Confused dot com

[DaphneAnne]

I have read so many articles about eating healthily which conflict with and contradict each other I no longer know what to eat. I end up eating junk. I have 7 children and always cooked everything from scratch. Now they are between I am no longer interested in cooking. So these are obstacles.

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome

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.

Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as many people have had success with it. Also use the BMI (can be found in the pinned Newbie post) 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 😊

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 - which is great to get ideas of what other people are eating and I have to confess to nicking some of their menu's 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 😊

Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey

[IndigoBlue61]

Good morning DaphneAnne

It can seem a little confusing but the main problem I had was portion control (or lack of it)

Have a read of all the suggestions Cracker has given you and please ask if you have any questions 😊

[nteapea]

Hi DaphneAnne it is so confusing I have tried so many different things over the years but the ideas behind the NHS 12 week plan made so much sense to me and I have managed to stick at it for 15 months and am close to losing 2 stone. I was so busy that I had stopped cooking good meals but I bought some new cook books hairy dieters and a pressure cooker and have developed a real interest in cooking again. Maybe try a new cook book and see if it reignites you 😀

[Hidden in reply to nteapea]

Love those Hairy Dieters! Avoid all processed foods, cook everything from scratch, DaphneAnne and increase your fruit and veg intake. That's the best advice I can give regarding what's healthy and what's not.

[Rignold 3kg]

There is a lot of conflicting nutrition advice out there, but avoidance of junk is usually a common theme.

[DartmoorDumpling Restart Feb 2024]

Look at your body and your lifestyle ....what does it need? Go back to a more natural way of eating where possible; foods that grow, swim, run, hang on trees or bushes, come out of the ground. These are what humans were meant to eat! A good variety of foods, different colours and flavours and you can't go far wrong. Watch the portion sizes and avoid highly processed foods. Take some time out for yourself when you can - bringing up a large family is exhausting in itself!

[James40Cheshire]

HI there, whatever you do needs to be sustainable. So a complete lifestyle change in one fell swoop is unlikely to be realistic, unless you are super human. Why not start with a target of 3 healthy home cooked meals per week and see where that takes you. Everyone above is absolutely right cut out the junk as the first priority. Yes you may not quite get the meal content or quantities right at first, but that only needs minor tweaking to put right. Good luck with it. James

[Gottodothis]

If you can down load an app called myfitnesspal I could not manage without it, shows you carbs protein etc.

I hired a trainer who said you need good fats, carbs but from veg etc not much spuds bread pasta and plenty of protein.

Good luck

[Hidden]

You can do it. I bet you know what's healthy. After a while the junk won't even appeal to you.

[HubbysMissMouse]

At least make sure you eat right amount of calories advised by the NHS bmi calculator as this gives personal amounts for each person. Although you can still use the MyFitnessPal to work out calories continue amounts past their total to the amount advised by the bmi calculator because the amounts advised by MyFitnessPal are only average amounts and cause problems for many with losing weights. I never used to lose any weights before because I never ate enough calories and my body thought I was starving it and turned everything I did eat into body fat and this weighs more than eating the extra calories does so it stops me from losing weight and sometimes puts weight on instead. Please don't make this same mistake. Good luck with your journey.