Recommendations for weight loss please!

[Wibblewobble100]

I've struggled to keep my weight healthy my whole life. I've never been obese because I always diet when I reach the over weight bit, loose 1-2 stone get my bmi back to 24-25 then gradually start gaining again. I never managed to loose all the weight after my first pregnancy. This year I've had 2 miscarriages and put off loosing weight because I was always TTC, and thinking I'll gain it again.
Currently BMI 28.5 Need to loose 10kg to get to a BMI 25. I know logically that BMI 28 should really be enough to significantly affect my ability to have a healthy pregnancy, but I want to be as healthy as can be while not delaying TTC massively.
In the past I've had success with weight watchers but never kept it off. Some success with slimming world, although to be honest I don't really believe a very low fat diet is the healthiest all round approach, and any diet that has unlimited foods I'm always going to overeat on and minimise weight loss. I've tried to diet out with a group but usually fall off the wagon after 1-2 weeks, but work irregular shifts and find regular attendance at groups difficult. I'm not terribly keen on anything that requires recording food on an apps as I find it massively time consuming, but do find keeping a hands written food diary useful. I've considered 5/2 but tend to get v wobbly if I fast.
So that's it. What diet/ weight loss group of plan would you suggest next

[Phoebebe]

What's your weakness? Mine used to be evening snacking, I stopped eating after 6pm & lost a Stone really quickly. I had trouble falling asleep hungry though so solved that by having a cup of tea before bed.

[Wibblewobble100]

Thanks for your reply. Hmmm, my real problem is probably eating for reasons other than hunger, mostly stress and boredom. I'm someone who worries about when I'll next get to eat- I do shift work which can be really busy. Lots of colleagues think nothing of eating lunch at 1 pm then nothing til they get home at 10.30pm. To me this is unthinkable. I would be grumpy wobbly unable to concentrate if I did this, so I tend to over eat. I also have a real sweet tooth, I can easily consume several biscuits with coffee, cake with lunch, chocolate in the evening. I never don't fancy it and I struggle it's limiting my self.

[canada24]

I would really recommend giving 5:2 a go - it's totally changed the way I feel about food and about myself. I've been doing it for almost 4 years, the longest by far of any diet I've ever attempted. I lost about 10 kgs in the first 6 months or so and my weight has been steady since then. I've missed the odd week and noticed a slight increase in my weight, but it goes down again after a week or so of 5:2. I drink lots during the day (mainly decaf coffee and teas) and now that I'm used to it I hardly ever feel hungry. I eat lentil soup for lunch and a lentil dhal for dinner with a couple of crackers (slightly over the 500 calories these days) on a 'fast' day and whatever I want on other days (cake, chocolate, pizza, curry, etc).

[cherryrednose]

Not sure 5:2 would work for someone who gets 'wobbly' when they don't eat for long periods - it suits some people and not others. I had a real struggle with it espeically as it was this time last year and I just felt so cold all the time. Also if you have a problem with overeating sweet stuf,f which I also do, then on the non-fasting days you tend to go berserk and eat even more than usual.

Calorie counting suits me best for losing weight and also planning in advance what I'm going to eat. LIke you I feel stressed if I think I'm going to be deprived of food so I have a series of small meals snacks and little treats spaced out through the day to make sure I've always got something else to look forward to. I also have one day off per week where I just eat what I want and don't worry about it so when I'm hungry on the diet I focus on that day off.

I've lost a stone and a half since the beginning of October by making a note of the calories in everything I eat and keeping to 1200. It's tedious but it certainly works.

If you can't face dieting then your best bet is probably to start by swapping some of the sweet stuff for less high cal/less refined sugar food to wean yourself off gradually - it can be done! E.g start by replacing half the biscuits/cake etc with fruit/cereal/nuts/ yoghurt.

[Bluntness100]

If you want me to be honest, then I think you're coming up with a a lot of excuses not to diet. There is no reason you can't eat healthy when trying to conceive and lose weight.

Cut out the biscuits, cake, chocolate and crap, eat healthy meals and if you need a snack, then have a piece of fruit or something,,a banana, an apple, ,,,Even taking a pot of porridge you eat in your break that you just add hot water to, to see you through. Chose the healthy options, not the high fat empty calorie, high carb ones,

But bottom line, if you want to lose weight, yes you will need to deprive yourself , you can't just eat what you fancy. Simply eat healthy and cut the crap out, manage your portions and you will lose weight in a steady manner.

Sorry 💐

[Leanne117]

I read on one of these threads that every diet will work but you have to find the one that works for you.
I agree that you should start to be more aware of what you are eating and try to make healthier snack choices.
Every diet has pros and cons so I think you need to be clear about what your goals are and what you are willing to sacrifice to reach those goals. X

[BreakingBod]

Hi Wibble - I've had recent weight loss success by signing up for an on-line diet plan. It really suits me because I struggle to fit in going to a slimming club, but need some sort of structure to follow and a level of accountability. It also meant I could specify exactly which food I wanted to avoid and what my preferences are, so I genuinely don't feel like I'm eating anything I don't enjoy, and in fact, my diet was so rubbish before, I'm actually enjoying my food much more now and don't feel at all deprived.

