Keeping Tabs on what I eat

[Greyone]

Not sure it is always such a good idea to start things on the first but here goes. Although I'm starting to eat healthy and I'm up to 3 fruit and veg a day now, to aid my weight loss, I'm going to write down everything I eat because I'm eating too many things like rich tea and naughty things like chocolate and ice cream between meals which means they don't get counted yet. Has any one else every found that this works for them ?

[Hedgehog17]

Yes definitely, it made me much more knowledgeable about what I was really eating and also I found that sometimes the idea that I was going to put down in writing what I was eating stopped me from eating it in the first place!

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello Greyone and welcome to the Weight Loss Forum

Keeping a food diary is vital to keeping track of what you have eaten and is an excellent starting point for your weight loss journey 😊

Here are a few suggestions on how to get the most out of the forum. Please note if you are using the new HU App many of these features are not available so I suggest you use the full website version.

The first place to look is at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), read the Welcome Newbie thread first and move through to the challenges, where we hope you'll find at least one that will appeal to you. Move down to the Topics, to find a variety of threads, collated into specific topics for ease of access and we ask that you also 'file' your own threads, so that others won't miss your important news

Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as many people have had success with it. Also use the BMI checker to find your target calories, it's important to eat enough. This was a major turning point for me, realising I could eat anything I wanted as long as the calories are accounted for. Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate

The forum also have group weigh-ins every day, as well as a new Daily Diary, if you wish to take part. The posts can always be found in the Events section on the 'home' page. And if you just want to chat, to say hello or share any news or struggles then look out for What's Happening Today thread.

You'll notice a grey box next to people's names, these are achievement badges, and as a new member you have a 'Newbie' badge. We've found that to get the best out of this community, we need to be active on the forum, as it's where we exchange information, get motivation and inspiration and make friends. We hope that you'll join us here, regularly, too. If you have any questions please just ask

Best wishes

Anna

[Greyone in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks for all that good stuff, it'll probably take me a while to get through it all.

I have to say that the start of my journey was in November last year but i've not been too hot on the challenge of loosing 10lb. My problem is that my weight bounces up and down and goes from -6 lbs to -2 lb. At the moment i'm -4lb.

I wont be using the HU App because my phone is not smart enough for that sort of thing, but i prefer to record my stuff on a spreadsheet so i can draw my own graphs.

I used to weigh myself on Monday morning but because that comes after silly saturday and naughty Sunday , i now weigh myself on Friday night before tea and with doing it weekly i dont get too obsessed about it.

The before picture isnt a problem. I had some pro photos taken in April this year and when I'm disappointed, i run the slideshow and remind myself they dont look half bad.

I've printed off your reply so i can go through it bit by bit and try bits out. I think that my first problem is likely to be that snacking is filling hunger gaps.

Speak choo again soon.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Greyone]

I use my iPad as well as my phone but the App has many limitations, so try to stick to the main Website or you won't be able to see all the facilities 😊

Take your time to have a good read of all the suggestions and links, especially important is eating the correct number of calories. My previous attempts at weight loss were just the same as yours, but this time has been much more successful, I believe, through eating the correct calories, much higher than I had eaten before.

Good luck and please ask if you have any questions Greyone 😊

[Greyone in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Hi

Where can i find this "full website version." you mentioned in your reply pls ?

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Greyone]

If you access the forum via your normal internet browser (Firefox/chrome/safari) you will be viewing the normal website 😊 You have to download the HU App via your App Store, and like most Apps it provides a scaled down version for mobile devices.

[Greyone in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Oh my we cant seem to get away from those smartie pants apps can we <very frowny face>

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Greyone]

I personally don't like Apps in general, but I suppose they're good for youngsters accessing on their phones and using mobile data 😕 They do seem to be the way of the future

[Kimbell3]

I write everything down with calories. It helps me.

[Minniewinny 5 stone Maintainer]

I have a dairy and since I joined here in January I've kept a diary of everything eaten and drunk.. I find it makes me more accountable to me.

Since the daily diary started in May, it's helped me learn how to plan ahead and make better choices within my calorie range.. Could that help you?

Academic diarys are available now, so you could get and use one for the next year?

[Greyone in reply to Minniewinny]

I have too admit that I have yet to do any serious calorie counting, may have to start that as well <frowny face>. Is it possible to do that with any sense of accuracy do you think ? Mmmm this may have to be a gradual thing....

It's gone 8:30pm so time to get ready for a good nites sleep. Much as I enjoy being here I'm going to try to avoid posting at 2:30 in the morning.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Greyone]

It does get addictive Greyone !!! 😊

[blackbeauty99 in reply to Greyone]

I write everything down, when i am having good days. Yes i would try and avoid posting at that time of night but i have done, i did with my last post what you replied to lol. I am making sure i get to sleep earlier tonight.

[Greyone in reply to blackbeauty99]

I had a good sleep last night because I remembered to shut my laptop down at 8:45pm then I had 30 minutes of listening to an old favourite on my I-pod. That's what I try to do every Monday now. For every other evening i'm going to try reading because I don't do enough of that.

I wouldn't normally dream of posting at night but I like to unload my head if something creeps in because tiredness makes its own problems for us. So I was happy to reply to your post because I think that helped me. Hope you had a good night's sleep last night like me.

[Dipper]

Hi Greyone I use a food diary and it works wonders for me. I record everything I eat and drink and tally up how many of my five a day that I have. It is usually well over five as I am a pescatarian. I also record any exercise that I do and also how I feel. At the back of the diary I record my weight loss on a weekly basis and I measure myself and record my BMI every three months approx. I hate having to record unhealthy foods in my diary and this is usually enough to stop me from having them. However if I do eat something that is not healthy I don't beat myself up I simply get back on track the next day, Good luck on your journey.

[Greyone in reply to Dipper]

Thanks. Glad to here that you are doing well with your 5-a-day. According to a recent NHS announcement I think only 1 in 4 get their 5-a-day. I'm finally stabilising at 3 <frowny face> because I went over the top 9 months ago and had to pull back. Like you i'm not into beating myself up over it and I find that helps because I'm more inclined to be honest. At the moment my bad habit is handfuls of rich tea. Cold be worse I suppose. Thx for posting.

[Greyone]

Good grief, did I really say that a year ago. I am pleased and relieved to say that my year of healthy eating went well. After two and a half years I was genuinely surprised to see the benefits. Especially since I'm no longer borderline diabetes, down now to 37. The only fly int he ointment was that a year earlier I scored 40 and my doctor didn't tell me. Today on the scales I am 11stone, supposed to be my ideal weight.

What makes me laugh now is that I had no plan to lose weight. only the 10lb they asked me to lose. All I wanted to do was eat healthy like you guys. But I am a happier and lighter person and now have just moved on to a few improvements in what I eat.

I've just voted for 'other', I have not decided on my resolutions yet in the recent poll. But now I guess what my resolution has to be now. Thank you to everyone keeping me company on this journey. <smiley face>.