Feel utterly broken - another diet failed again

I'm 32 and I'm back to intermittent fasting. I go til about 2pm before I eat. I know some people prefer to fast in the evenings but it would make me miserable so I make the timing work for me.
A massive thing I have found as well is cutting out snacks. Good meals mean you shouldn't need to snack (unless you have a medical issue which means you need to eat regularly).
Portion is definitely a big thing as well.
And getting in regular exercise to boost your metabolism and mental health.

I'm sorry you are so down, @nameeCha . Avoiding people who make you feel bad is a good start.

Can you also find people, interests, activities that lift your spirits? Me, I like reading, listening to music and looking at art books, and watching kittens and other stuff on YouTube.

Tomorrow is another day. Stop buying cookies and sugary stuff and you'll have made a good start.

Maybe there is a Meet-up group that might be of interest to you, or some other interest group in your neck of the woods?

I keep reading things like 'no food is banned', 'everything in moderation', 'healthy muffins/protein bars/cereals', et cetera.

When in fact everything to do with diet and healthy eating gets infinitely easier if one cuts down/out sugar and refined carbs, especially UPFs.

By eating lean protein, healthy fats and vegetables we can remain satiated and avoid the glucose and insulin spikes that feed our cravings.

Lots of books and websites explain this, but I found Dr Mark Hyman's The Blood Sugar Solution particularly illuminating.

I find using My Fitness Pal a real help. It makes you accountable for every single calorie and it’s the only way I’ve ever lost weight. It also means you can eat whatever you like, just not quite as much of it.

Is this your most recent diet or what you ate before you started trying to lose weight?

I have lost a third of my body weight and two years later it has stayed off. Here's what I did/am doing:

• No food is banned. Instead, I reduce portion sizes and frequency of consumption. This was key for me as I did not have to go through even one cycle of restricting and then bingeing.
• I consulted a dietician who reviewed my diet and suggested changes based on my likes/dislikes.
• I made slow changes to my diet, allowing time for me to adjust before adding more.
• I did not make any changes I was not prepared to keep up indefinitely.
• Logging everything on MyFitnessPal and being strict about measuring my portions so that the logging is accurate.
• I added exercise for a mental health boost, which made it easier for me to make good food choices.

1950 calories a day?

If you're running miles and miles and strength training each day, then yes

If not, I'd say about 1100 calories a day, counting every little thing which goes into your mouth (drinks too) and walking each day

Work out how many calories you are eating now and record it (see earlier message) only then will you be able to reduce it and by how much, everyone is different. The numbers quoted on web sites are generalisations so dont mean a lot.

If you are not losing weight then you are using up just the calories/energy from what you eat on a daily basis and you need to reduce the calories to start losing weight, it is a simple equation.

In theory you can eat all your existing foods just less of them in a day/week, but best if you swap some for lower calorie versions.

Could you give up meat?

I don't eat anything that comes from an animal and genuinely don't feel deprived. There are plant based versions of pie, quiche, cake, anything- I genuinely can't think of one thing I'm missing out on. I'm so much happier and healthier since going vegan. It's a myth that I'm restricted.

I eat 3 healthy meals and sometimes one small snack a day.

I only eat chocolate on Sundays.

I drink lots of water every day and walk everywhere (the walking is key). I also plank and run when it's not so hot. Planking is great as you can build up gradually and don't need any equipment or to leave the house.

A typical day:

Hot lemon water

Protein shake

Breakfast Porridge with banana and peanut butter or granola and yoghurt or Weetabix and fruit etc.

Snack generally only fruit

Dinner / tea ideas chickpeas curry, pizza, beans on toast, jacket potato, pasta, salad, many other things. I love tofu scramble and eat chickpeas.

I've just started intermittent fasting but only once a week as I'm already slim with a bmi of 18.7.

The above is not a 'diet' to me, it's lifelong because I enjoy it and that really is the game changer imo. It's mindset. There is no 'bandwagon' to fall off, it's just how I genuinely enjoy living. I'm teetotal.

Could you try and make small changes over time with a view to it being sustainable rather than 'going on a diet'.

Hannah Adkins and simmnet nutrition are 2 good YouTubers on this subject.

Different things work for different people. It's finding what's right for you. I'm calorie counting with a focus on protein.

