How on earth can I lose weight when I have NO willpower?

[Dancergirl]

So I am 5'3" and I was about 9.5 stone but lately it's been creeping up towards 10st. According to the BMI calculator this is still within healthy limits but only just.

I would like to get down to just over 9st. Problem is, although we generally eat healthy dinners and I cook from scratch most nights, I know I eat too much unhealthy stuff during the day.

I know a healthy breakfast should consist of protein and low in sugar and carbs. So what do I end up eating - a bowl of cereal and a mini pain au chocolat

I have always loved chocolate and have to have some every day. Going without it would just make me miserable and I wouldn't last.

I know this probably sounds pathetic but I'm being honest. Any tips please?

You're like me in your distrust of clean eating and fads etc. One person who provides an evidence based alternative to crappy made-up diet advice is Barbara Rolls, the author of the Volumetrics books. Her big tip is to fill up on low calorie density food e.g soups. So for example instead of egg on toast for breakfast, you would have egg, toast and a huge pile of spinach.

If you feel yourself going for the fridge out of boredom, make yourself gulp down a pint of water first and then see if you actually are hungry, or just thirsty/bored.

Easyloss hypnosis gastric band. It's fantastic. You'll eat what you want, but what you want will become healthier

I am/was you! Steadily getting bigger over the last few years and thought that would continue as I am a total chocoholic with no willpower or self control.
I joined slimming world at easter and have managed to lose almost 2 stone! The plan really works, I have rarely felt hungry and do not feel I am depriving myself either. It's not cured me of craving chocolate but I have managed to find the self control needed, 90% of the time ;)

Well done for finding your willpower OP! How did you do it! 😂 I've been struggling to find mine for about 5 months :( I've started with a personal trainer but just feel bigger than ever.
I have no problem eating a whole bar of 85% chocolate so i need tactics more drastic than switching to one square of 70% :(

Also did SW November-Xmas, lost 8lbs, then Over Xmas put on 4lb, then January and Feb lost 0lbs which was shit for the willpower and put me in a worse place mentally than before I started SW! :(

I tried sw, I got confused with all the heb's & whatever, I was also eating a lot more than normal (as I understand it you can eat ++pasta?) & lost zero first week & put on second. The lady doing it was very sharp with me & didn't understand why I didn't get it, anyway terminally confused I stopped thought about doing it through website instead of meetings, does anyone do that & can someone explain why it works?

I did it through the website, not the meetings. There are weekly online chats where you can talk with a consultant, and a lot of the time there are advisors on the website you can instant message. You just enter your weight on the website whenever is your weigh in day, and can view all your progress charts etc. There is a food database so you can look up syns. Lots of recipes on the website too.

Punk I'm dong SW and I "think" it works by encouraging you to fill up on "free" foods, obvious (good) choices like veg, lean meat; monitor quantities of Middle-good food such as cheese & breads (HE); then limit (but not ban completely) the crisps / chocolates / alcohol (via Syns)

In reality, taking away all the spin ...... That's the what I see folk with no (obvious) weight issues doing everyday. Eat of a load (volume-wise)of the really good stuff, then be sensible about the stuff we all know isn't the best choice to fill up on . So it works I guess by getting you to take in only "enough" calories to lose weight.

It's not perfect though ...... Still didn't stop me having a load of cake yesterday

I would second Easyloss virtual gastric band. They have a few different apps - VGB (virtual gastric band), 21 day sugar stop challenge, and little black dress seem to be the best ones, although they all rely on the same principles to some extent.

I also did the Whole30 which has been a complete eye-opener to me. I lost 18kg over about 4 1/2 months with no effort, but the main focus for Whole30 is they say the purpose isn't to lose weight, but to eat healthier, and the weight loss just follows on IYSWIM. I have kept it off, and am currently doing another Whole30 (day 7).

In terms of cooking for the whole family, I often make one main dish, but do different accompaniments for my fussy children. I also make big meals so that they can be reheated the next day for lunch or for dinner, just served with different sides. Breakfast tends to be scrambled eggs & half an avocado, or some leftover chicken with cherry tomatoes and homemade mayo, or eggs florentine done in the microwave, or smoked salmon.

Im another one with slimming world! Ive lost three stone. I think the basic principle behind it is to fill up with healthy food like vegetables and then have a certain amount of what you like each day. You could have a Lion bar each day as your syns for example. This stops you getting cravings. In most other diets when you restrict things too much you end up breaking and swinging back and just stuffing your face so they dont work long term.

SW seems the way to to!

