Jumped on the wagon yet again.

[Monadami]

Well, I've jumped back on the wagon out of my pool of chocolate. I've beaten the food addiction before and have to do it again, starting Hypnotherapy tomorrow.

I lost weight whilst pregnant and was around a size 12, but within days of having LO, I was scoffing like a starving pig and haven't stopped. I've tried all the weight loss pills, had some success with Reductil, but then they withdrew it from the market. I'm now going to have to use will power, exercise and stick to around 1400 cals per day and under 40 grams of fat.

3 weeks ago I weighed in at 13 stones 10 pounds, today I'm 14 stones 2 pounds and size 16, heading towards 18. I'm 5'6" tall. If I keep going this way, not only will I become fatter, I'll also be affecting my health. I already feel breathless, sluggish and exhausted.

My target weight is 10 stones 5 pounds and dress size 10. It's going to be hard and I'm worried about the prospect of yet another failure in the last 3 years. How is everyone else combating their weight loss?

I tend to go for as 'clean' a diet as possible most of the time but particularly when I need to drop a few lbs. Whole, unprocessed food I find is more satisfying which makes eating less more pleasant and do-able. I drop things like sugar and alcohol all together since I figure they're doing nothing for me besides triggering cravings. I don't like low-fat diets for various reasons but I do cut down a lot on meat and dairy. However, the thing that stops me feeling sluggish is to go for a run a few days a week. Couldn't go out over the winter because of all the snow and ice so I'm back to square one puffing along like an old steam train... but I know it'll get better soon.

If you think you'll fail you probably will. If you think you can't do it without pills then you will also fail. And if you test your willpower too much by having a home laden with chocolate then that doesn't make any sense either. But if you take it one day at a time, go for an intelligent approach, plan ahead, minimise the temptations and simply do the best you can then you might surprise yourself.

I'm also trying to eat Clean Chil. I've done it before and know I can do it again, feeling in the right frame of mind at the moment, but just need to get back into exercise, planning to restart the gym from next week.

It's just very difficult living with someone who buys family size bars of chocolate and then encourages me to eat it. I'll have to remain strong, would be so much easier if I lived alone.

Can I jump on the wagon with you... am going to start Monday as my DVD arrives then... however I have been running! Exercise doesn't seem to be my problem but food does... When I was younger I use to be able to eat what I wanted when I wanted.. but since having 3 kiddies I am having trouble coming to terms with the fact that I can't do that anymore...

I really need help! I have been going on the loose a stone by easter thread and the girls are great on there but there is no way I am going to be able to do that so am givin myself a long term goal!! Have decided to loose all the weight I need off which is 3 stone by August instead which I feel is more of a challenge for me! As this allows me time to build muscle and loose fat... also going to do the 30 day shred dvd plus run for at least half hour 5 times a week as well!!!

I desperately want my body back but can't do it on my own...

Monadami your not the only one that has that problem and my dh also hogs the treadmill

It's the same with use all Twinkle. I was a size 8-10 in my teens and early twenties. It all started to go wrong when I went on the pill, so been fighting the weight gain for years.

The whole of this week I've managed to limit myself to under 1500 cals per day and under 50grams of fat. I only intend to weigh myself every Monday, but feel I've lost weight, as my stomach has gone down a bit.

I still haven't made it to the gym, but intending to start back from Monday. I would definitely recommend doing weights, as it will help to burn body fat and speed up metabolism.

I wish you success with your weight loss goals, I also want to lose 3 stones. I'm planning to return to my job as a Personal Trainer in June, so ideally would like to have lost 2 stones by then. I can hardly advise people to get in shape, if I can't follow my own advice. Let me know how you get on.

Monadami, funny you should say that. I seem to be at my slimmest when I am pregnant too and the problems start after I have had the baby! Finally though after DC2 I decided enugh was enough around the time she turned 2 and started dieting and have now lost 64.5 lbs since October so I am feeling great. Before the diet I could easily eat a family size bar of chocolate to myself in one evening and was eating chocolate every day so I can really understand where you are coming from.

How did the hypnotherapy go?

Well done with your weight loss Mels, are you finding it difficult keeping disciplined at all? I know I will.

I was sometimes eating 2 family bars in an evening, I'm amazed I wasn't alot bigger. I started my healthy eating on Monday 23rd and did my weigh in on the following Monday and found I'd lost 4 pounds. Hopefully will have lost more when I weigh myself this Monday coming.

I've not had any proper chocolate since, except low fat flavoured things like Skinny Cow choc chip icecreams ocassionally. OH did buy me a big furry Lindt bunny today and it has 3 small choc bunnies inside (bit disturbing really, undo a zip under its belly and 3 gold baby bunnies drop out) I haven't had any yet.

The Hypnotherapy was strange, she did her chocolate aversion method, which is supposed to turn me off the chocolate. She told me it was covered in maggots and gob and I should visulise it, I almost burst out laughing.

I'm not sure if it works, but the way I see it, I had the drive and discipline before, but somewhere along it got trapped, maybe her methods will to release it and help me become more focused.

I've been to the gym twice this week and have been sticking to around 1500 cals per day, although I had a cheat day today and had a Turkey roast. I was moderate with the roast potatoes, pigs in blankets etc so all in all, I've still only had just over 1600 cals today.

Hi Monadami

Sorry for the delayed reply. I have always found it hard to diet before but this time I have tried one I haven't done before called Go Lower and I have found it surprisingly easy. The first few days were hard but once I got into it it became really easy. It's a kind of low carb diet but they send you all their own food.

4lbs in your first week is brilliant. I can so understand you on the chocolate, I was the same. I actually thought I would miss it more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I do sometimes have a bit of a craving but can easily work my way through it without cheating. Having said that, on this diet you can have chocolate treats so that does help!

Lol, that chocolate bunny sounds bizarre. Have you had any yet? The hypnotherapy sounds funny but hopefully it will help. It sounds as if you are doing really well. I know with me my lack of exercise really lets me down.