Hello everyone. I just cannot seem to get going on this weight loss thing I'm afraid. I've been 'dieting' on and off for over 40 years and, to be honest, I'm just so fed up with it all. I want to be one stone slimmer and I do try and be careful and aware of what I'm eating but, approaching 60, it's harder than ever to loose anything at all and to keep a positive attitude to it all. I honestly feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle now. I really do not know what else I can do. And I'm a cook by day in my job, I don't even like cooking! If I could retire from it all I would and could have done before rules changed. I don't really eat much at work funnily enough but then come home hungry and portion control goes out the window.
Sorry for my rant but I'm fed up with it all today!😕
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Chrysanthemum
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I hope you have had chance to look at the links YellowRose suggested in your first post ☺ Did you sign up for the 12 week plan? You get weekly emails which are very helpful. If you have any questions about the forum or would like a Newbie badge please just ask ☺
Regarding your eating pattern, it must be difficult with your job 😕 Could you try eating a larger breakfast that would carry you through the day? And could you have your evening meal prepared beforehand? A slow cooker is really useful, or perhaps have meals in the freezer ☺
Getting started is the difficult bit, it does get easier with practice ☺
Thankyou Anna61 for your reply to my post. I must study the information but I've been shopping and bought loads of fruit and veg. I've got my juicer out and juice oranges so that I drink the juice in the evenings instead of my usual sweets.
I cannot keep weighing and measuring myself, I already run three times a week and take my dog out twice a day and I don't loose a pound in weight for doing that! I feel that I do try my best and feel exhausted after work and I still keep trying. Sometimes I think that if I don't try at all I might get somewhere!
I eat toast and low sugar marmalade for breakfast. Sometimes I have one of those porridge pots and fruit for lunch. My husband cooks the dinner. And we do a slow cook thing sometimes.
What I need is a new, positive, happy brain these days. I must be doing something wrong though. I estimate I eat around 1400 calories on average daily so that's not bad is it?
Have you used the online NHS BMI calculator, it will give you a range of calories that you can keep to, in order to lose weight at healthy level. It could be that your calorie intake may be too low, especially with the amount of running that you're doing.
When you're too low, your body can go into a starvation mode and start converting everything you eat into fat.
Hi. Firstly don't get down on yourself. A diet is a lonely journey thats why sites like this are so good because you can ask advice and get help. So you are making two classic mistakes that a lot of dieters make. Firstly you are not eating enough during the day. You have to think of your body like a car, if you want it to go on a journey you need to have some fuel or you wont get very far. It looks like you are eating 150 calories for Breakfast, 250 calories for lunch then a whopping 1000 calories for Dinner. Then going to bed. You need to spread you calories more evenly throughout the day. So try 4 meals of about 350 cals per meal. Slow cooked meals are great but try not to eat too much too late at night. Good suggestion about doubling the quantity of the slow cooked meal to give you lunch for the following day.
Your second mistake is thinking that you can exercise fat away. I am afraid it does not work like that. Diet loses the weight and exercise tones the body. Yes exercise helps by increasing the amount of calories you are burning but as you will hear a lot on this site, you can't out exercise a bad diet.
Be aware that sugar is sugar, whether it comes from sweets or fruit. drinking large portions of fruit done in a smoothie will still spike your insulin levels and will tie the body up burning all that before it starts on the other parts of your meal.
Try this for a couple of days. Breakfast two scrambled eggs on toast. Lunch Chicken breast with wholemeal rice and peas, snack of banana with LF yoghurt, then dinner slow cooked chilli with a small portion of rice and broccoli. You will be amazed how eating this way stops the craving.
Oh poor chrysanth, you're just having a bad day. Had a quick peep at your profile, you've been doing this for a couple of months now, so don't throw in the towel! Giving up is just punishing yourself further, and why should you do that?
