To ask how can I lose weight without dieting?

[fieldsofdaisies]

I am so fed up of being on the diet-binge cycle. I have tried several "diets" including calorie counting, intermittent fasting (5:2), trying to eat mindfully/intuitively. It lasts maybe 4-6 weeks and then I go back to eating how I always eat which is large portions of unhealthy food with evening comfort eating of crisps, chocolate and ice-cream. I measured my BMI and I was shocked seeing that I am now classed as obese. I knew I was overweight but I didn't think I was obese!

Whenever I think about losing weight it always creeps into being too restrictive and strict which perpetuates the diet-binge cycle. I am so bored of being on this cycle.

Has anyone managed to lose weight in a sustainable way? I want a complete lifestyle overhaul.

Eating disorders which binge eating is are quite complex. I think you need to find your triggers for eating all the 'junk' food and ask what's going on in your mind at that moment. It might be boredom, low self esteem, even self-hate and a kind of self-abuse. Or you may be unhappy with your work or a relationship and doing some comfort eating.

Does any of this ring a bell?

Most people love the stuff you binge on, but people who are not overweight and don't have an eating issue know that the 'pain' of overeating is worse than moderating their intake.

You need to learn to love healthy food which isn't 'dieting. If you have 3 good healthy meals a day and the occasional treat (once a week or so as a small portion) that is the way to go.

Fill your plate with foods like lean meat, fish, eggs, loads of veg and fruit, and keep off things like pizza, white rice, white pasta, white bread, cakes, biscuits, crisps etc

I'd suggest you go back to the 5:2 regime or the 800 cals a day for 2 weeks to kick stat some loss, then rejig your diet so you eat well 80% of the time,

But you do need to work out why you are taking comfort in food only to hate yourself for it later. what's going on do you think?

RebelFit.

Ah I know Rebelfit- know the guy who set it up. Good stuff.

With intermittent fasting you need to try 16:8 rather than 5:2.
It is much more manageable honestly.
Also if anyone told me I would love salads 2 years ago I wouldve choked on my cheeseburger.
I start every meal with salad,then I know I wont have too much of whatever the rest of my meal is.
Start small. Dont try to wake up one morning and start a new diet. It wont last.
I'm now so used to not eating til 1 pm that I feel sick if I do eat earlier. Plus I more or less do eat what I want now.

Make sure you're eating large amounts of vegetables, the sheer bulk from them in your stomach should make you feel full, Broccoli, cauliflower , cabbage, things with dense stems that take your body a while to break up, ditch processed carbs like bread, pasta, any kind of dough, don't drown things in sauces theyre all surprisingly calorie dense, train yourself to stop mindlessly snacking while watching tv/youtube/twitch, drink water instead, the cravings will subside eventually.

My go to for weight loss is being Vegan but I was vegetarian as a teenager so cutting out foods doesn't phase me much, honestly without figuring out how to have self control over eating its gonna be an uphill battle but don't lose faith, the fact that you're trying to lose weight is an amazing thing that you should be proud of.

I think something like slimming world would be a good start. I needed to lose a stone and a half and just get out of my cooking rut. I learnt that I was bored with cooking as I cooked a limited amount of things and that my danger zone was being tired after work so not wanting to cook and then reaching for quick junk food.

I don’t go to any of the classes anymore as I hit my target but I’ve got lots of recipe options so I don’t get bored and I’ve learnt to always snacks with me to stop me reaching for a biscuit. I also learnt how to manage my portion control and pay attention to foods that will keep me full. I still have chocolate and ice cream etc, I just have it less often rather than every night because I’m stressed and tired and think I ‘deserve it’. I never once found slimming world restrictive and I know how to cook filling healthy food. It’s not really a diet as such. I found that it was more about learning about how to cook and understanding the nutritional content of food.

By focusing first and foremost on insulin resistance.

Eat like you are diabetic for a few weeks. Then eat in a way that satiates your hunger.

Understand your hormones, insulin, glucagon, ghrelin.

If you lose weight and put it back on again, that's not your failure, it's because being overweight is a hunger issue.

I've got my bmi down from 27 to 23 in the last 10 weeks or so and although I was never going to eat keto forever, as a way of getting on top of hunger and cravings, it was an eye opener.

In my past attempts to ''eat healthily'' I would have scrimped too much on the fat so I would have been hungry. If you're eating nothing but vegetables and a few lima beans or a bit of fish, it's OK to add in olive oil.

Small portions and exercise more!
It really is that simple (she says, sitting here, overweight!)

Oh yes, and if somebody says ''just eat less and move more'' you can't argue with somebody who won't update their knowledge. You can't exercise your way out of diet that isn't working for you and you can't ignore hunger if your body is sending signals to get back to your old weight.

I feel like this diet is different. Before, I just tried to cut calories. I have learnt so much about the metabolic system in the last 12 weeks. Also hormones and how they affect each other. As a 50 year I'm very interested in how food can affect hormone imbalances.

I'm still living and learning though. Now that I"ve lost the weight I need to find a more plant based way of doing low carb in a way that satiates me.

@hellsbellsmelons

Small portions and exercise more! It really is that simple (she says, sitting here, overweight!)

