to not know what to do about my eating habits or my weight?

[FeedMyFaceWithJaffaCakes]

Hello everyone.
Posted this a couple of places, as really need advice.
I have tried SW (slimming world) three a few times and failed every single time.
I'm quite fat. 5'4 and (I haven't the nerve to get on the scales) but probably about the top end of the 12stones...
I think the reason I'm failing is because I don't eat very much, is in I eat little potions of good and healthy food. Even though some of it like chicken, tuna jacket potatoes, leafy salad and avocado I love. I just don't always feel hungry. Sometimes I go days without eating anything, especially If I'm tired/stressed/anxious (delete as appropriate!) I enjoy big meals if I go out (to somewhere like nandos approx. Once a week) and will always have three courses if there's something I fancy if we go to a pub (that's probably more like once a month though)
I've never ever eaten breakfast, I leave the house at 6.15am every morning and the idea of eating then makes me feel physically ill. I'm sure I don't drink enough either.
I love chocolate and biscuits and cake and can easily eat a share bag of malteasers to myself.
I don't do any exercise at all and I hate all forms of exercise, except swimming which I do quite like.
I'm a nurse so I do spend all day on my feet but I'm not really sure that counts!!
So really, I'm just asking, do you think I should try SW again?
Or is there another diet healthy eating plan that might be more effective?
I know I need to do something, but I'm not sure of the most effective solution.
Because I can't go on like this.
I want to look beautiful in my wedding dress. 

[ExasperatedAlmostAlways]

Oh and maybe set an alarm for meal times so you remember to eat and defo meal plan.

[FeedMyFaceWithJaffaCakes]

Not had my thyroid checked all that recently. Last year or so I think.
My mum has hypothyroidism and my nanny has hyperthyroidism so who knows?!
X

[squoosh]

Mackerel and avocados are super foods! Full of good fats that satisfy hunger. Also great for your skin.

[cardibach]

Exasperated I've drunk more water than usual especially in the evenings (because no wine).
Ironman so it's only been a week. I didn't expect to lose all the weight - why wouldn't you lose some when you reduce your calories by a whacking great load? Other people lose loads in the first diet week! (For info, due to dealing with a bereavement I was drinking about half a bottle of wine a day. At 200/medium glass that should be at least 400 calories a day or 2,800 in the week. That should be a pound loss, surely, even without the dietary changes? Don't get why it being the first week would affect that )

[YohY]

The avocado is good fat but I'm sorry the notoriety of that list is full of sugar and carbs! And sausages

I think when losing weight we need to be honest with ourselves and I for one no how it is in hospitals lots of sugary snacks about!

Eat more protein, try a protein shake and eggs for breakfast, a healthy protein packed salad with say mackerel not smoked to avoid salt and avocado, snack on carrot sticks with low fat hummus, dinner plain protein Luke tuna steak or chicken breast.

Exercise.. Even if it's just walking or you could do HIT where you run really fast for 1 minute then jog at a slower pace to get your heart rate up.

Ditch the sugar including drinks. 90% of weight loss is food. We are literally what we eat.

If you do this you will lose weight

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

My tips are (and I am no skinny mummy but a a lot more toned these days )
Download a free steps app and target 10,000 per day

Yes to swimming ! It's saved me this year

And just eat healthily ! I don't believe in diets just eat healthy food

My challenge is I need to get down to 2 or 3 nights a week with no / scary how daunted I am

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

By the way I think targeting moving more is easier than targeting eating less - just as a start ? Is get off his one stop early , take stairs - see that for a week ?

[ChicChantal]

Have you tried joining the sparkpeople.com website? Loads of good advice there, and all free and you can get lots of online support.

I haven't got any brilliant suggestions (if I weighed what you do, I'd think my troubles were over) but trying to walk 10K steps a day is a start.

