diets..

[Susan123]

I am curious to see if anyone has ever stuck to a diet for more than a few days.  I need to lose 10lbs and it seems the more I think about it, the more I want to eat,,and do nothing...and vegetate on the couch.  I don't eat meat so the usual Atkins aren't my thing. The thing is, once I get going at it, I am fine, ie the first few days are the worst.... agh. Any suggestions? Now, where's that bar of choc....

[littlemissx]

i lost about 3 stones originally on weight watchers

[sackabona]

Diets don't work, in my opinion (and experience) they just start up a cycle of famine & feast.

Just eat less, more healthily and get out there and exercise. It's the vegetating that is doing the damage not what you eat. 10lbs isn't much, just get active! :-)

[Scarlett]

Agree with sackabona. If there was a diet that worked, everyone would be thin. Just cut out the snacks, eat more fruit and veg, cook from scratch (not convenience or processed food) and step up the exercise. Also, listen to your body. Are you REALLY hungry? Or just thirsty? Tired? Bored? The signals are easily confused!!

[Laura-sakura]

I also agree with scarlett and sackabona. Also you must be very determined to succeed in losing weight and by the sound of your post you don't seem to be taking it very seriously! You need a lot of motivation and support. I think the best way to stick to a diet is to carefully plan it in advance. However, I lost two stone over about 8 months just from cutting down portion sizes, rethinking methods of cooking and taking regular excercise. Good luck if you can make a start!

[hannahjo]

I agree with the above � fad diets don�t work, if you want to change your body by what you eat it has to be a sensible change that can be applied for the rest of your life. I�m hypoglycemic and recently started a sugar free diet because it was making me feel so awful. I never thought I�d be able to do it, but I�m in my 10th week now and the longer I do it for, the easier it gets. I feel so much better and have more energy, plus I�m getting lots of comments about my figure, so if you want to loose weight then I definitely recommend cutting out sugar!

[hannahjo]

And forget to say� EXERCISE!!! Not only will you burn fat, but you�ll build up muscle which in turn help burn fat faster!

[Susan123]

Wow!! Thanks so much for all the comments, I'm going to start tomorrow!! I swear!!! And I will keep you posted. Seriously - Thanks!  I do feel better already!

[nicola_red]

Just to add to everyone else's comments - diets are simply a function of eating less than previously, and maybe exercising more too.  Thus if you go on one you'll lose weight.  What people mean when they say diets don't work is that as soon as you resume your previous eating habits you'll regain the weight - no s*** Sherlock!  Different diets work for different people - there are so many factors to consider, lifestyle, tastes etc, no one diet is gonna work for everyone.  What they do all require is willpower!  I have lost weight on Weight Watchers and then put it back on again when I became lazy and sloppy and slipped out of my good habits - I am now on it again, and I know that as long as I follow it correctly it will work, it's whether I can keep it up that's the issue!  Also people tend to say that yo-yo dieting is harmful but there's not much real evidence for that - losing weight will benefit your health, even if it's only for a short period of time.  Good luck Susan!

[susi-q]

Hi Susan
As soon as I start a diet I think about all the lovely food Im missing. My desired weight loss is about 10 1bs too. I think that when you havent got to lose large amounts of weight it is quite difficult to lose it.
When youve got stones to lose somehow it seems to come off quicker. Dont know if thats an excuse but thats how it feels to me.
I think the answer is as all these sensible people have said. Cut out a bit of the bad for you food. Dont cut out anything altogether cos you'll just crave it. Up the exercise one way or another.
Its easy to say but Ive been trying for about 3 months to start the bloody diet!! and still 10 1bs to lose!!

[Kat213]

The first few days are always the worst because you need to get into a good routine.  Fad diets don't work.  Its really quite simple - make sure your intake of calories is less than the energy you use on a day to day basis and you will lose weight.  You need to aim for a calorie deficit of around 300-500 per day.  So all of the other posts are correct, you need to eat healthier and do some exercise.  Its not a short term plan, its simply good health habits that you should adopt for life.  There is a really good website that can help you with this and give you further advice at www.dailydiettracker.co.uk.  Counts everything for you including calories used from exercise and its totally free.  Good luck!!