Need to diet - where to start

kafkathecat

Olivetrees, I began putting on weight several years ago after going through some hard times. I gradually ate more and more and would feel hungry even when my stomach was full, so much so that I couldn't think straight unless I ate. I went from 91/2 to 12 stone and any attempts to change this or exercise more had no effect. Then my sister lost a lot of weight on a low carb diet so I thought I would give it a go. In 2 months I have lost 1 stone. I am not hungry any more, I do not get low blood sugar any more, bizarrely I sleep better. Before, if I had a bar of chocolate in the fridge I would have to eat it, now, as long as it is 90% chocolate I can have 1 piece and leave the rest. I still have a glass of wine at the weekends and sometimes have some high carb ice cream. For me, none of my cravings were psychological they were caused by insulin. If any of that sounds familiar it really is worth looking at low carb diets. After about 5 years of feeling hungry all the time I now feel human again.

margaretclare

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

I think you're being a bit harsh. The poster isn't being rude - maybe she genuinely doesn't know what these are. I had to read it a couple of times to figure out the original poster was spekaing about Doritos Chilli Heatwave flavour. I thought at first she was speaking about a microwave meal!

Please think before you accuse people of rudeness.

Thank you. No, I wasn't being rude and yes, I've never heard of Doritos. I still don't know what they are!

Yes, we bought some onion bhajis in the farmers' market. DH and I had 2 each. We know the local woman who makes and sells them. They were nothing like the deep-fried doughnuts which you can get down the sea-front.

I agree with kafkathecat. I never eat ordinary chocolate but we do have a small quantity of Lindt 90% cocoa-solids. The thing about it is, you just don't want much of it at any one time.

olivetrees

wow you guys - thank you for all the posts and advice.

I did walk to work this morning - about three miles - and my thighs rubbed together so much i had to put on suedocream!!!! Sorry that maybe too much information!!!!!

But hopefully its a start - i do love cheese though - my downfall.

I just put on a bit of weight and then started eating more then got into a downward spiral - would eat three cakes rather than one etc.

But thanks to your posts i really think i can turn things around - was 12st 2 this morning so will see where i am in a week.

Thank you x:)

There_Goes_Trouble

Well done with the walking! You could get a cheap pair of cycle shorts or running leggings to wear under your clothes to stop the rubbing, no one would see them and you could discreetly take them off in the loos when you get to work.

I tried low carbs, it didn't do anything for me sadly. Calorie counting works for me because it makes me think before I eat and I actually enjoy the challenge of keeping my net calorie intake in the green! Mind you I am pretty active so burn quite a few calories as well.

I think you just need to try a few things to see what works for you, your body and your mind. For some it's low carbs or low fat, others swear by weight watchers or slimming world, and some like me count calories. We're all different so it's no surprise that there is no one thing that works for everyone.

Personally I think that a combination of diet control and exercise works best, and no extremes of anything.

Sharon87

margaretclare wrote: »

What, for goodness' sake, are chilli heatwave doritos? Never heard of them!

It has been easy for me to avoid sweets of any kind, remembering my childhood when they just weren't available and we were healthy and active just the same. We occasionally have some Lindt chocolate, 90% cocoa-solids - expensive, but you don't want much of it at a time.

They're these:


They're just too nice to give up completely! The month I lost almost a stone I gave up everything bad, alcohol, chocolate, crisps. I didn't miss crisps at all, but I did miss these!

Sharon87

olivetrees wrote: »

wow you guys - thank you for all the posts and advice.

I did walk to work this morning - about three miles - and my thighs rubbed together so much i had to put on suedocream!!!! Sorry that maybe too much information!!!!!

But hopefully its a start - i do love cheese though - my downfall.

I just put on a bit of weight and then started eating more then got into a downward spiral - would eat three cakes rather than one etc.

But thanks to your posts i really think i can turn things around - was 12st 2 this morning so will see where i am in a week.

Thank you x:)

I too also started walking a lot more. I can't walk to work, I'm never up early enough, but I did walk home once, it was 4.5 miles, stopping off at Sainsburys to buy healthy food, and walked the last mile home with 2 bags of shopping. But usually I can only walk about an hour and then I have to get the tube the rest of the way home. I can't stand the walk up Hampstead every day, over a mile up hill between Hampstead and Golders Green where I can get the bus from is very tiring, and usually by that point I'm ravenous!

Good luck with your diet and walking to work!

margaretclare

Sharon87, thanks for the info. I honestly have never met these before! At 200 cals a bag, don't think I'll go looking for them either.

I'm trying to cut down on bread, even the lovely GI bread made by our local baker who makes fresh every night and usually by 9 am he's sold out. Today we were up incredibly late. DH cooked mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil plus balsamic vinegar, I had them on one slice of GI bread. I haven't eaten any potatoes at all for a year now and don't miss them. Yesterday I was busy planting out veg plants outside the back door - we want to eat as much fresh food as we can. DH loves Savoy cabbage and I planted a whole lot of young plants out into compost. We're really trying to cut down on the 'food miles' and any processed food we keep to a minimum.

trumpton

This is a blog which collects weight-loss stories. It might give you some inspiration:

http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.co.uk/

It shows that different approaches work for different people. Not everyone can manage low-carbing, not everyone can be bothered to calorie count. However, you will find the right weight loss method out there if you keep looking. Reducing processed food is a good start as there are a lot of hidden calories in packaged foods.

I always think it's funny that If you went to a GP in the 70's and asked about losing weight they would have said, "Cut out bread and potatoes". 40 years later and low-carb is back in fashion. Good luck.

daska

trumpton wrote: »

This is a blog which collects weight-loss stories. It might give you some inspiration:

http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.co.uk/

It shows that different approaches work for different people. Not everyone can manage low-carbing, not everyone can be bothered to calorie count. However, you will find the right weight loss method out there if you keep looking. Reducing processed food is a good start as there are a lot of hidden calories in packaged foods.

I always think it's funny that If you went to a GP in the 70's and asked about losing weight they would have said, "Cut out bread and potatoes". 40 years later and low-carb is back in fashion. Good luck.

The emphasis changed from cut out bread and potatoes to eat bread and potatoes and cut out fat and now we have an obesity epidemic. Funny, coincidence or directly responsible?

floss2

OP, can I suggest alongside everyone else's ideas, that you use smaller plates and reduce your portion size too? This is both moneysaving and an easy start to losing weight without major changes or expense.