[FeedMyFaceWithJaffaCakes]

Okay here is the list now:
1 packet of baby leaf salad
2 X avocado
Cucumber
Spring onions
Packet of stir fry veg mix
Beansprouts
Sweet Potatoes
Strawberries
Rasperries
Cherries
Hummus
Packet of 4 chicken breasts
Prawns
Smoked mackerel
Rubarb and custard yoghurt from yeo valley
Crackerbreads
Plain granola (no icky bits)
Mr Kipling Angel slices
Those teensy cans of Coke
No added sugar squash
Sparking water

Plan is to make some overnight oats with milk peanut butter for "breakfast" (might not have this till 11) then have avocado and prawns with hummus and Crackerbreads for lunch followed by stir fry/ jacket potato w. Baked beans or whatever for dinner!
How does this sound? I'm keeping the cakes and the teensy cans of Coke, I can't deprive myself totally or I think I will start bingeing.
Also, I've looked up swimming classes and am going to go on Thursday :)

[AwesomeAF]

Chocolate is super high in calories. It only takes me one chocolate block and a small healthy dinner and I've hit my daily calorie intake. So anything extra is stopping weightloss. So it feels like I'm hardly eating but in calories it's a lot. Tracking your eating will show you exactly how many calories you're eating and where it's coming from.
And whatever you do don't get a lapband or sleeve, it's not effective considering where your calories come from.

[BerylStreep]

I would really recommend trying The Whole30. All you need to know is for free on thewhole30.com.

I have been overweight for ages, and nothing has worked. Low-Carving kept the worst at bay, but I never really lost huge amounts. I lost 8kg in 4 weeks on the whole 30, and have continued to lose - last time I looked I had lost 16kg (2 1/2 stone).

Quite apart from weight loss, it is the best thing you could possibly do for your health.

'It Starts With Food' is also a great read (by the founders of Whole30) and gives a really good sciency explanation for what is going on. It sounds like you have high levels of cortisol, which can play havoc with your hormonal function.

[WhatALoadOfOldBollocks]

"Sometimes I go days without eating anything, especially If I'm tired/stressed/anxious (delete as appropriate!)"

You need to deal with the underlying cause of why you don't eat for days, because only then will your "diets" have a chance of working long term. Do you get hungry but ignore the hunger or do you have no appetite (they are different things)?

Full fat Coke is the work of the devil. Ideally you shouldn't be drinking sugary drinks at all, but if you really must then only have them for treats not every day. They play havok with your blood sugar levels, which will make you feel tired. Same goes for cakes and biscuits. They should be seen as treats not part of your everyday diet.

[specialsubject]

shift work is a bugger for health, and there's a reason many nurses and carers are overweight; no time to cook and the emergency grab food is calorie dense.

stay off the coke (pour it down the toilet, it is a great cleaner), cereal bars, choc, diet food and similar condensed sugar items. If you are thirsty, drink water. A cup of tea only has calories in the milk, ditto coffee. Repeat; do not eat shitty cereal bars sold as 'healthy'. They are a con.

try to eat in-season stuff, fill up with complex carbs

any movement is exercise. If you like swimming, swim.

[YohY]

Get a pedometer to count your steps too

[flapinko]

Give up the sugar! Seriously. It just makes you MORE hungry. Stir-fry sauces are usually packed with sugar. Ditto Coke & Ribena. Fine to keep the yoghurt, but couldn't you go for a plain one and sweeten yourself with some fruit, honey and nuts? Yes, the nuts are calorific but they are protein foods, which fills you up. The opposite of something with no protein and just sugar (stir-fry sauces etc.). You need to buy peanut butter without added sugar too. All these hidden sugars REALLY make you more hungry (and in my case, more moody/temperamental too). Honestly, ditch the refined sugar, it will make a huge difference. Find some fruit you really like eating instead (I love apples with a bit of cheese for a treat). A good, nourishing diet is all about eating foods that make you feel full. If you can bear it, try to go for low-carb dinners too, i.e. steak and salad, chicken and roasted veg, omelette, chunky soup etc.

[flapinko]

Baked beans also have loads of sugar - never understood why these are allowed on SW.

[chrome100]

I also have no willpower and love all kinds of chocolate and sweets.

I decided that since I can't give them up, I'll just run them off instead.

I get up at 530 and run for 90 minutes every day before work. This means I can eat crap and still be size 8. It's a bit drastic but it works for me!

