Hi girls. Im 42, 5 ft 9 and weight 18 stone. I just cant stick to anything since being in my 40's.

What plans have you tried and followed? I do not follow a diet I try to eat better but I am always interested in slimming world posts and recipes.


Belle xx

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

Its hard to lose weight (we have all been there ) but the most important thing is to pick a diet and give it your all. Most diets bring at least slight success if stuck to and followed all the way (and even if they don't, it helps build discipline which makes it easier when you go onto the next diet). Its hard but you can do it.

Hi Jo,

Some people don't adapt to well to a 'diet' mentally. What about making better food choices without counting points, syns and calories?

Ideas:
More water (this reallyyyy helps)
Swap chocolate for high cocoa chocolate and moderate
Swap sweets for sweet berries
Avoid long life foods
Avoid processed foods
Eat whole rice, pastas and bread but moderate
Eat more greens
Drink mint green tea
Swap spreads for real butter
Use frylight or nut oils for cooking (lightly)
Eat lean meats

I'm with Wobbles... If you can't stick to a 'diet' as such, make some healthier choices with regards to meals- swooning oil for fry light, cutting all visible fats from meats (and buying mine etc with less than 5% fat), put more veg on your plate with meals rather than pasta/rice/potato even cooking everything from scratch would help, using sauces from jars are full of oils and sugars that you wouldn't get if you made things yourself (and they're tastier made from scratch in my opinion )
Little things can start to help, even something as simple as having breakfast of you didn't before hand, some fruit and yoghurt if cereal isn't your thing