I can't ever stick to diets .. .. and I'm getting fatter and fatter

[tubbyfatguts]

Why am I like this? I know I'm putting in weight especially round my tummy. I've gone from a size 10-12 to a 14-16 in 2 years and I don't really know why. I do all this research and start diets and never stick to them.

Am I just gonna be slowing gaining weight forever?

The thing that works for me is cutting down on carbs, my appetite shrinks and a salad with protein, vegetables omelette for lunch and then protein and veg for dinner really does satisfy me once I’ve been doing it for a couple of weeks.

It's getting a lot of attention in the press but the Ultra Processed People book really made a click for me. I listened to it. When you start to look at food differently, then what you choose to eat changes.

Have a look at Mindy Pelz YouTube videos on fasting! Not really a diet in the same sense, so might be easier to follow!

My mum started dieting after seeing a picture of herself looking particularly fat. She stuck copies of it on the fridge and pantry doors. Helped her to stick to her diet as she was ashamed of looking like that and had a reminder every time she was tempted to go and snack. Worked for her.

Cue 50 posters telling you about a bunch of different diets…

OP you’ve answered your own question in your first post. Yes, you will probably continue to put on weight because the pattern you have tried is to go on a diet but then not stuck at it. This is so common it’s how diet organisations make so much money. Dieting sets you up to fail.

My two pence worth is to imagine yourself 6 months from now, a year from now, five years from now. Of all the suggestions you’ll get on this thread what do you think you’ll be happily and easily still doing in a 6months/12 months/( years time? What can you see starting and then it just becoming a normal everyday part of life, like brushing your teeth?

If, for example, you know you’ll never give up bread or pasta, but that you can totally see yourself making some changes where you could happily eat fewer carbs, well maybe that’s the right approach for you.
Or if you can see reducing UPFs, or booze, or sugar, or taking up training to be a triathlete, is something that you can honestly picture yourself doing for the long term, then do some research and make some small steps towards doing that.

Short term diets are bullshit and will make you fatter and miserable.

Go have a look at Slimpod. It's not a diet, you can eat whatever you want. It addresses what's going on in your head and more. It has been trialled in the NHS so it's not woo or anything. It helps you get back to eating normally without all the brain chatter.

I think definitely weight creep is a thing as you get older - not just about diet but maybe we get more sedentary. I was in my early 30s when I learnt to drive - was definitely thinner when I didn't have a car! Used to walk all over the place. Maybe think about creating healthier habits - eat a better breakfast or skip breakfast - go for a daily walk but be realistic about what will fit into your current lifestyle. I gave up alcohol recently (I didn't drink that much but did associate it with having a good time) and that's really helped me ditch the empty calories.

There's no magic solution.

Make sensible food choices, reduce alcohol, increase exercise. You don't need to spend loads of time/money, there are tons of free exercise routines online. Weigh yourself once a week and keep a record. Reward yourself with something like a clothes shopping trip once you've reached a certain weight goal. View a healthy lifestyle as something permanent to avoid yo-yo dieting cycles.

I need to lose a stone - first time I've been more than half a stone overweight. I know I eat too much and move too little. I've re-evaluated, and decided that I'm going back to simple eating and not baking until I get down to target weight. This starts with shopping - I am making sure that I don't buy anything that I can't eat - this is easy for me because other people in the house also want to lose a bit of weight, and so long as I make sure we always have salad, fruit, nuts, seeds etc, they won't be looking for cake and crisps. Harder when you have kids or if you are used to having a lot of snacks in the house.

I recommend a week or two of a food diary of MyFitnessPal or similar - I generally eat a good diet and use very few UPFs. I was deluding myself about what normal portions were though.

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Are you eating rubbish all day or are certain parts of the day worst? If the latter can you do something to stop yourself overdoing it during that trigger zone?

My problem time used to be evenings, I’d regularly buy a big sharing bag of crisps and or chocolate and eat the lot sometime after dinner but during the first few months of this year I lost a bit of weight and managed to kick that habit. When I fell off the wagon a bit my new problem time became between 3 and 6 so I’ve not completely stopped eating during those hours because I know if I do have something I’ll want another and another.

Maybe try and approach like this OP. You need to be in the right headspace though. If you aren’t you’re wasting your time.