[FeedMyFaceWithJaffaCakes]

Hello everyone (whoever is still listening.)

Just wanted to say I've started my trying to eat healthily tonight.
I've had a jacket potato with dry-fried chicken with chilli and garlic on top with salad with 1tsb of butter and 1tsb of extra light mayo followed by a yoghurt and a teensy can of Coke (150ml I think) for dinner.
Have packed myself lots of options for tomorrow (I'm on an early)
So overnight oats for breakfast. (Oats, milk, berries and yoghurt in a kilner jar overnight). For lunch: mackerel salad with five baby potatoes, a boiled egg, 2 tbsp of hummus, two crackerbread, an avocado, a yoghurt, a naked bar, a Heinz cups soup, fruit in jelly, a packet of choc gems. Have packed a litre bottle of lemon and lime fizzy water too. Obviously I won't eat all of this but I'm trying to give myself as many options as possible.
Dinner is going to be chicken stir fry. Just the veg and chicken plus bean sprouts with a shake of soy and some garlic and chilli. Will take the leftovers to work the next day, as am on a late Wednesday.


How am I doing? X

[JacksSkellington]

Don't take so much for lunch. I know you say you won't eat it all but if you get hungry, you might and you're talking a shed load of calories (and the equivalent of two whole lunches) there.

But well done you - the mackerel salad sounds fantastic.

[BerylStreep]

I suppose it depends on what sort of philosophy you are going to adopt. You seem to be going down the low fat route - dry fried chicken, extra light mayo, Heinz cup a soup.

Where do the choc gems fit into that?

Personally, I would be cutting out the coke and choc gems, fruit in jelly and the lemon & lime fizz, and going for whole healthy fats and water, herbal / fruit teas, or freshly squeezed lemon and hot water. The rest sounds good - avocado, mackerel salad, humous. Well done. Some cherry tomatoes, slices of cucumber, and maybe some little gem leaves would go wonderfully with it.

[FeedMyFaceWithJaffaCakes]

Beryl it's sparking lemon and lime water!
I'm just trying to make healthy choices without depriving myself. Nothing fits anywhere yet. That's why I'm here for advice

[Dobinette]

OP, you will receive tonnes of info on here about how to lose weight, but it is all useless unless you make a proper commitment to believe in yourself. Compare it to smokers (who are bombarded with horrific images of diseased lungs, etc. to scare them into giving up) - they don't pack up unless they are in the right frame of mind (reformed smoker 6+ years).

You know how to begin losing weight OP. Now get positive and get on with it!

[BerylStreep]

I would respectfully submit that sparkling lemon & lime water is not the same as freshly squeezed lemon juice & hot water - it is likely to have artificial flavourings & sweeteners / sugars. If that is what you need to ensure proper hydration, then fine, but be aware of the additives, and it is something that might be worth considering cutting down in preference for other less sugary / additive containing drinks.

[Clearoutre]

Realistically try to phase yourself onto Diet Coke - after a while full fat Coke will taste like tea with 12 sugars. Also try to drink a few glasses of water per day as it's so good for staving off dehydration headaches - esp relevant if you're working shifts (with ice & a straw if necessary to get it drunk quickly!).

You need to make time to eat more often to avoid getting into situations where the moment stress/work stops you instantly need to eat as much as possible and later regret it.

Do you eat a lot at night & hence wake up wanting to avoid food as opposed to being hungry?

Also if you hate exercise then find a relatively pleasant 20 min routine that you can face doing every day rather than those hellish insanity-type sessions that you might do a few times per week (and inevitably get to Friday without having done one ).

My advice is to play the long game, don't eat like a rabbit & kill yourself with exercise as you have a life to live & need to make sustainable changes.

[Out2pasture]

hello fellow nurse :)
I've been where your at. do you do shift work? shift work is super hard on the system.
weigh yourself so you have a starting point and can see the progress.
weigh measure and log all the food you eat for a week.
once you have it on paper it will become very obvious what you can tweek.
if you do ton's of walking (the halls) like I did you will have to do something different to get your muscles burning fat (so look into a bike or elliptical)
expect that it will take time, be kind to yourself and be persistent.