Never tried losing weight before - where/how do i start?!

[TheLongRains]

I rarely weigh myself, but I've recently been feeling uncomfortable so ended up weighing myself and I've gained 6-7lb since I last weighed myself. I was happier with how I felt/looked back then (though not necessarily my optimal weight), so I would like to lose these extra pounds, but I've no idea how to start, really.

I'm so used to just eating when I'm hungry, and I'm pretty bad at thinking about what I eat, so if i am feeling like I need a boost, I'll just eat cake without thinking. And chasing a toddler I feel like I need a boost several times a day at the moment

How do you go about changing eating habits?! It feels impossible. I start a day with good intentions, but then hit a low and need to eat to regain my energy.

Help! I know it's not a huge amount to lose, so I should be able to do it, but it seems so far away right now.

I started using mfp, I'd kept a stone on after my last baby and then it had begun to creep up further. I've lost a stone in two months by keeping calories to 1200 ish. It's helped me cut my portions down and realise just how much crap I was eating.

All depends on you and your circumstance really

My thoughts are to understand your calorie needs and track your protein

So find your weight in lbs x 9 that will tell you your TDEE( Total daily energy Expenditure)

Use my fitness pal to track then you can remove 200 calories from that total

There are other ways without tracking too :-)

Swap your cake for an apple, and just generally reduce how much you eat.

You don't need to lose much, so I would have thought cutting out cake, bread and biscuits would do for a starter (if you eat a lot of those).

Keep your meals to protein and green veg.

Reduce or eliminate alcohol intake for a few weeks - ditto sugary drinks.

It's easy!

Thank you! I'll try tracking and see how I go. I've never even considered calories before now, so I've no idea what I'm consuming in terms of calories. I'll count up an average day and see where I'm at.

I'd LOVE to be able to just swap cake for an apple! I'm just apparently not that disciplined! I do eat plenty of fruit, but it doesn't seem to fill me up or give me the energy I need.

Any suggestions of good, filling, energy-giving foods I could eat instead of crap?! I'm breastfeeding, and have a night monster of a child, so I'm so low on energy in the daytime. I think I'm making this too much of an excuse to eat junk.