To ask for serious dieting advice?

[chattingtoaspanishgirl]

just find it so hard. I don't know what it is. I'll have a healthy and balanced breakfast and before it's even 11am I'm pushing me pram passed Asda and feel ragey and unsettled until I've eaten some chocolate or something.

My diet is ridiculously poor. I'm quite ashamed to say as I know MN will not approve

I wake up, down a sugar free 7UP. Eat some brioche with ham, maybe scoff a few M&Ms. Scoff another 7UP.

Lunchtime comes, I probably don't have anything to eat. If I do, it's probably a ready meal lasagne. Another few 7UPs or diet cokes. A handful of sweets.

Dinner time comes, probably just more crisps, chocolate and sweets. Handfuls here and there. Maybe a proper dinner with DH such as broccoli, spinach and vegetarian chicken. But I will graze here and there afterwards.

I have tried stopping but I feel really low and miserable when I do. I'm not sure where to go from here.

I'm a Size 10/12. Before my son 10 months ago, I had crippling HG sickness and didn't eat much at all for the whole duration. Before that, I was an athletic size 10, healthy and had more control. I've always drank fizzy drinks though.

I'm still athletic in build but I've developed a little tummy It'll get much worse if I don't stop now.

I have tried giving up fizzy drinks but for some reason feel shaky when I do. Not sure why as they're just sugar free lemonades really.

Try slimming world. It's a supportive group with a plan to follow and healthy alternatives for the things you like.
Try it.

Moanas Thank you

I will try. The only thing I'm nervous about is the lack of convenience - It seems like you have to put quite a bit of effort in and plan meals properly with all the ingredients, etc etc

Agree with pp about slimming world. I've been doing it for about 6 weeks and love it. I do it online at home but if you think you need more support then the groups are great. The meals are suitable for the whole family and I never feel hungry. You can also have treats like chocolate etc as long as you stay within your syns.

Are you getting enough sleep or feeling down? I find if my mind is in a good place the good food choices follow. If I can identify a problem it helps me to concentrate on that instead of sugar rush highs and lows.

I wake up, down a sugar free 7UP. Eat some brioche with ham, maybe scoff a few M&Ms. Scoff another 7UP.

I wouldn't call that a healthy and balanced breakfast!

It doesn't sound like you need to lose weight but your diet is not good and you've got stuck in bad habits. If I were you, I'd seek out a nutritionist who can help you make changes step by step, moving toward a healthy diet.

Do you want to lose weight or eat healthier, or is it both? If you’re a 10/12 it sounds like it’s more of a health kick.

I’d start by trying to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day and stopping snacks apart from maybe one or two a day. Base your meals around veg and lean protein with measured complex carbs like brown rice and pasta. If you eat a bigger meal you’re more likely not to snack on junk. It does take more planning but it’s definitely worth it.

There's an awful lot of refined carbs there. Try replacing brioch with wholemeal toast , Ouch should have protein and veg if you need starchy carbs then they should be wholemeal. This should stop your post sugar lows which are what makes you crave chocolate etc. Start changing before reducing and it will be a whole lot easier

I completely feel you, it's so easy to get stuck in a rut with food and get into a really bad routine!
I think the key for you might be getting food organised so instead of just reaching for whatever's in the fridge for lunch (ready meals..etc) be more organised to have a variety of healthy food options in so when you go to grab for something, what you choose isn't just crap.
I also think having options is key, healthy food isn't always as mouth watering or cravey as the naughty options so make sure there's a variety so chances are you'll always fancy something.

I have 6 weeks until a big milestone in my life and am desperate to try and drop a stone by then so I'm probably not the best person to give advice but I've recently lost 1.5 stone by being more food organised and prepping as much as I can and making sure there's always a variety of healthy options stocked so we're never in the position of not having anything in and 'having to' get a takeaway because we're lazy..

Also what other drinks do you enjoy that aren't fizzy??
My weakness is Pepsi max I could easily drink 2l a day 🤦🏻‍♀️

Fizzy drinks always make me feel hungrier than I really am - I think it's all the sloshing around.

