I desperately need to lose weight, I know the weight I am is unhealthy, I know I'm a big girl and for my height I should weigh a lot less.

Financially I'm not in a situation where I can go to groups for this, I cant afford the joining fees for a start.

Then you get the friends, all doing slimming clubs posting all over fb about the big losses and it makes my 1 or 2 lbs a week seem small and not enough.

I need to get out of the mindset that I'm doing this to compete and i need to do it for myself to be happy with myself.

I need to stop the night time binging the comfort food and the thinking "its ok this one time" i need to stop comparing myself to skinny girls and I need to man up and just get on with it

So any tips for someone just starting out in a serious way? What beats the evening cravings for you? How do you keep your hands busy in the evenings?

xx

Research indicates that a loss of 1-2 lbs/week is associated with healthy, sustainable weight loss. So really, the turtle wins the race in this case! weight loss isn't about taking it off as quickly as possible, if you want to create lasting change. Learning how to live differently takes time, plz be easier on yourself!

Evening cravings : chewing sugar-free gum, filing or painting my nails, deep breathing, cleaning, basically anything that keeps my mind off of the craving and/or relaxes me! Try a bunch of different strategies and see what works for you!

I agree with the pp - you have to stop seeing what you're doing as a short term thing, aka 'diet', and more of a lifestyle change. Make slow changes that you can live with FOR LIFE. Pick a plan that suits your tastes - a lot of people do a lot of different things to lose weight, and they all work. The secret is to find the one that YOU can stick with. (and no, it doesn't have to be part of an organization or club - there is a plethora of information for free on the internet)

As far as the nightime snacking goes, I really think it's a habit. I used to do it all the time, and it was part of the reason that I slowly slowly crept up in weight over the years. So I just stopped - about 6 months ago now. At first it was tough, and I felt like I was missing something - now I literally don't ever think about it. My habit now is to have a cup of herbal tea in the evening. It makes me feel as comforted as having a snack ever did, and the bonus - no guilt afterwards!

Good luck with your journey, have fun with it, be kind (but firm!) with yourself, and keep on going, no matter what happens. You'll be so glad you started in about 3 months from now!

Thanks guys, I know your right and the main goal is to change habits, I always use gum at work to beat the 3pm slump, never even considered using it at home too x

I second the herbal tea! I don't crave snacks at night anymore, but in the beginning I drank tea like ginger, cinnamon apple, chamomile, mango, and it helped to take the edge off my cravings. Now I don't even need that, two months later.

I also like to read weight loss blogs that motivate me at night.

I think a bit of reading wouldnt be such a bad thing, also downloaded some walking apps onto my phone so I can try to get out and walking a little bit more xx

I used to drink a lot of tea when I was craving too. You don't really need money to lose weight. I always agrue with my mom who insists to eat healthy you need more money. But I think she's only saying this as an excuse. Cutting your portions and choosing healthier options just may be less expensive then buying a lot of junk that you consume more servings of than u should anyway. And just find any way to move more. Like at my school, I started getting in the habit of using the elevator to go all the way to the third floor carrying books and stuff. Now I started using the stairs. I am soo out of breath, but I'm glad I did it.