To not understand why I can’t stick at anything to lose weight

[PickledRat]

My bmi is 31, obese. I’m in my 40s and have been overweight since my early 20s. So for 20 years I’ve read loads of diet books, tried calorie counting, slimming world, weight watchers and various low carb diets and I’ve got nowhere fast. I just can’t seem to stick to any of these things although I understand that it is as simple as eating more that you use resulting in fat storage. I get overcome with hunger and eat more than my daily allowance or something stressful happens and I eat and drink to calm myself down. Other people stick to diets so I don’t understand why I can’t do it. Is there any hope?

OP have a look online at Saxenda. Game changer. There are a few Facebook groups too where you can read up a bit more about it. An alternative is Ozempic though there are supply issues with it at the minute.

Because you have a addiction to food. If you treat it like a addiction, you may find it easier to stop.

It's no different than alcohol, opiates or any other addiction.

Should of added, someone above has mentioned it already 12 steps program.

I'd start there.

It seems really expensive though. It’s not always an option, but it does seem to work.

I would highly advise reading the book "Why we eat (too much)".

It's not a diet book, it is a book that will help you understand some of the reasons why diets often don't work and explains why stereotypical western diets have led to weight gains and increased hunger even though we are eating more.

It's hugely interesting and at the end of the books gives a couple of suggested steps that could help with very slow and sustainable weight loss back to your body's weight set point.

Honestly I'm about to start reading the book again as I found it so interesting.....one part of the book looks at the statistically significant link between women who were pregnant whilst obese, and women who were pregnant during famine both producing children with a propensity towards laying down fat reserves!

This is a good thread, although it is well trodden path, and you might get get some snarks saying "it's obvious", you have already said "it's obvious" but have acknowledged it is still difficult to achieve. There's been some good tips from OP here about what has helped them, and I think they are worth a go, and I am going to be watching others tips too thank you. Everyone is really different iro what has helped them, and it is finding the one thing or the few things can make a difference to you will help. I haven't tried a lifetime of different diets, but one of my main problems is hunger / addiction to carbs. I favour the worst sort also, white bread, biscuits, chips, pasta. We had NO white bread in the house for a month, and lost 3lb, no other changes that I can remember. We only did it because DS and DH were on a health kick and they only wanted "healthy seedy bread" available and it wasn't very satisfying for me so I ate so much less bread (with the butter that came with it). Hope you get some good tips, and good luck xx