I'm not a fan of programs that dictate what you eat, especially as OH
and I eat together in the evenings, and I enjoy cooking, etc. I'm only
just getting back into the swing of things regarding weight loss
myself, and I'd ideally like to lose at least 1.5 stone, so not quite as
much as you.. but it's still a daunting task.
You say you're
afraid that you'll start making excuses, but I'm afraid you already
are! Saying you have zero time for exercise is in itself an excuse!
Surely you have time in the morning to take 10 minutes out to do squats,
lunges, press-ups, and crunches! Surely you can take the stairs at
work and in the tube stations. You could get off the couch while your
favourite tv program is on an do yoga and other home exercises in front
of the tv!
First- go to your GP and get yourself weighed, have your body fat and
lean mass measured, and have your waist, hips, legs, and arms properly
measured. Also get the go-ahead from the doctor for weight loss. This way you have a solid starting point to base your progress on.
Then, if you don't think you'd be able to devote enough time to make a gym membership worthwhile, I would invest in a couple different weights of dumbells, a yoga matt, balance ball, and maybe a medicine ball. You can find work out routines online to follow if you need guidance, and videos on youtube. Then for motivation you can watch those shows like the biggest loser and i used to be fat while you work out! You're going to need some cardio, so getting a couple home video cardio workouts is helpful. Zumba can be fun, or other dance-like ones. You need to make yourself sweat, make your legs and arms shake, and really push yourself to do more than you think is possible. That's the only way you'll see results!
As for eating- I suggest you start writing down everything you put into your mouth. You only really need to do this for a little while, but it's really important to understand how much you're actually eating. If you can, invest in a food scale. I had only used mine for weighing ingredients for baking, but I started weighing out portions so I could understand just how much 40g of shreddies looks in a bowl (not a lot!). Also- by writing things down you'll probably start to overcome that fear that you haven't eaten enough!
And finally, the best thing I've discovered: when you first get those hunger pangs in between meals DON'T snack, instead have a glass of water and wait 5 minutes. Then, if you're still hungry have a healthy snack. If you're dehydrated your body will start calling for anything it can get water out of, including food. So by drinking water (or sugar-free squash if you're like me), you get rid of hunger without eating. It's an easy way to drink those 8 cups of water a day, too.
These aren't difficult things to do. I've been doing them for 4 weeks now (I know, not very long), but I've lost 3 kg. You might not think that's a lot, but after 8 months of going to the gym with no results whatsoever, it's amazing to suddenly see a change.
Because I want to really ramp things up, I've shelled out about £250 for 8 personal training sessions at my gym. They're cheaper than most, and I want to learn the best techniques for working out. I've gone last week and this week and they are amazing- it's like being on one of those TV shows for that hour!
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