A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I know this is not a diet and exercise forum but I'm hoping some of you may have gone through this before and can offer some advice. I have put on about 15lbs in the last year. Ever since I was a child, I could eat whatever I wanted and I always stayed 130lbs (I'm 5ft 8), so for that reason I have a huge appetite. I am now 27 though and my metabolism must have changed (I've had thyroid checks etc and everything came back fine) but I'm really struggling to stick to a diet and exercise plan. I have tried to cut down on snacks, but my stomach ends up rumbling loudly in work which is extremely embarassing. I also start feeling a bit shaky if I don't eat regularly so I've started snacking on fruit instead of junk but it doesn't seem to be making any difference to my weight (I've been doing this for 4 weeks). I also tried a lower carb diet where you can eat as much as you like until you are full but I found it too restrictive to do long term. I am also struggling to stick to an exercise plan as I feel so tired when I get home and have been eating much less.I basically want to find something that will work as a lifestyle instead of something faddy that is hard to sustain. Has anyone got any tips on what I should eat and how I can go about reducing my appetite and breaking some of these bad habits I've had for most of my life? I feel like the more I try to stick to this the more difficult I find it, which leaves me disheartened and ready to give up. Oh and I know I'm not overweight just now, but since I've put on so much so quickly I want to nip this in the bud before it does become a problem. Thanks!
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female
reader, franny1297 +, writes (2 April 2014):
 Well done!! keep it up!
A
female
reader, oldbag +, writes (23 February 2013):
 Hi
If your too tired for exercise after work then go before,get up earlier, go for a run,swim,the gym or cycle,then have breakfast. I eat (don't laugh) porridge with banana on, to fill me up and don't feel the need to snack till lunchtime.I think fruit and cereal is good for bulk but not fattening.It works for me.
Now better weather is on the way it will be easier to be outdoors,walk or cycle instead of drive.
I never eat late at night or snack while watching TV,I have soup for lunch,I make my own take it in a flask, mainly cos its hot and filling.My job is active too,its not sat at a desk.Others I know go for lunchtime exercise classes such as Zumba for 30mins.Its just getting into a routine and finding something YOU enjoy.
Keep fruit at work and home.
Are you on the Pill or injection,that can cause weight gain?
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A
female
reader, So_Very_Confused  +, writes (23 February 2013):
 you don't need fruit for snacks... you need protein
a cheese stick
a hard boiled egg
some hummus and VEGGIES
best advice
1. start your day with a glass of water if you can tolerate it.. (I can't but I wish I could)
2. find an exercise you love... for me it's yoga and before my back was bad it was running... I was learning to do 5ks... I still swear by yoga... but not for cardio so you have to find a cardio that you like.... biking, walking, running, dancing... any of those are good...
3. if you find yourself hungry... well that's a problem. I had to have gastric bypass to help with that.... but my advice...
start the day with some solid protein...
oatmeal made with milk... add some berries and nuts...
eggs are good too... and hard boiled eggs keep for about a week and are a great fast snack just boil eggs every sunday night for the week...
have a light protein rich snack mid-morning and afternoon.
(greek yogurt is good)
lunch.. my favorite meal... I go for salads with protein... chicken or fish is my fav.... low fat dressing (I love salsa mixed with low fat yogurt for a salad dressing) if you want crunch... go for sunflower seeds (watch the amount) or bacon bits... or my fav wasabi peas... but just a bit.... those crunchies can add up...
afternoons are tough... a banana with peanut butter is a nice filling snack and preps you for your afternoon workout...
dinner... I'm at a loss here... chicken is a fav of mine..
grains such as quiona are preferred over rice... sweet potato vs white potato.
make your fats good fats, nuts, avocados, olive oil....
dairy should be low fat... no fat stuff is nasty and not satisfying...
calories for an active young woman... you probably can easily handle 2000 a day based on what you are saying
if you have gone too low your body shuts down...
plan a light fun bedtime snack... low fat popcorn in the evenings... something you eat one bite at a time.
hot drinks stem hunger pangs for me.... miso soup is a good one... you can find instant miso soup... that's my fav or a
I avoid sugar but do allow myself a square or two of chocolate every day (dark chocolate is much better for you than milk chocolate)
long term goal... make it really small... maybe 2 pounds a month.
only weigh once a week if you can bear it. go more by how your clothes fit....
i'm being random here but just throwing some ideas out there..
oh and I love veggies for the munchies...
celery with salsa or hummus or if i'm really hungry a bit of peanut butter
carrots baby carrots with salsa are good... or a low fat creamy dip...
and finding a hobby that keeps your hands busy helps if you like to snack like I do.
