So what is the answer???

[CattyGrigio80]

Hi all, just come home from a long tiring nightshift and pondering how to finally lose weight. I've tried:

• WW but don't want to use points system/pay for app
• Keto but too restrictive and ended up constipated
• Calorie counting but I still ate crappy processed foods
• Ozempic/Wegovy, lost weight but ended up feeling sick and constipated plus skint
• Fasting, briefly but couldn't stick to it
• Slimming World, rejoined recently but only lost 1/2 a pound in first week despite following it properly
• Low Carb was too restrictive to fit in with family
• Low fat, concerned me due to sweeteners and low nutritional value

I want to get healthy and eat 'normal' foods, not low fat, not processed etc. E.g. make sure I (and family) are getting necessary vitamins/minerals/protein etc. My elderly parents have numerous health problems including T2 Diabetes which scares the crap out of me, do I have to change but am paralysed.

I work long hours (48+ hours per week) of rotating night shifts, have two teen DS and a DH who pulls his weight (excuse the pun).

So not to drip feed I'm 5.2 and am classed as obese following health check with practice nurse. Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugars and liver function all 'normal.' Not in Menopause, perhaps Peri but have a coil so hard to tell. Have anxiety but controlled currently.

I regularly get 10000 plus steps a day but limited with gym due to shoulder injury and lack of time. Plus I know I can't out exercise a bad diet!

Someone please tell me... what's the answer? 🙏🏻 Be kind(ish) please!

I am off to bed now, so thanks if you respond and I will reply when I get up (another night shift tonight).

Plus I've read Ultra Processed People, Exercised, The Obesity Code plus other Jason Fung books, Fast Feast Repeat, watched documentaries and listened to various podcasts about eating & exercise. And am still bamboozled....

Hi OP, would you be up for giving some examples of your current daily meal sets?

DH and I have lost significant amounts of weight by cutting out breakfast and eating within an eight hour window. He - over 20kg, I - 10 kg

I see Noom have a good offer on right now.

Low calorie density plant based diet (no vegan junk food). Look into Chef AJ (youtube) and low calorie density food. Nutmeg notebook also discusses it in these videos and

Or look into The Starch Solution. Kathy Hester has a discussion series on it on YouTube, her partner got off diabetes meds using it.

Or what I do is mainly plant based low calorie density and small portions (off a side plate) 4-5 times a day, eating before I get too hungry because then I tend to eat more.

I suggest following a diet that consists of healthy natural foods. Fill up on fruits and vegetables, cook at home, cut back on processed crap. Also use full fat butter, milk, cheese and yogurts as they keep you satisfied. There's noting worse than a watery flavourloss yogurt to make you miserable. My biggest advice is to stop dieting and actually eat what you want. If you're constantly thinking about dieting, or dieting you'll only end up 'last suppering', which is the act of binging on foods you don't really want in preparation for the next diet where you'll restrict your eating and be miserable, and will deny yourself all pleasure that food offers.

I know obesity has multiple causes, but reading you it seems you are approaching it from an "intellectual" frame (trying methods, reading books). Have you considered diving into the emotional aspect of it?
Personally, I know the cause of my obesity is emotional and is directly related to my upbringing... Just a thought, really, I don't know if it's much help 🙏

If I’m honest, your op reads like you’re looking for a ‘quick fix’. Losing half a pound in the first week is not a sign of failure, it’s a marathon not a sprint. It took me a year and a half to lose 2.5 stone, took it month by month and didn’t take drastic measures that limited myself. Joined a gym for once a week, cut out all fizzy drinks and replaced it with water (still drink coffee), smaller portions of dinner, still have a takeaway once a week though. WW and SW are a bit of a con in themselves, it’s a fixation not a lifestyle change.

Have you had a full blood work done? Thyroid, vitamins, hormone level? If not, I’d ask for one and restyle your diet on the results.

I would meal plan say -

Porridge with fruit and honey
Omelette (if access to kitchen at lunch) and salad
Chicken curry with brown rice

Snacks -
Tea
Coffee
Fruit
Nuts

Id batch cook on a weekend, pre chop veg (or frozen)

I use lose it app. It has my weight , gives me a calorie count and tells me how much protein/fat/ carbs. I aim for 100g protien/200g carb/80g fat

I exercise daily too.

Thanks everyone - much appreciated for all the replies!

Yes @BusterGonad agree re 'last suppering.' Am finding the low fat dairy on Slimming World a bit depressing tbh.

@MsNeis you might be right re emotional eating! Has it impacted you?

@LostTheMarble sadly I do lol, but realistically yes I need a full lifestyle change, but don't know where to start. I've read/watched so much stuff I feel I can't trust myself to know what and when to eat! Had full bloods done recently and luckily all okay.

@summitesay when I'm not on shift I get out every day to exercise (I need the day light). Have tried Nutracheck and My Fitness Pal before

So is batch cooking 'clean' foods the answer?

Thanks @Skyrainlight I'll have a look at work!

@TyraBanksEyeTwitch (love the name by the way) have you done Noom? I know my manager had success with it, but I can't do arbitrary points etc.

What stuff did you eat @SeatonCarew? Prior to SW I wouldn't eat breakfast, but found it pushed my eating into the evening.

@Mydahliasareshit currently eating
B: overnight oats/low sugar muesli /bran
L: SW frozen meal/scrambled egg, toast, veg
D: SW homemade chicken pie, Stirfry etc
Snacks not great, as fed up by end of day and tired. To be fair to SW though I have upped my water and fruit/veg

I find I need carbs or feel anxious and not full enough

Nothing worked for me till I stopped focusing on weight and started focusing on a healthy lifestyle. Weight loss came as a byproduct. It took a while though - probably 18 months to 2 years.

