How to eat healthy? Please help

[Slazengerbag]

This is going to sound silly. I’ve been on and off diets for the last 10 years. I lose a few stone and then put it all back on and more. I am currently 9 stone over weight

The thing is I don’t know how to eat healthy or what exercise to do. I’ve spent 10 years count syns and points. I was always tweaking and adding sweetners to everything. No am very fortunate that I am healthy at the moment but I feel like I’m on a knifes edge of getting an illness due to my lifestyle choices.

I also have not exercised at all in 10 years apart from walking the dog 30 minutes a day (dh does the other walk). My job is quite active and I do about 10,000 steps a day with that.

So my question is how do I eat healthy? I’ve been reading stuff and it’s saying berries for antioxidants, fish for omega 3 and so on. I hate salad. I will happily eat lots of veg but not salad. I was then reading that I shouldn’t eat too much fruit but another article said I should for the vitamins?

Also with exercise, I have purchased an exercise bike which I thought I could do in the comfort of my own home. I’m not confident enough to go to a gym just yet. Everything I have read is saying I need to do weights. How do I do this without going to a gym? Do I buy dumbbells? How would I do weights on my leg. Also I fancy yoga but is that going to do anything for me or is it just relaxing?

I’m so overwhelmed by it all. My main focus is to be healthy. I’m guessing the weight will come off as I have so much to loose anyway?

What does a healthy day look like for you? Has anyone been in this situation before?

Yoga is great and can be really hard work, don’t be fooled!

I’d say: the great is the enemy of the good. Baby steps. Start by moving more and upping your fruit and vegetable intake.

The thing is people can be so dogmatic about what works, when one person says something is healthy there'll be someone else who ridicules that. So I'd focus less on what's "right" and more on what you think could work for you. For example people on these boards are obsessed with low carbing, but that doesn't work for me at all.

If you're nine stone overweight then practically any exercise will help you - what sort of class appeals to you that you think might be fun? It's very trendy at the moment to look down on cardio and say weights are everything, but that isn't necessarily The Truth. Honestly the best exercise is the one you think you'll enjoy the most as you're more likely to stick with it.

Do not think you can out train a bad diet. Upping your exercise will not lose the weight of your diet doesn't change. You know what healthy food is, so stop reading more fad diet stuff online and focus on eating less, cut out snacking and incorporate lots of vegetables into your diet. Learn what a portion is and weigh out what you cook. Try a few days of calorie counting using My Fitness Pal. You'll very quickly learn what foods contain unnecessary fat and sugar and what is an absolute waste of calories. I personally prefer a high protein, low carbohydrate diet as it keeps me filled up and I don't get the slump after a meal. Doesn't mean it works for everyone though.

Yoga will help. Choose a class listed as vinyasa flow or hatha yoga, not yin or restorative yoga. If gyms don't appeal then look for the type of local yoga class that's held in a community hall, village hall or other non-gym venue. They're much friendlier in my opinion.

Personally I would try and eat lots of whole foods and more plant based. So lots of fruit, veggies, potatoes, grains, beans, lentils, nuts, etc. Google a wholefood plant based diet. Try not to eat crisps, biscuits, dairy, processed meats, etc. Try and listen to your body, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are not hungry any more. You don’t want to eat until you are stuffed, just until you don’t feel hungry any more.

The best exercise is the one that you stick at. If the bike is something you can do at home and do continuously then that’s great! Increasing your dog walking, couch to 5k, yoga, cardio boxing video, beginners chair workout on YouTube etc. All will be a good step as long as you keep it up. Then when you get into it you can mix it up, do some body resistance one day, bike the next, cardio video the next time etc.

I don't think forcing something on yourself because it's 'good for you' is ever going to work. It's about making small changes that you can commit to long term. Nobody has to eat salads to be healthy. Nobody has to do yoga to be healthy. Nobody has to run or lift weights or join the gym or have lots of oily fish or any of those other things.

You can lose weight still eating MacDonalds sometimes. You can lose weight eating cheese and chocolate every day. You can find exercise that's fun and feels like a pleasure not a chore. It's not about forcing yourself to do it the way it works for other people, but finding a way that works for you.

If you feel like doing something fun, silly and slightly hilarious, you could see if there's a Clubbercise class near you www.clubbercise.com

I would focus on diet for now, with an extra 9 stone you will be at risk of injury if you start exercising gung ho. Swimming or cycling best to protect your joints until you are a bit lighter, then weight bearing exercises such as squats and push ups are great.

Food wise, don’t go crazy restricting calories or food groups as it is impossible to stick to that long term. For sustained weight loss you need to follow a plan that you can adhere to that is not too restrictive. I’d focus on increasing your fibre (mostly from veg) and lean protein intakes. So lean meat, fish, eggs, chickpeas etc and fibrous veg. These things will keep you fuller longer. Prioritise these every time you feel hungry and you will have less space for sweet treats and fried foods. Work out your daily energy expenditure using an online calculator then shave off around 15-20% for the amount of calories you should eat every day. You’ll need to adjust it as you lose weight. Good luck!

I think it's useful to start by tackling one thing until it's a habit, and then tackle the next.