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A
female
reader, franny1297 +, writes (23 February 2013):
Please, don't go starving yourself as a last resort to lose weight, here are some simple but easy tricks to do to lose weight (you must Must MUST be patient though):1) try to avoid snacks, if you really feel peckish, have an acidic fruit eg: oranges, grapefruit etc if you don't like that, maybe even an apple or peach (never eat banana, it's very high in carb and makes you gain weight). Only have carbs in only one of the 3 meals2)when you feel hungry between meals, drink as much water as you can (6-8 cups a day), because sometimes we are not actually hungry and we mistaken hunger for thirst, after drinking water wait about 10min and see if your still hungry. If so (go to step 1).3)6 very small meals is better than 3 big ones.4)drink plenty of water thoughout the day and remember your 5 a day.5)what you have in the morning kicks off your metabolism for the day, a list of things for a good breakfast is:.porriage/toast with butter and water/milk (no juice, conatins to much sugar)lunch: salad/chicken (not fried)/nuts/fruit. dinner: homemade veggi soup with lots of water. Good things to put in the veggi soup are: leeks, tomato, lentils, carrots, onions with one slice of toasted bread Tip: one handful is one serving.6)Avoid all sugary, sweets, chocolate, cakes, cookies, biuscuits, crisps. If your tempted, just tell yourself "NO" "Do i need this?" remember thought that you shouldn't cut sugary things out your life forever, maybe at the end of the week have only one cookie or small slice of cake if you really want to, if you don't want it then you don't have to. You can eat sugary foods on special occassions, but learn to control yourself.5)don't eat to be full, eat to have more energy. when eating take your time, be as SLOW as you want, when i mean eat slow, im mean slow!!! because we usally eat fast and don't know when we are full. When your full STOP eating, you'll realise you don't really need to eat as much as you think. Also while your eating, drink as much water as you can because it fills you up quicker.6)Eat little carbs (no carb diet NEVER works)7) beleive in yourself, don't stop and never quit. Having faith in youself and having the itension to lose weight actually helps you lose weight. It really does!8)Hit the gym! listen to music while excersizing! cardio dancing is very good for loosing weight. There's lots of videos on youtube that show you how to dance and excersize at the same time at home. It's fit, it's fun. Don't do crunches or sit ups or any abdominal excersizes because although it may build up your abs, it won't burn your fat but building up the muscules under the layer of fat!! sorry but only cardio excersizes such as:-Running-Jogging-Walking-Swimming-Dancing-Rope jumping-Jumping on trampoline-Treadmill walking/jogging/running-Kick boxing-Horse riding-Biking/cycling-Aerobic dance workout-All sports and games These exercises work on your heart muscle by revving up the heart rate, hence keeping your heart and lungs strong and healthy which in turn helps lowering your risk of heart diseases and strokes (meaning your heart pumps blood efficiently and your lungs takes in larger capacity of oxygen). Mke sure you sweat, and when excersizing bring a litre of water with you to stay perfectly hydrated.-hikes up your metabolism to higher levels, making you that much easier to burn off the excess fat from your entire body, to slim you down. Excersize at least 1 hour everyday.9) Have a big breakfast, medium lunch and small dinner. No eating after 7pm.10)You might think that fatty food is what makes you fat, your right! but natural fats the body needs are in nuts and seeds ----- ONLY eat this as fatty foods. Acess Sugar is a real damage to your weight and health and makes you gain weight. No soft drinks, juices and little acohol. ps: one rich tea buiscuit everyday for a year gains you 4lbs in one year. One packet of crisps everyday for a year gains you 4KG in a year ----- can you believe that, even the little things count. 11) Good luck, please be patiant and this will work incredibly. All the best, Franny xxx
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (23 February 2013): I've lost about 15 lbs and kept it off for the past year. I'm not overweight, but being lighter is useful to me for the sport I play. The most "reasonable" diet change I've found (for me) is making a concerted effort to eat more lean protein and less carbs. I love bread, but I've pretty much given it up and weirdly enough I don't miss it nearly as much as expected. I also don't keep sweets in the house, so if I'm craving a snack I can't mess up and binge on something totally unhealthy. I've never been a soda drinker, but if you are, giving that up is a great way to cut "empty" calories as well. Good luck!!
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