Advice for losing weight
Discussion
Hi all,
A good few years ago I lost a good 2 1/2 stone when I was starting to get on the heavy side. More recently I have piled it all back on. I'm not at the weight I'm happy with and really want to try and loose 2 stone. Im 6 foot and 15 1/2 stone so not massive but on the heavier side and noticing it around the belly / waist
So I know in theory it should be fairly easy, eat less, exercise more, eat the right food etc...so I know what I need to do but this time theres a mental block it seems. I know I need to stop eating but I feel perhaps I have some form of food addiction, using food as a comfort..to make me feel better..but in the long run makes me feel worse as I'm obviously getting bigger..massive weakness is the takeaways. Anything bad..chinese, pizza, indian, snacking you name it. Mood lately has been low which has made me grave those comfort foods. I feel happy when eating them, but after pretty sluggish but content..This weekend for example I have had an indian, mcdonald's, pizza and lots of chocolate. (well i guess it is easter after all...) I rarely drink, but when i do it's a binge..I don't smoke. I do love my food though but a bit too much at times.
I've had depression for going on 10 years now, which can be very up and down. When down I cant be bothered to do anything...other than eat..too much !
Has anyone got some tips / suggestions how to break the bad habits ?
I'm not looking for an easy fix..or people to tell me I should just eat healthier, exercise more..just some helpful friendly advice! Thanks for reading.
A good few years ago I lost a good 2 1/2 stone when I was starting to get on the heavy side. More recently I have piled it all back on. I'm not at the weight I'm happy with and really want to try and loose 2 stone. Im 6 foot and 15 1/2 stone so not massive but on the heavier side and noticing it around the belly / waist
So I know in theory it should be fairly easy, eat less, exercise more, eat the right food etc...so I know what I need to do but this time theres a mental block it seems. I know I need to stop eating but I feel perhaps I have some form of food addiction, using food as a comfort..to make me feel better..but in the long run makes me feel worse as I'm obviously getting bigger..massive weakness is the takeaways. Anything bad..chinese, pizza, indian, snacking you name it. Mood lately has been low which has made me grave those comfort foods. I feel happy when eating them, but after pretty sluggish but content..This weekend for example I have had an indian, mcdonald's, pizza and lots of chocolate. (well i guess it is easter after all...) I rarely drink, but when i do it's a binge..I don't smoke. I do love my food though but a bit too much at times.
I've had depression for going on 10 years now, which can be very up and down. When down I cant be bothered to do anything...other than eat..too much !
Has anyone got some tips / suggestions how to break the bad habits ?
I'm not looking for an easy fix..or people to tell me I should just eat healthier, exercise more..just some helpful friendly advice! Thanks for reading.
Clear out the fridge and cupboards of any crap food for a start.
Keep having the takeaways but restrict them to Fridays and Saturdays and only one on that day. They are a treat so keep them as a treat. You will find they taste better that way as well.
I suspect you know what is a healthy meal and how to exercise so start doing some of that.
Keep having the takeaways but restrict them to Fridays and Saturdays and only one on that day. They are a treat so keep them as a treat. You will find they taste better that way as well.
I suspect you know what is a healthy meal and how to exercise so start doing some of that.
272BHP said:
Clear out the fridge and cupboards of any crap food for a start.
Keep having the takeaways but restrict them to Fridays and Saturdays and only one on that day. They are a treat so keep them as a treat. You will find they taste better that way as well.
I suspect you know what is a healthy meal and how to exercise so start doing some of that.
Thank you great advice.Keep having the takeaways but restrict them to Fridays and Saturdays and only one on that day. They are a treat so keep them as a treat. You will find they taste better that way as well.
I suspect you know what is a healthy meal and how to exercise so start doing some of that.
I find if its not in the house its more of a challenge to get to it, although just eat and other sources makes it too easy to order at the click of a button and have it delivered. maybe i need to delete these!
Totally agree, they should be a treat, however its come that regular its now just part of my lifestyle which i'd like to change. Often its convenience for work too, mcdonald's drive thru for example. I don't particularly enjoy taking a packed lunch and like variety- but maybe I need to try the variety in a more healthy way.
