Hiya gang, just starting the new regime and honestly don't know where to begin.
It's strange that I have to stop eating all the stuff I like! But I know I have to do this for my own good.
I'm stuck on portion sizes, how do I know what a portion size is?
That is a really good question, and one I've struggled with for a while! I know that a portion of fruit or vegetables is generally said to be "a handful", but it's so imprecise I'm not really sure what it means.
I used My Fitness Pal for guidance on what I should be eating at my size in order to try to lose weight, and it gave me a calorie estimate of 500 for breakfast, 500 for lunch and 800 for dinner. (Note: this was only accurate for me, and may not be applicable to you!)
I started weighing foods and getting a real feel for how many calories are in everyday things, and eventually worked out that a good daily amount of food for me is the following:
Breakfast: one bowl of porridge (ready-made sachets) made with red-top milk
Snacks: 10-15 grapes
Lunch: a 200g salad bowl (a mix of salad leaves, peppers, boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, etc.), apple, banana, pasta mug shot
Dinner: something that totals ~800 calories.
It's taken weeks and weeks to get to this stage, though, and it isn't at all intuitive at first. Stick with it and I'm sure you'll do really well.
I hope my answer has helped in some way; I know it's not quite what you asked.
Thanks for the reply, it sounds like I'm going to have a struggle until I'm in the zone lol.
Aw, sorry, I didn't mean to be off-putting! You can absolutely do this. I have found that fruit is really filling when you want a snack - even just making small changes like eating fruit instead of something less healthy is a great start. 
Hiya, don't be sorry, I appreciated the reply and it was informative.
I just have a lot to learn.
Hello Marty60 and welcome.
I assume you mean you're starting the NHS 12 week plan. You need to start by getting your own calorie allowance from the NHS BMI calculator nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-we... It will give you a range and we generally advise starting towards the top of that range. The aim is to lose around 1-2 lbs.0.5-1kg per week.
It's up to you how you use those calories but if you're aiming for a healthier lifestyle, there may well be things you need to reduce or ditch. You don't have to do everything at once. Go for fresh food, avoid processed and anything labelled "diet" or "low fat" or "lite" - they will all have been heavily processed.
If you follow this link healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... you’ll find a list of all the forum has to offer. The best advice I can give is to get involved as much as possible.
Our Newbie Pack explains more and will help you find your way around healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
We also ask that you read this information about internet privacy and security healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
I see you have not locked your post. This means that it, and any replies, can be shared around the Internet by Twitter, Facebook etc (see the logos below your post); for this reason, some members are unwilling to reply to unlocked posts.
Wishing you all the best and I hope you become an active member of the forum 😊
By the way, it would be interesting to know how you found your way to this forum
Hiya, thanks for your post. I found the forum through the nhs weight loss app.
Will check out the links you added, thanks again.
Thanks. Hope it all starts to fall into place for you
By the way, the HU App is still in development and doesn't yet give access to most of the important areas of the forum, so we advise that you use the full website page healthunlocked.com/weightloss
Hi BridgeGirl,
Not connected to weight loss - yesterday I wanted to thank you for my 2 stone badge, but only options I had against the post were to like or report, so I just “liked”. Today while reading this I noticed that the reply option was visible again, so went back to yesterday’s weigh in page - still no option to reply. Have I inadvertently switched something off?
No, you haven't done anything, we close the weigh ins at 9 each evening so that's why you couldn't reply on that post
Congratulations again. You're doing great and you're so supportive around the Forum. Thank you
Do you know how to tag people? Type @ then their username without leaving a space. Apologies if you know this, it might help someone else. I got the notification as you replied to me.
That’s interesting to know thank you. I’d been out during the afternoon and early evening. I’ll know in future! Cheers
help with portion control and how to start weight loss
Oh dear, no wonder we gain weight.. Lesson learnt:)
Not happening.
Motivation is numbers 
Perfecting Portions
