I am disgusted with myself. 14 stone 6lb. Need to get healthy

[doublecakeplease]

Got weighed at the doctors. I have high bp and newly diagnosed lymphodoema which i know will both improve if i lose weight.

I have a disgusting belly even though DS is 15 months old. I WILL shift it. I don't want to be stick thin - but i would like to be back to size 12.

Thought if i wrote it down and popped back with updates for myself it might help...

Nothing wrong with eating ham. Nothing wrong with mayo....in fact the light one is just full of rubbish so your better off eating a little bit of real mayonnaise. I eat lasagne and bolognaise for meals with a salad and real mayo. Diet foods are not good for you as they contain additives and sweetners (which are really bad for the body) . I don't diet, diets do not work. Might work for a short while but not many people stick to them for ever. Eating consciously and eating whatever you want, eating only when your truly hungry but stopping when your full is the key to being slim. In fact, its the way slim people eat. Its dieters that have problems and issues with yo yoing.

Agree fluer, but people like a quick fix solution.

Slim people would eat pasta bolognaise, just not stuff themselves with it, and have salad wth it rather than garlic bread.

Sorry but eating just salad for lunch and a banana for breakfast is not going to be sustainable long term, so how are you planning to eat when you "go back to normal"?

Not being negative, you CAN lose weight if you like, but be wary of a diet that you cannot stick to, I have seen that too many times.

Maybe asking weight loss advice from other dieters is not such a good idea after all, maybe ask people who are a healthy weight how they eat?

That Chandon is the best advice ever and I totally agree with you. People who are slim naturally do not diet. In fact when someone who is naturally slim goes on a diet that's usually when the problems start as they lose touch with their naturally hunger signals.

"Nothing wrong with eating ham. Nothing wrong with mayo"

Quite a bit wrong, when you are dieting. They are both high-fat and not that beneficial for the body.

When you are on a calorie restriction diet, you want to make sure your body gets what it needs within the calories you give it. That means greasy crap like mayonnaise that is 90 kCal for a levelled tablespoon is out, and good stuff like olive oil is in.

As you say elsewhere, it is about changing eating habits rather than crash dieting for a short period of time. My advice to OP is to change the habit of expecting/needing/wanting mayonnaise on her salads in favor of small amounts of olive oil. I say that as someone who lost heaps of weight 3 years ago and kept it off.

Good for you for getting started! I went from 12 1/2 stone to 9 1/2 stone a few years ago, and have kept most of it off - 10lbs has crept on over the winter and I'm on My Fitness Pal trying to lose it.

I agree with much of what is said upthread, but want to add my 2p worth:

When something is called "low fat" it means "chemical shit storm". Ditch the low fat nonsense and have less of the natural, unprocessed stuff - whether that's a bit of mayo, or a yoghurt (calorie difference is tiny and the full fat ones fill you up for longer), just be sensible with the portions.

Make sure you have some protein at each meal - it's the most sating of the macronutrients so will help you feel full for longer.

It looks like you've panicked a bit and gone on a "diet" rather than thinking about how much, and what, you're eating. I'd wager that you're not eating enough at the moment and you're setting yourself up to fail. Try working out your body's BMR (google it) and aiming to have that many calories daily.

Weigh everything so you know what a portion is - it's amazing how small they look when you start dieting and how horrified you are at restaurant portions once you've lost a bit of weight. This was the big way we lost weight.

BBC Good Food has some great healthy recipes which come in as low calorie or low fat and are quick and cheap to make. DH and I live off them. Have a play on the website and set yourself up with a few easy, healthy meals that you like so you don't have to think too much about suppers. There's some stuff that feels really stodgy and comforting but is actually low calorie. I love that site!

Good luck, and if you join MFP you can "friend" me on there for some support if you like - I'm HannahT78

I agree with Chandon. Eating tiny meals and half starving yourself is not sustainable and even if you lose weight it will go straight back on again as soon as you go back to eating normally.
You'd be better off to just try eating more healthily:

Have a proper breakfast that will keep you going to lunchtime and help you avoid the temptation to scoff a danish or a scone at 11am.

Avoid shop bought sandwiches and baguettes as they are full of calories and salt

Use lower calorie or healthier substitutes for food you like eg turkey mince in bolognaise; low fat creme fraiche in creamy sauces; wholegrain bread and pasta

Have a bag of maltesers after your dinner if you're craving something sweet. They are much much lower in calories than a slice of cake or a few biscuits.

Keep rice cakes and crackers handy and have a couple if you get hungry between meals.

I know none of the above is new or ground breaking advice but seriously, you are much more likely to still be eating healthily in a few weeks by making those kind of adjustments than by setting yourself a really strict regime that will drive you up the walls and have you running to the chippers by Friday.

Double, I weighed 15 stone a year ago, DD was 6 months old. I worked through the Couch to 5 k and lost half a stone. On September many things happened that made me realise that this was better, but not good enough and I joined Slimming World. Got to target 11st 12 in January and been there ever since. I found it very straightforward, mostly about portion size, low fat everything, v limited sugary stuff and bulking up meals with fruit a d veg.