Recommend a good weight loss approach for me please!

[MonkeyTennis34]

I don’t like to use the word “diet”…. I’d love to adopt some lifelong healthy eating habits but that’s the holy grail isn’t it?!
I’m 55, menopausal (I think!), 5’5” and at 10st 6lb I’m at my heaviest ever.
I’m aiming to lose 1 stone-ish.
I’ve had good results from the 5:2 in the past but…here we are.
Can anyone recommend me an effective eating plan that might work for me?

What is you current diet and lifestyle like?

B Greek yoghurt and fruit

L Salad ..leaves, tomatoes, hard boiled egg, beetroot, radishes etc

D Weekdays are Gousto meals so pretty healthy with lots of veg

It’s the in between meals time I fall down on! I find d it practically impossible to have a cup of tea without a biscuit!
Saturdays are a takeaway (usually fish and chips) or a bbq
Sundays, mostly roasts.

I do Fitness Pilates once a week and walk the dog every day..although that’s more standing g around chatting with humans whilst the canines play!
We have a treadmill at home so I have no excuse, just little enthusiasm lately.

I lost over 5 stone and have kept it off by changing things one at a time. I think what helps for one will be different for another but the things that helped me are
Meal planning,
Intermittent fasting,
Logging my calories.
They all helped for different reasons and I still do all 3 now so its definitely been a lifestyle change (albeit more relaxed).
Meal planning helped me look at my diet over the week and also making sure we always have the right foods in.
Intermittent fasting stopped the evening snacking. I also learnt i didn't need food as soon as I woke up.
Logging my calories helped to see what I was consuming, it meant I reduced portion size, asked did I really want that? I count over a week so 'failing' one day isn't really failing and it isn’t an excuse to give up.
I don't exercise because I'm physically unable to so you don't need to however when I could exercise i always found it was good for my motivation and general mental health. Good luck.

Thanks @Imstillhereyoujustcantseeme
Re the intermittent fasting, how did you start?
I usually eat dinner at 6/7 and break at 8.

I've cut out white stuff:
Sugar
Flour
Rice
Potatoes
Milk

And I don't miss any of them. None were doing me any good, I had intolerances but not allergies if you see her I mean. Bloating, bad skin, lethargy, cramps, weird poo!

I dropped 2 stone (similar wright and height as you). I eat fresh stuff and cook from scratch. I eat quinoa, brown rice, cous cous instead of pasta. Loads of chickpeas, meat as I want, nuts, porridge, agave instead of honey. I was never one for fast food or takeaways, but a bugger for a biscuit or coke with coffee when I'm out with DH or friends.

I walk to and from work 40 mins x day, I walk the dog. No time for gyms, but I try yoga once/twice a week if I'm not knackered (peri-meno is kicking my arse and I'm in Spain enjoying a brutal summer).

I should be lifting weights but I'm too fecking hot. Roll on November.

Oh and I fast 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. No other fasting, no skipping lunch or anything. I eat at 7pm/7am, or 9pm/9am depending on my work timetable.

Started slowly by moving my breakfast later. Then started having more of a brunch meal so I'll have tomatoes, egg, mushrooms or beans on toast, a snack of say fruit and crackers at 2ish, then evening meal by 530pm with dc. Now some days I'll have a larger lunch and main meal and skip the snack. Other days I'll have late breakfast, salad lunch and evening meal to be flexible with whats happening. I do 'cheat' now and have skimmed milk in my tea. I did anything from 16-20 hours fasting but now im maintaining I tend to stick to 16 hours.
I'm also petite so my calorie intake for maintaining is only 1400 so missing a meal and just having 2 meals and a snack has helped.

Forget the word "diet" its poison. We're building healthy habits for life not just for a few weeks. That 5:2 stuff can mess with ur hormones especially now so lets ditch it for something that actually works long term.
Focus on this every time u eat: half ur plate is veggies a quarter is protein and the last quarter is for carbs. No counting no scales just look at ur plate. And start lifting something even if its just ur own bodyweight. Muscle burns fat even when ur sleeping.
Dont get overwhelmed by losing a whole stone. Just win today. Go for a walk. Eat one good meal. Thats it. U got this I know u do. Now its time for you to know it too.

Your BMI is in the healthy range so you're going to struggle. In menopause it's normal to get heavier. You aren't fat!

Volume eating is working for me. I follow Chelsea Mae Cullen on Instagram or YouTube . (She’s vegan - I’m not). She eats big portions but they contain loads of vegetables for volume. She’s also quite repetitive in what she eats so you don’t always have to be thinking up new meals.

We don’t have biscuits, or sweets, cakes, desserts etc in the house. Avoid the biscuit aisle. I intermittent fast. I don’t eat breakfast, I eat lunch of Greek yogurt and fruit, then maybe a snack and dinner at 6.30. We use small plates and I’m a vegetarian. I’ve lost 40kg, over 6 stone doing this.

@girljulian
Yes, you’re right re menopause but I feel lethargic, heavy, I don’t look my best…just need a health boost!

@Mathsbabe
6 stone?!?! Wow, well done, what an achievement.

Your approach actually sounds achievable for me apart from not having any sweet things in the house..the teens would revolt.
I just need to find my ever elusive willpower…..where the heck is it hiding?

16:8 fasting works for me as I can fit it around my life and I consistently manage to do it 99% of the time. I have hot water with lemon and a black coffee first thing, then plenty of water until 12pm when I have my first meal, then I have an afternoon snack and dinner between 6-8pm. I am mindful of having plenty of fruit, veg, salad and healthy proteins and carbs but I don’t calorie count or track what I’m having and I do enjoy the odd sweet treat with a cup of tea and a glass of wine here and there along the way. Weight loss has been 1-3lbs on average a week depending on how active I have been and how healthy my meal choices are. It’s slow but steady and sustainable. I find I can tolerate the hunger in the morning far easier than the afternoon slump where I’m hunting around for biscuits etc. try it!

Following for ideas

@Parkmama
That sounds good.
How does 16:8 work?
Is that fasting or more 5:2?

@MonkeyTennis34

you fast for 16 hours in every 24 and then your eating window is the other 8 hours. You can move the timings to suit you, I eat my meals (2 x meals and 1 x snack) between 12pm and 8pm and then I fast until 12pm the following day and so on. You still need to be mindful of your food choices but I find this approach is most effective for me. Google 16:8 fasting for more info. 5:2 is different in that you fast for 2 days out of every 7, usually restricting yourself to 500 calories on those fasting days and then eating normally for the other 5 days. I have done this and it does work but it’s quite hard to sustain in my experience!

Thanks @Parkmama
Yes the 5:2 is definitely hard to maintain!
With the 16:8, does it become normal very quickly?