Don’t know what to do about my fatness anymore 🙃

[FedUpButCantStopEating]

I am starting to feel hopeless about ever losing weight for any prolonged period of time.

Have tried many times to lose weight, but haven’t found anything that I can stick to.
Usually end up binging and vowing to never diet again because the evidence shows that diets don’t work. But I am genuinely scared for my health, can barely put my socks on, have no confidence in how I look and am starting to panic a bit.

I really don’t want to start injections due to cost, the potential risks and the fact they can’t be used forever.

I’m mid thirties, weigh 15st 3lb (97kg), am 5ft 4in (163cm). Had short lived success with hypnotherapy and the One2One (aka Cambridge Diet). Couldn’t get on board with Slimming World, intermittent fasting triggered migraines and calorie counting makes me obsessive (I think deep down my eating is quite disordered).

If anyone has any ideas, comments, experiences that might help me, I’m all ears. TTC is on the cards soon and I really want to get my weight down.

Thanks in advance.

Forgot to say, I am not looking to lose half my body weight. Would settle for losing 2 stone, ideally 3.

Try not to think about all or nothing approaches and fad diets etc and think about researching and thinking about lifestyle changes you can maintain.

The best weight loss is slow, steady and sustainable. I really recommend Natacha Oceane on YouTube. She uses scientific evidence and empathy to advise and educate. She has a good fat loss series on YouTube to help get heads around how to make it work.

Do you do much in the way of exercise?

Have you thought of weight watchers? I did it before and lost weight for fertility treatment. I'm now nearly 5 stone in to a weightloss with slimming world. I need a eating plan to help me along the way and somewhere to go each week to hold me accountable 🤣 I've heard lots of good things about intermittent fasting though too.

@Junebughustle Not heard of her before, thanks, will check out her videos.

I don’t do any exercise and job is now sedentary.

@delilabell Intermittent fasting was not for me I’m afraid as triggered migraines.

I assumed Slimming World and Weight Watchers would be very similar but what have you found?

I joined a gym because I wanted to be healthier. I can never stick to a diet but since November I've been going to the gym 3x a week. I feel great. I don't love the gym but because I've got set times for it I just keep going.
I've lost a stone without any diet but I find myself making better choices. And because I'm going to the gym in the evenings I don't sit in front of the TV and snack or drink wine. Started out at 5'7" 92 kg, now down to 83kg.

Therapy. Real stuff not 8 weeks on the NHS. If you think it is disordered then treat it as so.

I'm so sorry I realised afterwards that you'd said that!

They're very different. I mean you're still being "sold" it but ww is low carbs and very structured in what you eat (their are lots of free things but otherwise its structured)
Slimming world is very low fat but a lot more free in the amount of protein and carbs you can have (unlimited)
Does that make sense?

@ModerationInEverything That’s really interesting, like positive feedback!

I only managed to stick to the gym when I was paying for PT sessions. I wish I had more discipline!

Start gently.

Go for a walk every day. Start with 15 minutes and increase it.

Cut out the worst of the junk food. Just don't buy it.

Stop eating in front of the tv in the evening.

Just doing that will get you started.

I would identify your trigger times. Mine are after 6pm when I’m sat in the sofa.
Now, instead of sitting on the sofa and eating shit, I do the housework, go out for a walk, go to bed and read, or something else that takes my mind off food.

@delilabell I didn’t know that, thanks.

@Paq I always say to myself I’m going to start daily walks…tomorrow 😳

I love the Start Gently thing though. Sounds very nurturing and safe and doable compared to what goes on in my head where I have to never look at anything except blueberries and chia seeds ever again.

@Bookaholic73 It’s any time I’m alone. But you’re right it would be good to anticipate this by acknowledging it rather than be in denial and let it catch me out.

I’m in a similar position but add on an extra stone. I walk our dog but think that’s cancelled out by the bad food choices I’m making. I’ve also done a lot of “diets” including one2one which worked well but the weight plus extra has gone on.

I think it’s just one step at a time. Small changes. If I think big I panic and then it becomes overwhelming and my natural instinct is to eat. I use an app to track my food as I need to see what I’m realistically eating.

