Hate lockdown

[Cuteteddy]

This is my first post so please be nice, I am really struggling with this lockdown and my eating is suffering. Some days I comfort eat and just eat junk and other days I eat hardly anything and have to force myself to eat something. I can’t seem to break this patten as at the moment my anxiety is really bad at times. My scales arrive today and I’m so worried about what they will say as I haven’t weighed myself probably in over 2 years. I’m not sure if people have any ideas what to do? But I’m just so aware that I’m not eating right and it’s not good, so feeling very low about it all. Thanks for reading x

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Cuteteddy

My advice is to just join in. Start with today's daily diary, Lytham will look after you healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

We're all in the same boat, so there won't be any judgement, just support, encouragement and advice

Onwards and downwards!

[Cuteteddy in reply to moreless]

Thank you that is really kind x

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to moreless]

Hello Cuteteddy (love your name btw!) It would be great to see you join in with the Daily Diary, here's the link to today's, hope to see you there! x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Cuteteddy in reply to Lytham]

Thank you, I’ve had a look but I’m really confused on all the different plans people are doing. Are they all on here or from elsewhere as at the moment I don’t have a plan 😂

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to Cuteteddy]

Everyone does their own plan, the Diary is a great place to be to learn about the individual plans, I do lchf and love it, the food is lovely and you don't feel hungry! x

[Subtle_badger in reply to Cuteteddy]

It seems confusing, but almost everyone here is basically following one of two plans:

1) low(er) fat, high carb diet with calorie counting or portion control. This is what the NHS, Weight Watchers, Slimming World and most authorities recommend. See also move more/eat less.

2) Low(er) carb, higher fat. Usually abbreviated to LCHF, this is based on the hormone theory of weight gain and fat storage. This is not as extreme as it might sound, some people are eating pretty much as their grandparents ate, others are eating closer to pre-agriculture diet (no grains or potatoes), others more strict diet called ketogenic or keto.

No-one eats much sugar; the LCHF eat none at all

To complicate things further, there is also when you eat. The patterns there are

1) 3 meals plus planned snacks.

2) 3 meals plus emergency snacks

3) strict 3 meals a day

4) IF == intermittent fasting where you skip breakfast or dinner. Typically called something like 18:6 where 6 hours is the length of your "eating window"

There are many other WOEs (ways of eating), but the above covers almost everyone I see on here right now.

For the record, I am LCHF and IF and it's worked very well for me. I am trying ADF (alternate daily fasting) at the moment, but I think I am the only one attempting that.

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Subtle_badger]

You forgot to add your latest!! TSN !!!

[Subtle_badger in reply to TheTabbyCat]

Thanks tubby! Cuteteddy you don't have to know that. It's Try Something New, and I may be the only person of earth using it.

But monday1957 points out, OMAD is One Meal A Day and HM is Homemade,

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Subtle_badger]

👏🤣👍

[PrettyBK in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thank you for this☺️🙈I've been seeing all these abbreviations and didn't know what they meant

[James4567 in reply to PrettyBK]

Thank you for this, I'm new to all this lingo and hadn't even come across the fasting one until I looked on here, it's helpful to know what some of the abbreviations are!

[Hidden]

I am a great believer in being in the right emotional place for something. Are you in the place for some small tweaks? Or a major overhaul? I (and others) can make suggestions for both, but the question is more for you to think through. There are some people who come here & say that their diet & weight is a complete disaster, and are desperate (which is obviously heartbreaking), but it turns out they only have personal capacity for small tweaks. An overhaul is too much for them at this point. Which is FINE. It just helps the discussion & especially your thinking to think about where you are. We can of course start small & build up to radical. (I did it that way myself.)

[Subtle_badger in reply to Hidden]

That's a good point. I went the other way:

After a few weeks of trying eat less/move more with no change (except spending more time counting calories than eating) I needed a big change to stop me giving up, and I tried Fast800 for a month, so massive reduction in calories, intermittent fasting and LCHF all at the same time.

It really worked for me. More than that, it had spectacular results that spurred me on.

I gradually relaxed the rules, and have ended up in much the same place as Slim_for_good

Either approach can work

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hear hear Badger. I would add that small tweaks do not lead to radical results in the short term. Badger and I have both found it frustrating that there are people here who want to seem to want to become slim overnight but aren’t prepared to eat differently, or not very differently. However, better the small tweaks that you can sustain that the radical change that lasts 36 hours! A lot depends on your personality. Some people need a Big Bang approach. Throw out all the crap, start a new life. Other people find it easier to sneak change into their life subtly and build on that.

[SofaJockey]

The thing about scales is that individual scales vary a kilo or two either way, so just start with the number it says, don't worry if it's more than you thought - it's only a starting point.

The biggest step is the first step, so good for you.

The Daily Diary is good. I've been following LCHF (6 stone lost) so that's my personal recommendation, but you'll need to see the different options and pick one that you think you can follow consistently.

[PrettyBK in reply to SofaJockey]

Sorry to ask a silly question, I've only been a member for a few days and I keep seeing this abbreviations lcfh, what do they stand for? ☺️🙈

[SofaJockey in reply to PrettyBK]

Ah. Low Carb High Fat. (LCHF) the logic is that by significantly cutting back on sugar and carbs (I eat only food with <5mg/100g sugar and up to 3 complex carb portions (15mg) maximum per day (of potato, pasta, bread, rice). Then in order for the body to operate, it burns fat as a food supply rather than using the energy (and storing more) from the sugar and carbs eaten. To avoid 'starving', you eat more healthy fats, so avoiding no fat and low fat foods that often contain sweeteners (and can taste awful) but eating full-fat food that taste nice, but typically in smaller quantities and also that make you feel full.

One of the significant advantages is that cutting back on sugar and carbs so significantly also reduces the cravings and hunger, so the diet is viable to follow long term.

I've lost around 6.5 stone (40kg) in 10 months following LCHF principles.

[Hidden in reply to SofaJockey]

I just wanna say "40kg - that's a fantastic achievement. Well done!"

[SofaJockey in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. It's very much down to a low carb low sugar approach, over 10 months.

[Juppy]

Welcome! You are in the right place for ideas and support! I went in to lockdown thinking “great I’m going to focus on getting super healthy “ and two weeks later I just wanted to crawl up in a blanket, eat, and sleep. I was eating foods I hadn’t eaten since childhood (I guess the definition of comfort food). So I think we shouldn’t underestimate the underlying stress we are all facing, regardless of our circumstances. I am focusing on stress relief and that seems to be helping me get back on track.

Do join in with the recommendations here... it is a very supportive group and I’ve found incredibly helpful throughout my journey. Don’t worry about your first weigh-in... if it’s high you’ll be able to lose weight faster and earn lovely “badges “ sooner to show your accomplishments! 😀

[Food4Fuel 7lbs]

Hi cuteteddy and welcome 😊 I echo the other comments - just join in and learn as you go. I’ve eaten too much during lockdown aswell and gained at least half a stone so believe me you’re not alone. I’ve started off calorie counting (based on NHS guidelines) and am on 1650-1750 per day, but I’m also enjoying learning about the LCHF food choices and am using some of their recipe ideas too. It’s just nice to have somewhere encouraging to check into everyday (I only joined 10 days ago myself) to keep me motivated to make some changes in my eating and exercise habits. I wish you all the best with your plans (slim_for_goods message about being in the right emotional place is really good too 👍🏻)