Help me lose weight :(

[Countdownto40]

I really want to lose around 1.5 stones before I hit 40 early next year but I just can't seem to stick a diet.

I even started a thread on here to keep me on track but I abandon it when I fall off the wagon and pick it up again on Monday morning when I'm motivated again

My meals are quite good - eggs or low carb/protein cereal for breakfast, soup/salad for lunch, normal dinner but no carbs. It's the snacking in between. I crave salt so I eat crisps. I can't resist food in the kitchen at work. I eat my toddler's leftovers. I love eating and never give my mouth a rest.

I've done well on BIWI's bootcamp before but got sick of eggs for breakfast!

Todays menu was -

1 sausage and egg for breakfast
Lunch was a cold chicken thigh from fridge, a slice of ham DS didn't eat and a small bowl of bolognese
Dinner was 50g chorizo, 60g halloumi, 3/4 avocado and salad (lettuce, onion, tomakto, cucumber)

Snacks were - iced coffee, 2 bag of squares (DS didn't like his so I ate his too), a handful of prawn crackers, half a mango, a Lindor ball and the peel from DS's apple!

Any tips? I've lost and gained weight for the last 20 years! I've had success on weight watchers in the past and more recently low carb. Just can't seem to get into it and stick to it!

Thank you for sharing your tips! All make sense really . And well done!

@Countdownto40

Back on track today but have a BBQ later

But a barbecue is perfect low carb food! Lots of meat/protein - no need to have a burger with a bun or a sausage with a roll - add salads to your burger/sausage (or whatever meat is being barbecued) and job done.

If it's your barbecue there's even less of an excuse for carbs to be involved, as you're controlling what you're cooking.

Pieces of chicken, marinated in oil/garlic/lemon/herbs, on a skewer
Halloumi with a lemon and coriander dressing
Prawns on a skewer
Butterflied leg of lamb, marinated in Moroccan spices and oil

etc, etc. Lots of really good low carb options.

I’m back and 100% on track!

Worked late last night so grabbed a protein shake this morning. Lunch was leftover BBQ food – burger, chorizo, halloumi, avocado, a spoonful of coleslaw, roasted veg and salad. YUM, I am stuffed!

All those BBQ ideas sound lovely @biwi! It wasn't my BBQ but I will take those ideas on board.

Have left myself with 79 calories for dinner though! face palm

I'm going to be honest - I had fish and veg for dinner and then ate a roll with ham. Silly silly me especially after I threw away DS's leftover pizza.

Must keep trying but god I feel like a failure.

Tomorrow's menu planned -

Scrambled eggs
Ham salad with avocado
Chicken and veg

KOKO!!

Good day so far and really fought the urge to eat chocolate!!

Had eggs for breakfast, some raspberries with Greek yoghurt around 11 and salad for lunch. Snacked on about 15 cashews. Just left work and had some mango before I went as was feeling peckish and wanted chocolate! It curbed the sweet craving! Home to chicken and green veg

Quick check in to let you know I'm doing ok dietwise! Mostly eating low carb, the odd packet of crisps and bit of bread thrown in but nothing that is throwing diet out of whack.

Yesterday I had salad for lunch with a bit of halloumi, half an avocado and some chorizo. This was around 3pm and I didn't eat again until just now, even though I went to a wedding with snacks everywhere! Resisted getting a burger on the way home too

When I kept eating dc leftovers I changed the portion size but say eg there was pizza left over, I would squirt a bit of washing up liquid over it (just to get me out of the habit initially), that way it went straight in the bin!

OP you are the exact same size as me to the pound. We probably carry weight similarly as I’m a size 12 can fit in 14 though.
You probably don’t look fat, more skinny fat. Could lose some and be a bit more lean but not so big people think you’re fat if you see what I’m saying.
I’ve lost a stone and have 1.5 stones to go after having my son. Be careful low carbing if you previously ate a lot of sugar because your body will crave it. Have a little of what you like and count those calories, chorizo hulumi avocado is 3 types of healthy fats so try and balance that out a bit more.

@buddhasbelly - I threw away DS's leftover pizza the other day

@Livinglavidal0ca - I do count calories as I'm not doing 100% low carb. Well done on your weight loss so far! What is working for you? Share tips

In 2016 I lost over 3st between January and October taking me from 13st 7 to 10st 4. I've managed to maintain since. I just logged on MFP and stuck to 1200 calories a day, I didn't do any exercise and I didn't cut any food groups out.
I think I went wrong before when dieting by cutting out all treats and food that's "bad" for you. It's just not realistic for me to eat like that for the rest of my life in order for me not to be fat.

