Diet, alternative snacks, general waffling :)

I would start by swapping crunchy nut cornflakes for either eggs and granary toast or porridge in the mornings. I find that most standard cereals fill me up for about an hour and i'm clock watching at my desk from about 9.30 until 12 when i can have my lunch!

My favourite breakfast at the moment is 1 slice of granary toast with a poached egg and half a tin of plum tomatoes. Keeps me full for ages and is about 300 calories!

I've never taken anything to stop me eating or suppress my appetite, the problem with weight loss and teaching yourself not to snack is that it isn't going to be easy. Even if you're eating the correct amount of calories, if you've had a lifetime of snacking, it's a long process to teach yourself to stop.
Personally, I still eat white bread, and I still have the odd snack - I just make sure that I CAN and that it's within my calorie allowance.
In terms of healthy snacks - fruits/celery sticks/carrot sticks etc and although nut bars and oat bars are high calorie, they can be good for you and are usually quite filling.
When you start exercising again, you'll be able to eat a little more, so it won't be as challenging
I'd also swap the breakfast cereal if it isn't filling you - maybe have some porridge? Toast? Scrambled eggs?

After a few days your body will adapt and you will learn the difference between REAL hunger and general cravings.....BE STRONG!!

For starters make sure you drink lots of water and Green Tea to make sure your body isn’t confusing thirst with hunger. I often down a pint of water before I have a meal LOL!

I also agree with previous post, you need a more substantial breakfast to keep hunger locked up longer.....Crunchy Nut is LOADED with sugar - try Corn Flakes with a Banana sliced in! So much more filling and plenty sweet enough. Don’t avoid fruit and nut when snacking, they aren't as bad as you may think and protein in nuts washed down with a cuppa tea keeps me going between meals most days! Best thing to do is separate healthy portions in advance of tucking in.

Congrats on the upcoming wedding - 1 stone in 2 months is achievable I think, but don’t forge to take some measurements too, as some changes wont always show on the scales, especially for anyone returning to exercise and building muscle!

Don’t get disheartened on the bad days...we all have those! Try to look at your results as a weekly thing, not daily and never completely avoid small treats you enjoy as it will only create cravings that make you binge!!

Good luck! :-)

There are a few threads on here with ideas for low calorie snacks - have a look and choose some things you like. Personally, I avoid sugary foods most of the time, because I worry that I'll just feel hungry later, so ideally I'd look for things with some protein/fat. Crunchy nut cornflakes are very sugary, so maybe you could try a different breakfast? Eggs are great, but I can't always be bothered to cook so will have things like toast and peanut butter (be careful how much your using - easy to spread too much on!), a little bit of greek yoghurt and muesli, etc.

I don't know if you've tried Graze boxes. They are expensive for what they are but can be handy if you like to snack. They are calorie counted, and packed into portions so it's easy to control how much you eat (unlike trying to ration a packet of nuts, for instance).

I've been converted to Laughing Cow cheese since being on MFP. I'm not a big fan of processed cheese normally, but it's portioned up and so low calorie (25 calories for light, or 20 calories for extra light) so is handy for a snack with a crispbread. I particularly like Ryvita bakes (25 calories each and yummy!) and Finn Crisp thin crispbreads (20 calories each). If you can control portion size then you could use soft cheese or thin slices of good cheese, or peanut butter, etc. That sort of food feels more substantial than apple to me, but only 40 - 50 calories.

I've found it useful NOT to have snacks most of the time, and I try not to eat between breakfast and lunch, or lunch and tea. It does mean I get hungry sometimes, but I've got used to getting hungry and because it's a set rule I find it easier to stick to. It means that snacks don't get out of control. If that doesn't work for you, I suppose you could have a calorie limit on your snacks (100, 200, whatever is going to fit in with your goal for the rest of the day).

It looks like you need a way to manage the weekends, which could either be eating less when you go out, or even eating a little less through the week and allowing extra at weekends. You'd need 300 calories less during the week to make up for 1500 at the weekend. Alcohol always makes me eat more, as well as having calories, so cutting it out for a couple of months might be an easy way to get the weight down more quickly.

Good luck!

High protein foods with some complex carbs mixed in will keep you fuller longer.

I usually have a protein shake for breakfast with banana & peanut butter, or peanut butter on brown toast, or both, and I have pretty much stopped snacking in the mornings and I don't feel hungry for about 4 hours.

One day last week I missed my breakfast and had eaten 2/3 of my daily calories in bad snacks by lunch.

Also, make healthier choices when eating out and cut down on the beer.

Sod the pills, you have to want to do it and then just do it.

I'd definitely try and stay away from the sugary breakfast cereals, I know that if I start the day with anything too sugary I end up starving half an hour later. Try having some eggs, ham and cheese, something high protein/fat, I find it really, really helps keep you satisfied until lunch. But I agree with some of the other comments, try and teach yourself what the difference between true hunger and just bored/tired/I'm on a diet and think I'm hungry, hunger. That is what saved me from overeating, is the stopping and thinking to yourself 'Am I really hungry? Like really?'

Cheers guys and thanks for putting up with my waffle

OK looks like ill have to pull my socks up and get on with it. Ill see how i go this week and let you all know. Going to be hard as im feeling a little light headed already and its only 2.5 hrs since breakfast!

I like the idea of saving cals for the weekend but im struggling to keep to the 1200 cals at the moment as it is. As you say i need to curb the drinking.

What are peoples thoughts on those protein shakes. Im thinking that that might be a good substitute for breakfast?

Unless you're like 3ft tall you should be eating alot more than 1200 calories.

Protein shakes are fine if you're looking to add more protein into your diet and don't have time for whole foods but I think you'd be better off just eating some eggs on toast or something of that nature.

change your weight loss goal from 2lbs to 1lb. you will get a higher calorie goal, so you will be able to eat more and wont be lightheaded....

I would agree, but that would mean that he could only expect to lose 8lb in 8 weeks. He's trying to lose 14 lb in that time.