Getting ready to lose weight once and for all

[Gemi33]

Hi everyone,

I have struggled with my weight for many years and now find myself at the heaviest I have ever been. I feel like I have tried just about every diet at some point over the years and while some have worked for a time obviously nothing has ever stuck. I feel awful and hate the fact that I'm constantly avoiding doing things because I'm so uncomfortable with how I look.

I feel like I am almost constantly trying to lose weight, feeling guilty for having failed or making yet another fresh start. My birthday is in a couple weeks and for various reasons in those few weeks I have alot of occasions that involve eating out that will be difficult to avoid so I have decided to take a break, take the pressure off a bit, get those things out of the way and then really, once and for all try and lose weight for good (next year is also a big birthday so I would like to use the next year to try and sort myself out).

So I am trying to use this time to get organised and think about the best approach rather than just dive in something which will hopefully mean I can start positively and more successfully than all the other times. I just don't know where to start though, I don't know what approach will be best for me and having tried so many things and found elements I like in all of them I'm not sure what route to take. What have you done/are doing that's working? What are your best tips? Do you have any recommendations for books, youtube channels, instagram accounts or websites that help or that you find encouraging/motivating?

I would really welcome any suggestions or experiences you'd like to share!

xx

I need to do the same, although I don’t need to lose much, my weight seems to yo-yo week to week. I exercise a lot but it makes me more hungry and I use the exercise as an excuse to eat something unhealthy (I need to stop doing this). For me following diets don’t work as it needs to be a life style change and not just a temporary fix. I need to just stop buying bad food, eat less carbs and sugar, make better food choices. Sounds easy when I write it down but it really isn’t 😬

My tip: don't wait. Start now. You can have a few days of eating out as a treat but begin ingraining new habits now. You won't undo the hard work you've put in because losing weight is more than calories in v calories out. It's a whole new mindset for someone who's been struggling for a long time.

Water is your best friend. Drink 2-3L a day but just start with four glasses - one in the morning, one at lunch, one mid-afternoon, and one at dinner. You can always add in more water but a routine is incredibly helpful in the early days of establishing new habits. The water bottles with the times on the side to show when you should drink can be helpful but I don't find them helpful myself. I'm all about routines.

High protein breakfasts. Eggs and veg, Kvarg yogurts and some berries - avoid carbs first thing as they spike your blood sugar and make you hungrier later in the day. The Kvarg yogurts are high protein at 15g and 108 calories per tub and taste great and Babybell light have an amazing amount of protein for the size of them.

Don't touch the scale in the first month or so. The scale is a manipulative beast. Measure yourself with a measuring tape or judge on how your clothes fit. Weighing is fine later on but if you're someone who gets disheartened at fluctuations as I do, it's not worth the stress.

Look to incorporate some movement into your day. I've been doing these Body Project home classes which are low impact and very motivating.

Thanks so much for the really helpful responses! Lovemusic33 I know what you mean about diets but sometimes I do think that I need something with clear restrictions or rules - I live alone and it's really easy for me to just give up or eat badly after the end of a bad day. I have a quite stressful job and often find that the more stressed I am the worse I eat and I don't have to be accountable to any one else really which makes it easier to go off track. Like you say, it should be easy but actually doing it is far from it!

If you're in the UK, the NHS run a free 12 week weight loss programme which I can't recommend enough. I did it seven years ago and lost five stones in a year. I've started again after putting the weight back on and have already lost a stone in three weeks.

Very healthy, no fads,

Have a Google and see if you can sign up to one locally. Good luck!

I'll have a look at the NHS programme, many thanks for the recommendation OldTinHat!

I would donate any large packets of anything junk food. Have one or two small treats but not multi packs.

I think different things work best for different people. DH likes to skip breakfast and do fast 800. That doesn’t work for me as I get too hungry to sleep. I am having success with the Body Coach app 4 to 5 workouts a week and 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I also try and get 15k steps a day and this works for me. Joe gives gentle encouragement in each workout and the Facebook group is super supportive.

I have also found it super helpful to accept that it’s not a diet, I simply cannot eat all the treat foods available and not pile on the pounds. There are too many junk food options and whilst it’s ok to eat then very occasionally, regular large calorific treats and meals out are not part of my weekly lifestyle.

I think also looking after yourself whilst doing this is important, whether that’s doing some yoga, getting your hair done, ironing clothes, wearing make up, getting some new matching undies, anything that makes you feel good about yourself. Whether eating well, exercising or getting your nails done, it’s all part of self care.

Why don’t you join one of the threads on here to get some support and check in regularly to keep focused?

You're not in the right headspace to lose weight yet, if you're thinking about prioritising eating out at various dos over getting fit and healthy for life.

I say this as someone who was significantly overweight and tried (and failed) at diets for years. Then I realised the key was eating less and moving more. And stopping drinking. I changed my whole lifestyle, dropped to a size 8 and have kept it off. But the important bit is viewing it as a permanent lifestyle change, not a temporary measure.

I joined SlimmingWorld online, but I genuinely didn't think it would work as I've been overweight/ obese for all my adult life. I initially only joined because I wanted to support a friend through it, so I didn't put any pressure on myself at all, I was just kind of curious about it as it seemed too good to be true.
The first week I lost maybe a couple of pounds, then generally lost a pound a week, and some weeks didn't lose anything, but before I knew it all of those small losses really did add up.

Taking the pressure off really helped me, I didn't think of it as depriving myself for the rest of my life, I literally take it one day at a time. I bought a magnetic weekly planner from The Works, £3, and stuck it on the fridge, I write my meals on it at the beginning of the week so I'm not tempted to swerve off plan. I have a good supply of snacks to hand because I always end up snacking of an evening so I might as well make sure that they fit in with my plan, otherwise that would be my downfall.

Anecdotally, from talking to friends who diet, the ones who take it slow and steady seem to have more success. The ones who have struggled, whether it's SW or calorie counting or whatever seem to expect big losses every week, they get frustrated at only losing a pound, then end up quitting the diet and putting it back on, but that cycle is pretty endless really.

One day at a time. I'm not going to eat cake today, but that doesn't mean I won't ever eat it again, just not today.