I would also recommend three diets (though I think the second one I hate since there are consequences to it): low carb, atkins, or paleo.   A friend of mine has lots of padding to put it nicely.  She's been doing the low carb and I notice a great improvement.  She said she's lost 30 lbs since October.  She's been cutting back on grain and bread as best she could, which it can be pretty cheap and I think grains do spike your insulin levels like sugar and causes anxiety anyways, so it would be good to cut back.   Atkins is kinda like eating lots of meat, but it can hurt your liver.  Paleo is good, but it's very restrictive on grains and beans.  So, pick your poison.  Oh, while I'm thinking about it, I believe Walmart is selling that diet plan you would find on TV that lasts you a long time in the freezer aisle.  It is $40-$50 in my area, but it's like frozen foods you heat up in the microwave.

I've benefited ALOT from doing yoga.  If you need to socialize I know in some areas, there are free yoga classes you can go to to exercise  or you can youtube it and follow along.  You can also download free exercise apps on your phone and do it like that.  I'm a tad bit flabby and so I'm doing a 30 day ab crutch challenge.  Very good.

Not eating breakfast is part of why you are gaining weight.

If you eat a decent breakfast it speeds up your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Oh... also: don't eat aspartame. That slows down your metabolism.

Other tips: spicy foods. Lots and lots of spicy foods.

At the same time, make certain that your body is balanced based on what your body needs. Yes... nutrition guides are okayish (they tend to be financed by people who pay money to skew the results in some areas)--but that knowledge is not definite. Like, did you know there was once a "butter" food group. No shit, seriously, butter use to be its own damned food group with people expected to eat it regularly. So the current information--while better--cannot be understood as perfect. You will have to deviate from it in a few areas.

And remember: your body is a fucking liar. It lies to you all the fucking time. Stop trusting your body to be honest about its need. Anybody who has gotten over an addiction knows this... or made any major change to their life style for the better.

-=-

On the other hand... there is a piece of writing I posted on my Fetlife I got about how to handle chubby partners. I'll summarize it here, as well, people need a fetlife account to view it otherwise.

Essentially when I get with a girl who is bigger than me (which happens fairly often) I gather what her weight is... and then carry around weights whenever I hang out with her, so that my weight is effectively the same as hers. Like in a belly bag, on my ankles, wrists, shoulders, in my clothing and in my bag.

In this case, should I be going out with you, I'd be carrying around 120lbs in anklets, wristbands and what not.

The idea is that it gives me a heighten level of empathy... as people kind of forget that larger people are carrying around a LOT more weight than people who are smaller. The notion that a three hundred pound person can move like somebody who is one hundred pounds (and even expecting it)... is fucking retarded.

(yes... I tend to have three partners... the weight I would be carrying would be whoever I am hanging out with. If I have more than one in the same area... then the heaviest one.)

I think one of the most important things you can do to help yourself is to change your mindset. You're not going on a diet, or starting an exercise regimen. You're making a lifestyle change. I cannot emphasize this enough. Making this change means you're going to have to kick some old habits permanently, and create permanent, healthier, new habits to take their place. And no backsies, either; once you make the changes, you've got to stick with them.

The swimming, dog walking, and snack swapping things you've listed so far are all fantastic habits to create. The breakfast thing is... probably not so good. You don't have to eat "breakfast foods" for breakfast, if you don't want, and it doesn't have to be a huge meal either. I'm not a big breakfast eater myself, but I'll usually at least have either a small bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit, or a little bit of cottage cheese in the morning. And then I don't eat again until lunch a couple hours later, and that seems to work pretty well for me.

As far as your diet is concerned, since it sounds like you have a really hard time switching up your entire diet all in one go, I'd suggest phasing in healthier foods as you phase out the less healthy ones. For example: I don't know how often you eat green salads, but I'll just arbitrarily assume you eat about one a week. Start out by eating a small green salad, fixed up however you like, every other day with dinner. And on the days you don't have salad, don't allow yourself to have an energy drink. Once you've gotten used to that and that isn't a struggle, go to eating a salad every day with dinner, and allow yourself maybe two energy drinks tops per week, whenever you like as long as you don't have more than two in any given week. Try introducing healthier foods one step at a time like that, as you phase out less healthy foods in gradual steps. The unhealthy stuff doesn't have to go away completely, though.

