Or get an iPhone and download the shopping list app

I'm not but my wife is. Back to the gym tonight.

1. Which handbag?
2. My mum only started using a phone in the last few years to give you an idea - I still have to top it up for her...

Bar the TV and Freeview, she's almost a complete technophobe

Just got in from work and I'm feeling very hungry, normally I would pig out on a couple of bags of crisps so this time of day is a big test for me..... Need to buy some fruit to eat instead

I've decided to try mixing vegan diets with my normal diet.
Normally I eat quite stogy food (spag bol, curry, soups, etc). I am going to try to cut out meat and fish (though will try to afford it once every week or two).

The purpose of this is less for lessening the gut, and more that keeping to a vegan diet seems to be cheaper.

I need to lose a few pounds. The only diet I ever did that worked was to cut out bread; I have a real weakness for snacking on toast. On a bad day, I can get through half a loaf.

I'm also going to cut down on the dairy this time, although I'm going to finish the 5 types of cheese and yoghurt in the fridge first.

Bread and cheese is such a darned convenient food though, which is what makes it hard, but then making it less convenient to eat is probably part of why it worked before. I foresee much rolling of sushi...

Nope.

No diet, although I am getting plenty of cardio-vascular exercise at the moment.

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! Thought I'd update on my progress to try to encourage peeps

A few weeks ago it suddenly dawned on me that I'm getting married in July, which means that in a few months my gf is going to see me naked. Having never succeeded in breaking my addiction to over-eating, crap foods and sugary things, this thought concentrated my mind wonderfully. Actually it scared the bejesus out of me.

So, for the first time my life, I'm having to learn restraint around food. It hurts.

No, really - it physically hurts. It seems that over the years my body has become accustomed to the [LIFTED] that I've been fueling it with and to the quantity of food I eat. I've eaten like a garbage disposal since ever I can remember. Every time I would get even remotely hungry I would stuff my face with foods and drinks that I either didn't like or couldn't digest properly - Coke, pizza, fish & chips, chocolate etc..

The consequence? I have ankles and knees that hurt all day, every day. I have a collection of clothes that has steadily increased in size over the years. I have a spare tyre around my organs that must be causing damage by now. I have serious self-esteem issues that I would compensate for by eating yet more [LIFTED] that made me feel worse. I get cravings for things I can't possibly need such as trifle or lemon meringue.

As they say, the first step is admitting you've got a problem. I'm pathologically addicted to food. And enough is definitely enough.

So I've changed what I eat. I've cut out sugars and drastically reduced the carbs I eat. I eat mainly vegetables with the odd bit of meat now and again and I snack on nuts. But mainly, I just eat less. A lot less. My calorific intake has reduced from around 4500 calories per day (not a typo ) to between 2000-2500 a day depending on what I'm doing.

The result?

I'm in pain. I'm having the same withdrawal symptoms I had with cigarettes but way, way worse. Every joint in my body hurts, my eyes hurt, my earlobes hurt, my skin hurts, my hair hurts, my teeth hurt. I'm having trouble thinking straight; I'm depressed, angry and horny all at the same time. My emotions are all out of whack. My dreams are weird - as in weird. I hate everyone. I can't sleep and I don't want to be awake.

Proper cold-turkey kind-of proves I need to do this doesn't it?

The pay-off? I've lost 5lbs in 2 weeks, I look physically smaller, my energy levels are waaaaaaay up and my (ahem) libido is through the roof.

So I'm not giving up anything - I'm going to beat this thing if I have to kill to do it. I've been through this process enough times with ciggies, marijuana and drink to know how it goes. I just wasn't prepared for the how savage this one feels.

So I'll see you on the other side - and please be gracious if I'm a bit short-tempered.

Wow dude, you have your work cut out there but you also have a goal to get you to where you want to be, Your wedding and the fact that you want to be in the best shape possible for your GF is huge driving force.

Good luck and don’t forget we are all here for help, encouragement and maybe the odd piss take.

My diet isn’t going to bad but I need to exercise, I’ve ordered a load of biking gear online so when it turns up I have no excuse not to cycle to and from work and hopefully a bit in between

Good Luck rustybucket, hope you get there.

No change in my diet, I tend to eat (quite a lot) twice a day but need to get back into jogging - not the impressive-looking exercise but the wheezing shuffle that sort-of ups my aerobic fitness a teeny bit...

Remember that she loves you. You want to look your best for her, but she loves you how you are. Don't doubt her love. You're doing this to be your best for her, and that's admirable, but never lose sight of the fact she fell in love with you with all your flaws.

My diet I mentioned earlier was motivated primarily by looking at myself and thinking "I wouldn't want to do that, so why would the girl I want?"

It was painful. I coped by saying "you know it's working if it's hurting" and thinking of the results. It worked, and I got the girl. To be honest, I think she'd have had me anyway - but I felt a lot better in myself so it was worth it.

I also sorted out my teeth for the same girl. Ouch - I really hate dentists, but again it was worth it. Heck, I even shaved and had a hair cut

Unfortunately for me, it all went a bit wrong and I now need to do it all again... and with my 40th birthday looming and no girl on the horizon, I'm feeling slightly unmotivated.

However - You have a wonderful girl and the most important day of your entire life to motivate you! You know it's worth it and you know you can do it! Compare the frustration you have from dieting to the frustration you'd feel from letting yourself down, and channel that pain and anger into focused determination!

I've been thinking about getting a punch bag. Sometimes it feels really good just to hit something, and most things don't really benefit from being hit so a big bag of sand might be a good idea.

Just don't forget; you're doing this to feel better in yourself. She won't stop loving you if you don't meet your arbitrary personal targets.

And besides; that's why "mood lighting" is practically dark

She fell in love with you, when you were a fat hideous lump, so don't worry too much about doing it for her.

At the end of the day, you have to feel comfortable with yourself.

My "ideal" weight is under 90Kg! I reckon, if I try hard, I can keep it between 100 and 110Kg. At the worst point, I was over 143Kg. I managed to lose around 28Kg over a 1 year period (end of 2007 to end of 2008). I've put about 8Kg back on (been hovering around the 123Kg mark for a year), but since the house move, I've been eating irregularly and nothing "healthy", because I've been living without a kitchen, so no way to warm things up or cook fresh food for myself. But, combined with all the phyiscal work I've been doing on the house, I think my weight is probably down a bit - certainly I puit on a shirt this week that has always been a bit on the tight side and it fit...

I don't have a working scales here, so I haven't weighed myself since before Christmas. I'll be going to my girlfriend's tonight, probably, so I'll see then what I currently weigh.

Keep up the good work you guy, but do it, so that you are comfortable with yourself, don't do it just for other people.

Me?.......... Diet?................ Don't be so [LIFTED] stupid!

Now that is good keep it up ,if you need help we is here.