It's dawned on me today that I'm Fatty Boombatty.

[bethelbeth]

And I'm not happy about it.

I'm about 15 stone which is waaaay off for my frame. Having terrible back pain and anxiety because of it.

I'm quite happy to work at it but I would never ever join a gym. Bleh.

Can anyone give me some advice on where to start? Effective diets and whatnot? What's the secret!!!!!!

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

How tall are you? I was 15 st after one of my DSs (forget which one or when!) and am now 12st after just more exercise and better diet (but no means great!) It seems with me I have to have a kick start, can lose a stone then plateau. THen kick start another stone etc. etc. Start with walking and really looking at your diet. portion sizes is the main thing, cutting back on carbs (I used to some days eat toast/pasta for all 3 meals!!) Drink more water and you'll definatly lose a few stone with just those simple things.

[bethelbeth]

I think I am a bit carb heavy. (They're the best bit!!)

I'm 5''4. My dd is now 1 and a half and I've not managed to shift anything which is just really depressing. I also need to get into a routine of eating meals as I only tend to have one big meal a day which won't be doing me any favours I guess.

I think my excuse has been that I'm quite time-poor. But I think I owe it to myself to make these changes as I really don't like myself at the moment.

[Lambskin]

You could try my fitness pal. It's free and is really simple way of tracking what you're eating. It gives you a calorie allowance which is increased if you exercise so you feel really incentivised to move more. Start now, no excuses, you can do it!

[foreverondiet]

Need to cut the carbs and have 3 meals a day. Plus snacks if hungry. And kickstart metablism with some exercise - start with some walking and perhaps 30 day shred?

I was 12 5 in September (same height) I know not as much, but now 8 10, and like the way I look. I love MFP (myfitnesspal), also use Paul McKenna. Have read every diet book.

Secret I think is that insulin is the fattening hormone and that fats gets stored whenever it is released (when carbs are eaten). I don't do no carb (like atkins) but do sensible eating, limit to MFP limit and do low carbs, low fat.

[bethelbeth]

Thanks ladies, I have always been naturally curvy but a very healthy size 14 and happy and this has just completely blindsided me.

I am going to try and up my meal intake (which is a nightmare because usually if I have breakfast I feel ill if I take lunch and same applies for lunch and dinner.)

I do power walk to and from work, and usually go out for a walk at lunchtime and then go for a cycle after work (weather permitting.) So I'm just going to try and push my PB and see if I can burn it off.

[BelleEnd]

Join a thread on here. It's what keeps me on track when I fall off the wagon.

PS. You are so pretty in your pics.

[BsshBossh]

Hello bethelbeth! I'm 5ft 4" and was 15 stones exactly 36 weeks ago and have lost/am losing using Paul McKenna. There are so many ways of losing weight and I've tried a lot of diets but this one suits me best as I can still eat anything I want but just need to focus on eating when hungry and stopping when full - so essentially my portion sizes have reduced considerably.

Have a browse in this section - there are MyFitness Pal threads, lo-carb threads, Paul McKenna, Weight Watchers etc - go on each, have a good read and ask questions.

Best of luck!

[BsshBossh]

Oh, forgot to say - was 15 stones now 12 stones 7.

[foreverondiet]

Was also going to say, if you get dinner the right size you'll wake up hungry and really want breakfast. If breakfast is the right size you'll be hungry by lunchtime.