What worked for you...

[Fannydabbydozey]

Hi all.

Very very new here. Looking for answers, hints, tips, support, you name it.

I seem to have lost all ability to watch what I eat to the point I would say I almost a compulsive eater. I'm fat and pretty disgusted with myself really. This of course doesn't help as being disgusted just makes me miserable which makes me eat. I'm very much a comfort eater. This goes back to childhood where food was a big part of my grandparents life and they were very kind and loving. My granny was fat and my grandad was thin. Whereas being thin was a big part of my stepdad's life and he was (and still is to a certain extent) a total bastard. For him, fat is repulsive and he has no respect nor does he even like fat people. He was awful towards my granny. I was made to feel that I was fat when I was younger. When I look back at the pictures I want to cry - I was never fat. I wasn't as skinny as my brother but I was like my daughter is now: athletic and strong. Funny that his kids all struggle with their weight eh?

Anyway, he doesn't force me to put crap in my mouth, I do that all by myself and I want to STOP. I have been thin - I was thin in my late teens and early twenties when I survived on fruit and also in my late twenties early thirties when I took diet pills - the ones that make you not feel hunger and also made me a bit psychotic. Now I have kids I want just to eat well and not transfer any body issues onto them as I really don't want my daughter growing up thinking she's fat when she isn't. Or stop her enjoying her food.

My brother has just lost several stone and I'm determined I can do it. I did Atkins in the past and lost about three stone but it's unsustainable for me really as we all eat as a family and I got fed up with the recipes/restrictions.

Is my Fitness pal good? Any diet you've been on which makes you feel good, is easy to fit into normal family and working life and which is sustainable? Is getting support from other dieters the way forward? I'm quite fit - currently walking about 6 - 10 miles a day for charity. This should have made me lose weight but I seem to just stuff my face even more. I was also rather slim when I did ashtanga yoga three or four times a week but I honestly can imagine doing that now with all my bulk.

I KNOW what to eat, I just can't see to stop eating crap. It's like an addiction. I don't want to endanger my health any more. I don't even care about being a size 10 (which is the smallest I've ever been... Even when I was half starving myself) I just want to be able to buy the clothes I love and feel good about my self again.

What helped you?

I don't have time to post a more detailed reply but I've lost 4 stone using my fitness pal and I love it. I have never dieted before (and see it as a lifetime way of eating now) and didn't want my two young daughters to know I was on a diet or had any body issues so felt portion control and cutting back on snacks was the most realistic long term way of doing it.

I wish I had time to reply to all your emotional issues but mine also began in childhood with my family criticising me for being fat when actually I wasn't.

I've been on the now or never threads and really needed the support. Ooh got to go toddler trying to steal iPad....

i was recently a size 22 weight was 17 stone i now weigh 12 stone target weight want to be 11 stone i used to eat a lot of crap and kept doing it constantly and thought enough is enough. you shouldent be half starving yourself because that will just make you eat more. why not try eating sensible porrige choped banna for breakfast or eggs is a good breakfast has it fills you up longer. soup or salad or jacket spud for lunch then evening lots of vedgtables with chicken or fish when im hungry i snack on carrot sticks or have a rivitta cracker with light philli or a ricecake i go for weightwatchers soups or yogerts there pretty good. if your working take some healthy snacks to work or fruit.sorry to here about your stepdad seems like a pretty small minded man.

Thank you for your replies. So very appreciated. I will download the My fitness pal app and see how I do. I know that part of this is emotional and perhaps need to address this as well. I wonder if I'm rebelling against him by being fat? I truly hate him so maybe... Is that mad?

Porridge is a good one and perfect for this weather. Snacking is an issue as I think I'm a bit Orally fixated (ooh errr...). I always have to have something to drink or eat. I have some seeds but I actually think I need to get myself out of this habit.

This is going to sound silly... but you have to eat like a normal person! Normal people don't have to crash diet, they don't reward or punish themselves with food. So you have to get into the mindset that if you binge on a packet of biscuits one day it doesn't make you a bad person - it's what you do most of the time that counts! If you eat to maintain a body of ten stone (or whatever) then that's where you'll end up. The weight loss will be much faster at first then very gradual.

My top tip would be don't shop when you're hungry. Don't buy all those 'treats' and special offers. I buy Sainsbury's Basics choc chip & raisin cereal bars, which are nice enough to alleviate a craving when you're desperate, but not nice enough to binge on!

Take up a form of aerobic exercise you'll enjoy - don't kid yourself that you'll lose weight by going for a walk.

I was 3 stone overweight at one time - lost it about 8 years ago and now I'm in a sporting GB squad for my age group. My motivation started with the death from cancer of a fit healthy friend and I just thought what was I doing walking round overweight which was a risk I could do something about.

Good luck, op - believe that you deserve to be a healthy weight!

Fanny come join us on the Chiefs support thread - we're all on MyFitnessPal and are losing weight and having a laugh. I've lost 5.5 stones (though MyFitnessPal and 5:2 fasting) and couldn't have done it without the motivational Chiefs!

I have lost weight calorie counting (1500 per day) and JM DVDs however if you are looking for a healthy way of eating for the whole family without the weighing etc of calorie counting then I have heard good things about slimming world though I haven't tried it myself.

It sounds like you might also benefit from the group support they offer.

also, I have found the minimins weight loss forums a brilliant support. well worth a read through if you are considering a range of 'diets'. find what you think will suit you.

Good luck.

I find cutting down on carbs, especially sugar, particularly helpful. I know that sounds like a tall order, but I find it's the only thing that reduces my appetite and helps me not to snack.
I don't do full-on low-carbing as I find it too restrictive, but ever since I limited myself to one moderate portion of wholegrain carbs per day, I just don't feel tempted to snack any more. I have cheat days but find it easy to get back on the waggon afterwards.