What are the very basics for dieting? - Weight Loss Support

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What are the very basics for dieting?

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I’ve been overweight for almost all of my life (15 years) and it’s embarrassing. Both my brother and I are in this situation, but he’s losing weight. Since quarantine we’ve both started a ‘diet’ where we only eat 1-2 meals everyday (he has one but I have two). The things we eat are really similar so I don’t understand why he’s get thinner but I’m not.

I really want to lose weight urgently, it’s been really bad on my mental health and self confidence: my parents comparing to other people all the time, constantly getting comments from my parents and other relatives, unconsciously comparing myself to others. At this point I’m willing to do anything to look lighter

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TheAwfulToad profile image
TheAwfulToadVisitor

Rule #1: do not 'diet'. It doesn't work. There is no scientific reason to believe that eating less should cause you to lose weight ... and indeed it does not. At least not in the long term.

Rule #2: if it feels horrible, you're probably doing it wrong and should do something different.

Basically you need to be eating healthy food, and you need to eat enough of it that you're not feeling hungry. Healthy bodies do not get fat; if they already are, then, given proper food, the excess flab will fall away.

Unfortunately, there is so much utter nonsense written about what's "healthy" that most people are eating the most appalling diet without even realising it. The supermarkets parade cakes and sweets and ice-cream in front of our faces for 99p a kilo, and people eating unhealthy diets find these things very easy to give in to. So they get fatter.

Eat meat, eggs, vegetables and dairy, in whatever amounts you enjoy. Mostly vegetables. Don't cut the fat off things. Use butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or lard for cooking, as appropriate for the recipe. Never, ever gaslight yourself by saying "I've had enough now" when you really haven't. That way madness lies (literally). Eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full.

Avoid basing your meals on potatoes, pasta, rice and bread. Use veg to fill up the space on your plate. Learn how to cook veg properly - us Brits, historically, are not good at this!

As for why your brother is losing weight and you aren't : it's partly because he's male (men naturally carry less bodyfat) and partly just random metabolic differences. You'll almost certainly find that his weightloss will stop in a few weeks, and he may even start to put it back on again.

Are you saying you're 15 or have I misunderstood? If so, this might all be quite difficult, because (I assume) your parents decide what you can eat and what you can't. Your eating habits have almost certainly been learned from them, and you'll have to consciously un-learn them. This may involve some family arguments! I wish you luck.

Gonti profile image
Gonti10 kg

Hi groovy I am not sure how old you are.

The absolute basic is to check your body weight, height and your bmi (body mass index) and make sure you are actually overweight and by how much. Normally I'd also say get the nurse at the school or at your GP to help you with that.

Educate yourself on healthy eating, learn to cook, find ways to exercise and be active., sort out a way of dressing that works for you. Ignore your brother and family comments- this is about you

We do have some teens here I think!

Dear Groovy. That all sounds very difficult. The first tip for losing weight is not to eat sugar & not to eat junk. As Toad says here, you want to get into the groove of eating real food but as a teenager that may be out of your control as a parent maybe doing the cooking at meals.

People do successfully reduce their weight by eating one or two meals a day, but try to make sure that those meals aren’t all carbs (like bread, pasta, potatoes etc).

Diane2 profile image
Diane2

Hello groovy , you have to be at least 16 to post on this site. If you are very troubled about your weight please speak to your parents and your GP. I will p min you. The best way to eat healthily is to reduce use of sugary foods and processed food (white flour,pasta. grains such as rice and watch out for pasta) and boost your eating of fresh vegetables,salasd rest,I have a good clip here you can see...

youtu.be/eKQWFJmCWZE

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