New to this 😊

[Linzi86x]

Hey wondering if anyone has any tips I'm really struggling to eat normal foods all I seem to do is eat junk food and deserts. I've put a lot of weight on in the past year and just feel so stuck and with no motivation whatsoever. Any advice would be good thanks in advance, looking for diet tips alternatives to sugary stuff and also the best exercise for weight loss.

[Leeleepuss]

Hi Linzi86x, I'm new to this too 😊 I loaded two apps on my phone in the new year which have helped me get started (haven't actually lost any weight yet though lol). One is walking for weight loss and the other reminds me to drink water throughout the day. I literally had to make myself get out of the house and walk to start with, but now I've been doing it for a few weeks, I actually look forward to my walk. I know right!! Drinking lots of water is good for you generally but does fill you up a bit too. Somethimes when you think you are hungry, you are just thirsty. A nice milky coffee (decaf if it would keep you awake) with skimmed milk and sweetener can help in the evening as that is my worst time for the munchies. It's really tough isn't it! Good luck, I'm really hoping to get some motivation on this site!

[Diane2 in reply to Leeleepuss]

Hi Leeleepuss, I have replied to you on your own Post 🤗

[Linzi86x in reply to Leeleepuss]

Hi thanks for the reply what are the apps you are using? I've been saying for a while I need to start drinking more water so I'll do that, it's hard starting back but need to try and be determined lol

[Leeleepuss in reply to Linzi86x]

Walking for weightoss and drink water reminder. They are Android apps but I'm sure they have iPhone versions if you have an iPhone 😊 the walking app starts you off with 12 minutes and very gradually increases so its very achievable. I now park my car a lot further away from work and walk in and back and at weekends I'll walk round the woods or something. Sometimes I listen to music but always walk somewhere public if you do that!

[Linzi86x in reply to Leeleepuss]

Thank you will have a wee look for the iPhone app 😊

[Diane2]

Hello Linzi86x and welcome to this Forum 😊 Its usually quiet at this time but you have the chance to explore and pick up plenty of ideas from the different Posts on here in the meantime. People may have different ideas as to what "normal" food is for them but there is more consensus about junk food! Check out the Daily Diaries where people share their ideas for the days meals or look for Lytham's Larder where recipes are shared. More weight loss is achieved by what we eat than by exercise. But a healthy lifestyle includes exercise obviously,walking is pretty good!

This link might help explain why you are getting stuck.....

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You will have been sent a Welcome post on registration which gives you lots of advice and guidance on how to navigate this site.

Here's a reminder link to the Site Guide

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

There's a lot there but it's worth taking your time to read,honest!

We recommend you joining a Weekly Weigh In on the day of your choice, and using the Daily Diary, where members share their meal plans and get useful feedback.

It would be a good idea to check out your BMI if you've not already done so..you don't need a tape measure just your weight and height and here's a link to the NHS calculator

nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-we...

Please also read this information about security, especially as your post is unlocked

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

A key feature of our Forum is the support between members which you will experience (and add to yourself !) as you join in and chat with others.

All the best on your journey ! 😊

[Linzi86x in reply to Diane2]

Thanks for the reply will have a wee read 😊

[Diane2 in reply to Linzi86x]

You will find you get lots of advice through the day,take your time and if you look at the Daily Diary and Weigh In pages you'll see how other people are progressing and managing the ups and downs of trying to eat in a more healthy way. Eating healthily will result in weight loss. Incidentally our stats on here over last year showed the average weight loss per member was 0.7lb,. Badges next to members names indicate their weight loss on here to date

[Tiggerr]

Hi Linzi and welcome

Last September I fell off the wagon (probs at home) and managed to put on 11kgs in 3 months which I didn't even realise was possible.

This month I've been following low carb high fat (lchf) and have lost pretty much half of that.

The problem with carbs (bread, pasta, sweets, cakes etc...) is that they create peaks of sugar in the blood stream. Nice for us as it provides a kind of high This then triggers a release of insulin to rapidly remove the sugar and this gives us a low, which is when our cravings start and why 'feeling full' rarely matters as our brain takes over.

High fat can sound weird to people but actually sates the body and coupled with a reduction in carbs helps keep us sated.

For me it's a relief knowing that it isn't rubbish willpower, and eating now just seems normal.

Joining in with this forum is generally key to achieving your goals. Part of the reason is that our journeys rarely go to plan and it's great to have the support of lots of like minded friends.

Best of luck!

[Hidden in reply to Tiggerr]

I fully agree with Tiggerr. I have been following low carb high fat since the new year & it’s the longest in my adult life I have not eaten cakes, sweets, chocolate, crisps & chips. No willpower, I just don’t feel like them anymore.

[Linzi86x]

Hi thanks for the reply 😊 is lchf worth doing then? I've seen a few people talking about and is it quite easy to follow?

[Tiggerr in reply to Linzi86x]

I'm going to say 'yes' because I'm finding it straight forward and a relief to not always be trying to resist cravings.

Saying that, it's taken me two and half years to even wrap my brain around the fact that I was going to lose a large group of foods that I felt 'I had to have!'. Due to my background I was brought up with pasta as a staple food. The good thing, is that the foods I can now eat plenty of, are so tasty. Meat, cheese, good oils, butter, cream, Greek yoghurt, avocados, nuts

Perhaps the thing to do is try it out. Some people start out with an induction which can be hard to follow. I wasn't keen on that idea so gradually moved to lchf (eg. making sure my evening meal had no carbs because this was one of the worst times for me).

A number of people here refer to the DietDoctor website where you might get a better idea of how you might want to proceed and there's loads of great recipes.

If you have enough time, maybe have a look at today's Daily Diary. Some people cal count and some are lchf but you could get a feel as to what menus can look like.

[Linzi86x in reply to Tiggerr]

Brilliant thanks will have a wee look 👍🏽😊

[Eleanorba Maintainer in reply to Linzi86x]

Hi Linzi, I did a year of LCHF a while ago. Although it worked brilliantly for weight loss it didn’t really suit me for various other reasons - but I did learn a lot from it. I dislike a lot of heavy dairy food (I love a little of it!) but I’ve stayed with a lot of nuts, avocados, olive oil, and I’ve permanently ditched all those nasty 0% fat products. The carby things I’ve kept are wholemeal bread, but not much of it (try not to have bread with more than one meal in a day), brown rice and other whole grains; pulses. Cakes and desserts are a once-a-fortnight treat rather than a norm. Best of luck finding what’s right for you! You’ll get great support in here!

[S11m]

Hi, Linzi86x , welcome.

If you "slim smart" weight loss is not so hard! It is not all about motivation and masochism.

Some of us here find that what works is a combination of The Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet (see the forum here on Health Unlocked) and Not Snacking All Day AKA Intermittent Fasting (IF). See:

Newbies IF FAQ:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

The Fasting and Furious Forum, here on Health Unlocked:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[Linzi86x in reply to S11m]

Thanks for the reply will have a read and see how if I can find something that works for me 😊

[Craftyperson]

Well you've made a start by coming on here. I'd say ditch ready made meals and make from scratch and will automatically eating healthier. Check out the daily diaries and Lytham'larder for meal ideas and good luck

[Linzi86x in reply to Craftyperson]

Thanks for the reply 😊

[Craftyperson in reply to Linzi86x]

Ur welcome

[JillianP]

Perhaps try and food swap one 'junk food' meal at a time. One meal one week. Two meals the second week and so on ...

[Linzi86x in reply to JillianP]

Yeah I'll try that thanks for the reply 😊