I am so very unhappy with my weight.

[whatlauradid]

Hii all. I'm here looking for advice, support and motivation.

I'm 5ft9in and currently weigh 18st8lb. A few monyhs ago I started a diet and started going to the gym. I went from 19st3lb to 18st5lb at my lowest. I found that going to the gym was enjoyable but an expense I couldn't afford and with two young DC's and a partner who works it was difficult to find the time and inclination.

I've always been okay with my body. Not happy but not depressed to the point of tears. I bought a pair of red wide leg trousers from Primark in a size 20 and I can't do them up over my stomach. I feel disgusting.

I enjoy chocolate etc but my main vices are pasta, Monster energy drinks, coffee, cheese and bread. I don't eat a lot but it seems that when I do my meals must be high calorie to have not lost weight. I'm active around the house and own an elliptical machine that I rarely use. I need to use it more as at the moment it is used for storing clothes. I walk the dog for fifteen minutes every day but that could be upped to half an hour if I take over my partners evening walk.

I can't afford to have meals delivered or to do WW or SW so would calorie counting help? How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight before exercise? I need to think long term here and to lose at least four stone, preferably six.

I'm a calorie counting novice but I need help. I'm sorry this is so long.

cut out the energy drinks - (swap them for diet coke) and take over your partners dog walk

And just because the puppy can only do 20 min walks at the moment doesn't mean you have to stop then - take the puppy home and then do a longer faster one on your own.

Come and join my Bootcamp!

Low carbing means you don't have to count calories. And you can eat cheese ...

Can I recommend 2 books I've read recently. First is Eating Less and talks about how overeating is an addictive behaviour and it is this, not loosing weight, which needs to be addressed. It's quite different to any other diet book I've read and makes a lot of sense IMO. The other books is Mindless Eating which talks about how the environment affects how much people eat. It suggest incredibly simple ways that you can make small changes to reduce calorie intake without even noticing.

Another vote for My Fitness Pal, I've lost a stone in 3 months, though the gym has helped with that. The good feeling you get from seeing the pounds drop off will replace the need for treat foods, and you can promise yourself a new item of clothing after each half stone or something. One day at a time!

Two words. Low carb. It really really works.

I took the dog for a half an hour walk at a moderate to brisk pace and had my salad for lunch. I'll fill up on water until dinner so I don't snack and then take the dog for another walk about 7pm to tire her out. It's a good tip about bringing her home and doing a longer walk myself. Does walking at a brisk pace really help the weight loss? Would I need to do other exercise too? I've heard great things about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred but heard it's more for toning than fat loss and slimming. True or untrue?

It's going to be difficult going from energy drinks to none. Black coffee is still ok though, right?

Do 2 30 minute walks with the dog each day and up your pace so you're moderately out of breath. or get on the Elliptical trainer - if it annoys your partner / kids enough then he will get round to oiling it. Or just buy a can of WD40 and squirt some into every crevice you can find!

There will always be reasons why you can't do something.

I was 18 stone at beginning of the year - now 15 stone 4 pounds.

I use my fitness pal and exercise. I walk everywhere plus just started cycling (borrowed MILs old bike) and I do exercise dvds in an evening when kids are in bed. WRT to DVDs Erin O'Brien's 'Fit Body, Strong Body' is about a £5 on amazon (you'll need 2 hand weights of around 2kg/4lb each as well) is good and a lot easier to start with than e.g. 30 day shred. I have lost approx 11 inches round my waist doing that for 2 months (3-4 times a week).

YOu need to eat at least that 1500kcal per day plus at least some of your exercise calories (some say all but I struggle to eat all of mine). Don't just measure calories - fat, sat fat, sodium, sugar are all important as well. I don't measure my sugar other than to make sure at least 90% of it is only from fruit.

Small steps towards lifestyle changes is the way that has worked for me. It has to be a permanent sustainable change. I have done it bit by bit. Do one or two changes every week/fortnight rather than trying to do it all at once.

If you want to go out for a meal or have a takeaway at the weekend you can as long as you earn the calories (I make sure I do it before so am not always playing catchup.

Exercise alone will not help you lose weight. The amount that you have to do to consume enough calories is generally so high that it becomes impractical.

This is an interesting piece about it

What low carbing will do is to ensure that you don't feel hungry. Hunger is created by the hormones that the body releases when your blood sugar drops. If you eat high carb food, your blood sugar sees a huge spike, and your body will release insulin to deal with this. Insulin causes the body to lay down fat, however. A sharp spike is followed by an equally steep drop - so your body tells you it is hungry - which is why, typically, you get really hungry at around 11.00 am, when you've had a carb-laden breakfast of, say, toast, cereal and fruit.

That's a vast over-simplification of what happens, but if you low carb, what happens is that your blood sugar levels remain much more stable - and you feel fuller (less hungry) for much longer. You will also be eating more fat and more protein, which is more satiating.

BIWI is absolutely right about the low carb / blood sugar / appetite thing.

