Hello

[Gracefituk]

I am trying to lose weight but it's so hard to count calories I would rather fast and eat two big meals does anyone have any advice tips or triks

[Hidden]

Take a look at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), or in the drop down on the 'Posts' page (it says 'arrange by'). Read the Welcome Newbie thread, then 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.

Take a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as a lot of people have been successful with it, making sure to enter your details into the NHS BMI calculator, to get a calorie allowance tailored to your personal requirements. 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.

To the right of the HOME page (bottom on a mobile), you'll find Events. In there, you'll find links to our daily Weigh-in's (you will choose just one day per week), our Daily Diary, where we post our menu and exercise plans, for accountability, advice and support and our “What's happening today” thread, where we pop in for a chat.

Be aware, that the HU app doesn't give you access to all of our important features, so we advise that you use the full website page.

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.

It's only left for me to wish you well on your journey

[FlowerPowerPixi]

Smaller meals are better than two large ones and if you only eat twice a day the body turns every thing you eat to fat and walking is a great way to keep in shape Good luck Getting a tracker could help you should do at least 10,000 steps or as many as you can and build up to that amount hope this helps x

[Eve60]

There is a free app for your phone called "Lose it" you can log your daily food intake and it tells you calories, you cam also scan barcodes of food which tells you the calories per portion, I'm finding it helpful so far

[Yeyeo]

I'm using a free app called MyFitnessPal, I've found it really useful for tracking calories. It works out the calories for you.

[13Valerie]

I downloaded a dree app called track which counts my calories for me. It's really simple to use and was a real eye opener for me to see what sixe a portion should be!!

Best wishes to you. There's great support here 😊

[ShortyS]

What do you mean by fast and eat two big meals? Do you mean eat within an 8 hour window and skip say breakfast? I don't find this works for me but I do fast on the 5-2 diet, eat normally 5 days (within reason) and fast two days (not together) say a Monday and a Thursday. But on your fast days you can only eat between 500-800 calories which some people find hard to stick to and it does involve a certain amount of calorie counting. I don't count calories but I stick to either a bought salad or hot meal with calorie allowance marked on it or I eat a small healthy meal that I know is unlikely to be over. I usually only eat one meal and save it for the evening, but some people eat a small lunch and tea. It works if I don't over indulge on the non-fast days but you need to find what works for you as not everyone is the same, the key to it is finding something you can stick at. I like fasting as it means I can still eat normally on other days without feeling restricted, but some people find it too hard on the 2 fast days. It does get easier the longer you do it... good luck hope this helps!

[Fran182716]

It wouldn't suit me but some people do really well with this pattern of eating, one of the ways of intermittent fasting. But you will only lose weight this way if it is a way of eating that suits you for sticking to the number of calories you need for weight loss. Depending on what foods/how much you eat at those two meals if they add up to more calories than you burn in a day then what time of day you eat them won't help. Can you log your food and work out your calories for a few weeks until you've got a reasonable idea of your usual foods? Then if you stick to the right size portions you might be able to do it without having to count everything.

[HubbysMissMouse]

If you look on the NHS bmi calculator it tells you how many calories you should eat between every day to be able to lose weight and if you eat less calories than this advises your body will think that you are starving it and will turn what your eating into body fat and this weighs more than eating the extra calories does so it stops you from losing weight and sometimes puts weight on instead. This is what I was doing for years before I was told about this when I joined here. I was so pleased to be advised about this and when I upped my calories to the right amount I finally started to lose weight and have now managed to lose 2 1/2st so far. P,ease don't make this same mistake. Good luck with your journey.