No carbs!
fill your fridge with fish: tinned tuna, smoked haddock etc. meat: ready cooked chicken legs, turkey fillets, slices of cooked beef etc. cheese - check the label first as some has carbs but others have none.
avoid anything which has carbs - read the labels and don't eat anything which has carbs, that means bread, milk, fruit, veg, biscuits etc
weigh yourself every morning and record it on a spreadsheet as well as what you ate today.
after a couple of days you will enter ketosis and may get a mild headache, if you do take a paracetamol etc. the headache usually only lasts a day typically.
eat non-carb food before you think you will get hungry or as soon as you do, get a quick filler from the list of non-carb stuff above.
after 4-5 days you will start to see rapid weight loss.
after 2-3 weeks you may have plateaued in the rate at which you are losing weight but...
you will realise that your appetite has reduced significantly so you continue to lose more.
this is quite a boring diet but works very well for me and even others who were cynical and then tried it and were impressed by the results.
as with all diets there is a tendency to put it back on unless you adopt a changed eating pattern.
my problem is binge eating biscuits, chees toasties etc so I do this diet 2 -3 times per year not cos I want to lose weight as such just that my shirts and pants don't fit!
most recent effort was 29 January started at 94.8kg to 18 Feb at 86.2kg and by avoiding the bad stuff I've not exceed 87kg yet and have recovered the use of several pairs of pants and shirts!
good luck whatever you try.
fill your fridge with fish: tinned tuna, smoked haddock etc. meat: ready cooked chicken legs, turkey fillets, slices of cooked beef etc. cheese - check the label first as some has carbs but others have none.
avoid anything which has carbs - read the labels and don't eat anything which has carbs, that means bread, milk, fruit, veg, biscuits etc
weigh yourself every morning and record it on a spreadsheet as well as what you ate today.
after a couple of days you will enter ketosis and may get a mild headache, if you do take a paracetamol etc. the headache usually only lasts a day typically.
eat non-carb food before you think you will get hungry or as soon as you do, get a quick filler from the list of non-carb stuff above.
after 4-5 days you will start to see rapid weight loss.
after 2-3 weeks you may have plateaued in the rate at which you are losing weight but...
you will realise that your appetite has reduced significantly so you continue to lose more.
this is quite a boring diet but works very well for me and even others who were cynical and then tried it and were impressed by the results.
as with all diets there is a tendency to put it back on unless you adopt a changed eating pattern.
my problem is binge eating biscuits, chees toasties etc so I do this diet 2 -3 times per year not cos I want to lose weight as such just that my shirts and pants don't fit!
most recent effort was 29 January started at 94.8kg to 18 Feb at 86.2kg and by avoiding the bad stuff I've not exceed 87kg yet and have recovered the use of several pairs of pants and shirts!
good luck whatever you try.
I’m sure some super fit nutritional expert will be along very shortly to tell you I’m completely wrong but I find doing the 5:2 diet the easiest.
Basically I eat normally 5 days a week which includes, crisps, chocolate and takeaways and then 2 days restrict myself to 600 calories per day, normally Monday and Wednesday. This week I’ll do Tuesday and Thursday die to the Bank holiday.
The thought of counting calories every day, or not being able to have takeaways, just means I can never stick to other plans. Eating healthy 24/7 is just unrealistic for me. Whereas I can maintain the 5:2 long term without it making me miserable.
I’m currently losing 0.8kg per week and don’t feel like I’m missing out on any of the crap I love.
Basically I eat normally 5 days a week which includes, crisps, chocolate and takeaways and then 2 days restrict myself to 600 calories per day, normally Monday and Wednesday. This week I’ll do Tuesday and Thursday die to the Bank holiday.
The thought of counting calories every day, or not being able to have takeaways, just means I can never stick to other plans. Eating healthy 24/7 is just unrealistic for me. Whereas I can maintain the 5:2 long term without it making me miserable.
I’m currently losing 0.8kg per week and don’t feel like I’m missing out on any of the crap I love.
I'm 6ft 6 and was 19.7 jan 1st. Now current sitting at 17.4 and going strong. I litterly stopped having any snacks. I have cerial then lunch and dinner. Dont even count too much but I do change chips for potatoes etc. Friday night and Saturday i do as I please.
Iv found it really easy tbh. Iv got a goal of going back to sport when it's allowed and its keeping me focused get a goal and its easier.
Iv found it really easy tbh. Iv got a goal of going back to sport when it's allowed and its keeping me focused get a goal and its easier.
Almost same weight as me.
You 98,6kg, me 94,2kg, I am 1,83 (6 foot, half inch)
I got up to 97,8kg, and couldn't fit into all my nice jeans.
The answer for me is to eat less food, always feeling a little hungry.
I have an active job, and probably walk an easy 6 miles in an 6 - 2, 8 hour shift.
Simply put, as you probably know, you have to use more energy than your food intake.
I am not that sensible, but it works.
I skip breakfast, just a cup of tea, no sugar, just sweetners.
Skip lunch, but have had a couple of cups of tea by then, again no sugar, just sweetners.
Get home about 2:30, absolutely famished.
Have 2 or 3 plain biscuits, keep the hunger under control until meal time.
Never eat chips anymore, either boiled potatoes, or sweet potatoes, and veggies.
It works for me, people are going to criticise, saying shouldn't miss meals, but it works for me.
I can loose more than 1kg a week.
Target is sub 90kg.
Been there before, I know I can do it, just takes will power.
