This is going to sound really sad and pathetic but…

Well I’ve wanted to lose weight for ages. And have been running for 2 months now, quite a lot. But I am still the same weight and this is down to eating.
I eat loads (and I mean LOADS) of junk food; I don’t drink too much though, maybe one drinking night out a week.

It’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve put on this weight. And have been desperate to shift it. It’s led me to be a lot less sociable, and I hardly go out these days.

But I am stuck in this self-destructive mind frame and continuous pattern of failing to not scoff my face.

I’ve read self-help books, motivational quote sites you name it.
I’ve sat there and ridiculed myself, I’ve hit myself to wake up to reality.

I always set out a plan, and by Tuesday (the 2nd day of it) I have given in and am sitting in burger king. Thinking to myself “Ill start the plan next week” or “Ill start after my Birthday/Xmas/Easter”. Before I have known it 4 years have flown by.

If you’re just a normal person please dismiss me as a stupid person (Which I know I am)

If maybe you can relate to it or some of it, or have achieved weight loss and stuck to a plan successfully, then any knowledge or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Mike...

the only advise I have to offer you is to not look at the big picture, this will force you to see every little lapse as a huge failure and fall of the so called wagon. Everything you eat that is healthy is a step in the right direction....so if you have had porridge for brekkie, a sinless snack but end up having a packet of crisps then what the hell......you did good earlier and you don;t have to follow what you consider up with a full scale I hate myself....just rebalance by having a healthy dinner.

I guess what I am trying to say is it is the little changes that count and add up to the big change.......I think the 80/20 rule is spot on...mostly what does you good with a little of what tastes good!!!

Always bear in mind that your body is very good at letting you know what it needs and it always make sense to listen. For example if you get a craving for something sweet it is usually because you haven't managed your diet and your blood sugar has dropped....my advice have a little sweet treat...if you leave it you may find that the little sweet treat you were craving turns into 3 donuts!!!!

The other thing you will find is once you get into the habit, your tastes will change.....where a choccie biccie once was the respite may soon become a handful of dates......trust me I know and my partner thinks I am some kind of freak!!!!!

My sin ...... red wine...but hey....I keep fit, I eat well and I don't smoke...... everyone needs a little treat!!!

Don't beat yourself up

Yes, that's really good advice from Emma. Take each day anew, and don't beat yourself up about it.

Also educate yourself about what makes for healthy food. It's completely amazing how little we, the British public, understand about managing our diets. I'm with Jamie Olivier on how badly our education system has failed in this aspect. Also, this stuff about eating "no fat" and Atkins diets and all these fad diets just don't promote sustainable changed eating patterns. So, go and find out about the right mixes of proteins, fats and carbs that you should be eating. It's the most valuable education you can give yourself, but remember that there is a lot of misinformation out there too.

Reduce your portion sizes, and mix this with more regular meals, and small healthy snacks in between. As Emma says, don't let your blood sugar levels drop too low, because that's what causes uncontrollable cravings.

Good diet books that promote regular healthy eating are the ones on Low GI diets (I can't recommend a specific one though), and also Ian Marber's books.

Also, you know how runners say not to increase your mileage by more than 10% per week? Well, so too weight loss should not lose you more than one pound per week. Any more, and the chances are that your body rebels, and piles it back on as soon as it can.

Hope some of these comments help.

I concur Karen...thank good for Jamie...it about time people were educated about the effect diet can have on both physical and mental health.....god I could rant for ever on this subject (ahem....trade mark glass of wine in hand)

A couple of good books for reference is the 'Ultimate Nutritional Bible' and the Food Doctor stuff is good but like everything you have to sift through it and apply sensibly....neither of these books talk about faddy diets but they do advocate extremes.......they see the vegan raw food diet as the ideal ( I am not knocking this...I just like a lump of cheese with that glass of red!).

Mike...small changes, little shifts...thats all you need....with the amount of exercise you take you will soon find that once you get the food choices right you will be looking to find extra calories.....I thought that place was reserved for naturally lean men but hey it does exist and my god its great!!!!

Once again as Karen said (told you I could rant for hours) your weight loss should be like your milege improved slowly or you will end up ill of burnt out.

Mike,

I'm actually replying to this thread whilst munching on a Mars bar, I believe we might have been soul mates in a previous life, I can sometimes munch rubbish constantly all day, for example, today (3 bars of chocolate, 2 bags of crisps, 6 jaffa cakes, and a choc pastry things I can't spell (tasted nice 'tho) and a waffle.

