Help, this is getting serious now...

[LollipopViolet]

Well, today my lovely granddad was told by GP he is borderline for Type 2 diabetes, in other words, if he doesn't drop some weight and sort his eating he will become diabetic.

He's really not taking it as seriously as I'd hoped, but he's an adult, etc etc.

But it's really scared me. I'm about 4 stone over weight with a serious sweet tooth, have tried numerous times to lose it, as seen on here, joining various threads etc.

It's actually the sweet tooth that's doing it, although my meal planning outside the home is awful (uni student, live at home, no kids yet). My mum is a nurse so meals at home are really healthy, usually.

My main problems:

Breakfast - hate porridge, usually end up eating toast or peanut butter sandwiches. Sometimes will just have a yoghurt or cereal bar but then am hungry by 10am.

Snacks outside the home - I crave sweet things, what can I eat instead?

Making good menu choices - most often willpower (lack of) gets me here, but sometimes it is really hard to find healthy food when out and about.

I'll weigh in tomorrow, then, properly this time: Things Will Change.

PS: Am a regular gym goer, but at the moment I have so many uni deadlines I cannot afford to take time out of working to go.

Can't afford a slimming group, btw. Anyone want to track my progress and give BIG kicks up the bum when needed?

OK, weighed myself first thing this morning - 13st 1, back where I started :(

On the plus side, I have fat-free Greek yoghurt, and have some blueberries defrosting on the side, so breakfast is sorted. Lunch, I have no idea. Dinner is Southern fried style chicken and jacket potato. Going to be really annoying and take the skin off the chicken as that's the worst bit (but also the tastiest :()

I'm going to attempt to do a weekend without fizzy drinks, get the feeling rotten bit over with before being back at uni on Monday.

I lost 3 stone a few years ago and have kept it off. This is what I did:

Breakfast is so important. It doesnt have to be porridge, but must be substantial and healthy. A good breakfast will sort your blood sugar out and stop you craving shit. How about low fat yogurt, museli and fruit? Boiled eggs and wholewheat toast? Poached eggs and grilled bacon? Fruit & fibre or branflakes w/ semi skimmed milk? Fruit salad and a bran muffin? Wholewheat bagel, low fat cream cheese & smoked salmon? Pancakes with banana & honey? If you aren't a breakfast person, get into juicing or making your own milkshakes or smoothies.

Plan what you'll snack on and know your own points during the day when you crave them, Mine is about 3-4pm. I need sugar. I have started having a slice of fruit toast with low fat spread, or a low fat cereal bar and a piece of fruit. Dried fruit/nuts also good. Bananas or dates are great.

Cut out fizzy drinks and sugar in your tea altogether. Limit alcohol during the week.

Concetrate on eating healthily rather than calorie counting - pile up your plate with veg, eat plenty of fruit during the day, drink water and fresh juice.

Have a day a week when you relax just a little bit. Everyone needs a glass of wie or the odd chip.

Exercise! Diabetes is just as much linked to a sedentary lifestyle as it is to eating crap. Seriously. Start exercising for 15 mins 4 x a week and build it up. The Shred DVD is a good way in.

Good luck.

I'm in the same boat as you - need to lose at least 2 stone. Sweet things are my downfall and my DM has type 2 diabetes. I've decided to do things one step at a time so am eating exactly as usual except I've stopped full sugar fizzies and cakes and biscuits. I've lost 6lbs in 2 weeks. Once I'm used to this I'll think about upping the excercise. I know if I try and do it all at once I'll fail and be back on the cream cakes

Right, all views greatly appreciated - hadn't thought about juicing or milkshakes, they both appeal. I also LOVE salmon and cream cheese, will try that on wholewheat bagel and see how I like it :)

Yep, it's usually round about 3pm I find myself in need of sugar. That said, I've just had a great conversation with my mum WRT healthy lunches for uni, so going to start taking my own stuff - anything but sandwiches. I find a sandwich that's been in my bag all morning so unappealing, so it'll be salads, pastas, and possibly buying soups from the uni - they do v. healthy ones, as well as healthy juices.

May also look into things like nuts, seeds and dried fruit to help with the sweet cravings.

