-Forget fad diets, in fact forget the whole idea of "dieting". Think of it as a permanent lifestyle change.
-Don't be overly hard on yourself or you'll get discouraged.
-Get into exercise gradually, even a short walk is better than sitting on the couch.
-Keep a food diary, writing down everything you put into your mouth helps a lot.
-Try to work up to making 75% of each meal be low-fat, low-calorie, high-fiber foods (fruits and veggies).
-Fresh foods instead of canned/processed foods.
-And once a month, eat something completely off your plan - a huge sundae or a big piece of cake, or something deep-fried, whatever your usual "bad food" is that you love. But ONLY once a month.
I agree with the above but I have a cheat food every Saturday...it gives you something to look forward to through the week. Once a month is way too long for me, lol.
The best advice I ever got was switching to Clean Eating. You can google it for all the details. There is a book you can read by Tosca Reno that is full of info and not very hard to follow. Basically, you eat a lean protein, healthy fat, and complex carb every 3 hours. Eat more to lose weight! Hard to believe, huh? Trust me, it works! I had a baby last July and started Eating Clean, again, in September. I have lost 25 pounds so far. Eating Clean is not a fad diet but a change in lifestyle. Quit buying all those prepackaged foods full of preservatives and stuff you can't pronounce. I think the rule of thumb is if it has more than 5 ingredients, don't buy it!
Find healthy alternatives for snacking...my favorite is raw almonds and air popped popcorn with cinnamon sprinkled on it!
You can do it! :)
I'm also starting on this journey. I'm 115 kg - don't know what that is in stone, but I'm big.
I have started running. I used to hate running or jogging because it is hard work, I feel like i can't breathe, I get red in the face, my boobs would bounce around too much and it brought back painful memories of primary school and coming last every year in the cross country run.
Someone recommended the Couch to 5k app, which involves running for a short time followed by walking, lasting 30mins in total. That app coupled with the my diet diary app has changed so much for me.
I'm up to my 4th week of changing my eating habits and starting exercise after years of being sedentary, and already I feel amazing. I can run for a full 30seconds at a time with the interval training of the app, and it feels incredible - I never thought I would love running being the size I am.
I run at quieter times of the day so I don't feel self conscious, and I wear two bras very tight on top of each other to control the bounce.
This is what is helping me! Why not also give it a go?