Maybe you need to be a bit more religious about what you eat. Do you log everything? I tend to get a bit complacent about logging everything, and then wonder why there is no movement on the scales. So I log everything and shock myself each time about how much I mindlessly put in my mouth. You say you are a cook - have you tried chewing gum while you're cooking? Mint spoils your taste buds for snacking! And it might work when you get home too. Would it help to prepare the next night's meal after tea every night, so you can just come home and eat?
I'm sure others will have lots of tips to keep you motivated and to cheer you up. But don't give up now! 😊😊😊
Thankyou for your reply to my post. I like the idea of the chewing gum. I haven't chewed gum since I gave up smoking in 2004! I will give it a go as nothing else seems to be working!
Forgive me, I'm just having a bad day.
I haven't started doing this 12 week plan yet. To be quite honest I don't know where to start. i try everyday to eat and drink healthily.
Hello Chrysanthemum good to hear from you again even though you're fed up. You're definitely not ranting and can always voice your concerns to us. Lots of people here will have been exactly where you are now and will connect with what you're going through.
Are you following any particular eating plan? When I started I went from eating once a day in the evening to eating 3 times a day, which I think has been one of the biggest helps for me as I've felt a lot less like bingeing. I ask because you say you're coming home hungry and its so difficult to eat healthily if that's your starting point.
Did you read through the NHS 12 week plan? Even if you're not following it, there is lots of information and techniques to help reduce those moments and how to deal with them when they arise.
Hi Chrysanthemum - so glad you let that out- I think we've all had a moment like that at some point!
I'm sure everyone on here will be able to offer you some gems of wisdom but when I read your post it really made me think about when I first met my other half and he only ate once a day and now eats 3 times a day and is 2 1/2 stone lighter (without trying) - so I think as someone else shared- it may be worth considering when you're eating as well as what.
Chrysanthemum well done for having a good old rant, always helps to clear the mind
How about taking time to work out a menu for home. Write it all down, somehow it's easier not to eat the extras once it's in writing. Try having some protein for breakfast, maybe scrambled eggs. They will keep you full longer. How about taking in a lunch box for lunch time with something you would enjoy eating. I do realise you may not want much when you have been cooking all morning but something is better than nothing. Don't give in, just try making some adjustment and post as often as you need to
Hello Chrysanthemum, you do sound fed up. We all feel this way now and again but the trick is to not let it get you down. It is more difficult when you are older, I am 68 so I understand this. Why don't you try switching things up a bit to give your body a wake up call? Perhaps have eggs for breakfast and try cutting down on the carbs? Maybe have smaller portions of everything, with a large drink of water or tea before you eat to help you feel full. I don't know your circumstances but I find if I cook a meal for my husband and I it is easier to cook double portions then there is an extra meal ready and waiting for the next day or day after. (Some meals improve with time - especially curry). Please don't give up. We are all here to support you. Best wishes EJ
Hi I agree that eating protein for breakfast is a lot better because it will fill you up for longer. You also need to eat at work too otherwise you are letting yourself getting too hungry and because of low blood sugar will reach out for the nearest unhealthy food. It's a common trap which many people (including myself) fall into.
The answer is to eat regularly and keep your blood sugar up then you won't do this.
Hi Chrysanthemum. Have you thought of doing something completely different. After many years of trying to lose weight and finding I would lose a few pounds and then put them on again I started the 5:2 eating plan. I have found that this is the plan for me. When I first heard about it I thought "that will never work" but I am now over 2 stone lighter and so much healthier. I realise this may not work for everyone but it's worth considering.
I find the support I get from this site helps they say it take 3 months to form a habit so their are no quick fixes things I have found worth doing are using a smaller plate. I have an end goal and an end reward I reward myself with non food treats as I go on this journey. Its all about a positive mind set. I am not on a diet I am just getting healthier. We all have blips, don't Ber yourself up about them to much just learn from them. Good luck if you really want to loose weight you will
I'd just reiterate, have a look at the NHS bmi calculator to see your calorie allowance. Probably not eating enough, but also spread it across the day more.
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Ex smoker and foodie, desperate to lose some weight!
Its hard to add calories!!
