How can I find a diet I can stick to?

[missminimum]

I really need to lose weight. I have been trying for years and never managed to stick to a diet for more than a few days. I have tried WW but only online, went to Slimming World, lost 3lb and gained 3lb over 12 weeks on their diet. I have tried to follow my own diet, calorie counted, briefly attempted low carb, plus Jane Plan, but don't stick to anything. I eat healthy meals but snack on rubbish, grabbing for anything unhealthy I can lay my hands on! It's like an addiction! I know all about healthy eating and what I should eat/not eat, but despite starting out determined to stick with things I return to unhealthy snacking. I have tried not dieting and just tried to cut out snacking between meals, I didn't stick to it for more than a couple of days. I am only 5ft 1 and weigh 12st 10! I really need to lose the weight. I have a busy job and cook for the family, so want to avoid cooking twice - it''s hard enough cooking one meal! Has anyone managed to overcome binge eating and found a diet that is family friendly? Any advice would be welcome, thanks

I asked that and foind that its madness to keep doing the same thing expecting different results.
Analyse the data of what went well what didnt in each diet and any external issues that affected your results.
Then look objevtively at what you eat, you triggers, your patterns.
You can also tgink about how much you are willing to give in order to lose. Stricter for faster results or more relaxed long term thing? Because you really cant have both. Thats chasing the unicorn.
And then you need an accountability and reward system that motivates you, not one that makes you feel a failure, avoidant or want to rebel.
Its highly personal, but for some all or nothing personalities fasting and 1 meal a day or fast daya 4:3 might work, parricularly with eating the same meal with everyone.
So figure your non negotiable priorities, figuee out your downfalls before and set up a plan that doesnt leave you vulnerable in the same loop again.. for some its just no diet and exercise.

if you want it bad enough you will.
stop eating the junk, control your portion sizes and move more.
try herbal tea to keep you busy and full between meals.
don't buy the junk period that tempts you most, regardless of others in the house until you have more success and better control.
eat more meat and lean protein if you are hungry (ham is great for this although salty).

Two small changes will transform your weight. It doesn't work overnight, it's a long term lifestyle change not a diet.

First, swap your dinner plate for a side plate, Im doing this gradually and bought a 9 inch plate to start. I still use it as it's working.

Second is to look at the GI chart and eat things In the green or amber category. Things in red are not forbidden but should only be eaten occasionally.
It's quite an eye opener.

What happens is the body's blood sugar levels naturally stabilise, you feel hungry when your body needs food and not when your blood sugar is crashing.

It's breaks the eat, bloated, hungry again cycle.

You don't limit fats as they are naturally low GI, although I try to only use fats that are liquid at room temperature. But you eat so much less of everything that consuming large amounts of fat isn't possible.

I've lost 21lbs with hardly any effort. What I enjoy is not being food obsessed, feeling healthier and knowing I'm not damaging my body.

@orchids
Is there a book you can recommend ? I don't eat meat though so will it be tricky do you think?

As Orchids says, this sounds like it might be a blood sugar issue. What can happen mild insulin resistance is that your blood sugar levels drop rapidly after eating. This causes hunger, particularly for foods that will provide a quick release of sugar. You can't fix this through willpower alone because it is a hormonal issue rather than greed or temptation. The two best ways to smooth out the blood sugar rollercoaster are intermittent fasting and/or cutting carbs. Intermittent fasting could be the 5:2 diet where you eat 500 calories on two non-consecutive days a week, or 16:8 where you eat all your meals within an 8-hour window each day and fast for 16-hours overnight. Cutting carbs doesn't have to mean switching to a low carb or keto diet, although these are very effective for weight loss. You could try cutting out sugar and decreasing your portion size of foods such as bread, potatoes, rice etc. and increasing your intake of vegetables.

I didn't use a book. There are lots of them if you need one.

I found out that after years of eating whatever I wanted (abusing sugar) I was very close to getting type 2 diabetes.

I googled GI values in food. You can print out the values in chart form if you need.

And I swapped my plate size.

It really was that simple.

Thanks for the replies, they are all really helpful. I suppose stress/boredom plays a role for me in my snacking. I use it as a reward to have something to enjoy in the mundane 9-5, something spontaneous that is unexpected and I haven't had to plan, like family meals! Orchid, your advice about the GI chart sounds interesting, I will take a look.