You 98,6kg, me 94,2kg, I am 1,83 (6 foot, half inch)
I got up to 97,8kg, and couldn't fit into all my nice jeans.
The answer for me is to eat less food, always feeling a little hungry.
I have an active job, and probably walk an easy 6 miles in an 6 - 2, 8 hour shift.
Simply put, as you probably know, you have to use more energy than your food intake.
I am not that sensible, but it works.
I skip breakfast, just a cup of tea, no sugar, just sweetners.
Skip lunch, but have had a couple of cups of tea by then, again no sugar, just sweetners.
Get home about 2:30, absolutely famished.
Have 2 or 3 plain biscuits, keep the hunger under control until meal time.
Never eat chips anymore, either boiled potatoes, or sweet potatoes, and veggies.
It works for me, people are going to criticise, saying shouldn't miss meals, but it works for me.
I can loose more than 1kg a week.
Target is sub 90kg.
Been there before, I know I can do it, just takes will power.
Dont demonise foods, Carbs dont make you fat, apples and green veg contain a decent amount of carbs, and no one gets fat from eating fruit and veg, planning and consistency is the key to losing weight.
Plan your food in advance, make sure your food is enjoyable, use spices and flavours if you dont like bland food, make sure it is something you can stick to, dont go for mince and broccoli for breakfast if you dont enjoy it.
Protein and fats for breakfast, and make sure you have a decent amount of protein in each meal, eat the majority of your carbs around training and before bed.
Be mindful of using sauces, unless your using things like the 0 calorie sauces, as normal sauces are quite calorific.
If you do fancy a takeaway, then try and make it yourself if possible, if not then something like a chicken kebab and salad, no chips is not too bad for you.
Keep an eye on the alcohol. they are just empty calories, try and make your calories count, eat lean meats, chicken, beef, turkey, and game meat can be good, bison and things like that, avoid things like pork, as it is high in calories, and relatively low in protein.
But ultimately, make sure your consuming less calories that you use, log everything, measure and weigh yourself once a week with pictures, and you can see whats working, but you can only do that if you log everything, so you then know if youve gone over your calories.
Plan your food in advance, make sure your food is enjoyable, use spices and flavours if you dont like bland food, make sure it is something you can stick to, dont go for mince and broccoli for breakfast if you dont enjoy it.
Protein and fats for breakfast, and make sure you have a decent amount of protein in each meal, eat the majority of your carbs around training and before bed.
Be mindful of using sauces, unless your using things like the 0 calorie sauces, as normal sauces are quite calorific.
If you do fancy a takeaway, then try and make it yourself if possible, if not then something like a chicken kebab and salad, no chips is not too bad for you.
Keep an eye on the alcohol. they are just empty calories, try and make your calories count, eat lean meats, chicken, beef, turkey, and game meat can be good, bison and things like that, avoid things like pork, as it is high in calories, and relatively low in protein.
But ultimately, make sure your consuming less calories that you use, log everything, measure and weigh yourself once a week with pictures, and you can see whats working, but you can only do that if you log everything, so you then know if youve gone over your calories.
I’m not one for diets, but moderating intake obviously makes sense. Do you exercise? If not why not try couch to five k (or more if this is too easy). Running clears my head too.
I find the strava app (free) motivating because it shows progress against yourself in a very detailed way. It almost always throws out a stat as to how you’ve improved.
And I don’t feel bad about having a nice takeaway if I’ve run or will run the next day...
I find the strava app (free) motivating because it shows progress against yourself in a very detailed way. It almost always throws out a stat as to how you’ve improved.
And I don’t feel bad about having a nice takeaway if I’ve run or will run the next day...
I’m 6foot, last feb I was 16 stone 6, last august I was 12 stone 12/13lbs
didn’t exercise as such, just literally counted calories, if you download the MyFitnessPal it’s easy as you just scan the barcodes.
I don’t cut anything out, still enjoyed the odd takeaway, Easter, snacks etc
I Aimed for 1500 cals a day
didn’t exercise as such, just literally counted calories, if you download the MyFitnessPal it’s easy as you just scan the barcodes.
I don’t cut anything out, still enjoyed the odd takeaway, Easter, snacks etc
I Aimed for 1500 cals a day
I find that food exclusion works quite well for me.
I completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
I completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
Different things work for different people (obviously).
I find dieting on its own a negative experience; it's a pita, restrictive, requires discipline and is a generally miserable experience as it removes enjoyable things from my life. I don't get an endorphin rush from not drinking a bottle of wine.
Setting a goal to run/swim/cycle/lift/get better at something/learn something new/whatever becomes a challenge and a positive experience. Making a healthy diet a function of achieving that goal and it becomes more of a lifestyle change (sorry) with the added benefit regular endorphin rushes. It also becomes sustainable.
I find dieting on its own a negative experience; it's a pita, restrictive, requires discipline and is a generally miserable experience as it removes enjoyable things from my life. I don't get an endorphin rush from not drinking a bottle of wine.
