I have LOTS of clothes and they're beautiful

[JustAPawn]

but because I am 1 stone overweight, I can't wear them or look awful on me. I do not want to go up a size and buy a whole new wardrobe. I am 45 years old and I feel I should find the will power somewhere to stay a comfortable size 10 which is what looks and feels right for my height (5.1").

But it seems the older I get the less tolerance for hunger I have. I mean, I find it physically painful!! I despise myself sometimes for not being able to shift a poxy stone that will make me feel SO much better and allow me to wear the clothes I already have. My sugar cravings have literally taken over my life I feel, as I'm not much of an overeater, is just that I eat sugar, and lots of it.

Seconding 5:2. I am in the same boat as you, and a stone over my ideal weight. But at the start of the year I was (admittedly in the postnatal phase) almost 3 stone over my ideal weight - I've lost tonnes by 5:2ing. And it's so easy - no faffing around with special food, it almost feels like a day off not having to factor in meals for DH and I (he is on it too).

I'm with you, same problem here.

Another yes for 5:2 it's the only thing I've ever stuck to. I've lost a stone and a half and DH has lost a stone. I'm 48 and I'm still losing weight despite eating out and enjoying a nice glass of wine now and then!

I've tried 5:2 but not great at not overeating on NFDs, but think I need to try again.

Another vote for the 5:2 here. I went from 68kg down to 63kg in a few months.
I absolutely love eating and drinking wine. I used to eat every 90 minutes or so, not necessarily unhealthy stuff but I felt hungry. DH and I decided to give this a go and I can easily go for long periods now without the need to eat. He has lost lots of weight too. And the effort is seriously minimal. No cutting out sugar/ carbs or any of that deprivation stuff.
The key to success is knowing that you can eat what you like the next day. And you feel a great sense of triumph on the two 'fast' days.
Even if you buy the book out of interest with no commitment to do the programme, that's a start to changing eating habits.

I've never tried 5:2, I don't think I could do it, I get dizzy and faint when I'm hungry.

I think you just need to find something that works for you thecatsm0ther. Some people swear by low carbing but it just made me want to stuff my face with bread. 5:2 works for the all or nothing type of personality!

I have tried low carb and it's fine for a week, but I find it expensive, I get bored fairly quickly of eating the same stuff for breakfast and lunch. Carbs are so much cheaper too!

The key is to find a diet that isn't a diet - something you can stick to forever. Otherwise the weight will go back on.

Start by calculating your TDEE ( total daily energy expenditure). The calculator on the 5:2 or fast diet website is good. That's what your body uses just in the course of your daily life. This is the number of calories you should stick to in order to maintain your current weight, and to create a deficit from in order to lose weight. How you do it is up to you, although most people could do with cutting out processed junk, added sugar and alcohol.

thecats I would've said the same of myself before trying the 5:2. But I just don't have a problem with cravings and low sugar anymore.
I eat 1/2 grapefruit and a boiled egg for breakfast, apple at lunch if I have to and dinner is 1/2 tub of supermarket soup, 50g smoked salmon and a tonne of salad with a teaspoon of oil. That's 500 calories and I do it twice a week. Painless. The weight comes off.
I don't eat loads the next day but I'll have three good meals and a cake and latte if I want to.

The alternative would be to do a full on high intensity exercise programme with weights - I love Jillian Michaels but there are many other versions. Unlikely to make you weigh less but might lose enough inches to fit into your old clothes anyway. And the other benefits are innumerable.

I wonder if it is hormonal? Am 44

Last week I stopped at McDonalds AFTER lunch to eat a .... McFlurry

I craved it.

Sitting in the car, I thought: the last time I craved this sort of stuff was when I was a teen. I craved sugar then.

Ate normally for 25 years...

To be back at eating flurries and mars bars (Wtf ?!)

It has sort if crept up on me.

thecats I also thought this, and approached 5:2 expecting to feel weak and dizzy. But oddly I don't, and now I can go for hours without food. I feel that it has reset my metabolism, and that maybe the weak / dizzy thing was a response to massive sugar highs and dips?

I'll have to look into 5:2. 500 cals doesn't sound like a lot.

It's alldrama - are you allowed a couple of vodkas a week or night ? Diet sounds good ! ??

It was MFP that did it for me. I've been a runner for a long time and ran half and full marathons when I was bigger, but ate too much to compensate.

I've gone from a size 12 (10 st 10) to a size 8-10 (9st 7) by:
*recording everything on MFP and sticking within the calorie limits of 1200 net a day
*cutting down on carbs

• four or five runs a week (20ish miles in total) plus Body pump and circuits

I've never felt better and am actually really embarrassed by older pictures of myself. I wish I'd done this years ago and not allowed myself to be fat for so long.

ginorwine I didn't realise either until I was very bored and read the ingredients on the back of a galaxy and saw all the e numbers and chemicals in it and started looking into it all.

They also add these same chemicals into cat/dog food of all things to make your animal's cry for me, hence making you buy more! Sneaky aren't they.

I know what you mean Op about being all or nothing, I do try and stay off the sugar, but when the chocolate cravings kick in The higher the cocoa percentage the better for you. I bought 2 bars on offer last week and still have 1 1/2 bars. If it was dairy milk Id have eaten them and probably bought about 6 more as they "are on offer" .

You just need to try a few things I think and find something that works for you, I know cutting carbs to a minimum works as i've weight following that plan, so I always go back to it. ww and sw and most calorie counting diets I just find too controlling.

Okay so thank you everyone because you have inspired me to try the 5:2. I am on my second day today. At least I am doing something. I am going to try 500 calories Mondays and Thursdays and 1000 the rest of the days, maybe up to 1200 if I'm struggling. Let's see if I make it until the end of the week.

I would really recommend doing the low carb bootcamp here on MN. If you want to change your way of eating in the long term you need to kick the sugar habit. Believe me, I've done it, so can you. It is very easy to retrain your palate, so you get to the point where you not only don't crave sugar but you actually don't even like the taste anymore.

The bootcamp is tough in the beginning, so don't do it the week before your period is due, or if you have anything particularly stressful going on in your life. Treat it as a challenge, and reward yourself in non foodie ways, new nail varnish, good book, etc rather than a cake or chocolate. You will be doing your body such a favour and the feeling of satisfaction at beating sugar is amazing. Sugar is basically poison for our bodies, when I look at a chocolate cake now I see it for what it is, processed crap that is going to make me feel ill. I am not even remotely tempted now, whereas a couple of years ago I would have eaten it all myself!

JustAPawn don't try to be too strict when you start 5:2, give your body time to adjust. Come over to the 5:2 forum for lots of support and tips too!

Good luck! I wouldn't go as low as that on your non fast days, though. If you calculate your TDEE with your activity level set to "sedentary" then eat to that you should still lose weight easily. The thing that makes 5:2 sustainable for me is knowing that I don't have to be too careful on non-fast days and (on fast days) that I can always have a treat tomorrow. Personally I would think that, if you want to accelerate weight loss, 4:3 or alternate day fasting would be better than restricting calories on non-fast days.