Calling all you diet gurus please help me find a diet that will work!!

[thirtysomething]

Feeling totally bewildered trying to find a diet I'll stick to and that I can live with!! I'm vegetarian which doesn't help, and also have a problem with feeling quite sick and faint if I don't eat really regularly (borderline diabetic....) but I need to shift about 3 stones. Can fit in small amount of exercise (rowing machine, walking, running etc) maybe 3 times a week?

I don't tend to stick to diets for long as am always starving or feeling sick if I try not to snack at all. Please help me if you have any dieting tips? have tried WW but it just doesn't work time-wise as I end up cooking two different meals for DH and me and then another meal for the kids. Sorry I sound really difficult don't I !!

I'm totally and utterly not a diet guru, but I've lost 6 pounds since the New Year by the very unfashionable method of "eating a bit less and exercising a bit more", which I have managed without counting calories, giving up food-groups, or feeling hungry.

Are you conscious of what it is you're eating which is beyond what you need? You don't have to give up snacks if you need to keep your glucose steady, but look at the things you choose to snack on - doughnuts and cream buns would be a problem, oaty biscuits or a banana a better plan. Likewise meals - if you give yourself a smaller portion, or less of the filling part of a meal and more of the salad/steamed veg part, then you can reduce your intake without feeling starved.

Write everything you eat down. Eat what you like, but be honest. That includes picking up the kids fishfingers and scoffing them on the way to the bin

Everything in moderation.

Buy smaller dinner plates.

Move more.

thanks amum and ohforfoxsake, v. good advice - don't eat bad snacks as such but think am probably just eating toomany calories overall. if I write down what i eat am going to be in for a shock aren't I ?

You need to increase your protein and eat it at each of the three meals and you don't need meat for that. At each meal have a fist size of protein, fist size of good carb like brown rice or potatoes with skins on and a fist size of veg. Try to limit or give up alcohol.

The GL diet by Patrick Holford is working very well for me. 3 good sized meals plus 2 snacks a day. Would proberly tick all your boxes for a diet too as is based on glycemic load

yes, that would be a very healthy diet or way of eating for life which is much much better than cutting calories losing weight and then putting on double what you lost which is what most larger british women do when they diet.

thanks xenia and vino - will have a look at the book on Amazon now. Certainly counds feasible. Thank you!

a good rule of thumb is a hearty breakfast, a good lunch and a light dinner. Don't eat after 7pm. I find eggs for brekkie will keep me going til lunchtime. And agree with Xenia, protein makes a big difference.

Less refined carbs, so choose brown rice, pasta and flour over white.

I've been using weightlossresources.co.uk and have lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks. You choose your goal, how much you are aiming to lose in a week (up to 2 lbs maximum) and fill in a food and exercise diary. There's lots of information about the nutritional values of all foods on the database, so it's easy to check if you're having the right amount of carbs/protein etc. There is loads of very useful advice and information.

It's very easy to stick to, as you eat whatever you want, as long as it's within your calorie allowance. You also get an extra cal allowance for exercise. It's helping me make sensible choices and making me think about portion size.

Have a look - you can have a 24 hour free trial without leaving credit card details.

thanks Tessie will have a look.

All the above are spot on. NO diet works long term. Have a look at how many are out there. How many people on this board are on them, and how many are still moaning!!!!
Yes - write down everything you eat and drink for 3-4 days and analyse
Yes - eat more protein. It takes longer to break down and will keep you fuller for longer. Most people eat too many carbs. Carbs arent bad, but they are an energy source, if you're not burning them off they'll store as fat, protein is harder to store as fat.
Yes - eat a fuller breakfast, oats, oatmeal, eggs n wholemeal toast
Yes - eat your bigger meals during the day when you need the energy and less in the evening when you and your body are slowing down.
Yes - go for natural foods, steer clear of manufactured, man made packet foods which contain more empty (higher) calories.
Good luck!

modest expectations - aim to lose 5% of weight, or around a stone (I never was any good at maths), and more likely to achieve and sustain

I'm veggie and get faint or headachy if I don't eat for long too. I found that the way round it was to have a hard boiled egg at breakfast for protein (stopped me being hungry), fruit mid morning and mid afternoon, sandwich for lunch (peanut butter if feeling fat, marmite if not) and normal dinner (but I tend to eat Quorn quite a lot for protein but not fat). Also, I lost a lot of weight giving up my mid morning chocolate bar (I'd been anaemic) and instead having a carrot with humous. The chickpeas in the humous fill you up and keep you going for ages.

Good luck!

and there's one I used a few years ago which is entirely free - sparkpeople which is much the same but without a charge I think.