I need to lose weight!

[thedrummerswife]

Over the last half year due to circumstances I've been struggling with depression and anxiety and unfortunately comfort eating. Now I've put on over a stone, probably a stone and a half but the problem is I don't know how to stop comfort eating I know I have to, but whenever I've tried in the past I get fed up of the foods I'm allowed and go back to bad habits. I think I need to find a way of losing weight that I can stick to long term.

Dh is overweight and a bad influence , eating a lot of crisps and chocolate. I can withstand the temptation on a good day, but when things go wrong I just give up and resort to eating junk I have no willpower and crave sweet things all the time.

My bmi is 25.2, but none of my clothes fit and I hate what I see in the mirror.

I don't exercise much, apart from walking the dog and I never find time to go for a long walk - dh would rather we watch TV and I'm too weak to give myself a kick up the bum and get out for a long walk. I don't have the time or money to join the gym and I hate running and don't cycle due to knee problems. I'm in my early fifties so it definitely seems harder to lose the weight.

I borrowed Paul McKenna's book, but didn't really get on with it and never found time to listen to the CD. I've tried eating low carb, but don't eat much meat or eggs or dairy, so found it very restrictive, plus I hate the smell and taste of water and only like tea with sugar. I can drink coffee black without sugar, but after a couple of mugs I've had enough.

Does anyone have similar problems, or had similar problems and found a way of losing weight? I feel pathetic and I know I sound weak and pathetic, but I've tried to be as honest as possible. Please don't judge me, I'd just really welcome some help

Thanks for reading.

[bakingtins]

Hi DW why don't you come and join the 1st September thread? I've joined it needing to lose a stone and a half of baby weight, and I'm intending to use slimming world principles plus I've signed up for 12 weeks of Mutu mamas online. That bit is mainly physio to improve abdomen + pelvic floor post partum, but includes advice on food choices, a daily walk, and some low impact HIIT exercise.
I found SW easy to follow, I joined a class last time ( post baby 2, I kept the weight off for 4 yrs in between babies doing a relaxed version) but am just doing it off my own back at the moment. The 'extra easy' gives you a long list of unrestricted foods - lean meat, fish or tofu etc, all fresh or frozen fruit and veg ( not juice or dried) rice, pasta, couscous. You are allowed measured amounts of 'healthy extras' which are fibre foods ( bread, cereals) and calcium foods ( milk, cheese). You plan meals based mainly on the free foods with at least a third of each meal fruit and veg. Then you're allowed 'syns' which covers anything else. What it boils down to is cooking from scratch and including lots of fruit and veg. The magazine has nice recipes and a starter plan if you want a way of seeing if it suits you, and the book listing all the free foods, healthy extras and syns is sold on eBay pretty cheaply.
Being on a thread really helps for moral support and accountability. There are a variety of approaches on there so whatever you choose to do someone will be able to advise.
using a pedometer might help too, set yourself an initial 10,000 steps a day challenge then increase it. I can't run at the moment due to joint problems but a dog walk plus 2 school runs is 14000 steps a day, it's really not a lot.

You don't have that much weight to lose, if you could sort yourself out some small changes that would give you 0.5-1lb a week weight loss you could be feeling so differently about yourself by the end of the year.

[thedrummerswife]

Thank you I'll have a look at the thread.

I do have some old SW stuff somewhere I'll dig out and have a look at.

I think I gave the impression above that I don't eat meat, but meant I don't eat a lot of red meat, I do like chicken, but also eat mince in things, but not so much pork, lamb or steaks etc. I'm also not much of a fish eater.

I might have a pedometer somewhere, I'll give it a try. No school run anymore though, dd catches the bus to high school.

[bakingtins]

Chicken or lean mince both fine on SW.

Would your DH go for a pedometer to keep you company? My DH asked for a ridiculous expensive techy pedometer for his birthday a year ago and I thought it would gather dust but he has used it consistently for a year.

[thedrummerswife]

No I don't think he would He hates anything to do with exercise.

I'll try and find my old SW stuff and read through it again. What do you do when you need something sweet and comforting? And what sort of thing do you have for breakfast? I am always hungry in the morning, but not sure what I fancy.

[bakingtins]

I tend to stick with porridge for breakfast, with some ground flax/hemp seed mix and some frozen berries or other fruit. On SW you can have a portion of various cereals and milk (and something to be your one third fruit) or a 'fry up' or beans or egg on toast....but I'm in no mood to be creative in the morning I have to get three children out the door on time!
I'm a bit all or nothing when it comes to sweet stuff (no off switch) so i tend to not have any for a defined period, I'm trying to cut out refined sugar completely. SW magazine often has ideas for low-syn deserts though. At group everyone used to like the lo-cal hot chocolate sachets, might be worth a try.

[thedrummerswife]

I'm the same in the morning, no time for cooking breakfast when I'm trying to get dd to leave on time for her bus and get ready for work.

I've got the MFP app on my tablet, so will start using that again. I've been to the supermarket to buy bottled water (I don't like the smell and taste of tap water) and some soups for lunch times. I also got almond milk for making porridge, hopefully having half a tsp sprinkled over my porridge won't be the end of the world.

I haven't found my SW stuff yet, I'm hoping I haven't thrown it out.

What day do you weigh? I think I'll go for Fridays normally, so I can have some treats at the weekend. I too don't have an off switch when it comes to sweet things, so have to be very careful that I don't go mad.

[thedrummerswife]

For lunch I just had half a carton of Tesco tomato and basil soup with a spoon of natural yogurt stirred in and a small slice of rye bread.

Tonight we're having chicken sweet and sour, using an Uncle Ben's sauce, so I'll have the chicken without rice.

I know I should be making soup and sauces myself, but at the moment I don't have the inclination I'll get my act together at some point. Just easing myself in gently for now..

[thedrummerswife]

.. and I've just walked the dog for 40 mins at a moderate pace. I'm shattered, as we haven't managed more than 20 mins for the past few months - I'm definitely not very fit!

[bakingtins]

I'm going to weigh on Mondays, fits in with the 'weeks' of the 12 I've signed up to.
I couldn't do 'no carb' - rely too much on recipes based on potato/rice/pasta/couscous, but I have got some wholemeal varieties and am having a smaller portion than I otherwise would. SW says those things are fine anyway, the Mutu food 'rules' say try to cut out starchy carbs or at least go for wholemeal.
Don't be guilty about making up your own rules - it's you that has to stick to it, better to make some small changes you can sustain than go overboard following some mad diet and give up after a week.
Your dog will be happy I'm looking forward to having my middle child at school next week so I can walk the dog at brisker-than-4-yr-old pace!

[thedrummerswife]

Yes I agree I need to find something I can stick to. Tbh if I cut out all the chocolate and crisps, that will already make a huge difference. I probably need to watch my portion sizes too, as I often each as much as dh who is 6 feet 2!