I need a full diet overhaul

[Star0Fire]

My diet is really bad, I know it is. A lot of ultra processed foods and not enough fruit and veg. I'm obese, I daren't tell you my BMI as I'm too ashamed.
Was seeing the nurse last week for routine annual appointment when she took my blood pressure, for the first time in my life it is high. I'm 32, married with 2 DC aged 2 & 4 btw. She asked if I'd like a referral to the healthy lifestyle people which I agreed. Had my call today, I'm accepting the referral to the 12 week healthy eating program and also a referral to the local gym with a free 6 month membership (6 month wait list for this)

I don't really know why I'm posting. I suppose I need some guidance on changing my diet, are there any good tv programs you can recommend? Or audiobooks

I need to get healthy, I owe it to my kids and myself. It's just hard. I have about 7+ stone to lose which seems impossible. Then again, if I lost even half that I would be proud of myself

I know this isn't actually what you asked but my tip would be to try to start each day with some exercise. You can do this from home - there is loads of free content on YouTube to choose from.

I find if I've started the day working out I then I am more mindful about my food choices and snacks in particular as I don't want the exercise effort to be wasted on empty calories. I start the day feeling like I've made a healthy choice and it's easier for me from then on to keep making healthy choices.

When my boys were little it was all videos/DVDs but I would put something on and they would often join in and dance about a bit with me. Now they are both in their 20s and accept it as normal that when they come down in the morning I'm in the lounge working out. They both work out regularly too so have 'caught' the good habit as they've grown up.

If you want any recommendations for good YouTube fitness channels just ask.

Could you make small, sustainable changes ? If you can't drastically cut down your calories or portion sizes, I would say:
-Increase lean protein (chicken, cottage cheese, low fat Greek yog)
-Decrease refined carbs - swap for brown rice, pasta if you can
-Get some good podcasts downloaded and get out walking more
-Get a big water bottle and finish it very day
-if possible switch to dark choc. I've done that after years of sugary milk
Chocolate, started off 60% and worked my way up, now have 2 squares of 80% for pudding on an evening and love it (former galaxy addict)

I agree with @Bearpawk but would add eggs and lentils/chickpeas as useful sources of protein. The latter also are an excellent substitute for refined carbs.

I also replaced breakfast and lunch with brunch, which I normally eat around 10.30-11. I normally have a 2-egg omelette incorporating a sizeable portion of spinach, mushrooms or peppers - or whatever vegetables I have to hand (often leftovers from last night's dinner). This is so, so filling that all i need is a mid-afternoon snack of carrots, an apple or some cantaloupe.

Followed by dinner consisting of protein (chicken, fish or prawns) plus lots of vegetables, and only a tiny amount of healthy carbs. Around 25-30% protein, 10-15% carbs and 55-65%, vegetables.

I also have a square or two of dark chocolate if I 'need' something sweet. But beating the sugar addiction is definitely THE key factor!

I try not to eat anything after 7 pm or within 3 hours of bedtime. Drinking a lot of water is also really helpful. Quite often, when we think we are hungry, we are actually dehydrated.

try to start with skipping breakfast and going longer until lunch if you're able. Try to do it every day! pushing it out an extra hour each day can help! this really helps with blood sugar. If you can manage to eat your two meals a day within a smaller window e.g. late lunch / early dinner this is much healthier as helps your blood sugar stabilise overnight for real weight loss.

Also try to avoid milk in tea and coffee, or cut right down. every little bit of milk raises your blood sugar, especially if you're drinking tea all day, so keeping it down will help you lose weight. If you can go black all the better. And green tea is anti-hunger and fat burning! double bonus.

drinking more water have a big bottle on your desk or counter that you drink before you eat anything or when you're tempted.

also important to work in a day or so a week where you can be more generous with what you eat so it's not about deprivation too much! Or eating really well all day but at dinner allowing yourself more flexibility. That way it's less like you're depriving yourself and more like you will sustain it.

