Starter help

[Pringles]

Hi all I'm really struggling to even get off the ground with this.... Feeling desperate as I'm very unhappy with my weight and just don't get the calorie thingy!.... Pls any good advice???

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Pringles,

Welcome to the Weight Loss NHS forum. I'm sorry to hear you're struggling at the moment, but hopefully when you get used to finding your way around the forum, you'll find plenty of motivating threads and posts, and gain some support on your journey. Have you seen our Pinned posts area? It's in the top right-hand-side of the homepage, and in particular I'd recommend the Welcome Newbie post - which moreless has collated, and it's a great starting point, as it mentions many things that people enjoy in the forum.

There are other posts there which are various Challenges, so do join in with anything you like the look of.

I would recommend the NHS 12 week plan as a good structure and full of helpful suggestions, and there is a link to that in the Welcome Newbie post, or you can click on the icon above, labelled Weight Loss NHS and get to it that way, via a few access pages.

Good luck Pringles, and I hope you have a great week.

Lowcal

[suzybenj]

I would also check out low calls Monday weighin - where there a couple of threads- of folk who have started sometime ago - and through the support here have made a great success of losing weight.

I would start as Lowcal says with an orientation of the NHS 12 week plan - and get your 'headspace' in a place to think about what you want to achieve and where to start. You will get lots of support - so do ask...

Good luck

[Annde70]

I don't really understand your statement about not getting 'the calorie thingy'. Do you mean you don't know what calories are?

Assuming this is what you mean the simple explanation is that Calories are fuel, all foods provide calories, some more than others. Your body needs calories to function, much in the same way as a car needs fuel to run. However if you eat too many calories your body stores them as fat, this is why you need to restrict the number of calories you consume each day. Every body uses different quantities of calories each day dependant on many factors including sex, age, height, activity levels and many other factors. It therefore follows that it is advisable to check your individual needs before you can work out how much you can eat each day to either maintain your weight or lose weight.

3500 calories equates to 1lb of fat so to lose 1lb a week you need to eat 3500 less calories a week (or 500 a day) less than your body needs to run

[suzybenj in reply to Annde70]

Great reminder on losing a pound we need to drop 3500 calories is some way.....

[Pringles in reply to Annde70]

Thank u for explaining that.... I just feel so intimidated with working out calories.... I've never done it this way before 👍🏻

[Flashkelly]

Hi, this is how I'm doing it. Checked my BMI on the counter, worked out a sensible goal to lose weight, something obtainable not ridiculous. Then using a notebook I've just checked everything I've eaten for its calorie content (it's on the food labels, also I use the NHS calorie counter which gives you an items calorie content)

At the end of the day I then add up the calories. The aim is to try and just be under the recommended calorie count per day, as suggested by BMI result.

The exercise I'm getting is from, walking around more, gardening and cleaning. Not a big fan of exercise class's so just making sure I'm moving more than usual.

Hope this helps.😃

[Pringles]

Thanks..... 😊

[Osiris275]

HI and welcome! I'm new to this site too, only joined yesterday, but I've been losing weight since February 2015. The first few weeks are definitely the hardest as you learn a whole new way of eating and your body adjusts to it. But once you get on track, it gets much easier.

I use MyFitnessPal app to track all my calories, some things are eye openers when it comes to calories! It's worth downloading the app if you can because it will calculate your daily calories to help you stick to to lose weight. I honestly couldn't have done without it.

Take each day at a time, and remember, you don't need to cut anything out if you don't want to. Losing weight isn't about a diet and restriction, it's about a change of lifestyle. You can do it! I never believed I could and there's nearly 6 stone less of me since I started.

Good luck!

[Claire2stone]

Hello Pringles 😀 love your name and love pringles .... one of the reasons I'm here 😂 lol.

Firstly thankyou for following me and I hope I can help you on your journey.

I'm sorry your struggling a little with calories. It is a bit of a head ache to start. I have the app myfitnesspal and this helps me log calories and it also has a helpfully barcode function and you just change portion size. Or you can just keep a track of your meals on good old pen and paper. Try to be truthfull with your amounts and weigh portions of pasta, rice etc as it's easy to over guess portion sizes.

Follow the nhs12wk plan, fill in yhe sheets and keep reading the posts on here. They are both full of information, tips, Advice and motivation.

Don't be afraid to post any questions we are allways here.

Good luck. Claire x

[esull]

Hi Pringles,

Today is my first day dieting and i know how you feel as the first couple of weeks i know i will struggle as i won't see any results straight away :-(.

I think this site will be a great help to you as there is lots of support, also rather than just focus on calories limit your portion sizes. I find it much easier to eat little and often rather than trying to stick to breakfast, lunch and dinner as i always want to give in and snack inbetween.

Hope this helps you to get motivated

[Annde70]

If you count your calories you will automatically reduce your portion size. Try to plan ahead. Work out how many calories you want to allocate to each meal and a couple of hundred for snacks if you need them. Don't forget that things like sauces and gravy can have a very high calorie count so make sure you factor them in to your plans

[Pringles]

Thank u to everyone... The support is greatly appreciated and u've all made me feel loads better