[firtrees]

Hi I'm a new member to the forums. I've visited the site a few times, but finally got the courage to join.

It feels a little strange talking about my weight, but I've realised not talking about it has been a big obstacle.

I was watching a tv show this weekend, and they were helping an overweight mother and daughter, and I looked at them and I felt like I was staring into a mirror. I'm as big as the daughter was at the start of the show and I realised I look terrible. I feel terrible . I decided then and there I want to change.

I've dieted in the past, I had some success with weightwatchers a few years ago, but the weight has come back on and some! I realised in the past 3 years I have gained 5 stones (70lbs).

I'm so embarassed that I got this big, that I got to this point at all. I need to deal with the issues that lead me to eat like that.

I've been super stressed at work and eating more and more junk to the point my teeth would hurt but I wouldn't stop. I realise I have a big problem.

Last night I cleared the cupboards of junk foods and I downloaded the myfitnesspal app so I could track my calories. No excuses this time about calorie counting being too hard, or a pain with my busy job.

So I'm starting off gently by calorie counting. I aim to cook my meals from scratch and to snack on fruit as a starter for 10.

I love chocolate - at my worst I could eat 6 bars in one day. So I know that's a habit I'll find hard to break, but I really want to break it. I have to, as diabetes runs in my family and the more I weigh, the more at risk I am. I don't want to cause a health issue if I have the power to prevent.

Any tips on breaking sweet tooth snacking habits, will be very gratefully received.

So I started my calorie counting today, and I was pretty alarmed by how much I would have eaten if I'd had my 'normal' Sunday menu. I went over the calorie allowance myfitnesspal set, I was over by 162 calories and I learned I need to plan my meals much better in future. I didn't realise how easy it is for calories to sneak up.

How do you all cope? Is it day by day? Any secrets to it all?

Thank you.

[Esofia]

Welcome!

How big a calorie deficit have you set yourself? Sometimes people aim to lose weight faster than is reasonable for them (there are some daft ideas out there about what constitutes slow weight loss), and sometimes it's better to ease into it and take baby steps. You'll get to know which foods are more calorie-dense than others, so it gets easier to plan a day's worth of filling, tasty meals.

Chocolate - this depends on whether it's a trigger food for you, i.e. something that you tend to binge on once you get started. It sounds as if it may be, in which case the answer is probably to stay off chocolate. (Although if you like spice teas, the Choco tea by Yogi Teas is lovely, and provides the taste of chocolate without actually consuming calories. I get mine at Holland and Barratt, and loads of health food shops and online places do it.) I manage to get away with eating tiny pieces of very dark chcoolate, especially the 85% cocoa stuff. The darker it is, the more likely I am to be satisfied by a tiny piece. I also buy expensive chocolate, which makes it feel more luxurious and gives me more incentive to keep the bar of chocolate going for longer.

Snacking on fruit - good idea. Think about whether there are any fruits you're likely to binge on, and cross them off the list. Then have a look at the calorie counts for different fruits, because that helps too. My partner and I love to curl up with a bowl of fruit to watch TV in bed last thing at night, and once I learned more about calorie content, I realised that I can get much more mileage out of a bowl of strawberries than a smaller bowl of grapes. I'm 4'11 and inactive (severe ME/CFS), though, so I'm on far fewer calories than most people here and have to fine-tune things that other people don't need to fret about.

There's an excellent book called Thin for Life which gets recommended here a lot. I bought mine cheaply off eBay (ignore anything with "thighs" in the title, that's a different book), and you can read plenty of reviews on Amazon and even an extensive preview through Google Books. Another one people recommend is The End of Overeating, though I haven't read that myself.

Joining this forum is probably the best thing I've done for my weight loss journey. I too was avoiding talking about it or thinking about it, and coming here has allowed me to talk about it in a good environment and learn a huge amount.

MyFitnessPal is meant to be one of the best in terms of dieting software, by the way, so you've made an excellent choice there.

