23 overweight and struggling a bit!

rdchick

Ok so I am 23, 5'7'' and around 14 stone. Because of my height I carry the weight well - wear 16-18 clothes but a lot of people don't believe me when I tell them my weight.

I know I need to lose weight as it is impacting on my health already, I am struggling to breathe properly (take deep breaths etc) and at night I apparently snore really bad! I also know I need to get more exercise but I can't seem to motivate myself to do it - I have even signed up to do the 5k Great South Run so the thought is there - just gotta do it!

I have been taking salads to work but they give me acid for the rest of the day (as does bread) and I don't feel full afterwards. I also am an emotional eater too...

how do you break these eating habits?

I always eat junk, chocolate, sweets, crisps etc if it's there I'll eat it. I am hoping that when I change jobs I will eat less of this as my current job has it 'on tap' and I just can't beat the temptation.

I just want to know how to change from a junk food monster into a healthy young person!! xxx

angelil

rdchick wrote: »

Ok so I am 23, 5'7'' and around 14 stone. Because of my height I carry the weight well - wear 16-18 clothes but a lot of people don't believe me when I tell them my weight.

I know I need to lose weight as it is impacting on my health already, I am struggling to breathe properly (take deep breaths etc) and at night I apparently snore really bad! I also know I need to get more exercise but I can't seem to motivate myself to do it - I have even signed up to do the 5k Great South Run so the thought is there - just gotta do it!

I have been taking salads to work but they give me acid for the rest of the day (as does bread) and I don't feel full afterwards. I also am an emotional eater too...

how do you break these eating habits?

I always eat junk, chocolate, sweets, crisps etc if it's there I'll eat it. I am hoping that when I change jobs I will eat less of this as my current job has it 'on tap' and I just can't beat the temptation.

I just want to know how to change from a junk food monster into a healthy young person!! xxx

I'm a similar age to you (26) and had to lose weight last year for my wedding. I lost between 9lb and a stone on Weight Watchers and found it very effective.

Some more satisfying lunches than salads:
Ryvita with Marmite, cream cheese...
Cup-a-soup with water crackers
Leftovers! Make enough dinner for 2-4 servings and make sure you only eat one serving so you can box up the rest for lunches. Vegetable curries, casseroles, lasagnes etc all reheat well.

Stock up on healthy snacks too. Try Graze's nutrition boxes (so all the unhealthy snacks get left out ) and make sure you Google first for offers of free boxes. You can also try websites like Healthy Supplies or The Health Bay for things like NAKD bars (you can buy these in major supermarkets too but they don't do so many different flavours). Also try Holland and Barrett for mini dried fruit bags that are easy to grab hold of and take with you.

If you like them, you can also use things like stem ginger, aniseed balls or sugar-free gum to give you a strong taste in your mouth that lasts a long time to put you off other food between meals. Make sure you keep hydrated as well - thirst can often be misinterpreted as hunger, as I'm sure you know, and a lot of liquids are 'free' on programmes like Weight Watchers - black tea and Diet Coke were life-savers for me.

Hope that helps a bit

rdchick

Thanks Angelil

I live on diet coke - drink lots of it and water too!

I think I will go back to Slimming World - I did it for a bit whilst at uni but I think it might be the kick up the bum I need - I am working in a desk job atm but going into caring next week so I guess that will help too! xxx

angelil

Sounds cool I don't know much about Slimming World but what I liked about WW was that no food is forbidden Which is great because like you I have quite a sweet tooth!

runninglea

I'm assuming your not eating breakfast so a bowl of porridge or weetabix will fill you up in the morning before you start work.

Need to take a pack lunch and also a couple of spare bits of fruit so that when you are hungry you have something to snack on.

Dont take any money with you to work and no cans of coke. Fill a bottle of water and keep refilling it during the day.

I have found that by having the breakfast i'm not snacking during the day. Have a bag of dried fruit in your drawer, the sugar need should go

HeadAboveWater

My tips (and I've never been on a 'diet' as such!):

Eat a decent breakfast to fill you up first thing in the morning.

Take a packed lunch and snacks with you so you're not tempted to snack on unhealty stuff.

Aim for 5 portions fruit and veg per day.

Up your water intake and down your fizzies.

And keep a food diary. Best thing ever! Get a friend to work with you on this one. Once you start writing down what you eat and what times, you'll see where you're going wrong. Plus if a friend will 'tell you off' (so to speak) when you divert too much, it helps motivate.

When I was on the 12 weight management course, I refused to give up my Thursday pizza night (we're talking a full pizza not a slice!), yet still managed to lose weight and inches over the 12 weeks. Never counted a calorie, point, nor weighed my food.

Good luck

euronorris

I would actually advise against diet products in general, and in particular, diet drinks like diet coke. They actually leave you feeling more hungry (as your body realises it's been tricked), which can lead to binging and therefore weight gain, rather than weight loss.

What I would suggest is to recognise your weaknesses, and then plan a way to deal with them. So, if you find yourself snacking on junk at work, make sure you take healthy alternatives with you: fruit, nuts, berries etc.

Personally, I've never found salads filling - no matter what's in them. I prefer having soups, or leftovers from a home made meal that I can heat up (or sometimes eat cold). If you make it, you can control what goes in it (including the fat & sugar content).

I also recommend going for low carb, high fat, medium protein diet. I'm doing that, and don't find myself getting hungry like I do on a low calorie diet.

And, incorporate a couple treats into your weekly routine. Otherwise, you will end up feeling deprived, demotivated and more likely to binge.

Exercise is also good as you'll see results quicker, it will improve your health overall, and as you'll be burning more calories, you can eat a little more

welshdent

The first thing I think you need to do is encourage yourself to find the will power to cut the junk out. Then this will sound cheesy as hell but be inspired by our amazing athletes in the olympics. Sport is brilliant fun and the more you do it the healthier you will WANT to be to be better at it. Find something that excites you and embrace it. Slimming world is all well and good but it cant be much fun. Cut down on the junk and exercise. THAT can be maintained. That is a lifestyle choice. Make it and see your self go from strength to strength

rdchick

thanks for the support everyone. Yes the olympics have inspired me - I am a good swimmer and would like to go and swim more often - I will have more time to do this once I change jobs. I also need to start training for the GSR too!

I just need to start eating healthily and exercising more - easier said than done - where do you begin?! xxx

euronorris

I started with Shred. I know I've gone on about this a bit, but it was a good starting point for me because it is only 20 mins a day - what possible excuse could I find not to do it when it's only 20 mins a day? I couldn't, so I did it and the difference has been huge!

And soda - I cut it out completely. That was another big change for me, so it had a big impact.

rdchick

Ok, I will crack out the Shred again - the most I did with that was 10 days but I will work doubly hard for the 30 days!! I know I need to ditch the pop - drink far too much of it - always the 'diet' kind but still. Anyone else feel bloated when they DON'T drink it? xxx