took me to change for life which shows suggestions for breakfast, lunch etc... but no calories on there!!! Im stuck......any help would be appreciated please.
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You have lost weight before and you can do it again 😊 The support on here is great 😊
the trick is finding an eating plan that suits you. If you have used SW before and know that plan could you use that again?
I don't use the NHS 12 week plan so can't advise on that, maybe someone else can help?
I follow a plan run by my local hospital, very similar to the British heart foundation plan, details available on their website, 😊 food is broken down into "portions" and you are allowed X number of each group in a day. (fruit/carbs/protein etc)
You have made the first step 😊 And are right to try to stop the roller coaster of crash dieting/bingeing 😊
The 12 week plan is not prescriptive because it is all about changes for life that are sustainable. What is good for one person isn't necessarily liked by another.
I downloaded a free app called myfitnesspal which helps to calculate nutrition as well as calories. I did the 12 week plan and also cut out refined sugar. This meant I could eat more nutrient rich filling foods so I never went hungry. I am maintaining my goal weight and now have sugar only on celebration days. ( Christmas, birthdays, weddings and the like )
Myfitnesspal is easy to use. It even has a barcode scanner so you can quickly calculate what you consume, you can also log exercise.
I also recommend cycling your calories. Use the nhs bmi calculator to find how many calories you can have and multiply it by 7. Then spread those calories across a week. Doing this really helped me as if I knew that I was going to eat out, was having a social event I could save calories for that day and didn't feel I had blown it. Don't ever go below 1000 calories and don't have low calorie days when you do most exercise. Eg I was on 1400 per day so Monday 1000, Tues 1200, weds 1400, Thurs 1200, Friday 1600,Saturday 1800 Sunday 1600. Totalled 7 x 1400. This really helped psychologically and there are other benefits as your body never goes into starvation mode holding onto fat reserves. (Google calorie cycling ).
This made it sustainable and I still weigh in weekly but have been below my goal weight since end of September. I still cycle calories really enjoying meals out etc but then reigning back in.
You have done it before, you can do it again. Keep going .
I think using an app alongside the NHS 12 week plan is helpful - something like Myfitnesspal is good as it helps to keep track of food and drink intake, as well as exercise.
Also, I know you've seen the Welcome Newbie thread, but if you'd like to read the latest Monday group weigh-in thread, here is a link:
The Afternoon/Evening session will be posted at midday, so we do cater for preference in terms of time of day to weigh, or when people want to report back their results - as we know many people like to come back from work and report during the evenings etc.
If you would like to join us in that group, you'd be very welcome. Everyone is welcome and it is a supportive group.
Some people use apps but I use a wee book called 'Pocket Calorie counter'. I plan my meals and work out the calories. Started with the 12 week plan originally. Also on this page on the right hand side (scroll down) is a calorie checker.
I think you have hit on the one problem with SW, it does not develop your kcal knowledge and portion knowledge as some other systems do. But all plans work if you do them and if you think back to the principles you learned with SW, you won't go far wrong, eating wise.
As you are nearly at goal (after all what is a stone between friends?), there should be nothing wrong with you having the 1,900 kcal for men or the 1.400 kcal for women that the NHS plan suggests. Portion sizes will start to make sense to fit into your kcal allowance. So, you have avoided the problems with packaged food like cereals, by wisely going for a ready portioned one in Weetabix. If you take it gradually and eat sensibly, as you already know how to do, and write down what you've eaten, then move onto writing down the kcal of your portion, you will soon get the hang of it.
I suggest, if you want a change of breakfasts that you look at the sugar free, high fibre 100% whole grain options like porridge, puffed wheat and shredded wheat. 30/40g is a good sized portion to start with. Consider adding skimmed milk/zero fat plain yogurt and fruit to your cereal. Poached eggs make a good breakfast on whole wheat bread, if you like that. When you have more time or are extra hungry, consider lean bacon, a couple of poached eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and a slice of toast.
For lunch your easiest option is probably a sandwich made with ready sliced wholemeal bread, lean meat and as much salad as you can fit in or pickled veg are useful too. I use mustard instead of butter, just a little! There are loads of different ones ready made. Some of the very low fat salad dressings are good too. I like some of the Sainsbury's Good for Yourself bottled ones, also Lidl offer an extra light mayonnaise.
I always work in teaspoons for any fats, oils, dressings or table sauces that are ready made. Safer if you have a 5ml measuring teaspoon as the ones in the cutlery drawer are all different sizes.
For dinner just go with the meat and two veg options, but maybe add an extra veg. Or fish is a great option too. I top and tail dinner and lunch with a homemade veg soup and a fruity pud if I am feeling hungry.
Hope that gets you started. You can learn to tweak as you go. Once you start being comfortable with kcal, you will have all the tools to introduce even more variety. Try your own portion sizes initially but weigh or measure them so you know what you are having. If you need or want to cut back later, I find around 100g of meat or fish is enough, so I shared a gammon steak yesterday giving me 85g whereas before I would have automatically had a whole one. 20-40g of hard cheese seems right. With the low fat options, I tend to work in 50g or flat tbsp but often have 2 portions!
I think you just need to get your confidence back. Panic has us rushing around without knowing what we are doing. You know you can do it because you have done it successfully before. I am full of admiration that you realised you needed to get a grip when you had only put on 18lbs. For most of us of a certain age, we have put on all we have lost plus a stone before we grit our teeth and start again.
Sorry I've gone on (and on and on!) but I recognised your feelings as I have been a bit like that too. I got to goal with WW about a year ago but I was only at goal for all of one week. My goal was half way up my BMI range. I never managed to maintain, but went up again. I seem able to hover within the BMI range, so not a massive problem, but want to lose 9lb to get bang on goal before learning to maintain. It's almost like we prefer slimming to stability so we put a little back on so that we can go back to our slimming comfort zone. We know what to do then. Hey ho. All this insight still doesn't make it happen. I have had to face up to being a remedial slimmer. I have to get it wrong a lot before I can get it right. Together we can do it. Hope your first week is as good as your first day sounded.
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