I need advice on losing weight please

Aloha, Tyrael
I used to weigh 240 and got all the way down to 185 by going to Weight Watchers. I followed their eating plan, made food from their recipes and went to their meetings every week. Their plan is easy to follow, has a lot of science behind it, and their staff have all "been there" so they can give really practical advice.
I'm sure you know that alcoholic drinks have a lot of calories in them; so Weight Watchers makes your consumption limited. You can still drink, but not "quite a lot". In fact, just cutting down on the alcohol might help you lose a lot of weight.
Their process is gradual-- two or three pounds a week, but it is readily achievable. Since you have your own place, try making some of their recipes... you can eat tasty food (and a lot of it!) without packing on the pounds. I heard that NHS will also help pay for Weight Watchers, but since I am not from the UK I do not know how accurate this is.
Anyway, this is what worked for me.
Good luck to you, and let me know if I can help in any way.
With aloha,
~MIlan

 

quitting smoking goes a long way believe it or not. at least you won't be able to have trouble breathing now as you did three years ago. sounds like you're serious about it, so this definitely will work out. don't be embarrassed or ashamed about it. you don't need to feel like a loser too. you recognize that you want to become better and healthier for yourself and that's a good thing.
i'd probably start with the drinking and balancing your food intake. consuming alcohol in general adds more and more pounds to the body and does more harm then good. food really depends. if you feel that you based your food intakes on your emotions instead of your stomach, then it can be psychological problem.
you can also start out with light excercises. you don't really need to go full on Bodybuilding/Olympics training right now. taking a walk, swimming, or doing something active that will help shave some of the body weight off. you can try looking into it more, maybe knowing what your body type is, learning about it and how you can focus on losing more weight can benefit. you might not get the results that you want quickly and soon, it does take work. i guarantee that you'll feel better in time after getting into it for a while.

 

This man (MilansMele) knows what he's talking about ^^^^ the foods not too bad either. However if you don't have a lot of money to spend (like me) then you could make a food diary and write down how much of the food you ate an how many calories. It helps you see how much the food adds up throughout the day and it's a real confidence booster to see the number going down after a while. I used caloriecount.about.com and I lost twenty pounds in three months (woohoo!) I am actually very lazy but to trim a bit extra weight you can just take short walks everyday. Ten or fifteen minutes will do just fine.
Hope this was somewhat helpful.
I send love and hugs! <3 xoxo Good luck darling!

 

'my fitness pal' app is awesome. I downloaded it for a while on my iphone and it helped me keep track of everything I was eating. It tells you how many calories each food contains, and subtracts calories for any exercise you do. that helped motivate me to exercise more so i could eat more and it educated me on how many calories foods actually have (some things are deceiving!)

 

hi! i thought i'd give some advice about losing weight! i was actually in the same boat as you. 4 years back i used to weigh 240 lbs and it shocked me how much i weighed! now i'm happily 184 lbs and fairly athletic since then. the problem for me though was that i live on an island where things like Weight Watchers or weight loss programs weren't even available so i thought i'd share some experiences if these programs are out of reach! i started out with just walking for a good month every morning, about a mile maybe two just to get me started. it's never a good idea to just jump into a workout, you could potentially injure yourself and just put on more weight. an easy walk from where you live to somewhere a mile away and back is a good way to start. once a month has passed, it'll be ingrained in you as a routine and you can gradually work your way up to jogging! jogging is a great way to lose weight especially in your core area and it helps you to achieve endurance for future work outs. i definitely would stick to this and once your two months are up and you feel you can do more you can add push ups and sit ups which don't require any equipment! start slow and work your way up. as long as you have your mind set on it then you'll get there! also, it is always a good idea to have a work out partner who can help motivate you as well as be there for you in case of injuries. and it's also a great bonding experience! hope that helps and please keep us updated on your progress! i would love to help as much as i can.

 

I simply don't keep easy prep food in the house. It's really easy to sit around bored and grab a bag of chips or throw a hot pocket in the microwave for two minutes. Where it actually takes time and effort to cook something like pork chops and fried potatoes. I didn't say I ate more healthy I just made it harder to snack. If you are just eating because you are bored odds are that you will not take the time to cook a meal however if you are truly hungry you will. Also if you are concerned about eating too much at each meal just cook enough for one plate. You are more likely to have seconds if it is already prepared than if you have to cook again.

 

Losing weight is a mental battle, don't ever listen to the voice that says tomorrow I'll start losing weight because that's the voice that keeps you fat. Cutting down on beverages is the first thing you can do simply drink water and water alone it will save you hundreds of calories a day. Another thing that really helps is plain out your meals, don't add salt, sugar, sauce to anything. And don't eat preprocessed foods ever. Also try to not eat much bread, pasta, rice. If you follow these rules you'll lose weight very fast.