Setting a goal to run/swim/cycle/lift/get better at something/learn something new/whatever becomes a challenge and a positive experience. Making a healthy diet a function of achieving that goal and it becomes more of a lifestyle change (sorry) with the added benefit regular endorphin rushes. It also becomes sustainable.
this is my username said:
I find that food exclusion works quite well for me.
I completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
This is the best ideaI completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
this is my username said:
I find that food exclusion works quite well for me.
I completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
The problem with this is that most people who struggle to lose weight, wont be able to just cut out the food they enjoy, they will try it, and then fall off the wagon in a big way, and then they tell themselves that they cant do it and give up.I completely cut out “free sugars” - ie anything containing refined sugar, fruit juice and dried fruit.
Crisps are also a weakness so I cut those out too.
It works for me, and doesn’t involve any real thought or effort. You might need to exclude different things depending on where your weak spots are.
They need to look at restricting how often they have those foods, and making sure that they only have a small amount if they cant cut them out, and fruit juice and dried fruit contain natural sugars which aren't bad for you, as log as it is pure fruit juice, and not something like Sunny D.
Cutting out refined sugars just puts you in a calorie deficit, as they are usually calorific, and you rarely replace them with something containing as many calories.
All this 'cut out carbs' is rubbish! They DO NOT make you fat. Generally however, carbs are tastier so you may eat more and sweet carbs foods like chocolate etc. tend to be higher calorie. It winds me up that people immediately tell others to cut them out.
It is overall calories which determines whether you gain or lose weight. If you find the best way to be in a calorie deficit (eating less than your body requires) is by cutting out carbs then fine. It may also be a 5:2 diet like previously suggested. What works for some doesn't work for all... APART FROM A CALORIE DEFICIT.
The hard bit is working out is your calorie target. MyFitnessPal can give a good estimate, just don't add on exercise! Your activity level you choose should include that.
I'd recommend tracking calorie intake for 2/3 weeks. Most people eat similar meals so after that time, you should have a good idea of how much you're eating each day without tracking. Yeah some meals like the odd takeaway will be hard to track but have a guess and if it is high calorie, bl**dy enjoy it, and get back on track the next day! It's about averages over a long period, having the odd day of too many calories shouldn't make a difference.
Don't have a cheat meal... just don't. Or at least don't call it that. They're a great way a ruining your progress and they DO NOT spike your metabolism.
Oh yeah, and starvation mode is not a thing!
Eat at least 1.6g per kg you weigh of protein a day for optimal health. It's also the best macro to keep you full.
It is overall calories which determines whether you gain or lose weight. If you find the best way to be in a calorie deficit (eating less than your body requires) is by cutting out carbs then fine. It may also be a 5:2 diet like previously suggested. What works for some doesn't work for all... APART FROM A CALORIE DEFICIT.
The hard bit is working out is your calorie target. MyFitnessPal can give a good estimate, just don't add on exercise! Your activity level you choose should include that.
I'd recommend tracking calorie intake for 2/3 weeks. Most people eat similar meals so after that time, you should have a good idea of how much you're eating each day without tracking. Yeah some meals like the odd takeaway will be hard to track but have a guess and if it is high calorie, bl**dy enjoy it, and get back on track the next day! It's about averages over a long period, having the odd day of too many calories shouldn't make a difference.
Don't have a cheat meal... just don't. Or at least don't call it that. They're a great way a ruining your progress and they DO NOT spike your metabolism.
Oh yeah, and starvation mode is not a thing!
Eat at least 1.6g per kg you weigh of protein a day for optimal health. It's also the best macro to keep you full.
Your metrics are not dissimilar to mine. I lost 2.5 st in 90 days a few years ago and have kept it off since. My approach:
Structured exercise. A brisk walk is fine but it's not enough. I'm talking five or six days a week or at least 30 mins a day of the sort of exercise that leaves you sodden and completely spent. Mix it it up: Cardio, resistance, yoga. If you can't afford or don't want a PT, there's plenty of video based options. I used P90X which is one of the Beachbody series.
Nutrition....which is different to diet. You'll know the score and no need to over think this too much. Avoid anything processed. You should be able to identify every single separate ingredient on your plate.
Booze. Bin it. Or at least cut it right down.
Structured exercise. A brisk walk is fine but it's not enough. I'm talking five or six days a week or at least 30 mins a day of the sort of exercise that leaves you sodden and completely spent. Mix it it up: Cardio, resistance, yoga. If you can't afford or don't want a PT, there's plenty of video based options. I used P90X which is one of the Beachbody series.
Nutrition....which is different to diet. You'll know the score and no need to over think this too much. Avoid anything processed. You should be able to identify every single separate ingredient on your plate.
Booze. Bin it. Or at least cut it right down.
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