Please help me! Very unhealthy diet

[potatopie1]

So when I was younger, I had a fast metabolism and could eat ANYTHING I wanted. Chocolate, crisps, cakes, ice cream- you name it, I didn’t gain weight from it.

when I became an adult, I had a healthy diet and played a lot of sport, but I was always bad for grazing and snacking- basically eating anything I wanted and getting away with it by not putting on weight. Unfortunately I’m in my 20s now and can’t get away with this anymore and I’ve started gaining it- I’m a size 10 so i know I’m technically not fat but I’ve gained over a stone and want to be healthier and get back in shape and I could definitely do with losing a few lbs. but I’ve never had to do this before so I really don’t know if im going about this the right way.

ive cut out all junk food. Im forcing myself to eat 3 proper meals a day rather than grazing on rubbish, and if im hungry between I’m eating vegetables or healthy things like oatcakes, whereas previously I would have been snacking on crisps and chocolate and whatever I wanted. Im letting myself have one small treat every other day too.

but im really, really struggling. Does anyone have any advice? The weight isn’t really coming off either, but im not sure how quickly these things take to work? Also, im craving all the crisps, chocolate and snacks and it feels like my body is tired and sluggish, is that normal when weaning yourself off junk food? How long does it last for?! All I can think about is going into the cupboard and demolishing some chocolate and it feels like some sort of withdrawal!

any advice or help would be really appreciated thanks x

I also should have said, I don’t drink or smoke either and I’m continuing to exercise everyday. When I’m eating breakfast/lunch/dinner I’m trying to cook foods that are filling but healthy (fish, lots of veggies, potatoes, boiled eggs, healthy pasta, that sort of thing) I know I’m not starving but I feel as if my body is crying out for some crisps or donuts! It’s the worst cravings I’ve ever had

Hi OP, it doesn't sound like you need to lose weight particularly- I would say you're doing all the right things by focusing on 3 balanced meals a day and cutting down on unhealthy snacks. I think we tend to focus too much on weight tbh and not enough on small but sustainable lifestyle changes.

Some things that have helped me, in case useful:

1. This is not a diet book by Bee Wilson. Helpful, friendly advice that's about having a positive relationship with food in the long term.
2. Not having junk in the house (as far as possible!). If I want sweet treats I have to make them myself from scratch. My laziness tends to help with this...
3. Planning meals around veg first and trying to think about meat as flavouring rather than the main focus. We get a weekly veg box which helps with the planning.

Best of luck.

Grate a bit of really dark chocolate (like 90% cacao) on some fruit - pineapple, banana, strawberries works well. Makes you feel like you’ve had a nice sweet treat but super healthy (something I saw done whilst travelling Central America).

I really dislike chocolate, I can't stand the taste of it.

Can you make your own healthy crisps?

For me, it's always boiled down to calories in/calories out when it comes to weight management. So my advice would be to calculate the number of calories a woman your age, height, weight and activity level needs and eat a healthy diet with a calorie deficit.
I'm 53, 5'4" and 8 stone 10 and only need 1600 calories a day, which is far fewer than I thought I needed when I ate healthily but still gained weight. At your age you will probably need more.
In terms of cutting calories, the single best thing I did was switch to a vegan diet. Alongside very little alcohol and a daily 30 minute brisk walk, Ive maintained low end healthy BMI for 2 years now.
Oh, and forget any idea of dress size as a guide. At two stone heavier and with an overweight BMI I was a size 10 depending on shop, cut and fabric. I didn't look fat, i looked good tbh, but was too heavy for health nontheless.
(Thats not to say you're too big at that size, just that size is irrelevant and can mask weight creep)
The scales and tape measure are your only guide to whether you're a healthy weight.