starting to think weight loss is impossible...anyone lend some support? x

[woahthere]

been on this topic a few times in various guises! At the moment I weigh around 13 stone although not weighed myself for a few weeks. I am only 5 ft 3. My youngest is 4 now so no excuses! I really really desperately want to be smaller. I have done various plans before and had varying degrees of success.
I exercise quite a lot. I go running 2/3 times a week, Im running 4 miles at a time at the moment and building it up every week. I also do an hour of zumba every week, an hour of yoga and i walk a lot (because i dont drive) The exercise doesnt really make me lose weight! I have genuinely tried a lot of plans and I really do have to go very extreme to lose any weight. Im just a bit...stuck on how to lose weight. I know everything and obviously nothing as Im still big! At the moment I have been eating a lot and struggling to get out the habit...anyone any tips? The only time in my adult life I lost a significant amount of weight was when I was splitting up with my childrens father and i lost 3 st very quickly by...not eating, and drinking copious amounts of wine but...not wanting to that diet again lol!

Dukan. Forces you to be strict as the diet is so limited. IMO easier to stick to as very easy to know whats allowed and whats not!

i have tried dukan, i can see why it works....my stumbling block was that i did it coming up to summer and all these beautiful vegetables and fruits were coming into season in my garden and i felt guilty for eating them...which felt, just wrong! i also have discovered a complete aversion to sweeteners, as in, they make me have palpitations and up half the night, and muller yoghurts were half the saviour to dukan if i remember rightly!

You don't need to use any artificial sweeteners in what you eat or drink. Water, herbal and mint teas are no calorie drinks. Low/no fat natural yoghurt is good and can be 'sweetened' with fruit if needed.

I would second using myfitnesspal.com even if only for a few days so you accurately know how many calories you are consuming.

If eating is being done out of habit then you need to be mindful and aware or at least make sensible choices.

I'll have a look into my fitnesspal thanks. I've followed low carb plans before and they do work but since Ive started running I've found myself wanting more carbs, and then this has led to eating naughty things! After Christmas I think is a sensible time to start again.
i dont have any artificial sweetener anymore keynesian i was just referring to the dukan advice because i remember doing dukan and only being allowed meat and yoghurt for a while, and any of the tasty ones had sweetener in...fruit is not allowed on dukan if i remember rightly.
I certainly do need to be more mindful, I am my own worst enemy...

It's not impossible but bloody hard. I started my diet by making lots of small changes rather than a massive overhaul of everything I eat. Work out your biggest weakness such as junk food, chocolate or wine and get a plan to either give it up or cut right down. Try not to expect quick results straight away as you nay get disheartened and give up. The best diet in the world is the willpower diet. Everytime you go to put something in your mouth you know you shouldn't you have to put it down and say to yourself I dont need this food. It does get easier. Sometimes having all the diet knowledge isn't very helpful, all you really need is common sense and as I said willpower. I know it is easy to say and so hard to implement but you can do it. I used to be heavier than you at 13 and a half stone and only 5 foot 1 and half inches tall now less than 8 months later weigh 9 stone 5 pounds. I never in a million years thought it was possible for me to lose weight. If I can do it so definitely can. I wish you every success.

Have you tried a low carb/high fat diet? We wouldn't have made it through the ice age if we weren't able to run around on a very low carb diet.

It is possible, it's just bloody hard. I was properly, badly, heavily overweight, obese actually, for over a decade and I'd tried all sorts until this time just stuck and the weight started to come off.

I truly believe that so much of it is mental - for me at least, I think I had to hit my rock bottom point and stop fibbing to myself. Once I was prepared to be honest with myself, 'I'm really really fat, there is nobody to blame but me, and there is no quick fix', then I was in the right place to do something about it.

I've been calorie counting, changed the way I eat completely (portion control is the biggest single thing for me) and like fluffy123 says, willpower is the most important thing. What has really really worked for me is a food diary - I write down everything I put in my mouth - even if it's a bite of the kids' tea. It's like my conscience. And then I don't let myself go over my daily calorie allowance - if it's gone, it's gone.

However, I do let myself off a night off at the weekend, and have some wine, homemade pizza etc. Or if I've got a night out, I'll swap that night in. I think that's stopped me from giving up, and a blowout these days is nothing like it used to be.

I'm a runner now too, and I find I have to mix the exercise up a bit or it stops having an effect. I've added in weights, and can't recommend the kettlebell enough for a quick and unbelievably effective workout. Also I do 20 min shred, and I've started mixing up my running so I do my long runs at steady pace and I do some short sharp fast runs too. Did my first half marathon this year, which I could never have imagined doing.

I am 5'2 1/2 so a bit shorter than you and I started at just under 15 stone last September (2010). I'm 9 stone 7 today (won't be after Christmas though...).

Wow, Mrs flowerpot and fluffy thats fantastic. After Christmas I am going to start doing a food diary. How many calories did you stick to for a weight loss? Youre right - if you can do it I can too. I get despondent when trying to lose weight if after a few weeks nothing comes off then I think well whats the point but Im sure I just cant be doing it right, because if everyone else can do it then surely so can I. I didnt think I could run a mile until 11 weeks ago and now I can do 4 so I can be determined about some things lol!

For the first three months I ate normal meals but cut all chocolate, sweets, crisps, alcohol, biscuits and cakes and lost a stone . Then I stepped up the pace and cut most carbs and stuck to around 1000 calories a day. This really speeded up the weight loss to 2 pounds a week. I didn't do any exercise and just concentrated on the dieting as i had to ditch the sugar and crap i used to eat. I havent cheated once. There isn't any right way of losing weight.

you are aprox 1 week and 2 days to early! Try again in the NY

Hi woahthere

In 2010 I went from 14 stone 9lb (I'm 5'8'') to 12 stone 5lb. I maintained the weight loss for most of this year, until a few pounds started creeping on recently. As of this morning I weigh 12 stone 10lb.

Like the others, I did it by cutting out treats and reducing portion size rather than following a specific diet plan. I aim for slow steady weight loss (1lb per week) as I believe this is the healthiest way. I do exercise too (mainly running, sometimes a zumba class), but I don't think this has enough effect on its own without reducing your calorie intake as well.

I would love to lose another 2 stone by the same method in 2012. Would you like to do it together? Weigh ins every Wed am?

yes i am early arent i! not silly enough to start now, there really is no point, but for sure in the New Year! Weigh ins on a Wednesday it is then mrspepperpotty! is 1000 calories a bit low if im running as well?

1000 is definitely to low if you are running.

You sound just like me a year ago. I went on food focus and entered all my food calories and exercise calories. I was burning 1500 calories a day in exercise and eating 1000, my basic metabollic rate was 1900 so I was under eating . This does not make you lose weight, but go into starvation. I had to learn to eat more not less.

I would highly recommend the slimming world plan, I have lost four stone. There is no calorie counting.

Everyone is different; I've lost nearly 3 stone in a year or so and the best way for me was with Paul mckenna; there's no cal counting or crap diet foods or humiliating meetings, it re educates yr. mental and physical attitude to eating and our thread is very supportive.

BTW paul mckenna says 1500 cals is a starvation diet and as fluffy says that's a good way to PUT ON weight 'cos yr. body holds on to the weight when you DO feed it!!

Woahthere I've just joined the 'Who's in for healthy weight loss in 2012?' thread - more people there! Hope to see you there :)

I'm just like you and will be starting the Zoe harcombe diet one 1st if you fancy joining