I'd say components of a healthy lifestyle such as enough water, exercise and good quality sleep are just as important as what I ate.

Second Nature worked for me though I understand it's changed somewhat since I did it.

I’ve done Noom and lost nearly three stone, kept it off for coming up on four years. I wasn’t more than a good 14 occasionally a 16 more often than I wanted to admit but I’m back to an easy 12/large 10.

What made the difference for me was understanding why I eat the type of foods I eat and what was my big ‘why’ of losing weight. The app quizzes you through things like this. Then you get daily lessons/tips/tasks. Some are annoying and a bit Americanised but honestly I would say ‘trust the process’ as it worked.

Yes it gives you a calorie goal and it’s a faff to enter what you’re eaten. But that keeps you accountable and shows you where you’re over eating or could rebalance to a ‘better’ food group.

I did the free trial then paid for two stints, if I remember rightly. I still eat the same type of things it and am definitely in better habits naturally.

I still use the app (free) now to keep on track but I don’t record my weight on it daily and I don’t bother telling it what I’ve eaten. I do got back to that if I feel I’ve had a few indulgent days and want to get back in my better habits.

@CattyGrigio80 no I haven't. I'm saving up for the injections. I've tried everything else.

DH had to up his protein to help heal after an op. So he cut out cards at breakfast and lunch, and replaced with a protein shake for breakfast, and a protein shake and some fruit for lunch. For dinner, carefully watched portion sizes, cut out eating out as much as possible without ending all social activity, and cut out all alcohol, replaced with water, not fizzy drinks. It worked. He lost 2 stone over 18 months, and he quite enjoyed it. He tried to replace sweets and biscuits with something healthier, so he now has a satsuma instead of a couple of biscuits. His big weakness was breakfast cereal. Even the healthy ones have a lit of sugar, so he cut it out altogether. He weighs himself every day, and he can see the effects of a large meal almost instantly. Bug problem with eating out and take aways is not just the amount of fats and sugar that chefs use, but also the size if the portions. Favourite meal if weight starts to creep up ? Salmon portion air fried, new potatoes and some green veg, a couple of nights eating this and a couple of pounds drop off. It is harder when you have a family, as just a couple now we just don't buy cake, sweets and biscuits so we can't just have a nibble.

It sounds like it might be the snacks then, that donate the extra few hundred calories a day that stop you losing in the longer term. 500 calories a day is a pound per week we are told.

@CattyGrigio80 realistically yes I need a full lifestyle change, but don't know where to start

Start anywhere but start small. Very, very small. Don't set unrealistic targets like doing 5 minutes a day. Set a target you are pretty sure you can manage. As in, if you want to exercise more start by putting your exercise clothes out every night. That's it. Give yourself a bonus points every time you do it. It's a step in the right direction, which is better than no step at all and massively better than a step in the wrong direction. When you get that off pat you can add to it. Lots of little steps like this will get you there much faster than you think.

Read Atomic Habits by James Clear which is all about making big changes by taking tiny, manageable steps. I wish someone had told me about this 20 years ago.

I came here to say this. I lost a stone just by stopping eating breakfast

Check out Dr Becky - she has a lot of videos about sugar and carbs that are not only motivational but include lots of useful advice about how to limit them, for instance:

Cutting out sugar is key to cutting down on carbs and the easiest way of achieving this is to replace them with savoury low-carb alternatives.

A healthy Mediterranean diet combined with intermittent fasting works for many, i.e. lots of vegetables, some fruit and protein, as well as healthy fats and dairy (especially full-fat Greek yoghurt).

To add flavour, use lots of:
Herbs, especially dill, parsley, basil, mint, fresh coriander
Lemon juice
Ginger
Garlic
Tahini
Asian flavours such as soy, hoisin, sesame, fish sauce
Chili sauce
Curry spices

The key is to approach it as ADDING tasty food, rather than depriving yourself. You are GAINING a new, healthier life!

Here is the video by Dr Becky that I meant to include:

Really interested in this what times/what do you eat?

You could do a lower carb/calorie regime, not too low. Nowhere near keto/Atkins etc. those are very hard to sustain. As you know. In fact I'm sure you know all this stuff anyway so more of a reminder. 😄

But if you're having toast, one piece instead of two, if new potatoes, half the amount etc. then fill the void with green veg and or salad.

Always have a bit of a treat occasionally. If you want pizza, order one to share with someone and have one or two slices with plenty of salad.
If you want ice cream, have one scoop.

Have loads of healthy snacks to hand, like crudities, baby tomatoes, satsumas, blueberries chopped tropical fruit, even stuff like salami, peperami, sliced ham or baby bell. Those are a bit salty and fatty but fine a few times a week in moderation.

Just try not to snack on carbs, other than fruit. Plain yoghurt instead of flavoured.

Eggs are great too, omelettes with mushrooms and other veg, scrambled with smoked salmon, poached with crispy grilled bacon. All these things are tasty and protein rich.

Also if you eat a bit much one day, just start afresh the next day and don't feel guilty. You deserve to enjoy food even if you're losing weight. The protein should keep you feeling satiated hopefully.

Sorry for the delay replying - I'm at work. Thanks for the replies 👍🏻

Some great advice from everyone. I'll def read 'Atomic Habits' @MontyDonsBlueScarf

I'm pretty time limited so out of the house from 7pm to 8.15am four days a week - so exercise is on my days off. Work exercise should go up with start of the new academic year, thank God!

Liking the tips re small but persistent changes: upping protein, med style eating, skipping breakfast etc.

So should I bin off Slimming World and go solo? Feels scary, I know that sounds stupid, but find it hard to trust my own judgements with food!

TIA again