To think I can lose weight this way? Long, sorry...

[midori1999]

My diet is appalling. I want to lose weight but have tried various diets and healthy eating plans and cannot keep it up long term, I think because I want results too quickly, which I get, but I am so strict about what I eat when I diet it's not something that is sustainable long term.

I'm not huge, but am just into the obese category with a bmi of about 30-31. I am 5ft 7 ish and 13st. I do binge eat, I made a banana and caramel cake last week and ate half of it in one evening. I will also sometimes eat a whole tub of Ben and Jerrys in one sitting. I also tend, if we eat out, to 'need' three courses even if I am full after dinner, will order a meal at, say Mcdonalds and something extra, like a breakfast 'meal' then an extra hash brown. I feel embarrassed saying this. I skip meals then eat three bags of crisps later. The only reason I am not bigger is I am active, lots of walking my dogs, lots of DC to look after and am breastfeeding.

So, my plan it to eat more normally. I've been having porridge with skimmed milk for breakfast, albeit a large bowl. Lunch has been something like lentil and veg soup or a sandwich and then a proper dinner, such as curry and rice, stew, pasta, or if I am not very hungry, a sandwich. Snacks have been fruit, veg sticks or if I really fancy it a bar of choclate or small piece of cake, but only one. I've decided if I want a 'treat' I'll just have one, if I want a takeway I'll have one occasionally, but stop at one thing and also tyry and eat more to my hunger than for the sake of it. So far I have been doing this for a week (not long I know) and I have lost 2lb and I do feel like I am eating in a way that is long term sustainable as I am eating what I want pretty much. I feel that I may lose weight very slowly after the initial bit, but I am happy with that.

However, my Mum and my Dsis seem to think that I cannot lose weight this way. So AIBU?

It works. Stop thinking of it as a diet but rather as a new way of eating for life. You get used to it. I lost 2stone like that 3 years ago and my weight remains constant - I eat 3 meals a day- have one snack, one piece of chocolate and extra fruit. Keep off processed food. If you do have extra when out, compensate the next day.

Hi,
If you like to feel satisfied by larger portions / volume then the trick is to make it sure it's the right sort of food.
Rather than a small bowl of pasta, why not eat two big bowls of something healthy as then you won't want the Ben and Jerry's afterwards.

I've been where you are now, and its completely sortable.
Have a look at this for some healthy recipes that are delicious and you can fill up on.

Www.veganbody.net

Have you heard of a book called Brain over Binge? Although it addresses bulimia in the main, it is very insightful with regard to all kinds of binge eating, explaining how our brains work and why our brains "trick" us into binging. It also emphasises the strong link between dieting and binge eating.
My eating patterns have improved massively since I read the book, and I do feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders (no longer feel as though I am "doomed" to battle with food for the rest of my life).

Controlling portion size can be very difficult, especially as you will feel hungry the first few times you do it. A good way of controlling how much you are eating is to use chopsticks to eat (obviously not useful for soup etc). Chopsticks only allow you to take smaller bites at a time, and therefore mean that you will eat much more slowly. Doing this will allow the signal that you are full to get to your brain before you've finished the entire massive plateful.

Or if that is too extreme, serving onto a small side plate can help. You are forced to pause and think about whether you actually want more once you have finished that serving.

You are doing it right. I lost 6 stone without a "diet" in the usual sense and have kept it off in the same way. Eat when I'm hungry, what I fancy. I did have an initial adjustment period as I needed to change what unwanted IYKWIM. Now I'm more likely to choose an omelette than a sandwich if I'm hungry and need something quick.

Oh, I ate an entire tub of Ben and jerry's last week. There's a place for occasional (very occasional!) gluttony in a balanced diet.

Not wanting to be the lone voice of dissent - while I think there's nothing inherently 'wrong' with the diet you suggest (it's certainly healthier that the way you eat now, and if you were to stick to it you would reduce the main culprit of overweight and ill-health, sugar) - have you thought about something like paleo as a step further?

Only suggesting it as I saw your other thread on hormones and ttc (sorry, never sure if it's the done thing to mention having seen other threads people have started!). If you're at all concerned about hormone imbalances and sugar addiction, a paleo/primal approach, combined with something psychologically supportive, would be an excellent way forward. I've not heard of gastronome's suggestion, but it sounds useful (ex bulimic here).

A good place to start would be Mark's Daily Apple, or the book that accompanies the site. I'll look up links in a sec. An alternative to the type of psychological approach gastrognome suggested above would be a Mindfulness one (which I'm a HUGE fan of).

www.amazon.co.uk/Primal-Blueprint-Reprogramme-effortless-boundless/dp/0091947839

This is the book I found very helpful.

Marks Daily Apple

www.amazon.co.uk/Eat-Drink-Mindful-Struggle-Intention/dp/1572246154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357539752&sr=8-1

Eat, Drink and be Mindful is a great book on mindfulness and binge eating.

www.amazon.co.uk/Eat-Drink-Mindful-Struggle-Intention/dp/1572246154/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357539752&sr=8-1

Bollocks, live link this time.

I'll stop spamming your thread now :o

It sounds really good to me. You've made a long tern healthy eating plan that should help you break your bad habits. Like others have said you might need to look at portion sizes in the future but there's no reason why you won't lose weight if you stick to your plan. If needed add a thick veg soup one or two days a week it will help weight loss.

OP, how is it going a couple of months on?

This is exactly what I want to do. How is it going? Has anyone had success with a similar plan?

Bit of a bump - 2013 ?