Cue 50 posters telling you about a bunch of different diets…

OP you’ve answered your own question in your first post. Yes, you will probably continue to put on weight because the pattern you have tried is to go on a diet but then not stuck at it. This is so common it’s how diet organisations make so much money. Dieting sets you up to fail.

My two pence worth is to imagine yourself 6 months from now, a year from now, five years from now. Of all the suggestions you’ll get on this thread what do you think you’ll be happily and easily still doing in a 6months/12 months/( years time? What can you see starting and then it just becoming a normal everyday part of life, like brushing your teeth?

If, for example, you know you’ll never give up bread or pasta, but that you can totally see yourself making some changes where you could happily eat fewer carbs, well maybe that’s the right approach for you.
Or if you can see reducing UPFs, or booze, or sugar, or taking up training to be a triathlete, is something that you can honestly picture yourself doing for the long term, then do some research and make some small steps towards doing that.

Short term diets are bullshit and will make you fatter and miserable.

Read this.

Being able to sustain a good nutrition plan is by far the most important thing. Ignore anything you read suggesting that you try fasting or any other batshit insane diet

Stop dieting, start making lifestyle changes instead. I can't diet, but I do keep active and eat/drink in moderation. It maintains my weight, and if I want to lose weight I just reduce calories for a few weeks.

I agree that diets as such cn be unhelpful.

I am probably naturally a size 12 - 14 but feel uncomfortable and unhealthy at that size. I maintain being a size 8 by doing just two things. I get a lot of exercise and I don't eat after 6 pm (unless it's a special occasion). I clean my teeth at 6 pm then that's it for the day apart from water.

But you will need to find what suits you and what fits into your lifestyle.

I have done similar OP. I don't have a good answer. I'm hoping I've come up with a sustainable method of looking after my weight currently but I'll only be able to tell you if it's worked in 2 more years.

I'm down 10lbs in 8 weeks, in spite of going on holiday, going to the pub, out for brunch / lunch / dinner etc.

So it seems to be working and I'm not miserable which I am sometimes if dieting.

Diets only ever work temporarily. 95% of people regain the weight.

The thing to do is find a lifestyle that supports the weight you want to be.

Why do you overeat? Is it boredom? Portion size? Poor food choices? Can you really examine your relationship with food and honestly recognise where the issue/s are? That will be a good place to start.

You don't need to increase exercise to lose fat. You need to consume less calories BUT you also need to not be floating on hunger pangs half the day. Gentle movement (like walking) is good, but you don't need to tackle exercise and food at once in order to slim down. That in itself can be quite stressful. Not only are you trying two large life changes, but the increased exercise likely will make you feel hungrier! You also tend then to overeat because even when you're not hungry, you have a "justification" for the crisps/chocolate/whatever because you "burnt X calories today". Only, those calories you think you burned, you probably didn't really, and you probably didn't actually burn as much as you're about to eat!

Your calorie intake does need to be slightly reduced, BUT if you try to eat around 30g of protein per meal, you'll find you're bloody stuffed! I say "try" because it's actually harder than you think! And make sure you're drinking lots of water too as it helps with digestion.

I measure my protein and carbs. The protein because otherwise I don't take enough and the carbs because it's ridiculously easy to eat too much! Veg I generally don't measure, I just try to mix colours of it. I've lost 9kg (weighed 79kg) since May by doing this. I also measure what I'm eating and record it in MyNetDiary because some days I don't eat enough and I am aiming for 1300-1500cals per day. I really don't want to undereat.

We're all on a diet. If you frame it in your mind as though you have to restrict yourself all of a sudden then you will naturally want to lapse.

Streamline your diet over time. Move to unprocessed fresh foods and away from processed foods. You will naturally lose weight as all calories are not equal

If you're getting your food intake from "good" stuff that doesn't promote excess fat, you don't have to think too much about it, just do it over time.

Fill yourself up with good stuff first, and move onto processed junk, not the other way around.

No short term diet has ever worked for me, but intermittent fasting has, combined with exercise as a way of life. I've lost the weight I put on in menopause and kept it off. Still struggle at times though.

Like @PostOpOp, reading Ultra Processed People really helped me. I've been eating a whole foods diet ever since.