My other trick is to have healthier things around for grazing, like those crisps made of lentils or rice cakes (I know, but the chocolate covered rice cakes can be quite edible!).

It sounds to me like a horrible combination of sugar addiction, exhaustion and emotional eating.

I find I sleep much better when I eat hardly any carbs.

This might help you with comfort eating / grazing: toomuchonherplate.com/emotional-eating-rescue-plan-book/

Me, I sometimes get into a similar cycle. First thing I do is go through 3-4 horrible days going cold turkey off carbs until I'm in ketosis then everything else is easier to get back to a good place, especially sleep and emotional balance.

Knowing it will be 4 shite days then I'll feel a gazillion times better really helps me get through those days. Also recognition that the sugar is an addiction but fortunately quicker to quit than smoking or drugs.

If you've just had a baby and you are a size 10-12 you probably just need to eat healthily rather than lose weight. What about wholemeal toast and sugar free peanut butter for breakfast? It's quick and will stabilise your blood sugars. Or you could do 16:8 where you only eat in an 8 hour window. Then you only really have to bother with brunch and dinner. Just have coffee or water in the morning, or sparkling water with lime if you like a bit of fuzziness.

I wake up, down a sugar free 7UP. Eat some brioche with ham, maybe scoff a few M&Ms. Scoff another 7UP.

This is not an okay breakfast, OP. And if you're also not eating a proper lunch, it is no wonder at all that you are having major carb cravings in the supermarket. Try cutting down on all the carbs and replacing with protein-rich foods and more fruit and veg. For breakfast that could be natural yoghurt with fruit and nuts. For lunch, ham, cheese, apple, nuts.

The key is finding foods you enjoy, and if you get the balance right and ‘pick’ at the right things- you don’t have to eat less. I was always overweight growing up, and although we had healthy meals I was a serial snacker (and unfortunately, not on fruit!).

If you like fizzy drinks, fizzy water mixed with sugar free squash tastes good and gives the same ‘feeling’ as having a fizzy drink; especially with a bit of ice in the summer!

Having a filling breakfast always helps, if I am at home I’ll have shredded wheat/small amount of any cereal with chopped banana and strawberry, and this usually keeps me going until lunch (sometimes mid afternoon where I will have a nkd bar). If you find something easy to make, that you enjoy and keeps you full up the snacking in the morning should subside; sometimes a case of trying different things. You could have the ham you have for breakfast on a sandwich for lunch, maybe add some tomato or something- and then some crisps, yoghurt etc. If you want to snack then try and go for a small chocolate bar to satisfy the craving, and fruit or something. Dinner sounds good if you are eating the same, if you like a snack afterwards maybe some nice yoghurts, a few biscuits or even some cereal?

I usually find the more I think about it the more I want to eat easy food and not bother, but once I get into a routine I enjoy it and feel much better :) if I am eating out I will usually order whatever I like, and at weekends relax a bit more; but usually once you’re through the first week or 2 it gets a lot easier.

I've learned the hard way that diets don't work. What does work (for me) is long term changing my habits.

My rules are
No/very limited sugar
No/very limited junk food
Limit snacking
Try to eat within an 8 hour window
Try to eat healthy, unprocessed foods and not too many carbs.

I also allow myself cheat/treat days so that I don't feel too deprived.

Have lost weight slowly this way, although unfortunately due to illness/stress put some back on recently but now I know the way out, it's just a matter of getting back on the horse.

You need to drink gallons and gallons of water and ditch the fixzies. It's v hard to start with but leave it long enough and you won't want them

To feel satisfied, your body needs fibre from fruit/ veg, slow release carbs, proteins and healthy fats. Lots of refined sugar and artificial sweetners send your body into cycles of sugar highs and lows and make you crave more food and feed the cycle to fend of the sugar low. Artificial sweetners make a lot of people feel rubbish (hence the negative reaction to sugar tax receipe changes)

The GI index is useful for showing how long it takes for your body to metabalise food. Filling up on low GI foods keeps your energy levels more consistent.

Swap the 7up for sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime to help you wean off. Eat a proper breakfast. Porridge or eggs with wholemeal toast will sustain you until lunchtime. I find I make or break my day on breakfast; if I'm lazy and have something too sweet, I'll end up on the sweet cycle for the rest of the day and continue making poor quality choices.

