confused

[vivienann1]

Im struggling every diet your about to start and you get into mind set Then in the press someone tells us this or that is bad for us leaving me totally confused Im thinking go back to the old way of counting calories

[Ceals]

Hi vivienann1 I think there is nothing wrong with counting calories, indeed I do it. I really think we all have to decide what works for us. Lots of people on here have different ways of doing things because it works for them, and people chop and change to mix things up a bit.

Whatever you decide is right for you believe in it and enjoy it. The press sometimes have a vested interest in promoting something or denigrating something and few of us have access to the research papers that bits of information are extrapolated from. Also, of course the diet industry is massive and needs to keep us wanting to buy their latest miracle cure-gosh I sound cynical, and in truth I am, about the diet industry that is.

You mentioned having the right mindset and I think this is key. As is enjoying your weight loss journey. I am trying to make mine an adventure of different foods. Fingers crossed, it just might work out.

Take care and enjoy your journey.

[vivienann1 in reply to Ceals]

Thank you so much for your advice I think stress blows it for me But i have to do this i have always been so strong in the past but these days since i retired i seem to give up to easily

[Ceals in reply to vivienann1]

vivienann1 why not have a look at the Happiness Challenge, it is one of the daily pinned posts. I find it really helpful, it is almost like a mini community which is focused on positive thinking.

Take care and keep in touch with the forum, it is very friendly and supportive.

[PTKeith]

Hi. Nothing wrong with counting calories. I do it for all my clients. Newspapers have to sell, if the headline said, "nothing new has happened today so carry on as normal" nobody would buy the paper. So they come up with idiotic headlines like, Don't eat superfoods, don't eat chicken, don't eat eggs, walking is better exercise than going to the gym, Freddy Starr ate my Hampster!! et al!

Most of the people I am fans of with regard to weight loss all say to weigh food and work out exactly how much you are eating. Then if you lose weight you know exactly the formula that got you there. However don't just stop at calories work out the Macro-nutrient amounts as well. So if you have a 125g of Chicken if will give you 132 cals and 1.4 g of fat and 30g of Protein and 0g of carbs, if you have this with 125g of wholemeal rice this will give you 192 cals 1.8g of fat, 4.9g of Protein and 37.8g of carbs. So you have a meal of 324 cals, 3.2g of fat, 34.9g of Protein and 37.8g of carbs. Well thats what I had for lunch, oh and some broccoli. If you use myfitnesspal App on your phone it can do a lot of this automatically.

Remember no matter what system you use, you just have to commit to it! see yourself slim and GO FOR IT! best of luck

[vivienann1 in reply to PTKeith]

Thank you Keith for replying to me i have taken on board everything you have said

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello vivienann1 😊

Welcome to the Weight Loss NHS forum. I'm glad that you’ve joined. We are a friendly bunch! 😊

First place to look is at the Pinned Posts section, to the right of your screen (bottom, if you're using a mobile) and have a look at the Welcome Newbies thread.😊 there is lots of info here, and links to the nhs12 week plan and also for checking your BMR and target calories 😊 it's important to eat enough so you don't get hungry or feel deprived 😊

There are weigh-in groups everyday of the week so please feel free join on whatever day suits you best 😊

There are also achievement badges, the grey box next to your name, to encourage you along the way, as well as a Newbie badge that you can wear for 12 weeks 😊

The forum has group weigh-ins on 7 days of the week that you are welcome to join. They are posted at 10pm the night before. Look out for them on your news feed or in the 'events' section on the Home page.

It's also good to be active on the forum, that's where we exchange ideas and get our daily dose of motivation and inspiration.😊

If you have any questions or would like a badge just ask 😊

Best wishes

Anna




[Claz]

i used to be like you too.. jumping from 1 diet to the next and wondered why i never stuck to it.. you just got to find a diet that works for you longterm / works around your lifestyle and stick with it... it took me a while to get my head round it but i eat low carb now and have done for a couple of months and now the weight is steadily coming off at roughly 7lbs a month.

What ever you decide to do give yourself at least 3mths before switching to a different plan if its not working but have the mindset that this isnt a DIET its a lifestyle change and find one you could stick to to achieve your longterm goals.