I am improving gradually (although the above example is not a good one, it's been a bad day), I cannot stress enough about why I find a good breakfast is so important, when I manage this I really do not snack during the morning. I try at work to have a bowl of Pasta salad (see pasta thread for ideas) and again this seems to last me until the evening.

Today I neither had breakfast and forgot my Pasta salad hence the crap I have comsumed today.

Still, on a positive note I have been running since the new year and in that time I have lost over a stone and half, feel fitter and better for it. I know I have sweet tooth and am never going to have a 'six pack' (apart from in the fridge) and so the occasional 'bad day' does not worry me too much, in fact makes me more determined for tomorrow

Best advice - don't beat yourself up, as others have said, common sense with the diet and exercise will sort you out.

You have to put 4* in the tank.
Eat some fruit! You can do it but the desire to eat healthily must come from you!

Wow thanks for the quick and very helpful replies.

I really liked the 80/20 Idea.

My previous attempts were based upon the idea that I would eat 100% healthy for say 3 months, with no treats.
But after a few too many beers, id end up in the late night fast food takeout.
And then in my head my plan would be null and void and I would go over the top and ruin all my good work within and couple of days and be back to where I was.

So having a treat, but knowing when to stop is the key. (Easier said than done, but I am going to give it a try lol!)

People are always asking you to look at the bigger picture at most things in life, but I guess I should take each day as it comes.

I think I make eating a very big deal in my head. My life is really boring actually, it didn’t always used to be and back then I didn’t have a weight problem.

What you focus on you get, and I always focus on what I don’t want rather than what I do.

I might treat myself to one of the books mentioned above, or see if it’s in the library.


Granty that’s seems like a typical bad day for me aswell haha.

I think its about a lifestyle change, I have in my head if I can be good for say 3 months, as soon as I lose the weight I can binge eat and not feel guilty about it.

So thanks again and if anyone has anything else to add that would be great.
I’m going to try and put eating in a different perspective, and see how I get on.

You know the best thing you can do . . . get somebody to take a picture of you naked. My husband did this for me (I really didn't want to do it!) a couple of years ago and I was absolutely shocked. It did the trick. Within the space of 3 1/5 months I'd lost 2 1/2 stone sensibly. Stopped drinking during the week (this was definitely my downfall), you know the story - sit down in the front of the TV every weekday with a drink in your hand. Of course when you drink like that you get the munchies. Before you know it you're drinking every night and it just gets to be a habit. Well my habit now is keeping fit, getting lots of sleep (at least 9 hours per night) and enjoying my life. If I want choccy I'll eat choccy but not to excess. That's the key.

I would love to post my "fat" picture on this website with a picture of what I look like now. It would inspire many people.

That would be very brave!

Losing weight is like running for the first time......you need to take one step at a time and build up to change. You wouldn't expect to be fit for a marathon in 3 months without having run before. 80/20 is the way to go. Life is for living after all. Once you have got used to eating decent stuff..fruit and veg that is..you'll soon not want to eat rubbish.

Keep a diary of what you eat and when. Like a running diary it focuses the mind.

All the best

Drink is the killer.
Alcohol is dead calories. Look at how much there is in wine or beer. SCARY!

Mike84, consider this...

You say that you are running quite a lot but maintaining your weight because you are eating loads. Obviously not all of the weight is going to do this but certainly a proportion of it will be fuelling and building muscle...extra muscle that you don't actually need. And that muscle weight will really be tough to lose.

What you probably need to think about is why you are eating so much, what's the reason behind the comfort eating, are you stressed about something, unhappy about part of your life, bored? Change that and that's over half the battle won.

Then it will be easier to eat healthily.

But the basic rules are always have breakfast, avoid high sugar snacks coz they'll leave you wanting more, don't have your last meal too late, and allow yourself the odd treat. If the treats are not too frequent then you'll enjoy them all the more.

You need to get onto this as soon as you can because the over-indulgencies of Christmas are not too far away and you don't want to be feeling guilty about having an extra slice of Christmas cake!

Good luck

thanks for all your tips and support im going to start it now and let you know how i get on.

I've been quite good since I last posted on this thread, whenever I feel like eating crap for no reason, I seem to think of this thread !! :-)

Karen

Been searching for 'Ultimate Nutritional Bible' but cannot seem to get it...who is the author?

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NELLIE

Nellie,

Try looking on 'Amazon'....always good value and very prompt delivery (they put my stuff through the cat flap). The 'used' books are great, not always been 'used' either.
I have seen the book in bookstores, but use Amazon most of the time these days.

Hope you find it, I have heard that it is a really good read.

Lyn.