As mad as it sounds I don't know where to begin.

[notacooldad]

My doctor has gently told me to lose weight. She is right. I have 4.5 stone to lose. It seems so vast she may well have said 14.5 stone.
There are so many options spinning round I don't know where to begin.
No sugar
Low carbs
Calorie count
16:8
SW , WW?
I can't afford slimming clubs at the moment, I work shifts but I have quite a bit of downtime.
I used to love exercise but lost my way with that.

I am now morbidly obese ( hell !!!!)
Did anyone else feel as lost when they started their weight loss journey. If so could you give me some tips.
I feel mentally ready to make a start.
( By the way I'm a veggie, just putting that in if anyone suggests any diet advice)

For exercise I'd recommend couch 2 5k, it's great for beginners and you can find it free on the podcast store.

Intermittent fasting. And don't bother with the torture of a tiny evening meal , it's easier to just power through.
Two days a week.

I feel the exact same way @notacooldad - there's so much information out there, most of it conflicting, that I worry I'm developing an eating disorder. I don't know what to eat to be healthy anymore so I end up eating very little then I'm starving so I binge on bread and biscuits.

I'm about 2.5st overweight. I've got coeliac disease so I'm struggling as it is with what I can and can't eat. If I look at dietary eating plans my gluten free diet goes out the window. If I focus on my gluten free options, I eat all the wrong stuff.

I can't give you advice but I'll follow this thread with interest.

Following

Low carb high fat

I would recommend Fast 800 and then couch to 5K

In my expert opinion a huge majority of Mnetters think losing weight is eat less move more. If that worked we'd all be slim and heathy.

Thankfully science backed experience shows that obesity is hormonal - insulin to be exact - so manage insulin and you lose weight.

Low carb high fat or keto will do the job. Use exercise for health and building lean muscle. It doesn't make a significant difference to weight loss if you don't manage diet.

Intermittent fasting but 16/8 is I think easier. Look at the Michael Moseley fast 800 plan...I lost about 2.5 stone in 12 weeks. No carbs tho so probably much harder to do as a veggie...what it means is that you skip breakfast and have a really late lunch but then a normal ish evening and can eat with the family.

Second c25k too...I had to do it twice through to get to 5 km (winter got in the way)...but it really does work. Just start really really slow...I still run at a pathetic 7-8 kph...but I started at just over 4 so can really see the improvement. Get good running shoes (especially important if you are heavy) and a really good running bra.

I am going to try running. I have a friend who wants to go so I'll buddy up.
I used to really enjoy weights. I used to do it 30 years ago when it wasn't really a thing for women then but was inspired by female body builders of the 80s such as Carla Dunlap and Rachel McLish. Now I feel to overloaded with information I don't do anything!

Thank you for your replies everyone!

You do know where to begin. You begin by taking in fewer calories. Everybody knows this, but it's hard to do because it requires willpower.

Let your doctors words be your motivation, you need to lose weight and you almost certainly know what it is thats made you overweight.

I lost two stone this year by cutting out snacks, and doing lots of walking.

MorrrisZap What I meant was that I am overwhelmed with information.
In October I increased my walking from about 2 miles a day to a minimum of 8 miles on every working days and to a minimum of 15 on days off with DP. It was part of a team thing we did at work. I did think that was significant and I also had no alcohol and cut all cake and sweets out. I did expect to lose a pound or two to begin with. But nothing!
One thing the extra walking was good for was a mood change which was positive.

James Smith Academy - free to check out the calculator. This will determine how many calories you need to take in to lose weight. Download Myfitnesspal. Weigh and log everything you eat. Have a look at Jamessmithpt on instagram and check out some of the people he follows too - they give excellent advice on how to lose weight. It's not quick but it is sustainable and a life change, rather than a quick fix.

Please don't think you need to "keto". Cutting out food groups is just miserable.

C25K is great. I still run slowly, but I can run for 45 minutes now (probably more than that, but I tend to stop about there!) and it's been really good for my mental and physical health xx

Can I suggest Our Path? Daily online support to change habits long term. Go for the £30/month option, not the £60/month. You may be able to get an NHS referral for free.

If cutting out snacks and walking 8 miles a day hasn't shifted a single pound I think revert to your doctor, there may be other factors stopping you from losing.

First if all, try to limit stress and don’t look at the overall of what you need to lose.

Dieting while you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed doesn’t help.

If you can’t afford purchasing any diet plans or joining clubs, don’t. There lots of supporting groups of Facebook that you can join that will help you to keep motivated and accountable.

Try not focus on the big number you need to lose but put your mindset on small things that you could start doing now.
These could be:

• walking a little more every day
• Going to bed on time
• take children outside over the weekends.

When trying to change eating habits, start small! Don’t eliminate any food groups and cut out all the things you enjoy having and make you happy.
Instead - control your portions (use smaller plates), make sure you always fill your plate with protein first, include green veg with your meals..

there are lots of methods you could try using To manage that without purchasing expensive and unnecessary plans.

Get someone to help you to work out your appropriate energy intake to start with?
The doctor should be able to help you with that and give you some ideas on how to turn all these numbers into food.
If they didn’t, you can easily find how to do it online and I could help you too if you want.

It’s great that you feel ready to make some changes! That’s very important ☺️

Everyone is different and there isn’t really one method that works for all. Someone might like low carb diet, but someone might not.