[vivienann1 in reply to Claz]

Thank you for your advice its appreciated really is

[kantara71]

I know what you mean about the different types of diet. Calorie counting works for me as well as cutting down on potato rice pasta and bread. Get your carbs from veggies that grow above the ground and cut out sugar and processed foods. Alcohol will make loosing weight difficult so cut down on this too. You will find out what works best for you, ignore the fad diets and fake news headlines! Good luck 😊

[ceejayblue]

Counting calories is a pain sometimes but it does focus you. I try to eat using the freedom eating method - eat only when hungry on a level 6 (1-10), eat till satisfied not full or bloated, leave something on your plate its not essential that you eat everything. I also try to exercise every day, even if its only a walk but after trying so hard for a long time, I'm going back to counting my carbs and calories too (I'm T2 diabetic and in control).

We all know what we should and shouldn't eat, we all know that eating off a smaller plate helps with portion control and we all know that we should exercise more. However, getting it all to fit together and get good results can be extremely hard for some of us. I'm constantly fighting my weight, I know I'm overweight because I eat too much and don't exercise enough. I'm changing that outlook and belong to a couple of Facebook groups that give me support. However, I do not set myself unreachable goals, I am looking at the long run not the 100m sprint.

I'm back to logging my food on My Fitness Pal because that's what makes me stick to things better, but I am still trying to stick to the principles of Freedom Eating (Till the Fat Lady Slims Books by Debbie Flint are very good at explaining it all).

I watch the programmes that say this is good, this is bad and then a few weeks later another research project turns it all on its head. So last week coffee was bad for us, this week its good, at the moment the sugar is bad for us research is frightening people into giving up sugar altogether, but for the majority of us that's not necessarily as easy as they make it sound. I was advised by people on a group that taking Omega 3 oils and probiotics were amazing and so good for my gut and my well being. I was on them for 4 months and had a very low period of anxiety and depression (my just have been a coincidence but my mood lifted when I stopped them). I am on Vit B12 injections because my diabetes meds stopped the absorption of it by my body and I'm on Vit D prescribed tablets because my 6 monthly diabetic blood tests showed it up. I would never take a supplement without my GP having tested me to see if I needed it.

So, my advice is, if calorie counting works for you, then that's brilliant, do it. If you think about all the research and scientific findings about food and it worries you just eat in moderation. No food is a really bad food, you can put on weight eating too much of anything

[Penel in reply to ceejayblue]

Bad luck with the probiotics and omega 3. They do seem to help some people. Having listened to a recent talk by Alessio Fasano, who has studied leaky gut for several years, he advised avoiding probiotic supplements but instead to try eating fermented foods, to improve gut health.

[Eh15 7lbs]

Thanks ceejayblue. I've never really settled to a specific way of eating but find that moderation helps me to at least not put any more weight on. Somehow, the 'right time' never seems to arrive. Perhaps it's time to bite the bullet.

[Pineapple27]

It's ok to chop and change what you are doing and it's what keeps you on track and losing! If we were all to eat the same old thing, day in, day out... we would soon lose interest in food altogether!

We are lucky in that food here does offer so much variety and choice and even for those people who aren't keen on cooking - there are lots of healthy options available to select from.

As other posters have said - you need to do whatever works best for you. For example, I don't have breakfast because I don't want it. I exercise for an hour in the morning and don't want to eat before or for about an hour or two afterwards. Having said that, I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn and am sedentary because of disability. Someone like my sister who is constantly on the go and very active has a proper breakfast each day and gets all shaky if she doesn't have elevensies!

I posted in response to someones post yesterday about the fact that during the 5 years I have been losing weight, I have constantly changed what I am doing, eating... at the moment I am limiting my carbs so cut out bread, potatoes, rice, pasta... as well as anything that contains added sugar. I haven't got much to lose and am struggling and this way of eating seems to work for me.

Sorry that you're feeling confused by all that you read and hear - the main thing is to just keep on going!

[Penel]

Hi Vivien

There have been a few studies that have looked at a variety of ways of eating, to see which one was best. They all have some things in common. This article sums up the study, perhaps it might be helpful to you.

theatlantic.com/health/arch...

"A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention."

What you eat is as important as how much you eat. If counting calories helps you to eat a healthy diet, then go with it.