Like Leanne says though, ultimately most diets will work, half the battle is finding something you can stick to and actually getting going on it!

[Wibblewobble100]

Right, day 1 today. I'm making it up as I go along. Ultimately the person I need to be accountable to is me so no diet clubs etc. My plan is calorie counting, aiming for 1500 per day and writing it down in a diary or on here.
Aiming for breakfast 300 kcal, lunch 400 kcal, dinner 500 kcal, plus up to 3 100 kcal snacks. A little of everything, but aiming to reduce carbs because I eat more than is recommended. I will have special occasions off and not feel guilty eg 2 days at Christmas, 2 at new year, 2 for a weekend away midfeb. Once I get to a happy weight I imagine that will become sat off or similar. Not feeling guilty is important as it means I can get straight back to it without feeling I've ruined it all.
Started well: SW style overnight oats for breakfast. Small sushi pack and banana for lunch, chilli with rice and even some avocado for dinner. All weighed to get the portions right. 2 apples and a hot chic for snacks. Feeling quite hungry now though but just going to go to bed. More overnight oats waiting for me in the morning!
If anyone wants to join me feel free... I'd love some moral support.

[Leanne117]

I'm trying to get some weight off before Christmas (not loads). I already follow a fairly healthy diet so now I'm trying using juice plus boosters, they help you to feel fuller for longer and also give an energy boost.
This is day 1 for me so I got weighed today as a starting point 🙈I'm really interested to see if this works.
Good luck with your diet, don't leave yourself hungry tho, that's when diets make you miserable.

[user1481292639]

I recently lost 5 stone and trying to maintain that weight loss. I did calorie counting and gym. I know that's not going to work for everyone as we don't all have free time to work out or weigh and measure everything we eat! But I would say the key is to be organised. If you know you are going to be hungry at whatever time of day, make sure you have healthy snacks available at that time. Already measured out. So you know what you are allowed. Give yourself little treats every now and again so you don't feel you are going without. A curly wirly is 118 calories. You can have one a day as a treat if you wanted to. But my main thing would be to say that if you have a bad day, start again tomorrow. Not in a week. Not when things calm down at work or you feel less stressed. Tomorrow is a new day. I have a Fitbit which is a great motivational tool. It encourages me to walk more and get off my butt. Write down what you eat. Even if it's a bite of your kids sandwhich. It will keep you in check. Just remember that a few stones here and there are great but if you fall back into old habits it will go back on. Aim to have more good days than bad. Good luck. I was on 1200-1500 calories a day btw which was easier than you might think.

[Wibblewobble100]

Thanks guys. Curly wurly are a fantastic tip. I'm also getting a Fitbit for Christmas so excited that that will motivate me.
I'm not sure I believe the don't leave yourself hungry thing. I think one of the reasons I gain is that I don't allow myself to get hungry. I think I need to learn normal portion size and that it is okay to feel hungry before your next meal. That said I've struggled more today. I had to eat breakfast at 8 am instead of 10 am yesterday, which meant I was starving by 11.30. I held off lunch til 12, but then was really hungry again by 4pm and ate loads of fruit to keep me going until dinner at 6. At least it wasn't loads of bread or chocolate though. I've definitely had my 1500 kcal today though, nothing left for later.

[Mincepies76]

Hi, I've lost two and a half stone this year on 1450 cals a day. I know you said you didn't want to use an app but nutracheck is brilliant. Belvitas are a good breakfast 220 a pack and really keep me going and I have a meal replacement shake and fruit at lunch and low cal bread for a pm snack. Ready meal for tea under 500 cals and chocolate in the eve! Saturday I don't count. First thing I can stick to, go off the rails and come back to...I feel free from food!

[Wibblewobble100]

Congrats on your weight loss mincepies! I guess it just finding what works for you. I haven't heard of nutracheck before... how does that work?

[Mincepies76]

Thank you, about a stone and a half to go. Nutracheck is just a tracking app...it also gives you a recommended calorie budget. It's British so nearly all foods are there and there are discussion forums as well which are good. It takes me less than 5 mins a day to track.

[thecolonelbumminganugget]

I'm currently doing slim fast. Won't be doing it in the long term as I think I'll get bored of it but I've found the mental shift very interesting. I make up a double batch of shake in the morning and then sip it throughout the day. It's broken the habit of "it's a mealtime, therefore I eat". I make sure I drink enough water too. As a consequence I have my snacks at the times when I'm genuinely hungry not just out of habit ( at lunch time i go out for a walk to break the day up instead) I'm sticking with it for as long as it takes me to get bored of the shakes but I'll be interested to see what impact it has on my eating habits when I do go back to 'proper food'.