Unless you get to a point where you honestly don't enjoy it anymore, and you feel like it's no big loss to you to remove the sweets, junk foods, and soda stuff from your diet... don't cut it out entirely. Allow yourself to indulge a little every now and then without considering it "cheating". The keys here are indulging a little and every now and then. A small scoop of ice cream every Friday evening as a congratulations for making it through another week? Ok, fine. But an ice cream sundae twice a week, two sodas and an energy drink every other day, and snacking on chips all day long between meals? Definitely not. The trick with a healthy diet isn't necessarily complete avoidance of certain foods; it's to consume everything in moderation.

And if you do screw up (honestly, it's a given; you will have days when you eat super-unhealthy, and/or fail to exercise as much as you should), that's ok. Just admit it to yourself, nix the unhealthy stuff for the rest of the day, and allow yourself to start fresh again the next morning, no guilt or shame. Don't let this whole good thing you've got going slide just because you're human and make mistakes.

Ultimately, if you look at this whole process as just another diet to help you lose weight, you'll always struggle with keeping the weight off, even if you manage to lose a good amount of it at first. This has got to be a permanent change in your diet, your exercise routine, that's going to last you the rest of your life, if you really want your efforts to not go to waste. Of course the details of what you do will change over the course of your life as your needs change, but you have to go in with the mindset that this is something you're changing for good if you want it to actually work. You'll also have to be patient; healthy weight loss takes time. As long as you're making steady progress towards your target, you're on the right track.

And, one final note: make sure you stay in touch with your doctor about your health goals, and also how you're trying to achieve them. Your doctor ought to be able to give you tips about the specific kinds of positive changes you can make in your life that will have the biggest impact on your health. Good luck!

YOU NEED TO RUN!!! It's pretty simple, shift the sorta food you eat like eat more vegetables and fruits and drink a lot of water and just keep running making it a regular routine, you can do other exercise forms but running burns up fat and lets you lose weight pretty fast (this is coming from a guy who happens to be a gym rat for the past 6 years)!! Have fun!!

Actually, eating breakfast can help you lose weight because the lack of food first thing makes your body go into fat storing mode. And popcorn is pretty healthy as long as there's no butter or salt on it, and if you do need something on it, try olive oil and salt instead of butter or cheese or whatever. Also, try tea instead of energy drinks. It can have caffeine and it's healthier.

I've heard of something, called "caveman diet" where you only eat the delicious foods that come naturally, that may be good.
Also, hydration is important, as is eating regularly.  Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it like clockwork.  If you feel like you'd want snacks at some point, then set a time frame (like 13:00-14:00) that is okay for a LIGHT snack.
Filling foods are better, I think.
Also, there are medical thing...  like a ring around stomach that is surgically put in that makes you puke if you eat too much.  Insurance may not cover and could be too expensive, but it could work.

Of course, hot yoga is always an option.

My fiance and I are very much into the fitness world. Our knowledge on the subject is vast and we are pushing ourselves to learn more each day. 
My soon to be husband is working on becoming a personal trainer of sorts.

First off, don't give into the stupid trend diets and the whole "carbs are evil".
Also, don't get into the trend work outs like cross fit and don't listen to "Bro-science".

First thing I would recommend is drink more water. You are probably dehydrated. When you are used to being dehydrated for so long, your brain can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger pains. Both pains are very similar. 

When ever you start getting food cravings, drink a glass of water and wait for a bit and see how you feel afterward. 
With food, its actually pretty simple. Its all about balance. Make sure you get a serving of green veggies with every meal. Not only do they have nutrients that your body needs, but they also aid in digestion. Its good for your guts.

Another thing, there is a such thing as healthy fats. I cringe when I hear people eating "low fat" foods. You are basically starving yourself. 
If you are curious to know what healthy fats are and what kind of foods your body will love, feel free to note me.  I feel like Tim and I could really help you  you don't have to suffer to get into shape. Eating shouldn't be stressful. Don't worry, we are kind people and non judgmental. 

You should be eating breakfast because it gives you energy that'll help break down the calories.
Lots of water can also help speed up the process. 
Try doing 30-40 minutes of exercise a day. I think you're on the right track so far.
You won't notice significant weight loss at first but don't fear, keeping up these routines will help in the long run. Just don't get discouraged and remember to eat healthy.