Also doing 10 mins of HIIT every other day is really great as it pushes your metabolism to burn more fat all the rest of the time. Kickstarts it.

Logging your exercise and food can also help you to maintain habits e.g. spreadsheet or diary.

My advice is make it a family lifestyle change so not just you. Your DP and DC will benefit also then and it will be easier for you to change everyone's eating habits.

Buy less processed and unhealthy foods.

Try and just snack on fruit or low fat babybel cheese and handful of nuts or veg sticks and hummus. Less of biscuits, cakes and crisps

Go for high protein, low fat and sugar/carb

Lots of fruit and veg and pulses

Get the whole family into exercising by walking more, taking bikes out and swimming.

As ever with these threads, there's a huge amount of info thrown at you here. The important thing is working out what's realistic and sustainable for you. There's no one right way to do it at all but it has to be realistic for you, your lifestyle and what makes you happy.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm reading it all and taking it on board.

I feel like my head is in the game properly now. Shopping delivery is today, have lots of fruit and veg coming, not a single biscuit or crisp!
Have ordered light babybels, humous etc, want to make up some little snack tubs that I have pre prepared. Yoghurt and oats for breakfasts. Seasonings for veg to make it taste good. Have also dug out the smart scales we have. Connected it to my phone and weighed myself, so can see my bmi,
Body fat % etc

Today is 16th may. We go on our little holiday in the uk on 16th June so me and DH are both trying to see what we can lose before our hols :-)

Looking at the tips given. I got some 70% dark choc, I'm filling my water bottles so I can drink more.
Interesting about having the long gap between last & first meals (intermittent fasting? ). I might try it.

Thinking of getting a blender to start making smoothies

Obviously we will continue after our hols too but it's a nice little goal to get us started., seeing who can lose the most :-)

I'm feeling a lot more positive about it. I do wonder how I'll manage with the sugar cravings though.
My other big downfall is eating after I finish work (11pm twice a week) I always eat rubbish after I get home. That will be a hard one to cut out, not at work until weekend so will just focus on the week ahead for now

Try and prepare something healthy in the daytime that will be ready and waiting when you get home late after work.

Well worth a watch, OP.

Also, sugar cravings are massively different when you don't eat too much in the way of carbs (sugary stuff and stuff made with lots of flour)

Don't worry too much about the scales. Your clothes will feel different. Body composition scales are notorious for being unreliable (they change from minute to minute sometimes), and if you're a bit more muscle one day and a bit more water the next, your weight will change, without any change in your fat levels. If your bone density goes up, you'll be heavier and look exactly the same.

Thanks for this will watch it tonight.

I'm doing okay I think. Scales are saying -2.5lb after 3 days. Had a meal our last night for a work do and had chicken skewers (330cals) with a jacket which I was proud of.

I'm okay with breakfast and evening meal, tonight I've got a vegetable curry in the slow cooker to go with brown rice and a toasted pitta bread. Made some overnight oats for breakfast with frozen fruit which I'm loving.

The trickiest meal for me is lunchtimes (I'm at home for them) , I'm finding I'm putting off eating because I don't know what to have

I am doing 16/8 fasting this week and finding it OK. Eating 7pm then nothing till about 12 midday. Lots of water.
Need to drop a stone so am doing this for 6 weeks. I'm quite enjoying planning meals ( just veg and protein as much as possible)
I'm looking forward to a couple of gins in the garden on Saturday!

I was you 5 months ago and BP is down and I've lost 3 stone. I joined SW,I do it on line. Really easy and makes you mindful of what you shove in your gob 😂

3st in 5 months is incredible! I hope I can follow in your footsteps. I'm not calorie counting or tracking yet, I'm first trying to be more conscious of what and when I eat. Trying to get used to this before I start tracking. I started on Monday and today I weigh 4lb less than when I started :-) hope I can get through the weekend ok. Got a meal out for a friends birthday on Sunday but I will try and make a good choice. Might even drive so I'm not drinking any extra calories

Oh well done! I tried healthily eating for a month before starting SW and didn't lose one single pound 🙄😱