With regard to cooking all your meals while stressed up to the eyebrows at work, I'd guess that it's not going to happen every single time. You could try cooking in bulk and freezing portions. It saves work with the calorie counting as well, as you can just calculate the calories for a recipe and then save it. I usually have soups, stuffed peppers and various curries in the freezer, along with a selection of frozen veg. I woke up with migraine and absolutely no desire to cook today, so lunch was pasta with soya beans, green beans, savoy cabbage (all from the freezer, and incidentally all from Sainsburys) and basil pesto, and then supper was a meal I'd made three portions of on Friday. You can also buy some pretty healthy ready meals from the supermarkets these days, such as Veg Pots, which are handy for emergencies.

[firtrees]

Thanks Esofia.

I'm using the calorie guidance off myfitness pal, it set one for me based for current weight and I think the deficit is quite big. I realise I need to get used to it and like you said learn which foods work for me. So I'll be patient.

Yes I tend to go into binges and it's not a good cycle. Thanks for the tip about the tea, I plan to order some tonight so I can sip that from time to time.

I made all my lunches for work this week, over the weekend and popped them into the freezer. So that's one job out the way. I also pre-bagged some portions of cereal to aid breakfast.
I want to build a little 'routine' I guess into things. Get a rhythm of sorts.

I agree, you're right about trying to cook all the time when I'm stressed so I'll look to prep more things when I have time then I should always have stuff on standby.

It feels good admitting this and realising it's ok to test things out and find what works. I guess one side of my brain is very all or nothing at times.

On another note, how many quilts have you made this year? I notice you're mad for quilting.

[Esofia]

Well done on all the bulk cooking, you sound very nicely set up for the week!

[firtrees]

thanks, going to really get into it and aim for success.

Hope you've had a good week.

[Elliemar]

Batch cooking is always a good idea as it stops you munching any old thing.

Different things work for different people. I know I'm hopeless at calorie counting (or points so WW is no good to me either) and I knew I needed to re-educate myself on healthy eating. SW has been brilliant for me - I can eat to my heart's content without weighing or calorie counting as long as it's the right kind of food. It's completely transformed the way I cook and eat.

Not heard of myfitnesspal so will have a look at that. It sounds like you've made a great start - it can take a little while to get into it so please don't be too hard/restrictive on yourself. It's a long game and if you think small goals at a time, you'll get there!

[firtrees]

Thanks. I'm taking it slowly and trying to gently make things into a healthy new way of living. The last times I've dieted, I've been ridculously strict and borderline obsessive and it wasn't sustainable. This time I want to make it like 2nd nature.
I might check out some of the SW stuff. I like the idea of not having to always weigh and calorie count.

[Macadamia Nut]

I totally recommend SW or other similar eating plans. Although calorie counting is effective, I don't think it's sustainable long term. I know it would make me crazy counting everything that passed my lips. I think a more intuitive approach (eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full) is a more natural and holistic way to lose and maintain weight. Good luck with your journey though, I know how it feels to be frustrated with your weight!

[firtrees]

Thanks Macadamia Nut.

Counting calories is making me a bit crazy, so aiming to eat in a more balanced way and to exercise. Taking it a day and a recipe at a time.

I'll get there.

[DietDawn]

welcome, I'm on the weight watchers pro points plan but I'm planning to go even when at goal, I have found the weight watchers sugar free sweets are brilliant to keep you from snacking especially the urge for sweet after each meal. You don't have to calorie count if you dont want, cut out snacks except fruit or healthy food, swap big plates for small plates and cut junk out and you will see some changes, I had much success dieting in that way however I piled on weight as a stay at home mum - lots of time alone to fill as hubby works 12 hour shifts. Anyway, good luck and if I can be of any help feel free to contact me x

[firtrees]

Thanks DietDawn. Congratulations on your weightloss so far.

How easy have you found the pro points when you've eaten out/ maybe had a drink?

I have done weightwatchers in the past and had success with the core plan (so it was a little while ago). I loved the core plan, but when I came off it, the weight crept and then jumped back on.