For as far as I know, breakfast is the most important break of the day. Never ever skip breakfast. The bigger your breakfast is, the more energy you can burn before consuming something unhealthy again. Also when eating royally at supper (something we all tend to do except in the UK) you don't burn all those calories in your sleep.

That's the only useful advice I can give.

I'll admit I have no experience with this and don't know much, but for your snacking issue maybe throw out all the snack foods in your house? My parents do that when they try to lose weight, and my mom does something called a Military Diet every 2 weeks or so

Experiment with food. Branch out. Explore. Discover new healthy recipes to incorporate into your routine. Look into superfoods (foods with a lopsided nutrition-to-calorie ratio like many fruits loaded with vitamins or egg whites and protein). Discover a new staple food - for me I always revert to egg white omelets and black been burgers when I'm trying to get in shape quickly. Love 'em.

Secondly - remember that balance is key. Eat too much protein and you'll fuck your kidneys up. Eat too much fat and you'll clog your arteries. Eat too many carbs and you'll go diabetic. You need all three. Just in the appropriate quantities. Eating fat isn't going to make you fat - the whole origin point of that myth lies in the maths of nutrition - a gram of fat contains 9 calories compared to 4 calories found in a gram of carbs or protein. You just can't eat AS MUCH fat as the other two. Carbs are equally important - yes, people have success on low carb diets but these diets aren't zero carb. French trappers who came to America during colonial times were eating rabbit and game and stuffing themselves daily but still managed to die of malnutrition due to low vegetable intake. Those carbs are necessary for the vitamins in them - if you're going to shy away from carbs you need to up your vitamin supplementation at the very least.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that it all boils down to maths. You lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume. It's simple arithmetic for most people (though glandular/hormonal complications can make it algebraic for others). Calorie counting is tedious and some people can become obsessive and consumed by it, but it's worth doing if something isn't adding up. There are plenty of sites out there that do the hard work for you - I've always used www.fitday.com for my self (they have a wealth of features from pie charts and graphs down to a journal/diary that you can use to review to see if certain foods might be to blame for mood swings/headaches/etc.).

The hardest part in all of this is the motivation but none of us can give you that motivation because you already have it. It's up to you to find where you've hidden it, though. Good luck.

Number one thing is watch what you eat and to cut back on sugar, as many people have said. This means EVERY kind of sugar.
What we eat is usually what causes us to lose or gain weight, not exercise. If you exercise but eat really poorly, you'll find it very hard to lose weight.

The other thing is not to think of "dieting" exactly, but rather simply eating healthy. That means a balanced diet with fruit (not too much because of sugar), vegetables and meat. Carbs are also important for energy before and after exercise but don't eat too much of it.
Also skipping breakfast is bad because for some people it'll slow down the metabolism, which may lead to weight gain. The ideal aim is for breakfast to be the biggest meal of the day and to shrink the meal size towards the end of the day.
Eating late at night is really bad for you too.
Avoid processed food (anything pre packaged, like cereal, biscuits, chips, soda, etc.) as much as you can.

And never try starving yourself! Eat when you are hungry but try to eat slowly. Your brain will have more time to register how much food it's taking in, so you don't over eat. This is hard but it pays off.

Another thing with eating, is trying not to eat for the sake of eating. It's hard but worth it. If you feel hungry in between meals, curb it off with a healthy snack. 

I've read many things about sugar and how there's something in it that blocks or delays the messages to the brain about how full you're feeling. Thus causing people to eat more than they need to.
If you need to drink something, go with water.

Avoid "low fat" and diet shakes, or anything with diet, lite/light, fat free in the name. It won't be good for the body. They may be fat free, but they are often filled with sugar so they don't taste like crap. Sugar free isn't really healthy either. Especially soft drinks!
Don't turn to artificially sweetened products either. They can cause cancer and other health problems over time.

With exercising, don't over do it! The more you exercise, the hungrier you can get. I used to play hockey 5 times a week and I honestly ate like a horse because I used so much energy.
They say at least an hour a day of moderate to intense physical activity is best.
It sounds like you do a fairly good amount of exercise though

I went on a chocolate binge for a month due to some issues and I gained some weight. I couldn't exercise because of an injury, so I just ate very naturally; meat, vegetables, pasta, and drank only water for a  month, and the weight came back off.
Now and then it's ok to treat yourself but make sure it's not often and not too much. Like say, on a Friday, allow yourself to have something sweet like chocolate, or something. It may give you something to look forward to and so you don't go cold turkey from sugar. Sugar is addictive!

