To ask what diet worked for you

[springtimemoon]

As two years later I am still hugely overweight.

Please don't be offended if i don't rhink it is for me. I am just trying to work out what might help me as I am despairing!

IT is as simple as cutting out sugar and rubbish and eating good, healthy food, alongside doing a bit more exercise. It's a slow, steady, healthy way to lose weight. The diets that give you a massive initial loss are often the gimmick ones that people fall off. Yes a few may lose tons in a few weeks, but for most of us it won't happen.(am only saying that because I could see your ears prick up more at the mass weight loss diets than than the generally healthy eating).

I'm very overweight, I have been for years, but I'm slowly getting it off. I had the same love/hate relationship with food, I know what you mean. You have to find a way to break it and retrain yourself. For me that was quitting sugar (refined). I think I was similarly addicted to sugar as I was cigarettes when I smoked.

The 8-week blood sugar diet (Michael Mosley's book). It has completely changed the way I look at food. I can't recommend it highly enough! If you try it, do join the Facebook support group, it really helped keep me on track. Good luck!

For me it's not so much about specific diets, as long term changes to everyday habits. Eg use spray rather than sloshing in the cooking oil, don't keep sweets, cakes & crisps in the house (that bar of chocolate loses its appeal when you have to go out specially for it!), use pub measures for alcohol, exercise classes paid in advance, meal planning and fruit bowl on my desk at work. And trying not to beat myself up for the odd slip-up here and there!

If you have a lot to lose and you know that (like almost everybody) you are likely to find it impossible to stick to a very restrictive diet forever (which, let's face it, is what you'll have to do if you don't want to regain the weight), then the answer is to make it as easy to stick to as possible and accept that results will be slow.

The No S diet is the sanest, most achievable diet I've heard of. 3 normal, proper meals a day, no snacks, no desserts, except allow yourself 1 sweet treat at the weekend. Preferably do not have desserts or sweet stuff in the house at all - go out and get your weekend treat in 1 portion. Combine the plan with some brisk walking at least 3 times a week. No foods are totally banned, no need to count calories etc.

I mean this gently, but was it never your intention to take any advice? You're unhappy with your weight but lack the motivation to fix it and as such fully intend to keep on as you are?

These types of threads always go the same way, understandably so. I always say that helping someone lose weight is 5% nutritional advice and 95% psychological support. Here's a genuine question to anyone who's told OP to create a calorie deficit / do some exercise / eat less cake; have you EVER met a fat person who didnt already know that?

If knowing what to do and being confident you could do it were the same thing the world would be a simpler place.

I know what it is like to feel really helpless about a situation and if you are going to throw a massive effort into change you want to be hopeful it won't be yet another failure.

It's not at all easy to just stop eating junk, the willpower to fight sugar cravings is massive.

The thread is only hours old, the OP might need some time to reflect on it.

I honestly appreciate everybody's thoughts. I understand it can be frustrating if it seems like an obvious answer and it's beyond my limits to explain why I can't seem to stick to anything. I am sorry

have you EVER met a fat person who didnt already know that?

Then why ask in the first instance? It's not as though everyone else has some sort of magical secret that they are withholding from people who want to lose weight.

OP,
Gillian Reilly is well worth a read. She addresses food addiction not diets. I've done her seminar and it works. She has several excellent books and a good website and newsletter. I've lost lots of weight as a consequence of dealing with my food addiction. Everything she says about food and addiction is backed up with solid, peer reviewed credible evidence. I strongly recommend you check her out. I've been where you are and think I would have spent my whole life endlessly dieting and bingeing if I had not been lucky enough to encounter Gillian.

Op. But maybe you can try to explain why you're not willing to even try to lose weight? Because it's clear you don't want to try. Yer bizarrely start this thread. Possibly to reinforce your own feelings you don't want to do any of it.

Is this how uou wish to live your life? Unhappy and obese? Unable to even run? This is the life you chose? Because by electing to do nothing, that in itself is a choice.

What I am wanting to know is what worked for others in the hope something might click. That is the context the thread was posted in. I'm sorry if you read it in the way you have Bluntness but you are mistaken.

Ok people are annoyed because you made some snidey comments like the thread was helpful at the start. You have asked for advice. People are telling you what worked for them and giving their time to suggest things for you.

You have 2 choices. Give up and probably gain weight or look into some of the ideas and give them a go. You might try low carb and realise it isn't for you. It's no big deal just try things and find what works for you. It's better than not trying anything and nothing changing.

If you don’t have the discipline to do the work then you’ll always be fat and unhappy. That’s the bottom line, like it or not.

It takes work. It’s a total lifestyle change. For life.