And............. bingo

Eat more veg (and some fruit) and drink more water. Don’t eat between meals and allow yourself to feel hungry for your next meal.
I lose weight when I make sure most of the food on my plate is veg.

i hate to state the obvious but this leaps out:

large portions of unhealthy food with evening comfort eating of crisps, chocolate and ice-cream

it sounds like a shitty comment but why do you have these in? genuinely?

i only buy crisps for picnics, etc
same with chocolate and ice-cream, they aren't just cupboard staples, they're bought for specific things

why not consider just not buying them?

i think your frame of reference is quite out of whack if you think most people couldn't want them if they're sitting there in the cupboard all the time, e.g. do you put chocolate next to the teabags? 99% of people will eat more if they constantly see that stuff, no?

if you can't get rid of having that stuff in as an "every day staple" because of other people in the house... there's your problem.

The Hairy Bikers diet recipes are great. They have both lost weight by altering their everyday diet.
I totally get how easy it is to snack on crisps and ice cream - and have some weight to lose myself! But you do have to find some self control and better habits.
I don't buy big bags of crisps any more just multipacks and I can have one bag and no more. I only buy ice cream occasionally as I cannot resist it if it's in the house.
Alcohol is another weak spot, so we've bought some nice low alcohol beer and cider. It tastes nice, has less calories than the usual kind and doesn't have the lowering of willpower side effects!
Good luck, it's really hard. One day at a time...

.. oh and i say that as a slim person, btw. i'd be constantly eating crap if i had it in, no doubt!

it's like as if you're an alcoholic... don't put yourself in the position of having to say no, .. it sounds simple but please consider my suggesitons.

PS exercise has MANY BENEFITS, of course, not least mopping up excess glucose in your blood if you are eating sugary foods, but you'd need to be exercising round the clock to use exercise alone as a tool for bringing your BMI from obese to normal.

@fieldsofdaisies I'll tell you where I feel I went wrong in the past, I feared fat. Not the fat in a boost bar or a bag of crisps or a slice of cake, but the fat in natural foods when I decided all gungho to go on a diet!! This time around I'm relying on avocados, lots of nuts, eggs, salmon, mackerel, lots of foods I would have avoided particularly I was on a diet particularly! when you're trying to lose pounds, that's when you need these naturally fatty foods because they fill you up.

We recently started cooking meals from scratch (no jars or anything) so like spag bol, lasagne etc, we've cut down on snacking and cut out fizzy drinks. I've lost 6lb and OH has lost 7lb. It's sustainable as it's eating normally but making it yourself, definitely worth a try - check out BBC Good Food for recipes :)

I've been doing 16:8 for 2 weeks, I've lost 7lbs and I've not noticeably changed what I eat, just when I eat it - it has meant I've cut out the mindless snacking in the evenings as well. I've just finished reading The Obesity Code and it was very enlightening! It's avaliable on Amazon, but if you search for it on Google with the term PDF you can find it for free.

It has really reduced my hunger, and I was someone who religiously ate breakfast - not anymore and I actually feel like I have more energy than ever!

Now that I have the fasting window down, I'm going to concentrate on what I am eating, but the point of it is not to reduce calories. You are going to need to reduce refined carbs as that is what drive insulin production, but do it slowly rather than cut them all out at once. The thought of a life without potatoes and pasta saddens me, so I am just not going to have them as often. I'm only bothered about chocolate when I can see it, so I won't buy anymore - it's not good for the kids either so I don't feel guilty about it!

Eat like you are a diabetic? 👀
From my life with a diabetic, that's not something to thrive to...

Look at www.fatismyfriend.co.uk

Thw woman who runs it is a GP in Warrington. Heard her on a podcast yesterday and it sounds very useful (basically about eating real food not junk and how it helps turn type 2 diabetes around)

Have a look at the no S diet. It isn't really a diet, more a way of eating. I think if you eat really nice, satisfying, varied, healthy meals as a matter of course 2 or 3 times a day then you won't have that deprived feeling that makes you want a little something else in the evening.

Put a little more effort into your regular meals and ditch the snacks. Snacks and perpetual grazing truly are the reason we are overweight.

When I was a child, crisps were something we had occasionally on a Friday night (and not every Friday night) if my parents treated themselves to a couple of beers from the off licence. They were never an every day food.

Cut out junk food/takeaways and massive portions.
After a while, you will feel full from eating less food than usual.
Exercise/walk where possible- you need to burn off more calories than you consume.

Brush your teeth if you feel like you're going to eat rubbish!

Another to say step one is quit buying unhealthy snacks. If I have crisps or cake in the house I eat them. If I don't, I'll eat something healthier.

I could have written this !!!!
I've tried every "diet" known and have lost weight and found more.
During lockdown, I joined Unizoom- which is like zoom class, but nobody can see each other- which is great as i'm not into all that.
I joined with the lady called Darina Johnston- she had a woman lose 9 stone and keep it off- and i read her story on line.
Anyhow- its all health eating- no diet rubbish and I've kept at it- which is a 1st for me !!!!
I'm down 17lbs in 2 months and I'm loving it- and hubby and the boys love the Fakeaway chinese I'm making.
I can have my wine at the weekend and nothings off limits xx
Watch this space but it's the answer to my prayers so far xx

For me its no junk in the house and eating in an 8 hours window and no snacking. I relax rules to 10 hours at weekend with evening small treat.

Watch some of these clips about tackling insulin resistance OP

if you're not hungry, losing excess pounds is a whole lot easier.