 

I am in the process of losing weight now, albeit I am not in your situation, I just want to slim down a bit. These are my guidelines that I try to follow:

Eat all the vegetables you want. Especially ones high in water content.
Fruit is your friend, but be careful of high sugar content
High protein foods like fish or chicken (white meat only - protein fed chicken)
Avoid high carb foods - but still get your carbs!!! They are your long term energy.
Lots of cold water. Yes, cold is important.
Count your calories and pick a target goal appropriate to you (just be in the ballpark at the end of the day, don't let it scare you or stress you out).
When drinking - Liquor is your friend - watch your blood alcohol level though

While exercise helps, realistically it's how you eat that matters when it comes to weight. I lift weights at the gym, but I stink at cardio

 

The main overreaching rules are: eat less, eat better, move more.

Eat less. Apparently, this is your bete noire. You like eating. (Join the club. ) One thing I've found helped get my eating under control was chewing gum. Get a pack of sugarless gum, and chew a stick if you feel yourself with the urge to munch on something. Another way to cut down on the food without really causing major strife is to skip the last bite of everything. Whenever you're eating anything, throw the last bite away. Consider it your sacrifice to the diet gods. If you're eating out, when you get to the last bite, sabotage it so you don't eat it. Cover it in salt, or ketchup, or something else that makes it unpalatable. Also, make eating more difficult. Don't keep snacks in your room, or at your desk at work. Whenever you eat, go through the process of eating in the dining room.

Eat better. If you don't know vaguely how many calories most things have, start doing some research. What you're basically looking for is lower-calorie, healthier things that will do better for you than whatever you're currently eating. Find some low-calorie foods you enjoy eating, and make sure those are available. Yes, we all like potato chips more than celery, but you're basically looking for something that you like enough that it doesn't feel like that big of a sacrifice. I personally like green pepper strips, carrot sticks, saltine crackers, and pretzels. Find whatever works for you. Also, look for simple switches. Putting mustard on your sandwich instead of mayo will save you a fair chunk of calories, for instance.

Move more. If you're not exercising, start. You don't have to go to the gym if you'd rather not. Start by walking around the block every day. Jog by the last ten houses. When you can do that without feeling like you're going to collapse at the end, push it back to twelve houses. Then half the block. Keep it up until you can jog the whole thing. Then add another block (or do the same one twice), walking at the start and jogging at the end... and keep adding more jogging as you do so.

Getting started is the toughest part. But the best thing is - you're at the point where pretty much any change will probably pay significant dividends.

Lex

 

Just eat 500 calories less than you use up, and you'll lose weight.

These guys can be helpful too, though they can be slightly harsh

These guys too

 

Try Slimming World. It is a great diet but the food is better plus I found I actually ate more when I was on it but I was eating the right stuff.

 

Oooh…. lots of good advice given above here.

I would add that … you mention alcohol, especially in the evenings, alcohol can contribute a lot to weight gain because it is highly calorific and it all gets processed overnight and shoved in to storage as fat when you are sleeping.

So I think it is a combination of all the advice above. Eat better, eat less, increase physical activity...

Track your weight/ BMI fat index - if you have a Boots chemist near you, on one of their machines gives you a little print out and you can plot the improvements which will gain momentum…

 

I agree with what has been said here. Be careful of low fat processed products. Read the label. They often add more sugar and salt to compensate which is far worse.

 

Just a comment on Weight Watchers... I don't dispute the value of the Weight Watchers program, but don't be taken in buying their branded products as you will be paying over the odds for nothing. Compared against other leading (cheaper) brands there is no appreciable difference in the nutritional content of their products. If you enrol on their courses/classes the leaders may encourage you to buy Weight Watchers only. Don't! Be a savvy shopper and compare the nutritional labels and save yourself money.

As far as eating is concerned - little and often, but nothing at all close to bedtime. Instead of two or three plated, full meals, try eating six small healthy meals spread at intervals throughout the day. This should keep the hunger pangs at bay and kick start your metabolism into burning off fat.

Finally, cut back, but don't deny. If you deny yourself food that you really enjoy you will crave it all the more and increase the chance of lapsing and splurging. Allow yourself a weekly treat to keep the cravings at bay.

 

You've got plenty of good advice on what diets and programs to try, so I just want to offer you this: You say that you can't just stop, but you can, and no matter where you look, any supposedly easy diet is going to require an element of self control. I know how hard it is. You're fighting biological urges, and that's never going to be easy. But us humans have a greater capacity than other species for that sort of thing. You are in control of your actions, and maintaining that control is crucial to succeeding in this venture.

Something that has helped me in the past, and does to this day, is to think to myself that I'm exercising my freedom, rather than my control, but maybe that's just me.

All of that said, you don't have to make it too hard for yourself. Find ways to still enjoy food that won't cause weight gain.