You need to give up the fizzy drinks: even the 'diet' ones are really bad for you and will not help lose weight. Avoid processed food wherever possible. I started eating more healthily, making my own meals from scratch when I could (make loads and freeze some), making my own bread for sandwiches, and I lost weight without even meaning to. Any 'sugar free' or 'diet' foods are bad for you, as they are full of chemicals. Your body is not meant to deal with them. Also, could you find out if you have any intolerances? I am actually intolerant to certain foods which can leave me feeling exhausted, massively bloated, or even craving sugar. The breakfast you mentioned is bad on all levels - even the brioche (which I presume is pre-made, and not made fresh by you?) and ham are processed. Just imagine that everything you eat which is not fresh fruit or veg, or not made by you, is a pile of chemicals: you are basically layering chemical after chemical into your body, and expecting it to feel full and nourished - it won't. You need to completely overhaul your eating habits … don't think of it as 'going on a diet' and think of it as improving your health. Start slowly too, as denying yourself what you are used to is hard. Maybe first give up the fizzy drinks and chocolate for a week or two, then add crisps and processed bread. Then ready meals, etc. No-one can do this for you - you can be given all the advice in the world, but ultimately you are the one deciding what goes into your stomach. Good luck x

obviously a lot of really foul nasty tasting crap. late summer, loads of great fruit and veg around - is it lack of time and baby exhaustion meaning you are stuck with this.horrible stuff?

can you get some.help so you can put yourself.first?

Sugar free fizzy drinks have been shown to induce the same reaction in some people as sugar ones - so will cause you to feel hungry afterwards if you are one of those people.

I've found that the only time I lose weight is when I eat less. It doesn't matter (for me, not everyone is the same) what I eat, I just eat less of it. Smaller portions, fewer snacks.

Eating a bigger volume but fewer calories (e.g. increasing veg/ fruit etc and reducing 'bad' stuff) also works, but is considerably less sustainable for me.

So my advice - try cutting down on how much you eat. If I were you, I'd skip breakfast. After a few days you won't notice.

People will say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but for some people, like you and I, all it does it make us hungrier the rest of the day. Science is starting to catch up with this thinking and agrees that for some people, delaying breaking that fast actually reduced how much people ate over the day.

specialsubject not everyone finds it foul stuff. Some people find fruit and veg foul tasting and I don't think it is helpful for you to say that what they are eating is foul tasting (to you) when clearly that isn't their opinion - otherwise they'd choose other stuff wouldn't they - a banana and an apple is just as easy as a brioche bun but clearly not as appealing to some people.

is it lack of time and baby exhaustion meaning you are stuck with this.horrible stuff?

Baby slept through from birth and sleeps 14 hours at the moment so I can't blame him

I'm very well rested lazy as fuck in the mornings

I take a brisk walk at least once a day with him, always up and down hills. I try my best to stay active etc.

But I know my diet is so poor. I can't eat dairy because I'm breastfeeding and my son is allergic.

If I were you, I'd skip breakfast. After a few days you won't notice

Isn't that proven to be bad for you?

I’m exactly the same except I was actually over weight after baby born.
I don’t actually know how to sort myself out to eat healthily but I have got a lot better though by switching the things I have everyday for healthier options, for example instead of brioche I would try bagel thins or ryvita.

I then went low carb and that worked for a while and I felt really good. I had eggs for breakfast things like tuna salad for lunch and tried hard to keep the carbs down. When I focussed on keeping the carbs down I realised o could actually live without bread.
I’m actually low end of healthy BMI now and that’s stayed for two years now even though I’m back on the carbs I have quit bread still.
I do however still have the diet drink addiction. So hopefully I can give them up soon.

I also bought a milk frother and made frothy almond milk hot chocolates constantly. 100ml of certain almond milk is 13 cal and the frother made it into a whole cupful. I’d add a non sugar choc syrup and away I went. That’s literally about 30 cups of that before you’ve got one brioche roll.
I use my fitness pal to record everything.