Hello community, I need some wisdom from those of you that seem to be so able to stick with your weight loss goals. It's so nice to read the positive messages of weight loss here but unfortunately I can't join you...because although I know exactly what I need to do to lose weight, and enjoy exercise and am running/swimming 4 times a week, my ability to 'stick with it' is really letting me down. I am getting married this July, and need a 29 inch waist for my wedding dress and want to look stunning on my wedding day and honeymoon, but I simply just cannot seem to stick with it each day and I end up snacking and eating more than I should. I start each day with a new hope, but seeing no change since Christmas has left me feeling as if there is no hope for me. Any wisdom or advice would be great, thank you.
Feeling like there's little hope... - Weight Loss Support
Feeling like there's little hope...
I wonder whether you are feeling a bit deprived? I found it helpful to read a lot of healthy eating books and sort of brainwash myself into preferring the healthy stuff. It works the other way, if you read about how bad the sugary fatty stuff is, then it helps to give them a miss. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice : )
Hi,
What i found was that the diet starts in the supermarket, learn about processed foods etc, and dont buy the baddies ( wont call snacks goodies) if you dont buy them you cant snack on them.
Try and eat a good breakfast and then every 3 hours after that for 5-6 small meals. will help stop u getting the need for a sugar rush during the day and will keep your metabolism running good.
Aim for small goals and you will hit big in the long run.
I agree with Norni's comments on educating yourself on the food we buy, see if you can find the BBC docmentary "The men who made us fat" easy to watch and very informative, explains whats in our food and why.
Try to do some resistance training along with your cardio work, will help enormously with your goal, muscle burns more calories than fat,
If i take a bus i get off a stop before or after the one i want and walk that little bit extra, same with parking the car at the shops, just alittle bit further away than i would have done. All small things but they really add up during the day, and without breaking into a sweat you can add on another 500 calories burnt without thinking about it.
Good luck and i think your already heading in the right direction,
Hi, thanks for the advice - I like your idea of a small goal- I'm definitely going to try this!
Give yourself something to look forward to 
Tell yourself if you eat "properly" for 6 days you can have a meal, desert and snack of whatever you like on day 7. You don't have to start on a Monday, I find that hard as I don't wanna cheat on a Sunday I'd much prefer Friday or Saturday.
You will feel crazy at first but before you reach for the cakes always ask yourself out loud "do I really want this? How will I feel afterwards? Is it worth it? Tell yourself you can have it on Saturday, or whenever you decide your cheat day is.
Start the day with a tall glass of water before you eat or drink anything else also before every meal or snack... A lot of the time were thirsty not hungry but don't know the difference. Water also fills you up
Don't beat yourself up, even the healthiest of people relapse on a goal it's important to know why you didn't stick to it and avoid that situation rather then the food.
Write down what you eat along with the times of day. Sometimes seeing what we eat is enough to slow us down.
Remember! The more sugary, fatty foods and drinks you eat the more you will crave them. After a good few days of cutting them out fully! You won't want them as much...
I am also battling with food, have done my whole life so I know how you feel.
Hope these tips help 
You will look fabulous on your wedding day.
Hi, thanks for the advice. I really like your idea of having a 'cheat day'. I've got just the day in mind this week as it is my fiances birthday on the weekend and we are holding a dinner party- so that might be the perfect time to enjoy and not worry about what to eat/what not to eat. Thank you
HI rosierosie,
Well you've not given me very much to go on - but I'll try!
Look, it's like this, over the years you have taught yourself to eat badly and that has become an ingrained habit - just like drinking too much alcohol, smoking, or any other 'bad' - I'd prefer to use the term 'unhelpful' - habit. Whilst some foods may give you a bit of a buzz (caffeine or other stimulants) or a sugar 'hit', we're talking habituation here, not addiction.
What you need to do is work out the difference between your needs and your wants.
Actually, shock horror, you don't 'need' to have a 29 inch waist on your wedding day or indeed any other day.
Equally, you don't need all this extra food you keep eating, or that unhelpful habit of over-snacking!
But I'd argue that. especially in the longer term, you DO 'need' to ensure you are not carrying around excessive body fat for the sake of your health and wellbeiing.
SO ......change it.
Have a breakfast in the morning - if you start your day in the morning - and then schedule in your mind (or on a bit of paper or a smartphone) when you're going to eat next (snack) and what it'll be. Don't leave it to chance, because a) you'll end up eating something too calorific and b) you'll end up eating too much.
So, on my work days, I have a scone (from the canteen ) at about 10.00am to me tide be over from my breakfast (about 6.00 am) and lunch, sometime between 12.00 and 2.00. In the afternoon I have some fruit - that I bring in with me in the morning, towards the end of the working day, to tide me over until my evening meal about 5..00 - 7.00 (usually).
At weekends, I adapt this, but basically do much the same. If I'm out and about, I make sure I'm carrying an appropriate snack with me to prevent me spontaneously buying and eating an inappropriate one.
Try to build yourself up a regime that works like that. The point of eating every two to four hours (snacking) is that it stops your blood sugar going too low. Your blood sugar going too low or, indeed, to high ('spikes') tends to tell your body to go into fat storage mode rather than fat burn mode.
The success, blips and spurts included, of your regime will be measured, somewhat ruthlessly, by the scales.
Good luck.
Hi, thanks for the advice. I love you straight forward attitude: "so...change it!" When I read this it made a lot of sense for me. I suppose it's been such a long time of trying (and not being particularly successful but a little) that I have probably lost track of the simplicity of it all. I'm going to try planning my snacks so a) I have something that I know I will be able to eat at a certain time and b) so I don't eat too much and just go a bit mad. I'm quite a healthy person I think, but the snacks are just too much of a good thing- I think the trickiest time for me is the hour after I get in, before my fiance gets home, when I start cooking dinner as that's when I reach for food. I'll try having lots of cups of tea at this time to try and tide me over. Thanks again : ) I've started today with the 'change it' attitude so i'm determined for it to stick tomorrow too.
I simply started one evening by preparing my self low-calorie meal for tomorrow. That was almost six weeks ago, and I’ve lost 5 kg and 2 more to lose.
So, every evening I prepare food for tomorrow; salad and e.g. boiled potato with tomato, brown rice, puffed rice cookies as a substitute for bread etc; put all of that in bowls and take it with me to my office.
Good luck...
Hi, thanks for the advice. Well done for losing 5kg!
Planning is definitely key to staying on track. I plan my week's food on Sunday and prepare my lunch at breakfast time and as much of dinner as I can during the morning too. I also have a snack box in which I put a chocolate snack a jack (my choccie indulgence), sliced apple and carrots to nibble on if I find myself peckish. I also find it useful to have a cup of tea or coffee when I have the urge to nibble as its very easy to confuse thirst with hunger. Hope this helps. Good luck this week.
Hi, thanks for your advice. I like the idea of planning people are talking about here, it's not something I've really thought of and I like the idea of tea instead of snacks- i've been trying it today and it has been helping.
It could be that you are trying to get through the day on too little food, getting over-hungry and then eating too much in the evening. Try having porridge for brekky, (I put in chopped up apple, a bit of skimmed milk, 2 minutes in the microwave and sprinkle cinnamon on top), then have a lightish lunch, healthy snack at 4.30 ish, ad cup of tea when you get in. That could help stave off the evening munchies, you are doing quite a lot of exercise so you should keep your energy level up through the day
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