Help me!

[ToadRage]

I want to lose weight, i really do, I just don't know how. I have done every diet, plan, fad going. Weight watchers, slimming world, atkins, slim fast. I lose a few pounds then fall off the wagon. I am now the heaviest i ever have been after having to stop working. I'm physically disabled so can't exercise and spend most of my days sat in front of the tv eating. I love junk food and cannot get excited about healthy food, I hate cooking so I don't, i have carer who makes me lunch which is usually a ready meal or oven chips and baked beans and dinner is whatever my husband makes. I am waiting on a referral to the weight management clinic but just am at a total loss as what to do til then. I won a photo shoot which is booked for July and would like to lose as much as can before then. Can anyone help me?

I lost 5 stone and have kept it off for 3 years now. I'm also disabled so cant exercise either.
You need to find a way of living that suits you not a diet but lifestyle changes.
My way was to work out my calories and then work out a meal plan that suits me and my dc. I dont stop myself from having a piece of cake but that has to be in my calories. I count calories over a week so if I have a bad day I dont give up, I just reduce my intake for a couple of days. I dont have calorific snacks in the house. I did use intermittent fasting at the start just to help me get started and I did realise once I started eating I want more but could easily go longer without food. I cant IF anymore due to some health issues unfortunately. I break my calories down into breakfast which is just a slice of toast or a bowl of fruit, lunch is homemade soup and a roll, egg/beans/mushrooms or tomatoes on toast, or a salad with protein and I eat a portion controlled meal with the family in the evening. I keep some calories back for a snack if needed. If I need a snack its fruit, vegetables or crackers with humous or salsa.
Since getting to goal weight I've maintained by continuing to log my meals to keep me focused.
I found that looking at portion size first was helpful because I could keep the same foods but just reduce the size eg one slice of toast instead of two with my scrambled egg, then I slowly reduced the bad stuff, increased the amount of vegetables with my meal. It not a sprint race so you can afford to change one thing at once and do it at your own pace.
Do you know how many calories you need vs what your eating now? I was very surprised to find I only need 1300 to maintain (I'm short and obviously sedentary) so reduced to 1000 to loose. Its having these figures layed out in black and white that helped me focus on what I was eating.

I have tried counting calories but i am not good with numbers (dyscalculia) and it frustrated me, i also tried to meal plan but I often found i didn't fancy what I planned to have so ended up having nothing. I am a bit of a fussy eater, don't like fish, eggs, fruit (except grapes and British strawberries in season). My husband has had success with veganism and intermittent fasting but I don't think they are for me. I know it sounds like i am putting up obstacles but I can't seem to break though these. I need to lose about 6 stone to be a healthy weight for my height.

Considering how much you have to lose, have you considered Mounjaro or Wegovy?

You would save loads of money off your food bill to offset the cost.

As I said in my OP I am waiting on a referral to the weight management clinic, hoping they can give me mounjaro or similar. I also have PCOS which can significantly stall weight loss.

Do you know what the weight management clinic will offer in terms of weightloss support?

Can your husband help at all with tracking your calories? As in, you tell him what you’ve eaten and he records that for you. I would revisit the idea of meal planning but make sure that you always have an easy quick option that you will nearly always be happy to eat, and have that in the freezer or in stock, so you can default to that if you don’t fancy what was planned.

You could also use an AI tool like ChatGPT to work out a meal plan for you. If you tell it what you like and don’t like, what ready meals you’d like to include etc and ask it to come up with a weekly plan to your specific calorie total, it should be able to come up with something.

If you let people here know your weight and height, then we can work out your daily calorie need, and then work out what deficit you’d need to be in to lose weight.

Also, can you find something to do with your hands when you’re watching TV to try to break the association with eating?

I don’t think the weight management clinic will be able to prescribe Mounjaro, they may offer Wegovy but more likely to be bariatric surgery. And after you have worked through the other tiers of diet support first.

My GP told me they could, I asked him first and he said he could only prescribe them for diabetics. I don't want surgery.