So is low carb the best? Does low carb mean no carbs? I've only ever heard bad things about it like no carbs ever, unhealthy and putting weight back on. Educate me please!

hi whatlaura Like mardy Another Paul Mckenna fan here (I've lost 3 stone on it BTW WITHOUT COUNTING ONE CALORIE ) If you ask the library they'll order the book and stuff for you or get them 2nd hand on Amazon. It is the best 'cos it re-educates yr attitude to food; come and join us we've a fantastic thread!!

I wasn't hungry when I low carbed. But I found it unsustainable.

Low carbing is exactly that - low rather than no. Your carbs should come mainly from vegetables and salad - and the emphasis is on fresh/natural and unprocessed meat/fish.

Read the link I posted to my Bootcamp, a two week, fairly hardcore plan. One of our bootcampers lost 13lbs in two weeks!

Hello, I am 5ft 9 too and I was 16stone (size 20) and I did ww plan, though cooked all my own meals, just weighed the ingredients and stuck to what it said re. points, and then I walked twice a week and built it up until i was walking 5 miles a day

it hurt at first. I used nurofen rub to ease my joints :( but I got there

am under 12 stone, which still isn't wonderful by some peoples imagination I suppose but I am size 12-14 within healthy bmi but I have to just stick at it and take it day by day

there are no quick fixes

You can follow slimming world without paying to join. You just need somebody to tell you the basics. Syn values can be googled really easily.

Hi whatlauradid, I was 18st 3 and am 5ft 8 jan 2011 I am now 15 7 . I tried all sorts but recently joined BIWi thread - it is the easiest thing once you get used to it biwi will confirm it took me a while to get my head round it but last week I lost seven pounds and this week so far I have lost 2 even though it is totm.

I really recommend the John briffa book escape the diet trap, it gives you a good and easy description of the science behind low card also carb genie.com is a helpful site

I really empathise with your position, pm of you want

Thank you for the recommendations. Food that is deemed healthy seems so expensive! I cook vegetables etc for my children but it's usually served with mashed potato, fish fingers etc as they're picky eaters and won't touch meat. DP is one of those men who eats pie sandwiches and never goes above 13 stone. I seem to be the odd one out in that if I don't live on vegetables, lean meat and fish I don't lose weight. Very annoying.

I'm popping in to my local Waterstones next week and I'll have a browse at the books you've suggested before picking one up second hand online.

Do you make separate meals for yourselves on these diets or does everyone eat the same? How much on average does it up your shopping bill?

I cook pretty much the same for all of us (but one DC is away at university and the other is 17, so I don't have to worry about small child requirements!). If there's a carb component, I just don't have it, and will have extra veg/salad instead.

If the carbs are a key component of the meal, say a risotto or kedgeree, then to be honest I rarely cook stuff like that any more, unless it's specifically requested by DH or DS2. Then I cook myself something different.

Once you get used to it, like anything else I suppose, it becomes second nature.

I second heartstart's recommendation about the Dr John Briffa book. It's a really easy read as well as being very informative.

DP and the DC's won't touch salad/stir fry and most of their favourite meals are laden with carbs so it looks like I'll have to cook separately. I hope it doesn't cost too much extra.

Haven't read the whole thread, but can highly recommend the book Why We get Fat and What to do about it by someone Taubes. it really has changed my perspective on dieting. Basically it proves, without any doubt, that carbs are what makes you store fat. So by eating lots of protein, and keeping carbs very low you will lose weight. I've lost 10lbs in the past month, by eating lots of meat (both lean and fatty), avocadoes, olives, salad and veg. Also, snacking on nuts, having eggs for breakfast etc.

What I have really done is cut out sugar, flour, potatoes, rice and pasta. I still have cheese (tonight had it inside chicken breast wrapped in bacon - yum!). I would highly recommend it, as I've been struggling with my weight for a long time and this is really working. I wouldn't concern yourself too much with exercise, as it doesn't make a great deal of difference tbh. I walk 3 miles a day to school and back, which burns about 160 cals.

Good luck - there's so much support on here that I'm sure you'll do brilliantly. It's horrible to feel so unhappy about your size, I know.

Taubes' work is brilliant. Why We Get Fat is a good read, and an easy one - but even more impressive is his book The Diet Delusion, which goes into a lot more detail and covers a lot more research.

Jumping up and down here; when you're on Paul Mckenna you eat what you WANT!! and you're really TASTING 'cos you eat slowly you actually go off crap food.

Boris the problem with high protein is that it suits SOME people but it certainly doesn't suit ALL people if you check out the Blood Type woe by Dr. Peter D'Adamo you understand why. I tried the Atkins and it made me ill actually.

Reducing your carbs is a very, very effective way to lose weight. It will not make you ill if you follow a sensible WOE - in fact it's incredibly healthy as you increase your intake of veg and good fats, and reduce sugar and starches. You eat unprocessed, natural foods, not low-fat, diet products. You certainly don't have to pay a company to deliver you their diet plans!

Read Briffa and Taubes, and you'll see why calorie counting, low fat and punishing exercise routines are a waste of time.