After my good start, it's all gone mega wrong today

Dh and I had an appointment this morning, I had had a small bowl of (healthy-ish) cereal in the morning. By mid morning I was starving and when we finished our meeting just before lunch time I really needed food. Dh went off to work, I drove home, stopped at motorway services thinking I would get something healthy-ish and ended up with BK whopper and fries

But it doesn't end there. I'd bought some Waitrose goodies for dd and her 3 friends who'd come home today to practice something for school. Because I don't normally buy them I ate THREE of those mini chocolate rolls and a choc chip cookie.

Feeling very guilty. Any tips for a low calorie dinner tonight?

Stop talking about "going without". If you think you are being deprived then it won't work - it's the same as giving up smoking - you need to focus on the benefits, i.e. what you ARE getting, than what you are missing out on.

Stock up on healthy but tasty snacks (I am a low-carber, so for me that would be nice cheese, or posh ham to nibble).
Eat plenty of protein to fill you up for longer.
Focus on the end game - trimmer tummy, all the nice clothes you are going to buy.

Another vote for easyloss hypnosis!

Have you tried going for a gentle run? I sometimes find this helps me diet because I don't want to 'undo' the good work I've done by doing some exercise.

cereal is the work of the devil.

If you look at our eating habits before we all got fat as a nation, we were all eating eggs or porridge for breakfast.

I loathe porridge and can't see that changing. Love eggs done any way but every day??

Doesn't need to be eggs every day. Loads of different ideas - I do a lovely sweet potato & chicken hash which I make beforehand & heat up, smoked salmon & avocado, left over chicken or ham with tomatoes, field mushrooms with hollandaise sauce - I think people can get into the way of thinking that breakfast is all about eggs, cereal or toast. It doesn't need to be.

I think you probably need to decide what philosophy suits you, and take it from there. Easy loss, Whole30, Slimming World, low carb - they are all slightly different approaches, and if you try to do a bit of everything you will probably just become frustrated and confused. There is a significant amount of academic evidence that low fat and calorie restricted diets aren't that effective.

Today was a prime example, having a small bowl of cereal, then losing it all when it came to lunch because you didn't really have a plan, and the afternoon being completely out of control and bingeing on chocolate.

I must say I have always liked Zoe Harcombe and what she has to say about food - again, similar to Whole30, she is concerned about health first, listening to your body and identifying any foods which could be promoting cravings, either through intolerance, volatile blood sugar reactions or fungal overgrowth (or all three); and weight loss is a secondary function to all that.

Whole30 concentrates on avoiding foods which promote a hormonal reaction, inflammation, gut disfunction or an unhealthy psychological response. It focuses more on eating whole, natural nutrient dense foods.

hiya. Just read your post about not having will power,well who does? I sure don't but I have been able to lose weight and cravings have taken the back seat, basically if you are on weight loss plans especially the natural ones as in plant based weight loss products they have that taken care of,this is what I found with the one I am on. I am one person that hates been given limitations , such as dont eat this don't eat that but for some reason with the plan I am on i am not having that problem. Look for a good plan and you will see that lack of will power would not be a problem. It also has chocolate in the plan so hey,best of both worlds eh. I say look for a plan ,do research,its out there no matter what people say.This is my first time dieting and I have been able to go from 16 -14 in about 2 months not bad.

I have no willpower either How are you getting on?

My weaknesses are eating when bored or sad or in company. I buy stuff for dd or visitors and then end up eating it ... cake, chocolates ..

I struggle with breakfast too. I don't like egg and tend to eat bread .. I try to buy healthy bread, heavy rye bread, rather than sliced white, but I guess it's still carbs and not helping.

I need to lose two stone and tone up - I have a real tummy overhang now and I'm embarrassed. My age isn't on my side though - it's possible menopause is contributing towards the weight gain.

I'm not very active due to health issues.

I really need to get my act together. Maybe we can support each other?

OP, I'd like to one up BerylStreep's answer.

Whole30 is the way to go. Eat whole foods, cut the cr*p foods out, they only do damage to you.

The word is crap Dolph. We can swear freely on Mumsnet, no need to be coy.

(And please stop referring to us as 'ladies', as you have done on other posts). It's hugely patronising.

Duly noted and thanks for the tip.
I'm always open to a bit of brutal honesty.

Just read an interesting paper about the benefits of 60% dark chocolate on weight loss when added to a 1,500-1,800 cal diet (50% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 20% protein).

The chocolate group lost more weight and had smaller waists / hips as shown in this graph. (the lower the bars the more loss)

So 1 group just had calorie restriction and the other had the same diet PLUS about 30 g chocolate (so they were actually eating more calories).

So chocolate can be beneficial to weight loss when you watch your intake.

Why not "ladies"? I don't find it patronising. And what's the problem with "cr*p"? It's not a big deal ... None of it is.