For example, you could start with your breakfasts- get that to a healthy point before tackling lunch. Or, if you wanted to be more wholistic, commit to having 1 portion of fruit or veg at breakfast, 2 at lunch and 3 at dinner. Once you've done that, you could graduate to switching away from refined carbs, reducing portion size of non-whoe food items etc.

On the exercise front, I use Fitness Blender and they have a fantastic and affordable low impact calendar on the website which is great for increasing what your joints can do. You would need a set of weights to get the most out of it, but you can just get dumbbells and they don't need to be heavy initially.

Focus on what you should be eating rather than what you should be eating rather than on what you shouldn’t. I think if losing weight is your aim then aiming to eat 10 portions of fruit and veg a day is a great place to start. In order to achieve this you eat quite large volumes which a) fills you up, b) takes time! I often find if I eat veg before anything else I don’t then want what I originally thought I did. By eating larger veg portions with your meals you eat less of the more calorific elements.

ok, you are going to embark on an amazing journey, being 9st over weight you will see dramatic changes in your health and body.

last year i got a nutritionist and i could recommend it highly enough. he analysed my diet and then made manageable changes that made a huge difference and i say that as someone who has always been into diet and fitness and trained 6 days a week. nutrition is everything and you can not out train a bad diet. the guy who i used has a phd in nutrition (i know as i used to train at the same gym as him) and he also used to be very out of shape so he understands. he is @scotthillnutrition.

however i'm sure there's other nutritionists, but i can't recommend it enough.

if you don't want to go down that route you need to write an honest food diary, weigh yourself at the same time of day every day for 3 days and then analyse your cravings, habits etc

figure out how much you should eat to maintain and take a percentage off it.

Also start walking and upping activity but in a manageable way. get a pedometer and keep challenge yourself.

a great pod cast is the james smith and he has a free e book and a hard back you can buy which is a great other option.

when it comes to working out please do something you enjoy, i used to do crossfit which i adored and now do brazilian juijitsu, there's so many clubs you can join

Stop stop and stop some more reading about diets and ways other people do things.
Stop buying unhealthy food in the shop because quite simply, you can’t eat unhealthy at home if there isn’t anything unhealthy to eat.

You’re counting your steps. That’s great! Just try and do a few more each day.

You’re expecting yourself to go from 0-10 in a day, and that’s just not realistic. Change 1 thing at a time, stop expecting yourself to suddenly eat only healthy things and exercise like crazy all in one go

Its easiest to stop buying the things that are bad for you, simply ban the following foods from your home, and avoid when eating out.

Fizzy drinks, sports drinks, any with any sugar in.

(Drink only tea and coffee (without sugar )and water.)

Cakes, pastries, sweets,, chocolates, biscuits, ice cream.Energy bars, anything processed into a 'bar'

(Replace with nuts, oatcakes, fruit in moderation.)

Takeaways.

Tinned food with added sugar, ie baked beans, sauces, custard, etc. check the ingredients.

Replace with meals consisting of; meat, grilled, baked or roasted.
with vegetables, stir fried, roasted or steamed, as many as you like.

Omelets with chicken, ham, tomatoes, onion, sweet peppers etc.

Casseroles with meat, vegetables, (no potato) serve with brown rice, lentils..

Curries.

If you stick to mostly lean meat and fish with tons of vegetables, ( keep potato and parsnips to a minimum or cut them out entirely) the weight will drop off you without exercise.

It is all about replacing each thing you eat with a better option, ie breakfast, replace sugary cereals, with bacon and poached eggs, or porridge and blueberries.

Replace a chocolate or cake snack with avocado on Ryvita, or almonds and an apple.

Replace a sandwich , crisps and fizzy drink lunch with, cold chicken, crudite, and a small portion of brown rice.

Replace burger and chips with, a grilled steak or fish, and a ton or roasted vegetables.

Emergency snacking on bicuits with some very dark chocolate.
Don't count calories, just stick to three rules.

No sugar
limited carbs
modest portions.

Walking briskly is good until you lose some weight, then l agree with other posters find somethimng you love to do, dance, gym, jog.

But remember it is always 90% food, and 10% exercise.

Good luck for a healthy 2020.

Thank you everyone for taking the time with your suggestions. You have really given me something to work on.

I wouldn't necessarily avoid eating fat altogether. I've been doing low carb, low sugar for a few months now and eating a small portions of full fat meats and cheeses has really helped lessen my appetite. Before I was eating a lot of breads, grains and low fat, yogurts, cheeses to try to feel full and the weight had started to pile on. It's a bit restrictive to use as a permanent diet, but has been useful to initially lose a reasonable amount of weight. Also to re-train my brain to not see fat as the enemy and to hopefully feel full on smaller portions.

I'll probably start to eat a more mediterranean style diet as that's less restrictive for the long-term, but I still get to eat lots of tasty foods.

I would just buy this book....

How Not To Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1509893067/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_mZFbEb3FS6TE7

It's excellent. You won't look back. Good luck. ❤️

don't buy anything. all the advice you need is FREE on the NHS website. Stay away from anyone flogging diets, diet books, classes, miracle cures.

nutritionists don't need qualifications and anyone can say they are a nutritionist, even crappy film stars. 'Dietician' is a protected title and seeing one of those may help, maybe you can get a GP referral? They could help you understand the real science and what works for you.

'syns', 'naughty' all indicate a disordered relationship with food.