I'm going to try and change 1 thing a week and see how I get on,

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I'm so sick of diet plans, healthy living gurus, calories, carbs, leg days etc etc. I've tried them all, I've paid with money, I've gotten sick from plans, I'm still overweight, in therapy and so sick of the whole lifestyle industry thing in general.

However as said I'm overweight, I feel like crap on a daily basis, tired, brain fog, painful joints etc etc.
I am seeing drs to see if there's anything wrong with me other than my body being battered by my lifestyle on a daily basis. My therapy is aimed at discovering who I am and then loving that person and treating them with respect, something my current self is not good at doing.

So here's my plan ...

I'm going to endeavour to work on one thing a week, Monday - Sun, 1 challenge. I'm not going to plan ahead too much and they monthly not be all good/drink related but to start with.

I'm going to aim to eat 3 meals a day, at the moment I graze all day from about 10am and then have a large dinner, my grazing is mainly quick, convenience food based.
No rules as such apart from eating 3 meals a day, and making them actually meals that I'm sat down for, no sandwiches stuffed in between people at work etc, no taking a handful of biscuits to the staff room while
I do paperwork and calling it 'lunch.'

I don't mind if anyone wants to join me, I'm doing this one way or another and I would like to document it somewhere.

[dudsville]

Hi titsalina, your post made me think of my dear aunt who could have written your post word for word. I'm in this section for a different problem but I liked your post and will enjoy reading your journey if you do wish to continue writing.

As I say, my own journey is different. Nearly a decade ago I put on 50 pounds. 20 came off naturally over the 1st couple of years and I was pleased with that, but I've been growing unhappy with my weight for the least year or so and would be thrilled to lose that 30lbs. However my will is week and that feels too daunting, I'd behappy to lose 20 but similarly don't know if I can. So I came up with the idea this week that I just need to start somewhere. I'm trying a diet, for a month, just to see if I can. IT'S a reasonable plan and I like it. I live with a feeder and my initial change is also just to learn to say politely "no thank you" and stick to my resolve. I hope in a month's time that I may have had some small success in some way will motivate me.

[MacaroonMama]

Hi Titsalina

In a v similar position! Have tried all the diets, more than once, but if I am "on a diet" at some point I will be "off a diet" - and they is when I fall headfirst into a chocolate brownie...

I like the idea of just three meals a day - was thinking about adding a thread called "Three Square Meals" - with the caveats that I will be hungry for them and I will sit down for them.

So I will join in. Today I have not snacked. No almonds. No stolen Pom Bears. Not even licked a jam spoon. It feels nice.

How are you getting on?

[hopeishere]

This week I'm trying to eat breakfast; snack only on fruit and not eat crap. Next week I'm back to work and it will be more of a challenge! And the weekend. I love my weekend wine 😬

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

Sorry I thought I had posted again but didn't!

I thought this would be super easy, but I hadn't realised just how much I graze during the day without even realising half the time' luckily I've caught myself every time I've gone to grab the odd biscuit or something. I'm doing ok now, really looking forward to my meals and I'm able to recognise things that need tweaking, Monday I ate a huge breakfast that was far too much for me, I'm better off having a smaller breakfast of filling foods (porridge or eggs) and then again something small and filling for lunch and then a big dinner.

[MacaroonMama]

hope "not eat crap" is another aspiration of mine!

Titsalina yes, I am the same - a bit of this, a bit of that, the last scraps of a kid's beans on toast. If I could be bothered to calorie count, it would be scary.

Three meals today was great. I made lunch lowish-carb to keep me full till teatime, and it pretty much worked, though I had a bit of broccoli and half an apple with kids at their teatime.

What is nice is that it just feels normal. Not diety or rules-based, just back to three meals a day, trying for them to be tasty and nourishing, but if I sometimes have to bolt something a bit dull, so be it.

I also did the very first of the c25k runs but we will see how that pans out! It was tough!

[3dogs2cats]

This is interesting. I’m watching you. I’m not fed up with the lifestyle industry yet because I didnt know anything of it until June. So I’ve stayed clear of the more technical stuff, just eating less and moving more, but I have got my fitness pal and a personal trainer, so can’t say that I am off grid!
It is so hard to maintain motivation. I need to lose about 30 kilos.
And I had a McDonald’s last night and it wasn’t a Happymeal!

[hopeishere]

I took the kids to Burger King this week and was very good and ordered nothing for myself. Next week I aim to start moving more and the week after join a gym.

[WhatNoNotYouAgain]

That's pretty much what I did op. Lost 4 stone (went from 13 to 9), and just made the following changes:

• 3 meals a day (or sometimes 2 if I want a big brunch)
• by and large, no snacks
• correct portion sizes. Mine were way too big before. I'm only 5ft3 and a correct portion of pasta for my height would be 60g - I was having 100g before.

Have kept the weight off for 3 years doing this. I haven't cut anything out of my diet. Still eat carbs, sugar, dairy.

[MacaroonMama]

Ooh that is reassuring! I have had success with LCHF before but it always feels like a diet, and I just cannot keep it up.

I like the idea of three good meals as it feels "normal"and seems to mimic the eating behaviour of my naturally slim friends/family members.

How is everyone getting on today?

I had cheese on toast for breakfast (but three mile brisk walk to holiday club after!), then random lunch of hummus on toast with lots of cooked garlicky courgettes. (Leftovers!) Prob too much bread overall today. Ah well. Home made and brown, and I am not going to dwell on it!

