Thanks you!! :) Ive never tried diets like slimming world etc but if it hadnt worked I was going to try that next. Basically rather than restrict myself I just eat less of the food i like - smaller portions, and less snacking between meals. if i want crisps I have wotsits or quavers rather than walkers or mccoys, if i need a sweet fix like someone else has said, i have a cup of sweet tea which also fills me up or one biscuit whereas before I would have had 3 or 4. I still have to ask myself before I eat it - am I actually hungry or am I eating this out of habit?
I love the mcvities digestive cereal bars which only have 135 kcal each and nicely fill the gap between meals. Otherwise I choose low fat or low sugar versions of the things I like.
For me the lightbulb moment came when I learnt to recognise what is hunger and what is boredom. Rather than eating until I'm full, i eat until Im not hungry any more. That was the real lightbulb moment in fact. I drink water throughout the day to keep hunger at bay, sticking to three good meals a day and the odd snack in between.
I started using the myfitnesspal app to track what I was eating and to help me create a calorie deficit. Exercise was jogging, horse riding, exercise bike, 30 minutes a day 5/6 days a week. 30 minute walk round town every lunchtime. Once i broke my bad habits I stopped using my fitness pal as it got boring but it definitely helped me :) Ive also got the 30 day shred dvd which is brilliant, i did that for about 2 weeks and didnt notice any great weight loss but I did notice myself getting more toned - seeing my collarbones and upper arms and muscles emerging was a good feeling!
Finally I took up ballroom dancing which is fantastic exercise and so much fun - I had two left feet when I started and now can do a passable turn around the floor ! If anyone wants a gentle (or more energetic, if thats what you want!) exercise that doesnt feel like exercise, then definitely give it a try.
The first few weeks I lost 3-4lb a week, dropping to 1-2lb a week and now Im losing weight at the rate of about half a lb a week at the moment... some weeks I dont lose anything but its important to me that I dont lose the focus. I did hit a plateau at around the 12st mark which was very very hard to keep working through but Im glad I didnt give up. The shred helped me break that. So basically Ive tried lots of things which are gradual and sustainable changes. It is hard especially when I used food to treat myself or just eating from habit like biscuits in the evening but I dont miss any of that now. I wish id done this years ago but I did have to wait until I was very ready and for me that was hitting the 14 stone mark. Im really sorry if this comes across boastful or lecturing or anything - i dont mean to! :)