Hi jo1863, have had the exact same problem except I had a extra 10 stone
Gone from diet to diet and not found much that does the all important job of being a permanent change I can live with. The old saying that all diets work for someone somewhere is true but sadly not been me.
I am currently doing the FAB diet by Rosemary Conley, day 6
. It aims to re educate what a normal portion, a balanced meal and a days worth of food is. Its certainly changed my perspective on meals and has got me doing some basic cooking again. Have found I appreciate calories more and can easily knock up low fat/low cal alternatives. Plus its quite cheap if you plan properly. Again there was the problem it is hard to follow in the real world as its been number crunched rather than looking at real food for sale in the shops. Still its gives good guidelines and many options for meals with recipes.
Basically pick an option from the listed meals and snacks for the time of day. With the portion guides I have changed how I shop dramatically. My 500ml morning orange juice would have been 1 portion now its 4 small glasses worth. As it lasts 5 days from opening job done
I tend to shop every 4 days now.
Today for example :
Breakfast : bowl of Special K with skimmed milk and small glass of orange juice.
snack : apple.
Dinner : wholemeal barmcake made into open sandwiches. Low fat cheese, pickle, spring onion and salad leaves.
snack : Riveta with low fat cream cheese topped with sliced tomatoes and lots of black pepper.
Tea : Little Fellas Chicken Pizza. ( the mythical < 350 cals <5% fat one mentioned in the book like its widely available is sadly absent but at 328 cals and 8% fat this is damn close ) with side salad and oil free dressing. Muller light low fat desert < 100 cals.
many cuppas and lots of water
Total cals just over 1200. Get to add a couple hundred more cals after day 14 and more higher fat foods. Then after day 28 go too 1800/day. Now if I could only get the exercise thing sorted