Hello all, newbie no mates here!

[Leeleepuss]

Hi all, totally new to this and stumbled across the website quite by accident. Decided it could be just what I need though! I need to lose a few stone, preferably before a wedding in August, so I am following a low carb, high protein eating plan, going for it with an app called walking for weight loss, food tracking and I have an app which nags me relentlessly to drink water. All the time! I am doing all that quite successfully. Problem is I'm snacking as well and my raging sweet tooth just won't let up!! So far zero weight lost, although I've been told my skin looks better! 😂

[Diane2]

Hello Leeleepuss and welcome to this Forum 😊 Its usually quiet at this time but if you're still about you have the opportunity to explore the site and see the range of posts and exchange of ideas between others also working on similar issues to you. Hopefully you'll soon feel at home!

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 ! 😊

[Leeleepuss in reply to Diane2]

Thank you Diane2 😊 I will have a good look around and try and get my bearings. What a great site this is!! 👍

[Diane2 in reply to Leeleepuss]

There's loads on offer Leeleepuss and it's all peer to peer support so you are chatting with people on the same/ very similar weight loss journey !

[Tiggerr]

Hi Leeleepuss and welcome

You've done the right thing and given yourself enough time to lose weight at a sensible rate before the wedding. I'm sure the wedding will help provide a focus and a reason not to reach for the biccy tin

Did you mean low carb, high fat? I have to admit that I rarely know enough but doesn't too much protein get broken down into some sort of glucose (carbs).

You mention your sweet tooth and if you're not having enough fat in your diet then doing so may be what you're missing in order to sate your cravings.

Maybe have a look at the Daily Diary. People following different paths post their menus and you can see how yours compares.

Good luck!

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Tiggerr]

@Leeleepuss : what tiggerr said. There is really no such thing as a "low carb high protein" diet, except for some very unusual medical conditions.

If you reduce your carbs, your body will attempt to run on fat. If you don't give it some dietary fat, it will try to scavenge something from protein as a last resort - but human bodies are very, very bad at doing that. Unlike the sophisticated equivalent in obligate carnivores, our metabolic pathway for burning protein (amino acids->glucose+ketones) exists more as a "waste not want not" thing for recycling cell breakdown products, and it can't operate at your full metabolic power requirement. Not to put too fine a point on it: you're starving. Hence the cravings and lack of weight loss.

If taken to extremes, a high-protein, low-carb, low-fat diet can actually put you in the ER.

Add some fat to your diet in the form of meat fat, butter, cheese, Greek yoghurt, olive oil, coconut oil ... or anything else you like, really. Eat until you are full: do not limit your "calories". Make sure your meals have plenty of veg in them; partly for micronutrients, partly to fill you up, and partly just to carry the extra fat so that it doesn't make things unpleasantly greasy. For example, a salad with ranch dressing is much nicer than a spoonful of ranch dressing!

As for app, frankly I'd just delete it. They're a complete waste of time, because they're written by people who know little or nothing about nutrition, physiology, or fitness (you'll have to just trust me on that one - I don't really want to explain how I know ). Once you get your diet right, you'll find that your appetite starts getting things right and there's no need to measure this and that.

[Leeleepuss in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thanks for the advice 😊 I followed this eating plan about 4 years ago when it was in its infancy and lost around three stone. It seems to work very well for me and has now been more developed and is nutritionalist approved. Its a lot more balanced now. I will look into what you have said and about introducing more fat into my diet. Does that not lead to health problems of its own though?

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Leeleepuss]

You may well lose weight on it, but as you've noticed it's neither easy to stick to nor sustainable in the long term. There are plenty of diets which will cause you to lose weight by what amounts to malnutrition.

Dietary fat doesn't lead to health problems - in fact it's rapidly becoming clear that the crusade against fat was a terrible mistake. Bodies need fat, and they can't cope with an endless onslaught of carbohydrates. You might want to read this:

nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs...

Read the conclusion very carefully, and when you've understood what it says (or rather, the two completely contradictory ideas that it's trying to reconcile) you'll probably never again listen to anything that nutritionists (or government health advisers) have to say.

The bottom line is that there are LCHF (low-carb high-fat) adherents all over the world living healthy lives. They don't all drop dead from heart attacks or cancer, and many of them find that they feel better than they have done in years. I certainly do

Anyway, why not just give it a try? Stick with it as I've described for four weeks and see how you feel. I'm pretty confident you'll surprise yourself!

[Leeleepuss in reply to TheAwfulToad]

How long have you been following it?

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Leeleepuss]

15 years, plus or minus.

[Leeleepuss in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Wow! I'll certainly do some reading up on it. Thank you 😊

[Leeleepuss in reply to Tiggerr]

Thank you Tiggerr 😊 I'm feeling a bit bewildered trying to find my way around at the mo but I'll get there! Thanks for the tips 😁

[Tiggerr in reply to Leeleepuss]

The forum layout isn't obvious which is a HealthUnlocked thing not our Admins

Be aware that the App doesn't have full functionality.

For learning purposes, the simplest thing is to always scroll to the top of the page you're on and click on Home or Posts. Those two pages provide links to most of what you'll need.

[Leeleepuss in reply to Tiggerr]

Thanks for the tip. Think I'm on the website, not the app 🤔 I have a chrome shortcut on my home screen. Starting to find my way around 😊

[Tiggerr in reply to Leeleepuss]

Sweet!

[Subtle_badger]

Welcome.

Throw away the water app. There's a lot of nonsense about water. Drink when you are thirsty. Drink when you are hungry if you want to try to ignore that for a while. You will get all the fluid you need, without being nagged by your phone.

---

Do you have a link to the diet you are following? I think knowing what you are doing will make it easier to support you.

[Leeleepuss in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thank you! My doctor told me I should aim to drink 3 litres of water a day and I found this is the easiest way to do it without feeling like I'm drowning 😂 ill try and find a link. Found it on Facebook years ago but they've improved it a lot now.

terriann123dietplan.co.uk/

[Subtle_badger in reply to Leeleepuss]

Ah if you have a medical condition, then yes follow your doctor's advice. I don't think there is much evidence that much water is necessary for most people. But check with your doctor before starting a high protein diet if you have renal issues.

Thanks for the link. Sadly it - like most commercial diet plans - is opaque until you pay.

[Leeleepuss in reply to Subtle_badger]

Oh yes probably! I've been a member of their Facebook community for about 4 years. It was pretty basic when first devised and was never intended to be commercial. But it has taken off now and become a massive business for her. Its much more balanced now and is nutritionalist approved, lots of veg and more healthy fats. Low carb is still the basic idea though.

[S11m]

Hi, Leeleepuss , welcome.

Eating plenty of fat will help you resist sweet "food".

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-...

[Leeleepuss in reply to S11m]

Thank you I am investigating 🤔😊

[Craftyperson]

Hi having something to aim for like a wedding will give you motivation. Nowadays it's recommended if doing low carbs have high ( healthy) fat and a few people on here swear by it. There's even a LCHF group so check that out and good luck

[Leeleepuss in reply to Craftyperson]

Thank you 😊 I'm looking into that.