Help me lose weight! I can't do it

[Youaremysunshine09]

Please someone help me, I am 4/5 stone overweight, feel physically sick looking at myself in the mirror and my body. Have tried several times to lose weight, slimming world, cutting out snacks etc but I just can't do it. I literally binge eat lots of crap everyday, can't not buy snacks as other people in house eat them and shouldn't need to suffer because I can't bloody stop myself from eating!! I drink no water, only fizzy juice (cola/irn bru). Have tried stopping fizzy juice but end up craving a can of it so bad.

Does anyone have any tips? Best way to do it? Best way to start?

I am at my wits end, I am disgusting but why can't I stick to anything?

[FortunesFave]

can't not buy snacks as other people in house eat them and shouldn't need to suffer

It's not 'suffering" to not have snacks in the house. For some households it's completely normal. And there's absolutely no harm in it.

I used to have a cola addiction...that was what caused me to gain a stone and a half. Over the years I had stopped buying "snacks" for the household but I still drank two cans of coke per day. When I swapped that for fizzy water with a bit of lime (fresh) or lemon, and upped my walking, the weight came off.

The snacking is completely unnecessary....for everyone. The only snacks you need in the house is fruit and maybe some cheese and peanut butter for crackers.

Eat food that isn't processed...three meals per day, well balanced with meat and veg. Not too much pasta...only once a week.

Stop using butter if you use a lot....if you really need to eat something, have some plain, salted popcorn...I make my own in a pan.

The problem is that if you buy crap food, you will eat it. Stop buying it.

Who else lives with you? How old are they?

[Youaremysunshine09]

Thank you for the advice. I will not buy snacks with my next shop, going to up my water intake and start walking lots and hopefully that will help. I very rarely eat breakfast or lunch so this could also be a factor in it.

[NeedATan]

And portion control. And no seconds.

[FortunesFave]

I don;t eat breakfast but I always eat lunch....more like brunch really. You have to eat. Chose protein rich food like a plate of scrambled eggs, no toast.

They fill you up.

Drink water or fizzy water if it's better.

[Sssloou]

I very rarely eat breakfast or lunch so this could also be a factor in it.

100%. I expect you starve then become rabid hungry and binge on snacks.

Get ahead of the storm.

Never let yourself get hungry.

Eat 3 filling protein and veg meals. Change your mindset to giving yourself good nutrition with healthy satisfying food rather than depriving yourself of snacks.

SW and 16:8 has worked for me. There is nothing you can’t eat and there is no portion control (of free foods) - so no need to go hungry or deprive yourself of anything. I was eating much more volume of food and had never felt so full whilst losing 2-3lb a week. I lost 3 stone on SW and used my syns on a bar of choc and a glass of red wine EVERY night as a reward IF I had kept to the programme the rest of the day.

[MangoButterFingers]

Do not try to change everyone at once. With 5+ stones to lose, you do not need to go at a diet hard and heavy to get results, so ease yourself into it.

Identify 1 or 2 habits you want to tackle first. That might be:

• replacing all day time drinks with water and having just one can of fizzy in the evening; or even sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or lime in it
• replacing some of your typical meals with more fresh fruit a veg; for example a big plate of pizza and chips can become a smaller portion of both with a large salad on the side or a roast dinner which is havy on the roast potatoes meat and stuffing can be rebalanced to have less of those and more colourful fresh veg

Do that for a month and see how you go. Then think about what you might want to tackle next:

• evening binging
• not having breakfast
• smaller healthier lunches
• walking 2-3 times a week and/or trying to be more active on normal days
• reducing sugar intake
• taking up at home yoga or just having 30mins energetic dancing in your PJs in the living room
• getting better sleep by looking at sleep habits
• reducing stress levels
• if you have takeaways, looking at the menus in advance to try and pick tasty but healthier options you can choose when it comes to order
• maybe intermittent eating if you think that might work for you

Make the goal to be a little bit healthier tomorrow than you are today rather than "I must lose 4 stone". It's more sustainable.

[MangoButterFingers]

Do not try to change everyone at once was meant to be 'Do not try to change everything at once.'

[Love51]

Come and see us on the Why Do We Eat (Too Much) thread. Looks at why diets work then stop working, and what to do about it to stop the diet trap of losing weight then regaining it with a bit more. Work with your body, don't fight it!
It does involve quitting or drastically reducing sugar though!

[MarmaladeToastAndAMarmaladeCat]

I agree with not changing too much at once. I’d start with the fizzy drinks. Do you like sparkling water? I sometimes make a fizzy drink with sparkling water and sugar free squash and I enjoy the taste of it just as much and it’s next to no calories.

[Apileofballyhoo]

Have a look at the low carb boot camp threads on here. It's a different way of eating.

Other than that, fill yourself up with vegetables. Snack on vegetables. Eat two thirds vegetables at lunch and dinner and one third other food.

[Havehope21]

Hi there...
firstly, I would start by establishing a routine. I know that breakfast isn't for everyone, but try getting 2 weeks of eating balanced breakfasts, lunches and suppers and see how it makes you feel. Despite what many people say, don't cut out any food groups. Try to focus on unrefined carbohydrates (good source of fibre which gives you energy and keeps you fuller for longer), healthy fats (nuts, eggs etc) and protein. So breakfast could be:
2 poached eggs on wholemeal/seeded toast or porridge with fruit (fresh or frozen) / yogurt with fruit and chopped nuts (e.g almonds / hazelnuts) - try having a glass of water with every meal.

lunch could be something like homemade beans on toast made with onion, garlic, paprika, butterbeans, chopped tomatoes and fresh herbs / soup and toast - again, focus on balance.

supper could be homemade curry with brown rice and veggies.

Amelia Freer's latest book has some healthy recipes - so does Dr Rupy... try to see food as something to be enjoyed. By shifting your focus and getting out of a restricted mindset, you will probably find that you will get out of the 'feast or famine' thought process and will be less likely to binge.

Also - try to include 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of veg at every meal (so breakfast could be spinach/tomatoes and fresh berries/banana, lunch could be mushrooms and apple for pudding and supper could be veg as a side and then any fruit you like). 6 portions of fruit and veg should be minimum - not max.