There is alot of great advice here already. Especially the don't deny yourself bit. If you have a craving that u can't shift then you must allow yourself that treat, but in moderation. Otherwise you will fixate on it and become miserable and that is the enemy of a successful diet.
The best and Hardest thing is to change the way you feel about food; try and look at it as just fuel for your body; all you NEED is enough, don't want it.
Also every time you feel hungry have a drink then see how u feel. Often your body will tell you you're hungry because it needs fluids. Did you know that by the time you actually feel thirsty you're already dehydrated. Always drink because your body needs it all the time not just to quench thirst.
Also a while ago I got a Nintendo wii and wii fit balance board and one night a week I went through the routine and I would do it until I had had enough. I found yoga oddly enjoyable and not very strenuous so began to only do that on there. I was gob smacked a month later at how slim I was. Turned out I had lost a stone and a half.
I always say to people, I don't worry about weight just about how I look and feel. Counting each pound can be tough. Maybe you could just try only eating things you know are healthy with the odd treat if need be. That alone will make you feel good. Then 2 weeks down the line when you see how much you have lost you will feel great.
Sounds like bull but it really is mind over matter, if you only eat what you consider to be healthy and take some exercise you will be living a healthy lifestyle and feel about it. And exercise is everything from hoovering and dusting so feel good about the little things. After house work think the same as if you had been to an exercise cclass because at the end of the day it Is the same.
Focus on positives like that rather than being down on yourself. Every tine you get off the sofa is exercise.
Good luck with your goal. And If you want a big slice of chocolate cake, have it and eat it too AND don't feel bad about it.
Another thing I found helpful was finding ways to eat less but still enjoy. For example I used to eat 3 biscuits with my afternoon cuppa. Dunked and scoffed. Now I have one biscuit, broken into 3 pieces - dunked slowly and savoured. Two slices of toast? Swapped for one slice cut in half, with Bovril on the first piece and honey on the other one. Making little changes like this steadily reduces your calorie intake daily in a painless way.
Good luck Pauline. I find it's the carbs that affect my weight, shape and energy. I have a carb breakfast (cereal/toast) then a carb free salad for lunch and low low carbs at dinner (just a baby portion of rice/pasta/potatoes etc with reasonable portion of veg n protein, not overdoing anything. water when hungry definately helps. As does water in a wine glass to trick you into thinking it's something nicer.
Good luck with your diet Pauline. Cutting out all processed food will deal with hidden sugars and fats, especially the dreaded trans fats. Cook your food from scratch using fresh ingredients except maybe tinned beans (not baked in sauce) and canned fish in brine for convenience.
Lots of good recipes with counted calories, proteins, fats and sugars on the BBC Good Food website.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Pauline I eat baked beans but it's a small tin on a whole meal slice of toast with no marg that would be for lunch, breakfast always the same small cup of porridge oats made into porridge with water no sugar but a lot of fruit. Sometimrs just an apple and banana.Then tea a cooked meal with a bit of meat and loads of veg
I know this will fly in the face of all accepted dietary wisdom, and I'll get flak for it, but I find it perfectly ok to live without breakfast. I actually can't eat in the morning, stomach closed like a fist. I just have a cup of cocoa and a cup of coffee and off I pop. That cuts one meal out of the schedule, and I have a good sandwich/salad/muesli or such at lunch and then a proper cooked meal for dinner. No snacks, unless I am working very hard, or once in a while if I have the blues and need some comfort. I always feel rebellious when people tell me how important breakfast is, since having breakfast is an exceptional thing for me, and yet I work very hard - physically - every day.
I mention this Pauline, since you say you start working very early and can't face eating stuff that early. I can relate to that. You might want to try and listen to the rhythms of your body. Every body is different, and bodies don't read diet books. Sometimes they just have to do stuff their own way.
Posts
There is alot of great advice here already. Especially the don't deny yourself bit. If you have a craving that u can't shift then you must allow yourself that treat, but in moderation. Otherwise you will fixate on it and become miserable and that is the enemy of a successful diet.
The best and Hardest thing is to change the way you feel about food; try and look at it as just fuel for your body; all you NEED is enough, don't want it.
Also every time you feel hungry have a drink then see how u feel. Often your body will tell you you're hungry because it needs fluids. Did you know that by the time you actually feel thirsty you're already dehydrated. Always drink because your body needs it all the time not just to quench thirst.
Also a while ago I got a Nintendo wii and wii fit balance board and one night a week I went through the routine and I would do it until I had had enough. I found yoga oddly enjoyable and not very strenuous so began to only do that on there. I was gob smacked a month later at how slim I was. Turned out I had lost a stone and a half.
I always say to people, I don't worry about weight just about how I look and feel. Counting each pound can be tough. Maybe you could just try only eating things you know are healthy with the odd treat if need be. That alone will make you feel good. Then 2 weeks down the line when you see how much you have lost you will feel great.
Sounds like bull but it really is mind over matter, if you only eat what you consider to be healthy and take some exercise you will be living a healthy lifestyle and feel about it. And exercise is everything from hoovering and dusting so feel good about the little things. After house work think the same as if you had been to an exercise cclass because at the end of the day it Is the same.
Focus on positives like that rather than being down on yourself. Every tine you get off the sofa is exercise.
Good luck with your goal. And If you want a big slice of chocolate cake, have it and eat it too AND don't feel bad about it.
Pauline - don't stress. Find lots of low cal soup and stew recipes for winter
. For some reason I find it easier then.
Another thing I found helpful was finding ways to eat less but still enjoy. For example I used to eat 3 biscuits with my afternoon cuppa. Dunked and scoffed. Now I have one biscuit, broken into 3 pieces - dunked slowly and savoured. Two slices of toast? Swapped for one slice cut in half, with Bovril on the first piece and honey on the other one. Making little changes like this steadily reduces your calorie intake daily in a painless way.
Well done Pauline keep up the good work
I am at the other end of the spectrum I cant put weight on
, it does annoy me as well sometimes.
Good luck Pauline. I find it's the carbs that affect my weight, shape and energy. I have a carb breakfast (cereal/toast) then a carb free salad for lunch and low low carbs at dinner (just a baby portion of rice/pasta/potatoes etc with reasonable portion of veg n protein, not overdoing anything. water when hungry definately helps. As does water in a wine glass to trick you into thinking it's something nicer.
Good luck with your diet Pauline. Cutting out all processed food will deal with hidden sugars and fats, especially the dreaded trans fats. Cook your food from scratch using fresh ingredients except maybe tinned beans (not baked in sauce) and canned fish in brine for convenience.
Lots of good recipes with counted calories, proteins, fats and sugars on the BBC Good Food website.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I know this will fly in the face of all accepted dietary wisdom, and I'll get flak for it, but I find it perfectly ok to live without breakfast. I actually can't eat in the morning, stomach closed like a fist. I just have a cup of cocoa and a cup of coffee and off I pop. That cuts one meal out of the schedule, and I have a good sandwich/salad/muesli or such at lunch and then a proper cooked meal for dinner. No snacks, unless I am working very hard, or once in a while if I have the blues and need some comfort. I always feel rebellious when people tell me how important breakfast is, since having breakfast is an exceptional thing for me, and yet I work very hard - physically - every day.
I mention this Pauline, since you say you start working very early and can't face eating stuff that early. I can relate to that. You might want to try and listen to the rhythms of your body. Every body is different, and bodies don't read diet books. Sometimes they just have to do stuff their own way.