Weight loss books.. good or bad?

[littlejen2001]

I have gone through the whole weight loss thing before as 2 years ago I shredded 2 stone away from my body over 5 months and thought that that was me and made the mistake of thinking now it was gone it would stay off and then spent up until now stuffing my face with whatever until now I'm heavier than 2 years ago.

I felt that keeping a book that tracked my calories in and out, meals and activity per day (and weight per week) really kept me focused on my goals as I find it hard to keep to plans (such as the NHS 12 weeks plan) due to my busy environment.

I now realise from experience that once I shed the weight there are things I must do to keep it off but is it beneficial for me to continue to use this handwritten book method that worked for me last time or is it better to try a different form of portion and nutrition control? X

[Hidden]

I use the MyfitnessPal very easy to log calories - I started using the sheets that are in the NHS choices sheets

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello littlejen2001

Keeping the weight off is, in some ways, more difficult. I had to accept I will NEVER be able to take my eye off the ball, I plan meals and count calories and will need to do so for ever. However, it is second nature now, I plan meals and write a shopping list as part of my household budgeting.

We also have a wonderful Monthly Maintainers Club which is very inspiring 😊

[Pineapple27 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

I totally agree IndigoBlue61 . Once I reached my goal, I piled about 1.5 stone back on quite rapidly! Having lost that again, I am now much more mindful about keeping a strict eye on the ball! And yes, I have realised, it's likely to be forever now.....

[orcadiana]

I've a long way to go yet to reaching a healthy weight but past dieting experience tells me that this time the changes I am making must be for the rest of my life, and not something I can put aside when I reach my goal. Like you, I keep a book where I write down everything I eat, and use it for some meal planning.

Now I'm seven months in I've got a fairly good idea of how many calories I should allow for each meal, and have reduced snacking almost to nil. I will have to adjust this as I lose more weight, and experiment when I get to target in order to maintain (I am absolutely determined this is the last time I'll yo-yo!). Good luck!

[SukiV]

Hello littlejen2001 I guess whatever works for you is the best solution. If it becomes hard work then you might feel it's a chore that's when things slip. Like cracker10 I use MyFitnessPal 1) because it's really easy to use and 2) so I don't need to work out the calories on food. I often use the scanner feature which is really accurate for how many calories are in food.

I track everyday and find it's just part of my daily routine now. I try my best to plan meals but that doesn't always work especially at work so I use MyFitnessPal to search how many calories are in food so I can choose the best option. It's surprising sometimes you think things are low in calories and they're not.

Good luck lets us know how you get on.