Thanks Kammi, that does seem to make a lot of sense I'm realising that I need to plan my meals etc in advance so I don't fall prey to the fast food places I need to walk past tomorrow! Will see how I get on

One thing I am noticing is that I now don't seem to be eating enough... I am down at just under 900 calories today... havn't been hungry once! But know that I shouldn't be under 1200...

Well I am a bit new to this but I have just been told by my Mum that you shouldnt go under your allowance and that if you do you should look at adding in lean protein such as extra chicken breast with your tea/dinner etc that way you burn fat not lean muscle tissue and keep the metabolism up apparently.

I'm just off to fill mine in now.

Yeah

My issue is I only notice after I have put tea in that I am way under..... so then I never know what to have in the evening!

well I have just learned that a muller rice has about 20% fat

I have read Paul McKenna, I can make you thin.
It is full of common sense, basically when you're full put down the fork!
My problems were realising when I was full as I have grown up (and continued making and eating) big portions.
The second was that I was taught to eat everything on my plate and find this a hard thing to break!
I tend to make less food than I think I need and then have a (mostly healthy) pudding if I'm still hungry.

The thing that makes the most difference to my weight is exercise! I have done a hour of jumping about in my living room to a davina dvd this morning.

I had lost about 2 and a half stone about two years ago but getting with my OH has made me feel comfy and I've put on half a stone in the last 10 months
I am hoping to lose between 7-14lbs and smooth out my tummy and thighs.

Good luck to everyone else that wants to lose weight/tone up.

I plan my meals in the morning otherwise I either find myself way under or way over. People on MFP recommend nuts to up your calories if you're too low and not hungry. They're high in calories and contain good fats apparently. Only way I can eat nuts is in chocolate though

I agree with Brierley, it is what you get used to. We had Burger King last week and I didn't enjoy it at all yet I've loved it for years. Same with pizza, just don't enjoy it as much now. Yet things like my stir fry or a chicken breast with potatoes/pasta and veg I really do enjoy. I've even found myself preferring to drink water the majority of the time I HATED water a few months ago. It's done wonders for my skin though!

If I'm not mistaken they have ridiculous amounts of sugar too, shame coz I really like some of them.

well done Tegs, you have still lost a good bit and are aware of your weight etc, one of the things I think I may find hard is keeping it off once I get there too, so hopefully I can plan in a way that isnt going to be something I cant maintain in future (food wise). I'm hoping my skin will improve through better diet as my diet is probably the worst it has ever been and so is my skin.
almost 25g in one pot of the apple flavour



I went to the health shop today since I was in town and I haven't really managed to come up with a practical plan yet, so I bought stuff that I think will basically be something I can stick to, until I can sit down and plan out my shopping and get it all.

I got protein bars as a snack (cos I think they will be better for me than my usual chocolate/sweety fix on the way to work) They have more protein, less carbs, less calories and less fat, but they are a bit more filling.
I realise they may not be a long term thing but right now its practical until I can plan out properly.
I also had diet drinks instead of the usual ones and bought a natural low calorie sweetner instead of sugar.

I know it would be better to drink water but not sure I'm ready for that yet

Planning does get easier as you get into the swing of things and learn what sort of calories are in things. I know my Sunday roast comes to around 900 calories (I could lower it but I enjoy it so much I kinda eat too much ) so I know to eat something low calorie for brunch or do some extra exercise.

My staples seem to be chicken, potatoes, rice, veggies and eggs. There's so much you can do with chicken to make it taste different so it's not so boring. Wrap a chicken breast around a piece of feta cheese or a banana. Stick a pineapple ring on top, cover it with a serving of cheese and stick it back in the oven for a few minutes to melt it. Throw it in a stir fry. Same with eggs. I'm probably going to look like a freaking hen soon though

A good website for low cal meals is apparently http://www.skinnytaste.com/ (if it doesn't work google skinny taste). There's also http://www.angelfire.com/journal/wwrecipes/ although I'm not sure whether that's still being updated.