How Are You Starting Your Weightloss Journey?

[GingerCatJayne]

Dear Ladies and Gents,

So you have decided you need to kick start the weight loss journey and eat better. How does the journey begin for you?

J x

[arikuja]

Hi Jayne!

I started with creating a meal plan. I looked up my daily calorie allowance with the NHS BMI calculator and wrote down some ideas for the week. Some websites and books already give you a calorie count per serving which makes it easier (I often use BBC Good Food). I use MyFitnessPal to keep track of calories throughout the day. In my experience, it's best to plan for the whole week, but have an emergency stash of quick healthy food in case things change.

If you're unsure about which foods to choose, have a browse through the NHS 12 week plan and the NHS Live Well website. Veggies, fish, and lean meat are always a good place to start I also started eating a lot more dairy like natural or Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese to fill up with protein.

I was also realistic and allowed myself some leeway. For me that meant including some more-or-less healthy snacks in my meal plan - after all, Rome wasn't built in one day I cut off the snacks that I felt I was addicted to (potato crisps, ice cream) and replaced them with some lower calorie alternatives (air popped snacks, ice lollies). This made it easier for me to keep to my daily calorie allowance and less likely to go on a binge.

And if (like me) you go over your allowance sometimes, don't give up! We don't have to eat perfectly healthy 100% of the time, as long as in the long run we stick to nutritionally balanced meals

I just realised that this was all about eating. Of course, exercise is a must as well, even if that means walking a bit more every day

Hope you find some of this useful and good luck!

[GingerCatJayne in reply to arikuja]

Thank you and what a good approach. I have recently re-joined Slimming World, but have found their plans too generalised and restrictive. I miss their green days, which was ideal for me because I am a vegetarian; the foods that were free then are now syns! I have found Weight Loss Resources to be a good website. Let's keep in touch and share our experiences and jolly each other along! J x

[Claire2stone]

Hi Jayne and welcome to this very friendly forum 😀 my weight loss journey started 13 wks ago at 12st9lb and weighed in last Monday at 11st3lbs. So chuffed with my achievements so far. Ive enjoyed it so much that I have restarted the nhs12wk plan to make sure it's something that will stick with me for life. I have struggled with the exercise but walk loads and try to do a dvd work out but struggle with time. I am starting the couch to 5k on Monday (one of the new challenges on this forum) to boost my exercise as I walk my dog nearly every evening anyway so we will both run 🐕 (if I can get him to stop sniffing). I hope you find this forum as helpfull and motivating as I have I don't think I would have achieved so much without it 😀 Good luck and as we say ... onwards and downwards. Claire x

[GingerCatJayne in reply to Claire2stone]

Hi Claire,

Lovely to meet you. I know I will be here for a while ... I have a lot of weight to lose, according to the BMI!

But, I intend to start slowly with exercise using my Body Blade, and then I would like to tone up at the gym.

J x

[Claire2stone in reply to GingerCatJayne]

Sounds like a good plan 😀 Keep us posted with your journey. Claire x