Always hungry

Are you getting enough protein in your meals?

Hi there nina
And enough fat and fibre?

If you are eating lots of starchy, sugary things that will boost your appetite.
I start the day with porridge and that seems to keep my appetite controlled for hours.

Nina Welcome to Gransnet.
Have you had your thyroid levels checked?
Putting on weight + feeling tired and lethargic are classic symptoms of thyroid deficiency.
It's nothing to worry about - a simple blood test will provide a diagnosis and the treatment is easy - just a thyroxine pill every day, if that turns out to be the problem.

Hello Nina (that was my Mums name

Well it does sound to me that you are simply bored!!

You have lived a busy life and now you find yourself routineless.

With the eating the eating thing, what happens is you eat too much then you feel lathergic then because you feel that way you think you should eat more and it becomes a visious circle.

You have worked hard all you life, its now time to enjoy yourself doing what YOU want to do.

Uou could have a long think about exactly what it is you want to do with all this lovely time you now have to live your life.

Volunteers are always needed and there is a volanteers info web site, my friend took a cake baking course and now she gets commissioned to make birthday cakes etc.

What is it they say, the world is your Oyster and if you, as mentioned have a little think and plan a few things for yourself I think you may feel better about things.

Get yourself checked out with a Dr....some of these symptoms could be a medical condition...e.g. thyroid. However, if you get the all clear it could be a bit of boredom induced depression. If then you need to raise your activities a bit, find something that gets you up and about and/or used your fingers so you dont nibble. I find patchwork/embroidery etc good. You have to keep hands clean .....so no nibbling.

From personal experience, I suspect hypothyroidism. But only a blood test can detect that and perhaps you should also have your blood sugar checked at the same time. Anyway, make an appointment with your GP and tell him/her what you have told us.

Thanks so much for all your answers. Ive had all the medical tests etc and everything came back as ok,nothing wrong.
I hate feeling so fat and sluggish inside. How many calories do you think i should be eating? I dont want to feel miserable while trying to lose weight,any help would be most welcome.
It seems the fatter i get ,the more depressed i feel...
Kind regards
Roseky i think your right about having no routine to my day Nina

Yes I would get thyroid levels checked and if all ok which I'm sure it will be rather than sitting around bored just take yourself out for a walk as long as you are wrapped up warm you will soon feel the benefit,you dont need biscuits and stuff with that cup of tea have some fruit as much as you like it will keep you topped up.Look in on Mondays when glass does the weigh in and get some fab idea's from her thread.

I think calorie counting is always counterproductive....you end up allways thinking about the next thing you can eat. In my case (always a bit too heavy and easily get into the boredom munching zone...feeling so empty but knowing I've had porridge so should be good for hours)....its all about getting up and going out for a walk then finding something that really takes my mind off things. Getting really involved with something takes my mind off the biscuits. Just gently increase the activity you do and funnily enough you get to a point where you dont eat more....gentle exercise does not really increase appetite.
Other tips.....have a glass of water always on the side.....being thirsty feels like hunger.
If you fancy a treat.....make it from scratch. I.E. you can have cake if you make it but give half to next-door.
Get on to Grans Net......keyboard tapping eats up hours and you cant nibble! Good Luck.

If all the tests were OK, why don't you go to a Weightwatchers or Slimming World group? You will meet lots of people in the same boat and, as the weight comes off, you will feel less sluggish and be able to take up some enjoyable exercise.

Nina About how many calories you should be having all depends on how much a person weighs. I weigh 11 st 5ilbs and am 5ft 2 and I found out from the internet that if I want to loose weight I should only be having 1600 calories, I do manage that most days but not always.

And so if you google...how many calories should I be having...something relevant should come up.

You will get over this period, its just settling into a new kind of life. My friend, even though she is retired now, still has her little routine for the day, I envy her sometimes because she is so good at sticking to it but I have never seen her down and I have known her for a while.

nina65, have you heard about the intermittent fasting diets which have become very popular because you can eat whatever you like some days and 500 calories on others? I do alternate days, but most people do the 5:2 version. Take a look at the other threads on the subject, you may be encouraged to give it a try. It is so much easier to eat less when you know you can eat well the next day.
This is the only diet that has worked for me, and I have become quite a bore on the subject, so apologies to all who are groaning!

I lost a couple of stones with Slimming World and have - more or less - kept it off. I think there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest that membership of any kind of slimming group has a motivating effect. Why not give one a try?

As one who has been retired for a few years now, and who lives alone, I would second all that others have said about the importance of routine. I make sure I have a balance of activities - some social, some to stimulate my brain and some a mixture, such as choir and book group. It does take a while to adjust when you have lived a very busy life but it can be done!

Well thanks all you ladies for your replies.You have given me so many good tips to follow, and now i know that i can come on here and ask for help is a big bonus.
So thanks again and watch this space!!!!!
Kind Regards
Nina

I agree with shysal that the 5:2 diet is by far the easiest way to go. It's really good to know that, if it's one of your "fasting days" today then tomorrow you can eat fairly normally. I have lost a stone in 6 months and it has been relatively easy.
Can't recommend it highly enough

Hello nina welcome to GN.

As some of the others have said getting into a routine and filling your day with activities that interest you and I think you will find you might not want to nibble so much, have a glass of water as sometimes we feel we need to eat when in fact we are dehydrated.

We have a thread which runs from a Monday where a few of us support each other in our quest to lose weight, we all follow different plans, Slimming World (which I follow) Weight Watchers, 5:2 just to mention a few, quite a few people use The My Fitness Pal where you can enter what you are eating they have found it o be very helpful. I will put a link to our weigh in thread for this week if you would like to join us, but there will be a new one starts on Monday, and also a link for My fitness pal.

Sometimes joining a club like Slimming World and Weight Watchers can help and it also means you are meeting people who are going through some of the same problems as yourself, they are very supportive groups.

www.gransnet.com/forums/dieting/1196336-Monday-11th-February-weigh-in?msgid=25003269
www.myfitnesspal.com