Intuitive eating or normal diet - 8 stone overweight

[Ovenina]

I’m 8 stone overweight, really really unfit. Get shin splints when I walk any longer than 5 minutes. I gained 3 stone since lockdown and I also over eat due to depression. I’ve read so many conflicting things, so I don’t know whether to do intuitive eating or to do a diet ? I’m scared I’ll put more weight on, when really I need to lose weight ASAP. I’m so exhausted all the time.
Thanks

same boat as yourself!

what I am doing is just making myself go out for a walk. It hurts, not gonna lie, but it will until it doesn't!
I am not being silly about it though, no running because it will screw my knees up.
I am doing couch25k but walking faster on the running bits. Once I have nailed that I think the tightness in my shins will go.

Food wise it doesn't really matter as long as we get into a deficit. How do you eat at the moment? what sort of foods and how much and when? Where are your problem areas?

Feel free to message me, I am on MFP and happy to buddy up. I am just starting out so a long road ahead (both literally and metaphorically, lol)

good luck x

this is week 1. All I am doing this week is

couch25k but walking
Drink 2l water aim
3 meals - dinner on a smaller plate

Have you seen the weight loss chat board? There’s loads of great support there.

I think you can tie yourself in knots over which exact diet strategy is best. Fundamentally, whatever you can stick to is going to work for you. For me, that’s basing meals around veg and lean protein, measuring carbs, limiting junk food and exercising. I don’t like calorie counting. For others, lodging everything through MFP or other things works for them.

What are you currently eating and are there obvious places you could swap for more healthy options?

Slimming World... 💐

I am very overweight and I have found simply reducing my carbs especially at night has really helped me slowly lose weight. Say I make spag bog - my hubby and kids will have the full meal with meat, cheese sauce, pasta and salad. I will just have meat with a bit of cheese put on top of carrots and cucumber. If we have a roast I will have everything including gravy and a bit of stuffing except the roast potatoes. Good luck with your weight reduction.

8 stone overweight too. Mine is 100% comfort eating. I have a shit day so get a takeaway etc. I want to change but dont know how too:(

@staceyflack

Slimming World... 💐

Swear to god my fat arse without glasses thought it'a pizza🤦 not flowers. In my drfence I've been looking forward to tomorrow's pizza for a month😂

I second Daisy. Check out the boards. Great people generally and lots of different approaches where you can read how people are doing with it. I personally do calories because I cannot not have something.

I was 10 stone overweight, I thought I'd never get to a healthy weight but I'm now anywhere between 8.5 and 9 stone.

I followed the principles of WW, not points, the other plan and have kept the weight of for 5 years and counting

Intuitive eating doesn't work for those of us who ate overweight as our intuition can't be trusted.
Much more effective to count calories, including food you enjoy within a planned daily allowance.

Use my fitness Pal.

Nobody got fat because they sat down and made plans to eat more calories than they needed. Surely it's instinct that we are fighting against?

I say this as someone who was obese - 5 stone overweight just pick a diet and start. I faffed for ages should I do this or that. Once I actually started (joined SlimmingWorld) I lost 5 stone in 8 months and have more or less maintained since. Mumsnet is very anti SlimmingWorld. If you are massively overweight like I was you need to totally adjust your diet it’s not just cut portions and move a bit more. I like SlimmingWorld it’s basic healthy eating - I eat 3 decent home cooked meals and 1/3 each plate is veg. For me group support was key. You don’t have to each muller lights etc lots of myths from people who have gone it years ago or never done it but their hairdresser did - I did it for my health and focus on eating nice healthy food. Have a look at a few diets most have sample plans or stuff on Instagram then just start. It has to be a lifestyle change you can live with. Good luck.

I've lost a decent amaount of weight recently. Primarily by cutting out carbs and stopping drinking. Protien/ Veg/ Salad not counting calories but eating as much as I like at meal times and no snacking. I think the glass or two of wine an evening plus crisps, cheese, olives is responsible for the majority of my lardiness.

Slimming World worked for me. A lot of people will knock it and aspects of it can be a bit silly but at heart it’s a low-fat, low-sugar way of eating that isn’t over-complex.

It’s said that you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet so try and tackle food changes first, then add some fitness goals.

I've been calorie counting, I stick to my defesit calories in the week but of a Saturday i allow for my maintenance calories so I can have a treat.
I've found loss has been slow and steady, but because I can basically eat what I want still I've found it really maintainable.
If you type TDEE calculator into Google the first link shows what your maintaince calories and your daily defesit calories are based on according to your age/height/weight etc.

I would say try having three meals with measured out portions and two snacks a day.

Sound alike you're ready to get started which is great. There was a BBC programme a while ago that helped people figure out what kind of diet is best for them. I'll try to see if I can find it as I ant remember the name.

You say you're tired all the time. Could this be from having a diet high in sugar? Do you wait til you're exhausted and then eat something quite sugary to give you a boost but then you crash again afterwards? (this is something I am prone to doing!). If that's the case, maybe a diet where carbs are controlled might help with consistency of energy levels. E. G. A diet which is high in protein?

@FourTeaFallOut

Nobody got fat because they sat down and made plans to eat more calories than they needed. Surely it's instinct that we are fighting against?

Habits more pike. With me it was "aw. That's just bit of extra rice made, It's not full portion to keep so I will just add it". It's very easy to get into habit of eating more

Sounds like *

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ddsd9#:~:text=This%20ground-breaking%20three-part,reason%20they%20put%20on%20weight.

Hope the link works. The programme doesn't appear to be available anymore unfortunately although may be possible to find it on YouTube or something. However on this link there is a quiz and other resources which might be helpful.

Hope all goes well and you start feeling better soon.

Habits more like. With me it was "aw. That's just bit of extra rice made, It's not full portion to keep so I will just add it".

Me too! If I’m cooking intending some for leftovers the next day or for freezer, I dish those into tubs straight away so we don’t just eat the whole lot. I hadn’t realised how massive my carb portions had got until I started measuring them. That was an easy win. I now just keep a scales on the counter all the time and it’s second nature to weigh rice/pasta/cous cous etc.

It is about finding what works for you, and also, easier said than done I know, trying to resolve the underlying issue. I was fortunate enough to be able to access therapy and then medication for my MH, which as a by product has helped kerb my binge eating. I was then in the right frame of mind to count calories, get active, and although I still binge probably once a month, it's much more under control. 6 stone down in a year (a few years ago) and happily maintaining now after a lifetime of yo-yoing, trying diets, and being really harsh on myself. .

I know everyone says this on every thread like this, but weight gain and excessive tiredness could be a thyroid problem or possibly type 2 diabetes.

It might be worth a chat with your gp.

Habits more pike. With me it was "aw. That's just bit of extra rice made, It's not full portion to keep so I will just add it".
It's very easy to get into habit of eating more

I get that. I think it's the opposite though. You can build strong habits around food so that navigate around what is an inherent drive to eat and, fundamentally, survive.

In evolutionary terms it has been a mere blink since the concept of walking past food without eating it would be an act of self sabotage.

Yup. @PurpleDaisies I now pre cook rice and have ready portions in a freezer. It's not my fault completely though😂 It is simply physically impossible to cook exactly 1 portion of rice! But few extra spoons here and there absolutely add up.