Hope others doing ok?

[hopeishere]

I room the kids out for an end of term break and had poached eggs on sourdough. Will maybe have fruit or prawns for lunch. I don't feel hungry so will wait and see!

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

That's brilliant @WhatNoNotYouAgain - I hope to be able to say the same eventually.

Yes to mimicking a 'normal' pattern of eating, this is how everyone ate when I was a child and there weren't an abundance of overweight people around then. I think everyone knows that eating a sensible amount and moving a bit everyday is baseline healthy.

I'm doing ok, a late lunch again for me today after doing all the food shopping (3 supermarkets marched around) I am really enjoying a hearty soup at lunch time at the moment despite the sunshine.

I'm deciding weather next week to introduce more water/fluids or to make my 3 meals more veg heavy.

[WhatNoNotYouAgain]

To give you an idea, today I've had:

Berries, yoghurt and honey for breakfast

Massive salad for lunch (lettuce, tomato, onion, radish, carrot, cucumber, olive oil and lemon dressing, 40g grated cheese) with a lovely thick slice of bread

Dinner is puy lentil and pancetta salad with tahini dressing

I always have full fat dairy.

[MacaroonMama]

All that food sounds lovely, everybody! It feels so mentally healthy to think simply "what shall I eat for tea?" rather than "hmmm, everyone is eating x, but I can't eat x, but I want to, but maybe if I..."

Just wait for tea, eat x, enjoy x!

Inspired by lentil salad mentioned above so making lentil, chicken, sundried tomato, parsley thing for tea. Want to say salad? We will see how it turns out!

Titsalina I have been trying to drink more water too, that feels nice because it is a do rather than a do not.

Enjoy your tea, everyone!

[MacaroonMama]

PS WhatNo what is your tahini salad dressing recipe? Sounds yummy.

[3dogs2cats]

I had a bagel with butter and jam for breakfast. Chicken Caesar salad for lunch and Italian sausage and creamy pasta to come. Next stop 9 stone!

[SquintEastwood]

Morning all, is like to join you on your journey too. I've got about 2.5st to lose and would like to do it sensibly and without following any fads in the hope of making it easier to maintain.

Change #1 - avoid eating after dinner.

I'm a binge eater so hoping this will help curb the mindless face stuffing!

[MacaroonMama]

Hi Squint
Yep also a binge eater, and I do think trying to mimic non-diety eating is a real help. The past couple of mornings, I have woken up without the anxious head noise of what I can and can't eat, and have just thought ok what so I fancy for breakfast?
Going to do this Three Good Meals for another week, then the week the kids go back to school, I produce another change. I think Don't Buy Crap will be change no 2!
Hope everyone is feeling good today

[MacaroonMama]

"Produce" another change? Don/ know where that came from! Introduce another change is what I meant!

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I had porridge for breakfast but also had an early lunch (Subway salad)l bowl) and now I'm regretting the early sitting - I have work this evening until 9pm and I'm going to be starving by then! Plus I am with a couple who have the most amazing cheese platter every night that I usually have a bite or several of.
I have made a huge vat of healthy, smoked veggie turkey chilli that I can't wait to have. You live and learn I guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

So I made it though that shift, no cheese eating, and without wanting to sound like a drama lama, it was really challenging! It's such a routine for me to save myself a slice of cheese and ham and bread to scarf whilst writing my notes, I felt bereft without it! I cannot wait for dinner!

[MacaroonMama]

Titsalina well done! That is a victory!

Today I ate three meals, despite a seven hour (agh!) car journey from London to Birmingham with three boys in back, who consumed many jelly babies! (I resisted!)

Red Bush tea and I am done for the day...

[londonloves]

Hi all, I just read this thread and it's nice to read one of these weight loss threads where everyone sounds so normal! I like the idea of one change a week SO much.
My big nemeses are bread and wine. I'm trying to increase my alcohol free days in the week, and only have bread at one meal. So if I have toast in the morning, I can't have it at lunchtime.
I've got 6lb to lose to get back to pre pregnancy weight and I would like to do it before my son's second birthday on 1st October...! Then I would love to lose another stone ish after that.

[MacaroonMama]

Right, weekend, anyone got anything tricky to navigate?

At my parents, I usually overeat here as my mom is a great cook, so just going to focus on eating three good meals, enjoying them, and not automatically going for seconds.

Cheese board was brought out at 10pm last night but I resisted as we had finished our evening meal at 8ish.

Good luck everyone!

[londonloves]

Yes to weekend trickiness! We have father in la staying, I'm cooking veg curry tonight but also pudding and wine will be in abundance so I'm going to skip breakfast I think, or just have fruit.
Then tomorrow we are going for pub roast dinner at 4, so again I'm going to skip a meal to compensate I think. As it will def be 2 meal's worth of calories! I find family visits stressful so I will drink too much. Will do some walking too to try to balance it out.
I just weighed myself and am lowest for a while this morning so hoping that will motivate me!

[SuperSange]

Hello there! I've just start this journey too, making a series of small changes and seeing where it takes me. So far I'm sitting down to eat a breakfast of Porridge and yoghurt with fruit and perhaps a couple of pancakes, depending. I eat until I'm full, then stop. That's the plan. Big breakfast, medium, low carb lunch, small low carb tea. When I say low carb I just don't have rice/bread/ potatoes. I have more veg instead. I feel better and don't need to snack.