If you have given up dieting, what happened?

[3LittleMonkeyz]

I'm sick of the yo-yo dieting cycle. I want to trust that my weight will level out and that I won't gain like crazy if I just eat when I'm hungry. Have any of you given up dieting? What happened? Did you lose, gain or maintain? Was it liberating to not be counting carbs/syns/points/calories?

Thanks

@3littlemonkeyz Why not try the green plan on WW. Might help with overeating the "zero" foods? I've lost 50lbs on WW it does work

I have accepted that to loose the 3 stone I need to get off, and to keep it off I am going to have to count calories 95% of the time. I recently read sone research that 2000 calories for a woman is far too much to maintain a healthy weight and 1500 a day is needed to maintain a healthy weight.

@hilbil21

I've tried green and blue plans. Wouldn't go near the purple plan.

2000 is definitely too many for most - unless I am quite active my Fitbit never registers that many.

@3LittleMonkeyz Aw ok. I do blue I'm like you wouldn't go near purple. Straightforward calorie counting seems to work very well for a lot of people

Stopped dieting when pregnant. Put on a stone and a half. Baby is 4 months now. Have lost a stone of that since giving birth. I'm expressing milk so still not dieting. I try to stick to 3 reasonably sized healthy meals and a snack, but pumping is hungry work. Need to lose another stone to be healthy BMI

If you were able to just eat when hungry sensibly you wouldn’t be in a position where you need to lose weight in the first place? Or is it baby weight you’re trying to lose?

I definitely can’t be trusted to just eat when hungry. I’m ALWAYS hungry. Constantly. I need to be counting those calories and weighing everything to be able to lose weight.

To be fair it seems some equate “dieting” with “not eating as much sugary junk food whenever I like”

I put on a lot of weight. Finding it really difficult as I want my clothes to fit, but I also feel that I should be sticking with mindful eating. What I realised was as soon as I start thinking 'am I hungry?' I think myself into being hungry and then being starving.

I decided to do calorie counting again but my hearts not in it and I keep breaking the diet. I think I might try the mindful eating again but do it properly with a diary and everything. Part of my problem is that my ds is very fussy and I've been adjusting what we eat to go with what he will eat because I'm too lazy/poor to make 2 meals, and food is consequently a lot less fun.

I think I will just have to get on with it and make better meals.

I haven't given up. I have to watch what I eat very carefully to ensure that I stay where I want to be.

At 40 years old, I was 15 stones and feeling none too good about it, if truth be told I'm 53 now and 8st 12lb.

If I gave up, I'd skyrocket back to 15st sadly.

I can't do eating when I'm hungry. I'm constantly hungry. An hour after a 3 course meal I'm hungry. I just ate a cheese and chorizo baguette at 9am and I'm starving.

It sounds like Intuitive Eating is what you are wanting to do, moving away from disordered eating that society has ingrained into us all.
This book is a good place to start.

I've deffo put on a good stone in lockdown cannot see my toes!

I’m like you, quite a bit of weight to lose, keep signing up to diets but struggle to stick to them. I have just read the obesity code after it was recommended on here. It scared me and made me realise just what I have been doing to my body. It also explains why most people put weight in again after losing it. Give it a read!

I know some people are sceptical about how accurately Fitbits track calories burned, but I've found mine very effective in managing my weight. You put in your weight and whether you want to maintain or lose it, then you track what you eat (like My Fitness Pal) and it combines that with your activity data to tell you how many more calories you can consume that day. With MFP, I always felt bad having "unnecessary" treats, but if I denied myself them, I'd invariably get fed up of watching my weight before too long. Now I don't feel guilty about the odd treat (and sure enough, I can see that they're not doing any harm) so I'm finding it a much easier approach to stick to.

Gave up fad diets around two years ago op.
Unfortunately I did gain 2 stone but some was due to new medication and an ongoing g lifetime condition I have.

I started intermittent fasting end of jan when I felt shite all the bloody time from eating so much crap.

I do 16:8 and just adjust the tones accordingly to what's planned.
It's easy to stick to at work.
I break my fast with a small handful of nuts and sometimes a mini pepperami.

My evening meal is whatever I fancy.
I don't use sweetener or eat fat free stuff at all.
Tea last night was peppery salad with grilled bacon,some feta,halloumi,and a giant mushroom stuffed with cream cheese.
Just an example for you.

I'm currently a stone lighter. Slow and steady works for me whilst enjoying nice food

I often have steak with cheese salads or veg etc etc.
Or really mice burgers without the baps but with a cheese melt on top

My appetite has shrank well.

I drink a coffee first thing In the morni g as it's my treat and then water until my fast ends.

Works well for me and I feel good.

Or really mice burgers

Mice burgers are a great source of lean protein

Lost 3.5 stone and kept it off. Best thing I ever did.

@Notverybright It sounds like you went wrong by overthinking it. You don't need to be asking yourself all the time if you're hungry, real hunger will distract you from whatever you're doing, you won't miss it, your body will remind you. Imagine you're lying on the sofa, you've just got really comfortable, watching something you're really into that can't be paused for some reason, real hunger would get you up from that situation.
One of the best things about eating normally is not having to think about food as much and being able to have what you really want and really be able to enjoy it. When I dieted I hated food, it was my enemy but I was obsessed with it too.
Giving up dieting and weighing myself is the best thing I've ever done, the freedom is amazing. I don't hate my body any more. I don't know what I weigh now but I'm a 10-12 at 5'9" and when I was dieting I'd been up to an 18 at 16 stone and down to a 8-10 at 10 stone. I still wish I was a little bit slimmer, a straight 10 would be ideal, but hey maybe I will be in the future, but I'm not going to starve and suffer for it.

I went vegan and I thought "fuck diet culture!"

I went through years of crash dieting, losing loads of weight and slowly putting it back on again. At the beginning of this year I just thought "no more". I started running, eating healthily and just not giving a shit. I've learnt to love my body regardless of it's imperfections.

I'm 51 and I have never been on a diet.
I do think your appetite regulates itself if you listen to what your body is telling you.

I gained 10 stone in 2 years.

But it was two years of listening to other people and losing my way.

Then last year I went back to what everyone said was bad for me - low carb, high fat, very, very minimal sugar (like once a month). The way I’d happily and healthily lived for 8 years previously. The worst thing I ever did was listen to people who kept telling me I was “dieting”. It wasn’t a diet, I’d made it my lifestyle but gave in due to family pressure and people telling me I’d die of a heart attack eating (natural) high fat food.

Back to it now and even now at 6 months pregnant I’m healthier than I’ve ever been and 6 stone down From my heaviest. I’ve Stayed they same weight as I was when I conceived and I feel wonderful and the baby is growing perfectly - I’ll lose the other 4 stone easily when the baby is here and I’ll never go back to eating other people’s ‘normal’ way again.

I got fat.