Can you give me some tips and a kick up the arse?

[Shakey15000]

I need to lose some weight. I've steadily put it on over the last 2/3 years mainly due to health issues/surgery/recovery and lack of exercise. Health issues are halfway resolved but I'm still limited exercise wise to..well..walking and that's about it.

I have no idea about dieting properly. Last year, pre surgery, I started having salads for lunch which, whilst I find boring, I could suffer. I tried to make them really interesting with beetroot, peppers etc etc.

Am I right in saying that the way to go is, less bread/potatoes/chocolate etc and more fruit, veg, grilled meat and fish?

is there anything ridiculously exciting I could eat that's healthy and filling and tastes like chocolate? I do normally only have a banana for breakfast, can do salad for lunch and grilled meat/fish/veg for tea.

I know I could trawl the various diet sites on the internet but I get bamboozled and would rather ask here for tips.

I'm due further surgery next year (no date yet) and would like to lose a stone and a half before then. If I'm realistic and start after xmas, is that doable by, say, March/April? I also have little willpower and give up easy!

TIA

My fitness pal helped me. I was 11st 4, now a year later I am 8'9.
Losing weight is a long game. But if you start now, think where you will be next year. I know everyone is different and health reasons can make things take longer.

Steamed spinach with soy sauce and a poached egg with loads of pepper was the most delicious and satisfying thing I used to have when on a diet :) and mini milks if you like ice creams! Also jelly is so low in calories.

Thanks Blondie

Love the sound of jelly, that I can do! The spinach and egg, would that be a lunchy thing or main meal? Or either?

I'm good in that I don't much like fizzy drinks so that's good I suppose.

Either. It's less than 100 calories, so nice! And a pint of water before eating and throughout the meal. I might get some spinach tomorrow and have some ...

Another one is salad leaves with chicken and some goats cheese (loads of water on side too) and quinoa if you like it. Protein and filling. And soups!

And the other thing, don't resist all lovely things all the time. One day a week eat some chocolate/pizza whatever.And don't feel like one bad day stops your diet. I read this thing, I think it said you have to eat 3500 calories on top of your regular amount for a lb to be added, so one day over eating when you have been good all week is unlikely to halt things as it would be very hard to eat that much in a day!

I've lost 4 stone this year doing the MN LCHF bootcamp. I've at least another stone to go, but I feel amazing. It has transformed my life. Next one starts 8 Jan if you are interested.

Small steps! I aimed for behaviour change, starting with not snoozing my alarm. Now I go to circuit training at 0630.

If I’d gone straight for doing circuits, I’d have failed.

Honestly look up flexible dieting/if it fits your macros. This is why people fail. They just start eating uber healthily with no "bad" food. It really comes down to move more, eat less. Weight training is fab too. Look up Jamie Alderton, James Smith PT on Facebook. Lots of advice for free.

I'm old enough to have looked into a number of diets; and the "diet" which is my favourite is Michael Mosley's eight week blood sugar diet (which is more leading up to a lifestyle choice than a "diet"). You could start by ordering his two books (the book itself, plus a yellow cookery book). Read them, and if you like the idea, you could start a few days into the new year).

I've been doing no-s since mid-January. It's more about habits than dieting, so is (I hope!) sustainable in the long term. I've lost nearly 3 stone over 11 months. There's a thread going on this board if you fancy joining us. There's also a website that explains it, but it's basically no seconds, no snacks, no sweets (desserts) except sometimes on days starting with s.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Thank you all for the suggestions

I am quite limited in what exercises I can do but will have a look at the threads mentioned, thanks again

Fortunately you don't need to exercise to start of with the "eight week blood sugar diet"...

Look at Paul Mackenna (I Can Make You Thin) because I lost the 3 stone I needed to and am maintaining with it. It's forever as far as I'm concerned

It's great because it addresses WHY we eat , when and where and HOW!!! (chewing properly , sitting down, mindfully, not in front of screen etc.) Also gives mental exercises to help.

Hiya. Well the first things is that the fact you have posted is proof that your on your way already. Well done! This will be hard , but you will achieve it. My key tip would be get your self a proper goal and a proper plan. It’s not a simple as making eating more spinach (although that’s a good idea :-)) I recently wrote an eBook which may be of interest and may help. All the very best.

I'm checking in - have been a yoyo dieter fluctuating between overweight and morbidly obese all my life. At my heaviest ever now sadly and ready to change. Difficult time of year but when I can at the moment I'm haveing grapefruit for breakfast, soup or omelettes.

Never thought about Paul Mckenna but will look that up

I've done Slimming world a few times and it works great but can't bear the thought of sitting through groups at the mo.

@buckeejit All the very best, your taking the steps now which is great. You know you can do, because you have done it before. It is inevitable. Just make sure you look at all aspects of your goal to make sure you achieve it.

What really worked for me was signing up for an event. It gave me real focus and really helped me to look at all aspects of my life, not just my weight. In the end, I lost weight but it wasn’t the main thing. I got so much more out of it that it has changed my outlook beyond fixating on weight. All the best.

I'm getting on a bit so have plenty of experience, with going between a 10 and a 14. I never even tried calorie counting or weighing food etc. I just eat healthily and follow the Paul Mckenna way of eating (it's not a diet) one of the great things about it is you can have a day , or week off and go straight back on the next meal (you just eat when you are really hungry!). Simples!! Good luck.

Pm me if you need some support (iI'm not on commission btw )

You might be cutting it close but that's not an unreasonable amount of time to lose that weight, but you're going to have to change that mentality of "I also have little willpower and give up easy!" I don't say this to be cruel, but if that's your attitude, your goal is completely impossible.

It sounds like you're on a good path for weight loss, but one thing stands out to me: chocolate. If you want to lose that much weight in just a few months there is no space in your diet for junk food or sugary drinks. I'd recommend you start counting calories to see how much of your daily allotment is being taken up by that sort of junk. the myfitnesspal app is a great tool for this: www.myfitnesspal.com/

Beyond that, it sounds like you're on the right path. If you want to get pointed in the direction of some recipes to shake things up the Beachbody blog has a great recipe section filled with healthy meals/snacks: www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/recipes