What made weight loss 'click' for you?

[TheGrallon]

I've always been overweight but since I had my children 3 years ago my weight gain has accelerated from 14.7 stone to almost 17 stone. Every day I swear I'll stick to something and every day it's junk food and sweets whilst I'm at work and a healthy dinner at home with my husband. I've joined all the usual diet clubs, tried every diet under the sun. My weight is now affecting my health. I take no pride in my appearance, have zero self confidence and seem to have no regard as to the example I'm setting for my children. I know I'm repeatedly jabbing the self destruct button as well as spending a fortune on food and wasted subscriptions to ww/sw etc. Despite all of this I can't motivate myself to stick to something, anything that works.

What did it for you?

If not for my vanity, health, pocket, husband or children then what will it take for me to 'get it' and take the right steps????

[CharleyDavidson]

I second the fb mnet losers group. It's amazingly supportive and so many people are doing really well with their weighloss.

[bunique]

Logging everything works for me. I can't be trusted to eat mindlessly! Seeing the numbers helps me regulate my diet/appetite better

[msrisotto]

Gallon, no I don't do low carb (although I do try to make sure my pasta and rice portions are within daily recommended amounts ) and I do eat fruit. Smoothies and juice are also deceptively sugary so I switched to water Most of the time and decided to just water down my Orange juice in the morning. The only 'natural' sugars I avoid are honey, maple syrup and golden syrup/treacle.

I think it has worked for me because that's what my bad habit was. If you really look at your diet, what is yours? Start with that then when you're motivated from seeing success, then maybe move on to other parts of your diet. Habit is the hardest thing to change. You do have to plan it I think. I would associate getting home from work with raiding the cupboard for chocolate, so I had to distract myself to get past that. Brush your teeth straight after dinner if you have to!

[TheGrallon]

Neonrainbow.... Forgive my ignorance but how do I PM from my phone?

Thanks mrsrsotto.... My downfall is buying junk when I am at work, so I'm going to leave my cards at home, and choosing the wrong food because it is quick, easy and comforting (cereal, toast, biscuits).

I do need to log my food, I know I need to be 'accountable' to make it work.

Maybe I need to read Gillian Riley again

[neonrainbow]

Op ill pm you. :) please do pop your head in, if youre ever struggling with something just post and we will all help you like if youre having a weak moment. ive posted before and they all try and distract you its lovely.

[TheGrallon]

Cheers!!!

[Muskateersmummy]

For me. Seeing a photo that I should have been able to treasure but that I was too mortified to share with anyone. It was a horrifying shock, in my head I didn't think it had got that bad. It gave me the kick up the bum I needed, a year later I was at target weight

[waceystills]

I know you're not really asking about diets, but I read about an eating plan on mn that some one designed themselves called the s plan.

No starchy carbs, sugar, sweets or seconds, except on Saturdays and Sundays. I have lost 2 stone in a year with little effort, and sticking to those rules.

[DoreenLethal]

A fitbit.

I log all my food and every day I can see calories burnt against calories eaten and if I want extra food I have to earn it by doing more exercise. Although I've been ill for 3 weeks and not done any running, I started running in November on a treadmill and then outside using the Couch to 5k.

So a combination of things. But the fitbit really helps to see the data regularly.

[calzone]

In January 2015 I joined SW and weighed in at 14st 3lbs. 😱

Am now 11 stone 3lbs. Losing 9lbs in the first week kept me motivated for months!

Top tips......
Meal plan.....every single meal. I prepare overnight oats the night before or chop all my fruit and have it with yoghurt in a tub in the fridge. Every meal must be delicious so no Mugshots for me! I make extra for dinner to have the next day for lunch.

Surround yourself with everything to support you. I'm doing SW so I follow FB SW and IG SW. I have joined the social team on a Wednesday night and made some great friends. We are all mainly at target now.

Don't be afraid to face the scales when you have had a bad week and don't think 'stuff it, I've had a biscuit therefore I can eat myself stupid!'

AVOID TRIGGER FOODS.
I cannot eat Tiger bread as I won't be able to stop.

Make a different recipe every week and try new foods.


I have gone from a size 16 to a 10 and I feel amazing. Ask for help when you need it. No one will judge you. 😊😊

[Mrsmaudwatts]

I agree with the comment about taking care if yourself/making an effort now to help. I've recent re gained a lot of weight and have been wearing the few (ugly) things that I have that fit and I feel awful. Just ordered some new bits and had my hair trimmed. Started wearing my make up again. When you feel rubbish it's really easy to think it doesn't matter but last time I had a light bulb moment, I'd been through the same process so I really think there's something in it. Dieting is hard, and it's difficult to find the motivation day after day when you feel like you look awful and your clothes are uncomfortable etc.