At the end of the day it’s all about energy balance and it doesn’t matter what method you pick as long as it works just for you and makes you happy.

🍀☺️

Thank you for your thoughtful post.
I've done a meal plan for the week and will take meals to work. We just tend to help yourself to chocolate bars, crisps and biscuits when we want so that'll have to stop. In fact thsts probably been a big part of the problem. Nearly everytime someone brews up they tend to bring a biscuit or a twix to your desk!!
I wish I could walk or cycle to work but I'm an essential car user. I miss doing that!
Shifts make it hard work to get into a routine but I do have a lot if free time.
I can feel myself emerging from a mental fog ( that sounds more dramatic than I intend it to but it's the best way to describe things)
It is nice to hear everyone's input.
Thank you.

I'm sure that if you fit in 45 mins power walking per night, cut out all sweets, biscuits and crisp type snacks you would definitely start to lose some weight. Just plug in your headphones and stick on trainers and it's a lovely habit to have in the evening or to start your day if you are able to get up earlier. Eat to nourish your body and not to lose weight. Fill your plates with colour and avoid brown or beige foods! If you have been checked over and theres nothing hormonal stopping you from losing weight then you've got this! Give yourself a goal, not in weight, but for your clothes to feel looser by Christmas and that should help you stay on track. If I fancy sweet treats I have dark chocolate and I love my red wine still, but other unhealthy snacks just don't appeal to me as i just imagine what they are doing to my insides and that puts me off eating them!

I'd try not to follow any diets that are away from normal eating patterns.

Count your fat and calories. Drop to 1500 a day and be mindful of sugar , fat and salt.

Cut out bad fats and sugar including artificial sweetener. The reason is your brain will still crave sweet stuff if you have artificial sweetener making it harder to maintain. You may feel horrid for a month then it gets so much easier and you discover sweetness in other foods that got lost in the high sugar intakes.

Eat regularly and large veg portions.

This will give you a way of eating that can be maintained once you've reached your goal and help prevent the loosing and gaining situation.

Good luck for the next few months I wish you lots of strength.

Over the last couple of days I have paid attention to what I have been eating and what I get offered to eat and quite frankly it is staggering!
I always have Greek yogurt and berries for breakfast. So far so good. But it appears my downfall is work.
Theres always chocolate bars and crisps in and freely available
Yesterday I was doing mainly office based tasks and didnt leave until 3 to ho to a meeting.
At 9.15 a colleague made a brew for everyone and and everyone had a twirl bar. Someone else made a coffee at 10.00 and biscuits were passed around. At 11 40 a colleague rang up to see if anyone wanted anything from the buttie shop. We all sat together at 12ish for more food. At 1.0pm a member if staff came in with cake that she had made on a cooking session to share and insisted everyone had dime! At about 2 we had some stressful and upsetting news. My boss asked if anyone wanted a mars bar or flake from the cupboard. This pattern of brews and chocolate was repeated throughout the afternoon. I ran a family session from 6 o'clock. Food was provided including salted caramel cake, trifle, samosas, chips etc. I arrived at home at 9 30pm and Dh has supper ready and has bight a lemon drizzle cake on special offer.
Now I have to say, I didnt eat all this!! It just made me aware of temptation everywhere for me ( and the rest if yhecteam) and about casual eating and how easy bad choices can happen without much thought.
In working all weekend and it us going to be pretty much the same pattern.
Time to practice saying 'no' a lot more than I do!
I think the whole if my team gave got into bad habits. I dont do takeaway food very often but KFC and McD's are regularly visited at tea time if we are working by other staff members.

All diets work as long as you can stick to them. I can’t.

Before I had lasted baby I lost weight by eating 3 meals a day, half of which to be veg or fruit if breakfast, a quarter protein and a quarter carbs. Dessert of fruit or yoghurt if needed and treats only allowed at weekends.

Knowing that it’s not only ok to be hungry before a meal but that you should be hungry before eating was a game changer.

God it sounds hard for you in your work environment OP.

I am a very impatient person and if there wasn't immediate results, I'd get bored and start eating again. What has worked for me is low carbing, because I can do down a dress size in about 4 days that way (yes it's water, but my stomach gets flatter, which spurs me on to keep going.) Low carbing automatically cuts out a lot of crap- everything with flour is out, or potato, or rice. That cuts out so much! Cut out chocolate too.
I was surprised with low carb- I was still full without it.

I am lazy and self-conscious too, so I bought a cheapo exercise bike off fb for £20, and I can watch telly when I'm on it.

My kids are adults now but I lost my baby weight within two months. Well, when I say easy I was exercising like mad. I was back in the gym when Ds1 was 5 days old and going 5 days a week while I was on mat leave. I enjoyed it at the time and dont regret it it.
It's over the last couple of years I'd say where my weight has gone through the roof and I lost interest in exercise.
I dud go for a run as was suggested. I cant say I loved it but I'm going again tomorrow after work. I'm going in the moors as I find that more enjoyable than the road!

Well done for going for a run!
That’s a great step forward!
Do a little bit every day.
If you can’t run it’s ok.. just walk! ☺️
Walking is a great form of exercise too.
It’s super important to move around as much as you can.
Set yourself small goal to achieve every day, for example;

• walk 7-10k steps every day
• have one meal that’s based of lean protein sources with lots of steamed green veg.

If you stay consistent you will notice changes.
Consistency and patience are the main keys ☺️