While dieting I ate stuff I would normally eat (which made me fat in the first place) but less of it in order to fit into my calories. It's not realistic for me not to eat carbs, on a daily basis I eat bread and then main meals always consist of rice/pasta/spaghetti/potatoes so I swapped to wholemeal everything instead of white and ate less potatoes. Little changes that made a big difference. I started drinking loads of water probably 2-3 litres a day whereas before I drank no water. I let myself have something sweet every night, instead of eating a chocolate bar with a cuppa I'd have 2 Jaffa Cakes and a cuppa instead.

I never felt deprived once eating like this and I've stuck to it ever since. I haven't logged on MFP since that October, I just eat the same but more of it to maintain rather than lose. I also weigh myself daily to keep on track this helped a lot when losing weight. My weight can go up by 2-3lb overnight, but by weighing everyday I knew that if I was 11st one day and 11st 2 the next then I knew that it couldn't possibly be "real" weight gain whereas if I weighed say once a week and one Sunday I weighed 11st and then the following Sunday I weighed 11st 2 even though I knew that I'd not been eating rubbish I would get disheartened by the weight gain and go back to eating crap when in reality it was just water retention.

I've dropped 2lbs and am in the 10 stone bracket

@Countdownto40 I calorie count, but if I fancy something I do still have it. I much prefer to have a lot of something than a little. My absolute favourite lunch is onion pepper carrot butternut squash cauliflower and brocolli shoved in a pan (no oil) with Moroccan spice and curry powder on, cooked together, then a tin of chopped tomatoes thrown on and simmered, and a couple of tablespoons of Greek yoghurt. So so simple and makes a creamy veg curry for about 300 calories and makes me full until tea time. I think my body likes all the nutrients too . I also have absolutely loads of veg with dinner, and no carby bits as I prefer to eat the majority of my carbs for lunch to keep me going!
Lots of fibre for breakfast, so something like wheatabix.
I try to eat the right foods at the right time of day to stop me being hungry. So what I’m eating is completely balanced throughout the day, but one meal might be more protein based, or carb based. I fuel my body for what it needs!

Really hard week personally, am still here, not really eating much

I really must update this more often!

Down to 10st 11 - not really following any diet as such, just trying to be sensible!

I'm going to post my menus here every day to remind me to update!

Breakfast - small smoothie with a slice of ham and a slice of bread
Lunch - mcds chicken wrap, side salad, coffee, fruit bag
Dinner - two tablespoons rice, Thai red curry, green beans
Snacks - decaf skinny pumpkin spice latte

Ever so slightly over cals today but in control and will get on exercise bike to try and claw some back!

Menu

1 sausage, slice of bread, iced coffee
1 slice of bread, ham, 3 x cream crackers, melon
Homemade lasagne, made with 5% mince, side salad and a bit of garlic bread
Snacked on 10 cashews

I know you're not following any kind of diet, but that's a lot of carbs you're eating there - and really not much veg!

Just to add - I have had really bad gastro problems for most of August hence the white bread, I can't face low carb at moment 😩

Sorry to hear that

Do you know what triggered it?

I don't know @BIWI but it's really horrible as I've always had a really strong stomach!

What symptoms have you been experiencing?

Have you been able to identify if any foods make you feel better/worse?

@BIWI - really bad runs, very gassy and heartburn.

I've been eating less which helps - perhaps my stomach just needed a break

I had to work late so just on way home now!

Menu -

1 toast and ice coffee
Lunch was a big salad - spinach, green beans, cabbage, lentils, mixed beans, chickpeas, sweetcorn, broccoli. Lovely and filling
I snacked on a mini mars bar, apple and 2 satsumas
Dinner is tandoori chicken and salad - may have a tablespoon of rice if DH & DC have left any!

Sorry for not posting, work hectic at mo!

Yesterday menu - 1 toast and iced coffee, lovely fresh raw salad which was divine, tandoori chicken and rice for dinner. Snacked on a bit of choc at work and fruit.

Today someone at work said I looked fresh faced today - I'm putting that down for the green juice I've been having a shot of every day!

Today's menu

1 slice toast, ice coffee, lentil soup for lunch and a brownie , fruit, then DH made roast dinner so I had chicken and pigs in blankets with green veg and a couple of small roast potatoes.

I have over eaten today (I track cals in MyFitnessPal) but I'm not gong to blow it by writing off the whole day and falling headfirst into a vat of chocolate! I'm still in control!