I have just joined and have started going to the gym twice a week and swimming once. However I want to loose 2stone 9lbs and without a diet I fear that all this hard work is going to pot (belly!) can anyone suggest a good diet that is easy to follow and is family friendly for all to eat?

Hey Claire - welcome to the THC. I've steadily lost weight (with a couple of bad weeks) since Jan 1 and have not been on a 'diet'. For me diets don't work and having tried a good many over the last 30 years I can say that with all authority. As soon as I have to give up something the more I want it - and it's difficult with a family to keep your food separate from the others, it's not easy preparing theirs while denying yourself. So since the beginning of the year I've cut out the crap (that none of us needs) and tried to eat more sensibly. Sounds like you're doing a fair bit of exercise so that should shift the weight.

Not much help - come and join us in the AbFab group, there's plenty of dieting ideas there.

Good luck.

Emm

I agree with Goesona Bit - focus on eating healthily and cutting out the extras and rubbish. If you want something like a chocolate bar, let yourself have it without guilt, as long as you really want it. You'll probably find that if you give yourself permission and nothing is banned, it suddenly doesn't seem quite so tempting.

hi Claire
I too have given up with diets - they just don't work! You may be able to lose weight on them, but as soon as you stop, the weight piles back on, and more. Then you steadily get bigger over the years!
The only way is to change your eating habits for good. As Em says, cut out the crap, eat plenty of fresh, healthy food, but only when you're hungry! Stop when you're full. Have good carbs like brown rice, oats, wholemeal pasta, couscous, etc with every meal, a small amount of protein, and fesh veg or salad. Drink plenty of water too - you may be interested in Fiona's bath water challenge in the Ab Fab group.
Oh, and move more! But only go as fast as your body is ready for - I damaged my foot going bonkers at the gym, and now it's taking ages to mend.
the very best of luck with your weight loss!

Hi everyone this is my first time here.
i am looking to loose around 3 stone and i find it hard to stick to diets. I have just had 2 children really close together and it has left my body (belly mainly) not looking very good. i do like to exercise but rarely get the chance having 2 kids to run around after ( you would think that would keep me slim).
Any advice on how to stick to eating healthy and cheating yourself would be really appreciated.

Hi Emma,

Well done on joining the forum. You may enjoy the Abfab group. It's really busy (even sometimes people on the night shift!) so it's great for tips and support.

Good luck with your weight loss!

Hi Claire,

I was in a similar situation to you in January and I've managed to shift 1 and a half stone with 8lbs to go. I've been swimming mainly (up to 5 times a week) but that includes taking my children (7 and 11) with me sometimes. I work p/t so when possible I walk the children to school, which is a mile (2 miles for me!) and walk them home. We've managed twice this week and fingers crossed for good weather, we'll do it tomorrow, with me carrying daughter's tenor horn (weight training too!!).

We are much more in healthy eating (the word diet is banned in our house, not a good word to use in front of kids - don't want them getting hangups) - wholemeal pasta, rice, etc, much more fruit and veg (I'm addicted to pears at the moment), and so forth.

Good luck with it all - it's been worth it for me as all my clothes fit again and my new jeans are even starting to fall down!! Join us on AbFab, it's a great forum.

Thanks to all of you for your great messages of support, you've been so kind! I have taken heart with your advice to ditch the diet, it is such a good idea, I hate telling everyone I'm on a diet, as your weight loss suddenly becomes everyone elses business and with the best of intentions I find people start telling you what you can and can't do. Anyway I am quite chuffed I have just lost 3lbs in the week, which is a good start for me and most importantly, I feel so much better for doing the excercise, lots more energy and much more relaxed.
Thanks for the 'healthy eating' tip in front of children Jaki, yes you are quite right about giving them hang ups. I have 2 girls 5 and 3 and the eldest is a big fan of Lazytown and is very keen on telling us all what is healthy and unhealthy for us all, she is such an inspiration!
Emma, I completely understand your situ. It's only that my youngest is a nursery that I have really been able to fit the time in to do excercise, it is difficult when they are little. I am a typical apple shape and store fat on my tummy and it is a tough one. I'm not sure if your children are pre school age, whether you are working etc but excercise has certainly helped me in the last couple of weeks. After I had my first child I joined weight watchers and lost a good amount of weight, but put it all back on again with the birth of the second, so I am reluctant to go down that route again.
By the way sorry no pic. I am a bit of a techno phobe, but I will endeavour to find out how to in the next few weeks. Thanks for all your pics, you all look fantastic by the way!
I will be joining AbFab as soonn as I work out how to!

Claire, well done on the 3lb loss this week. Onwards and downwards now.

Claire
Well done on the weight loss! I joined in Jan (7th) and have lost a stone with a wicked holiday in March no helping to Morocco. Anyway I suggest the following

10-15 glasses of water per day
Low carb diet ie protein at every meal ie meat, fish, cheese, with veg
no bread, pasta, rice potatoes etc too starchy
exercise try to walk when possible
try Pilates or yoga for your core strength or swimming
I have become a runner or slow jogger which has helped to drop the weight and I really enjoy it. Run one min walk 2 and slowly build up.


anyway good luck

Claire,
If you are still looking for inspiration what about following Amanda Ursell and Matt Robert's 28 day Deadline Diet - Part 1 of which is in tomorrow's Body&Soul and is up on the Home page of the Health Club.
The recipes Amanda gives are absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to follow. While Matt gives a comprehensive fitness workout for each day. It is the type of diet that you could follow without feeling like you are on a diet - if that makes sense!!!
Emma

Just had a peak at the receipies on the 28 day plan and they look great, really easy to follow and flexible, so worth a try, the only thing that worries me is what happens after 28 days and is this sustainable? I did look at Matt Robert's plan and felt rather defeated, I know there is no way that I could follow that regime, for 28 days. I have been incorperating sit ups into my gym plan, but only a few twice a week and my tummy is already crying out for help, so God knows how he expects any normal person to follow the regime? Am I being too much of a wimp? What does everyone else think?

Don't worry Claire - exercise is a word that doesn't even feature in the vocabulary of some of us!

You're already doing what you can so why not set yourself a goal to follow the 28-day eating plan for the next 4 weeks? Lots of us have found it easier to have short-term goals that are achievable, rather than become depressed about the end result being so far away!

Have you joined Ab Fab yet? Lots of chat there to keep you out of the kitchen

hi all, i think the problem with diets is that if you are on one all you do is think about what you can and cant eat, when you can eat it, so you are constantly thinking about food and therefore getting hungry. thin people dont think about food, some of the guys i work with suddenly realise at 1pm they forgot to bring any lunch with them, have a Mars Bar and thats it till they get home. Eat what you like but portion size is the key, most of us eat far more than we need. Cut back on the sugars and fats a bit. Be too hard on yourself and its boring.

I just cannot understand how people can simply 'forget to eat'! As soon as I've had my breakfast I'm thinking about what to have for lunch or dinner. I think about food 24/7 but I'm managing to reprogram my brain to think healthy instead.

"I just cannot understand how people can simply 'forget to eat'! " Ditto ! I get up, I have breakfast - my children on the other hand often go without breakfast (yes, I have failed on that one !) and my son can come home from school having eaten nothing all day (yes, i am very bad parent !!!). There's not an inch of fat on him. Sigh !

Hi Jaki and Alison and Fiona You all sound perfectly normal to me!
Our instincts are to think, prepare and eat food - every day of our lives.
It's a wonder there are not hordes of ginormous people everywhere - well, I know there are some, but you know what I mean! No advice, just wishing you all a great week of healthy eating and a sustainable weight loss - all the best !