Agree on taking it a step at a time - this week I'm going to cut out chocolate and fizzy drinks, my downfalls, and try and walk more, even if that's just walking a few stops down the road to catch the bus home.

Well, breakfast was lovely (blueberries and yoghurt). I am now finding out, this is the sort of time I reach for the fizzy drinks.

I'm determined not to cave in. We have diet ones in the house but they're just as bad.

Could you get a flask and bring home made soup to uni? There are so many cheap, filling, healthy soup recipes.

Here are two of my favourites :

lentil chickpea

lentil carrot

Ooooh that carrot and lentil one looks amazing. I'm not a cook, really, but I think I'll give this a go. How long could 4 servings keep for?

Reckon if you cool it quickly you could probably keep it for 4 days. ifreeze all my soups in individual portions, could you try that?
You don't have to be a cook to make soup - you just need to be able to read a recipe!

You say you crave sweet things - do you eat fruit?
banana, apple, grapes, prepared fruit salad does work when you fancy something sweet. You may not fancy it and want a bar of choc/cake instead but often I find fruit satisfies the sugar craving and the desire for unhealthy stuff goes away.

I LOVE fruit, melon, grapes and apples in particular. Also love peaches too.

Sweet tooth = addiction to sugar.

Best solution IMO is to embrace low carb eating. I don't think fruit juice and fruit is the answer. Obviously depends how over weight and how much fruit, but IMO fruit and fruit juice non conductive to weight loss.

Some good advice on here [takes notes].

I'm in same position as you LollipopV - albeit I suspect much older!! Need to lose 2 stone and have terrible sugar cravings - especially when I'm tired - and have willpower of a slug!

I think the key is to plan everything in advance - 3 meals a day + two healthy snacks (not easy when at uni though) and try and incorporate lots of walking in to your day.

Those healthy soup recipes look fab and I think if you could face something with oats in it for breakfast (oatcakes with a scraping of honey and perhaps natural squeezed oj - not from carton) that would be good start.

As you say, nuts/seeds v. good snacks or apple compote with cinnamon (cinnamon has apparently been shown to help reduce blood sugar in pre-menopausal women).

Not sure if I'm best role model because have tried before and failed but am really determined this time as my health is already suffering and I'm bulging out of my clothes. Would love to help you track progress and motivate (if you wouldn't mind giving me the occasional kick too!!)

I'm reducing my sugar intake gradually now in preparation for starting proper healthy eating/exercise regime on May 1st using following rules:

• get enough sleep (I eat sweet things to keep going otherwise)
• drink a glass of water half an hour before each meal and drink more water generally (no fizzy drinks) *1 fresh apple or helping of apple compote a day *no eating after 8pm (or 3 hrs before bed) (have started sewing project to distract myself from eating in front of telly) *eat healthy breakfast *salad or soup for lunch - no exceptions *watch portion size at dinner (protein element = size of average kitchen sponge + loads of veggies) *wear pedometer and walk as much as I can five days a week - ideally 10,000 steps a day *tracking food intake on Myfitnesspal and weight/measurements etc *no snacks bigger than hand *meal planning involving one extra trip per week to veg & fruit market *massively reduce coffee intake with a view to giving it up *weekly small non-food rewards to keep motivated! *obviously trying to cut out biscuits/chocolate/cake/ice-cream or anything deliciousbad like that

Hope I can follow my own advice!! Have tried to really prepare in advance this time.

Good luck tomorrow!!

Well, I've been following some of the advice here for a few days now, have drastically cut down my consumption of fizzy stuff, eating a good, healthy breakfast each day, and making sensible choices while I'm out.

Had a "treat" today, of a Starbucks frappucino, very nice, but not going to be a regular thing. I've noticed a drop in the scales already, but I'm not officially weighing in again until Sunday.

I'm off to Blackpool on that day, so will REALLY have to try to resist all my usual seaside treats.

It's for my own good - I'm 22, I've got a lot of living to do and I'm not going to let my weight dictate how I live my life.

Good for you LollipopV!!

OK - reporting in - week one - have lost 0.5 of a kilo as hoped ...and in spite of unfortunate chocolate lapse two nights ago. Only 21 weeks or so to go ....