Yes it definitely feels it too. But once it hit me how overweight I was getting that was miserable too

ive struggled with weight all my life and tried keto and fasting. They’re supposed to make you less hungry but doesn’t work for me. I have a ridiculous appetite and the only thing that works for me is counting calories.

ive not finished with this stretch of dieting and think im just going to have to calorie track all my life so I don’t just put it back on again

The website can only give you estimates. Pick any number from any of the websites. Track your food for two weeks. Unless triggering, weigh yourself every day and figure out your weekly average weight. At the end of the fortnight, if your weight is going down - you are on the right track. If your weight stayed the same/increased, cut 5% from the calories you were eating. Repeat every fortnight and adjust as needed.

10kg heavier than you but 1ft taller than you. 1200 cals a day (log EVERYTHING on MFP) works for me.

I’m the same height, older but had less to lose. I lost 13 kilograms eating around 1600-1700 a day but I am also very active and really tracked everything I ate and drank.

I didn’t find this difficult, I steadily and slowly dropped weight and I maintained my loss for nearly 8 months now.

What about cutting certain foods out instead?

I can’t eat certain foods such as anything containing wheat and dairy for medical reasons, but it does shift you to eating more healthier because you have to check every label and this can discontinue a lot of foods. It is restrictive, but it’s made me feel a lot better in myself plus I eat more fruit and vegetables.

I think 1400 is a good number for a fairly average woman who is overweight rather than obese. It also allows enough decent food without being hungry.

Learning to accept a bit of hunger is a good strategy. We have become too used to snacking and grazing. Our ancestors, until quite recently, did not have that luxury.

I found developing my core instrumental in eating less without actually feeling 'hungry-hungry'. I can feel the strength and tightness of my core and it feels so great that I just don't feel hungry.

A strong core has other benefits: overall physical strength, e.g. when exercising or lifting, less risk of back pain, stronger hips and legs, better posture, walking faster or longer without getting tired...

How? Lots of planks and abs work, such as:

• Caroline Girvan, e.g. Braced Core & Abs
• Rebecca Louise Best Abs
• some floor based workouts by Lucy Wyndham Read

The only diet that works, is one that you can stick to.

Cutting whole food groups out, is going to make sticking to the diet much harder.

Work out your calories.
Plan 3 meals a day and 2 snacks.
Try and have protein with every meal and try and add loads of veg/salad.
(I like to replace some of the carbs with more veg, so you can still have your carbs you’re just eating less of them).

If you want a treat meal, then work this into your weekly calorie allowance.
So if your allowance is 1500 a day (completely random number) you could make your Mon-Saturday allowance maybe 1300 and then your Sunday allowance is 1300 + (200x6) 1200 = 2500.

It means you can still go out with friends and enjoy treats, without ruining all of your hard work.

Lots of people have had success with SW/WW so it may be worth a try if you haven’t already.

I would recommend following Abbey Sharp on YouTube, her weight loss videos are very sensible IMO. She is an advocate of intuitive eating. I don't need to lose weight but I'm interested in nutrition and healthy eating; what she says resonates with me and is what I do instinctively to maintain my weight.

I increased my protein intake to 0.8kg per lb of body weight and increased workouts to 5 a week lasting between 45mins to an hour. Still have the odd bit of what I want here and there, just sensible about it. Reduced carbs but still eat them, maybe once a day on workout days. Protein shake after workout. Didn't snack cos didn't need to with the protein increase. Weight coming off slowly and it's a sustainable way to eat cos I'm not depriving myself.

I'm another Mounjaro lover. It suppresses your appetite and cravings so eating under your daily calorie allowance is easy. I am not dieting per se but I am focusing on eating high protein, high vitamin foods as much as I can.

I have gone out for meals with friends and chosen a healthy option from the menu with one glass of wine and said no to dessert as too full. It really works - it's like liquid willpower.

I advise that you don't eat 1200 calories it is another fad diet you won't be able to stick too.
At your height and weight, unless you have PCOS or other health condition. Aim for 1500-1700 daily. Minimum 100g protein.
Increase your steps. Strength train 3 times a week.
Keep it simple. Eat foods you enjoy within the above remits.
Protein, fruit and veg are filling so include those at every meal.
You will lose weight in a sustainable manner.

That’s not true. I’m 5’9’, lost weight on 1900 to start with.

I read your sin feels saggy.I think you are dehydrated which makes the body remain water.Dronl.loads of water a d weigh yourself again a few days after the hot spell ends

Another question is how are your bowels? If you're constipated, then nothing is going to come off the scales because it will all stay inside you.

Weigh yourself again in a couple of weeks.
Hot weather certainly makes me retain a massive amount of water and then it all comes off again.