[Uphillanddowndale12]

This is a really useful thread with lots of good tips
I've done loads of diets and if I'm not careful I can get too obsessive and lose too much and end up looking like a wraith - although I don't think so at the time, this is what people tell me.
My advice is to work out my own plan based on what I know suits me and my lifestyle best and taking account of things IVe read etc.
I try not to eat too much sugar or wheat - I don't say don't or ban anything - cause I know I'll break my rule if I'm too strict
I aim to eat quality rather than quantity - I'd rather eat something good that i enjoy rather than a lot of processed rubbish
I'm kind of following a Mediterranean diet combined with a weight watcher no count plan.
I also try to factor in little treats like a glass of wine or chocolate - that way I don't mind depriving myself too much
I am a fan of Gillian Riley's approach and have read ditching the diets and eating less. She talks about using simple tools like setting a time ie 3-4 hours after a meal before you eat and if you fancy something during that time, then you can't be hungry and it's most likely a craving - so face it down

I plan what I'll eat and also I'll tell myself it's my choice to eat what I want but I must face the consequences - eg bloated stomach etc
I don't weigh myself much otherwise I get despondent - it's a long term plan to change how and what I eat so it's small steps

[feudebois]

Measuring my waist and realising that I was becoming really unhealthy. I'm 50 this year and want to be someone I can be proud of. I want to be someone who eats healthily and can run 5k I've got a long way to go but I have started running and I have given up alcohol for the foreseeable future.

I can't bear the idea of not seeing my dd3s children if she has some. She's 9 now - of I give myself the best chances I'll still be around in 30 years

[magpie17]

For me it was finding an exercise I really love - running. I never ran before a couple of years ago and now I run three times a week and enter races often. I'm no Paula Radcliffe but I work hard to improve my speed, endurance and race times.

Switching the focus from trying to be thin to trying to be fast really changed things for me. Now I want to get fitter and stronger so my running improves, not so I look better or lose weight. But I have lost weight, obviously due to the increased exercise and am now thinner than I was in my 20s.

For me it was a total change of mind-set and the only thing that has ever really worked. Diets just made me cross and 'trying' to lose weight made me rebel.

[magpie17]

I would also think about how much you drive (if you do). We have one car that my husband uses for work and I'm on Mat leave so have to get to places under my own steam. I can't really afford the bus so literally walk everywhere. Most days I walk for at least an hour just to get where I need to go and back again. An hours walk burns around 300 calories!

So many people drive really short journeys just because they can, but in reality they don't need to. If you walk to work or the shops or whatever then you are exercising almost by default, it's free and there are no subscriptions needed!

[Crazypetlady]

Could someone pm me the group link please I can't seem to find it

[sillysusan]

Place marking

[oldlaundbooth]

Just to say thanks for everyone's stories.

It's so hard losing weight but so worth it.

For me I avoid bread and pasta. For me these foods are pointless, if I eat them they just make me even more hungry, so why eat them!? Cakes and chocolate are also very limited, because if I have one I lose control and eat the entire bag.

I agree with a PP who said it's important to find an exercise that you love, for me it's cycling, I ride better when I'm full of good fuel and a good weight.

[littlefrenchonion]

Mine was learning what a true portion looks like - I did weight watchers and it really opened my eyes to what a normal sized meal should look like.

I also find having an attainable goal (lose half a stone before a certain party etc) and visualisation of how happy I'll be when I reach that goal is really useful.

[pollyblack]

Huge health shock made me go paleo- i couldn't eat any of my favourite things... And oddly it is WAY easier to eat none of some things thAn a little bit then stop.

[Thinnestofthinice]

Trying on swimming costumes in River Island. Those mirrors tell you the truth. Also my daughter telling me her friend called me fat. Declining social invites because I feel that shit about how I look. All very shallow but I have more determination then I harvest ever have had. All those things aren't worth the taste of a mars bar damn it now I'm thinking about mars bars ffs

[ExConstance]

I'm 60 this year, I don't want to be 12 stone and 60, I want to look wonderful!
I bought Michael Moseley's BSD book and was frightened half to death about the prospect of diabetes and all my important organs being clogged up with fat.
I have followed the diet to the letter for 18 days, I hope this will be it now.

[Goingtobeawesome]

.

[lougle]

My Fitness Pal. Seeing how much each item 'costs' in calories.

"I've so far eaten:
toast (186 kcal)
two boiled eggs (156 kcal))
a sausage sandwich (186 kcal bread, 304 kcal for two sausages, 40 kcal for 10g margarine = 530 kcal)
curly early (whirly?) 115 kcal
a triple bounty (488 kcal)
two mr kiplings individual cakes (250-400 kcal depending on variety so we'll say 300 kcal)

Total by 13.30 on that day: 1775 kcal and you hadn't had dinner yet!

With my fitness pal, if I've got 1200 calories, I suddenly begrudge giving up a filling and tasty dinner for the sake of a measly muffin. A Costa muffin is about 485 calories!

I put on some weight over the last year and wanted to lose 1.5-2 stone. I started using MFP and I've already lost 6lbs (2.7 kg) and I'm not hungry.

I make my own yoghurt which I then strain to make Greek yoghurt. I have 200g for breakfast with some fruit or a 5g drizzle of golden syrup.

Lentil soup is really filling and low calorie.

Dinner - lots of vegetables, not masses of meat. Very doable and often I have to find something to eat to make up my calories. If I choose low calorie meals I even end up with enough calories for a (reasonable portion) Pudding.