And I say this to you from someone who lost the weight and has kept it off. I changed everything and kept it changed. And it was really hard. But not now. Now it’s just how we live.

And with exercise start low and build up. At my slimmest and fittest I used to run. I can't do it now as the weight is too detrimental to my joints. I'm walking a lot and eating healthier. I will build up to adding a bit of running to my walks. So a few times jog between 2 lampposts then walk again until I am running all of it.

Op, ok, it did read as if you didn't want to try. The fact you do is good. Well done.

It’s 80% what you eat and 20% exercise for weight loss.

A friend of mine pays £50/week and gets her shakes and food supplements sent to her. That’s all she eats. She has lost 4 stone and now she is terrified of real food.

MYfitbesspal is good. You can put in everything you eat and drink.

Small swaps might help you-
Swap squash or juice for fizzy water with a slice of citrus in there
Swap a bowl of cereal for a bowl of porridge
Swap bread for oat cakes

What worked for me long term was exercise. I will get shot down on here, but it worked and I lost 2 and a half stone.

I went to the gym 5 times a week for an hour. I did 50 minutes on the cross trainer and 10 minutes weights. 3 times a week I then did a 20 minute swim.

I was not a binge eater though, I just ate too much!

With the exercise I felt I didn't want to undo my good work, so didn't eat 'bad' things by choice.

I used to have porridge for breakfast. I have since discovered that if you put cinnamon in it you don't need sugar.

Then I went to the gym. I had lunch straight after.

Then I had a normal evening meal with wine and 4 squares of Green and Blacks chocolate.

I didn't give up any food, but I ate more healthily probably. I ate carbs and drank wine.

I kept the weight off, ie maintained my new weight, by going down to 4 gym sessions and cutting the swim.

My attitude to the gym was that I just had to do it. Like brushing my teeth.

Intuitive eating and realising that dieting was part of the problem, therefore it cannot be the solution.

I can't say I've successfully lost weight yet and it's been nearly 2 years since I stopped dieting. However what I can say is I have not gained any weight since and my obsession around food has reduced more than I thought possible. I don't spend a good portion of my life thinking about food anymore, nothing is off limits and food has the least appeal it's ever had for me. If I want things like crisps, chocolate, cake etc then I have what I want but I find myself not bothering most of the time, that kind of food lasts ages in our house now compared to when I was in the diet/binge cycle. I also cook from scratch most of the time now, with lots of veggies, because food is not something to be feared any more.

Giving myself complete freedom around food has helped me deal with my disordered eating. I've also learnt how to accept my body and have a bit of self-compassion, a huge change from self loathing and hatred. Exercise is something I want to do now rather than punishment for being fat. When exercise, vegetables, cooking from scratch etc aren't done as penance for being fat its amazing how enjoyable they become.

If you wanted to look into this then there are loads of books out there that might be worth a look like Health at Every size, Intuitive eating by Evelyn Tribole and various authors talking about body acceptance/positivity like Jes Baker (love her!).

I personally still fail to see how obsessing about every morsel could ever help deal with obsessive, emotional and disordered eating. I may still be fat but I'm the happiest and mentally healthiest I've been in my entire adult life.

Unfortunately I tried "just eating what I want" and gained a stone!

Slimming world. Lost 3.5 stone in 4 months. BUT it will only work if YOU want to do it. No one can force you and simply being unhappy with your weight won’t motivate you. Unfortunately I think it’s where most people fail. I found once people start noticing and making comments, I thrived off it and lost more and more. Find your motivation and your mojo and just do it. Until you stop with the negative moaning, nothing you try will work.

toomuch that’s a very inspiring post.

OP you don't seem ready to lose weight or improve your health yet. I put off losing weight until my dr threatened me with statins and I also had an impending wedding to go to. I also started hrt which helped my mood so I was in a better mindset. It's also difficult in winter for many people to think about eating salad and fruit when all you want is stodge.

When you are ready would you be able to rope in a diet buddy to help keep you motivated? Could you maybe start walking a little bit? Even if it's just around the block? Getting out and about in daylight helps mood.

You do sound depressed, could you ask for a check-up at the Drs?

People are trying to help but are understandably frustrated that you seem to want a magic fix. There isn't one.

MFP for me! Started January 2016 and lost just over 3st by October the same year by sticking to 1200 cals a day and not doing any exercise. I've managed to maintain since, fluctuating a couple of lb each way without logging, I still eat everything I want within moderation, I also weigh myself every morning.

Dukan by far... but I DID NOT feel good on it .... friends did though.... I got tired but never hungry as could eat as much as you like ... and lost loads. A stone first month, and then averaged 7-10lbs a month....