@Thelittlekingdom Hi, where are you with it all at the moment if you don’t mind me asking? Are you planning to lose weight still or just trying to maintain?

The One2One went so well for me…then I piled it back on in a matter of a few weeks. Also cannot face the thought of any more of their products!

Try weight watchers, slimming world didn't suit me due to their 'free' foods I don't lose but lost 3-4 stone with weight watchers. Everybody is unique and different diets work for different people! Was years ago and put three quarter of it back on slowly but if you have the motivation it works👍

Im exactly the same - except a few inches taller and a few stones heavier. 40 is looming and the idea of still being obese is just so depressing. I’ve done…all the diets. They all work, until I get bored, and the “f this” voice in my head gets too loud and I binge.

I’m thinking about therapy. The problem is in my head, clearly, not in my body, so I don’t think a new diet (or medication, or surgery) would change anything.

I think you need to think about making some sustainable lifestyle changes. Start with one small thing, and once that's established add another, and so on.
Step 1 might be cutting out fizzy drinks, stopping sugar in tea, reducing alcohol, getting a 15 minute walk every lunchtime or even doing some Wii Fit or Just Dance on the Playstation! Just something you can stick to without feeling overwhelmed or deprived.

Good luck!

Read atomic habits. Not a weight loss book but it's about making small changes and changing how you approach a goal
I've just lost 1.5 stone slowly, calorie counting, moving more but just making sure that its not extreme but constant

Make one small step in the right direction. E.g. try a slightly smaller portion or add a piece of fruit to your day. Just do that til you don't have to think about it any more. Then add another change. E.g. eat protein at every meal or 5 min walk. There is no point doing something extreme like the Cambridge diet then going straight back to the old habits. It doesn't work as you've seen- it's going to need to be a whole different approach for the rest of your life

The book the last diet by shahroo izadi is meant to be amazing. She seems to get behaviour change so it’s sustainable and not faddy

Same age, weight and height as you, and same challenges! Realise getting nearer to 40 is going to make the challenge harder.

I have no answer I am afraid. For me, stress is what I try I eat away. I have a busy brain and eating I think takes my mind off what I am doing. I think I also use food to 'punish' myself. I am pretty active in that I garden a lot, but I just haven't found that thing to crack it.

Thinks like WW take time and bandwidth which I don't have so always struggle with these things. I want someone to do all that for me

I have tried all sorts of diets and just yo yo'd into being bigger and bigger. I peaked last year at 14, 4 and only 5' 1" so I am quite spherical.

I can't calorie count as I just go mad and obsess about food but I have found the Why We Eat Too Much book very useful. I've cut out processed foods, sugar and most wheat and now don't get cravings. I have a pudding when I want one, about once every two weeks, but as long as I avoid bread I seem to be ok. Its quite like the Slimming World speed days ( I think that's what they called it) but without the SW fibre bars and the obsession with those disgusting yoghurts.

I was gorging myself on Moam chewie sweets, biscuits, chocolate, home made banana bread (because it's healthy, but not if drowned in extra maple syrup and twice a day!), more chocolate, and anything else I could get my sweaty, shakey hands on.

I find I can stick to it by carefully not thinking about food. I now usually have two meals a day with a bit of minor snacking in between. I mostly eat protein with veg which luckily I really like. I am slowly losing weight, I've just lost 10% which was about a stone and a half since October.

I'm just hoping the weight loss continues, even if its really slow. I am aiming to be not obese, merely very overweight, but either way I do generally feel much better overall and have more energy, plus my skin has improved.

Good look, it is a bugger finding something that you can stick to long term without it making you miserable.

Didn't want to read and run as I can really relate to this post.
I started my diet towards the end of October last year and at 5ft 4 I have gone from 16st 2.6lbs to 12st 13.6lbs.
I had most of December and some of January off but mostly maintained during that time.
I was doing OMAD and yesterday I switched to the fast 800. I'm hoping to reach 10st by the beginning of august but would be happy enough with just losing another stone or two.

I was a classic binge eater but OMAD has really retrained my brain, I no longer crave snacks and sugar and my appetite has gone down massively.

I understand OMAD is not for everyone but I would highly recommend it x