ok I am ashamed to say that I have become fat and didn't really notice, I am totally gutted and know that I'm going to have trouble sorting it :(

[TrinIsASadSpottyFatRhino]

I need iron rich food
I need to snack
I love vegetables, fish, chicken
not overly keen on fruit if I'm honest

I have a real weakness for pizza and crisps
also stodgy home cooking

portion sizes are a definite issue
as is eating late at night

mornings are an issue
this moring I ate a bag of cashew nuts
yesterday I ate 2 bags of hula hoops {blush]

my ads make me feel rrally sick if I get at all hungry and mornings are the worst
I dont have a plan so I grab whatever I can see and like

I fully admit that it is affecting my self esteem (which is pretty awful as it is)

I am carrying two stone more than I am happy with
and I am really upset about it

Just to let you know you are not alone. I saw a photo of a fat old woman yesterday and was horrified to see it was me . Crisps are too tasty to resist I find

why should anyone attack you ? I am sure there are loads of people here who are the same.

Try not to buy the things that are your weakness - if they aren't in the house then you can't grab them to munch on of an evening.

Work on portion sizes - try putting 3/4 of what you would normally on your plate and see if you can develop a new habit.

Cut up vegs to snack on (eg carrots, peppers).

I know how you feel. I think what has helped me most is being on a thread on here, and listing my food intake each day, and also signing up to myfitnesspal.com which tells me the calorific worth of everything. I was shocked at some things, I really had no idea what was calorific or not.

2 stone is not a great deal to lose, you can totally do it :)

No one should attack you. It's easy to not really notice weight going on, your habits changing, etc.

My snacking is my problem. In a way it's bad that I'm quite tall so I carry the weight well but I'm not fit and really should sort out my eating habits.

I'm with you.

I love baking
I love eating what I bake
I love cake and biscuits

Afternoons are my weakness, I deal with mornings by going out so I can only eat what I've taken with me (I'm a cheapskate so rarely buy anything from the shops) Afternoons I seem to eat from lunch til bedtime and I find it very hard not to. I've lost all concept of stopping when I'm full.

If you like veg could you chop up a load of it and keep it in the fridge so there's always something there? Make some salads up and not put any dressing on so they last longer and then they're there when you need something.
When you say you don't really like fruit - there is a huge variety of fruit around, is there really nothing that tempts you? I keep a bowl of apples/pears/bananas/nectarines/oranges/grapes around so I can have them if I have the Irresistible Munchies.
Could you get rid of anything (crisps/nuts) that you get carried away with and just not have any in the house? I've stopped buying biscuits so if I want one I have to make them myself and I usually don't have time.

I understand about the self-esteem, I feel crap about my body at the moment and have no motivation.

Wrt portion sizes, start using a smaller plate. I use one of DD's plates and actually a portion on that is enough if I'm honest with myself.

Definitely agree that if it's not in the house, you wont eat it. Shop when you feel particularly motivated to get in healthier choices. It's fine to snack if your meals are smaller too. 6 small portions a day is ideal, I usually only do 4-ish. You can fix this because you have done the hardest bit - working out why/how you came to be overweight. So many people just 'have no idea' how it happened. Chopped up raw veg in the fridge to dip in hummus is a salty snack that can replace crisps in terms of that savoury craving that usually ends in crisps. But if it isn't pre-prepared, you wont want to bother. Also, hardboiled eggs in the fridge - the white makes a great snack. If I pre-prepare food, I don't want to waste it, so I feel I have to have it which leaves no space for crisps etc.

Oh I second myfitnesspal. It's fantastic and you can link up with friends for some accountability. My sister and I love it (not so much when we get messages from each other laughing at each others food diaries...)

Come and join our 'tipped from curvy to fat group'.

We're really nice and we only got together on Monday.

Why would you be attacked? First step is recognising you need to do something. But if you have a weakness for crisps and pizza, well don't buy any, they are hardly essential foods! If you know you'll grab what you see, make sure lots of healthy snacks around.

If you are looking for something to improve self esteem and willpower than I suggest "Adore Yourself Slim" by Lisa Jackson.