Don't forget to stay positive with this! It's not easy after all. Don't be disappointed if you don't lose lots of weight super fast. For some it's a quicker process, for others it takes longer. Monitoring weight to an extreme level can be super unmotivating. If you stick to eating healthy, you will lose weight! It just takes time.

Good luck!

The docs told me to lose extra weight to ease my ovary issues and help my asthma feel better and I'm coming up on losing 20kg ;0; (used to weigh around 80, im close to 60 now which is a healthy weight for me to be.

BUT it took me well over a year for me to do that. I started trying to lose weight in late 2013 and it's been a slow process, at times gaining up to 5kg back of what I'd lost and it was and still is pretty frustrating, especially when I'm still currently unable to be active because of my health : B

Boredom eating was a huuuuge one for me- I didn't even realize how many times I was just randomly snacking throughout the day and cutting that out was a huge help to me.
It started slow, with one day me putting back a tim-tam I'd planned on eating, then a few days later refusing chocolate when it was offered, choosing the sugar free red bull over the normal kind, etc LIKE FOR ME THE LAZY APPROACH WORKED THE BEST bc there is no way I could ever stick to a proper diet plan tbh.

and eventually the healthier habits start sticking, but it is ( at least it has been for me) a super long process

"I've also tried dieting, but a few days into the diet I'll end up binge eating, feeling miserable about my lack of progress and going back to my old eating habits again.
/Keep at it/, ok? don't be so hard on yourself when you stray from whatever you're trying to do. Every little bit helps towards your health and weight loss. 

I wouldn't even say avoiding binge eating should be your goal /at first/. build up to that- next time you do that, try and restrain yourself a little and don't go as overboard as you normally would. I really feel a lot of losing weight is as much a mental battle as a physical one- sometimes it's super hard to control yourself when you have habits like that, and I feel small steps that build up work the best.

Mentally what helped me a ton was "every day I make small progress" and "Every time I give in and eat things I really shouldn't, I'll have to work it off again but I'm still doing good, and I'm better off for all the work I've previously put in"

like if you work off say 5kg, but then gain 2, you're still better than if you'd never worked off the 5 in the first place ;0;
your body will bounce up and down a little, and just filling your stomach can make you "gain weight" you thought you'd worked off.

_{also wtf did you get taller since the last time we met up bc im 5'4 and I remember us being rlly close height wise}

I think you need to be aware of what are you eating. You don't need to deprive yourself from any food, you just need to eat the right amount.

The way to do this is simple it is a calories journal. Yes, everyday when you eat something, you check the calories and add them. This way you will discover what foods are causing the most damage in your life. Some foods are deceiving and little bits are packed with calories

Then you need to manage your calories, divive how many in the morning, how many at lunch, how many at dinner... Once you reach your goal, you need to stop eating

It takes discipline, but it works

I've been losing a lot of weight since I turned 18/19, I was VERY overweight and my mother has always been more overweight. Here's what I've done so far:

- I've cut down on how much I ate and it is HELL, honestly, but now I eat a normal amount and it satisfies me. If you eat too much and stop doing that; you will be hungry in the beginning, but it'll pass. It sucks in the moment and feels horrible, but you need to go through it to be able to lose weight and maintain the weight you're comfortable with.
- I only drink water, mainly because of my IBS, but also because then at least I'm not getting any calories that aren't satisfying me in through my drinks.
- I've bought a crosstrainer, before that I owned a dance mat for DDR. Both work fine and it's a good way to be able to exercise enough.
- I exercise intensively for at least 35 minutes, 4 times a week. Sometimes more. I only skip if I'm sick. And if I feel I ate too much sweets or whatever; I do one extra to feel better.
- Recently (because of our dog) I walk outside 3 times a day. 2 of those times it's about 30 minutes, one of those times is 10 minutes.
- I've substituted a lot of snacks for healthier alternatives (chips and chocolate became crackers and cucumber). DO NOT stop eating sweets/snacks entirely. Let yourself eat moderate amounts at least once a week, to prevent the binge eating.
- Eat breakfast (only a little): Your digestive system NEEDS to start working otherwise you can't burn calories well either.

This is about the 10th time (since I was 12) I've tried to lose weight and finally it's worked, because it's a lifestyle change, not something temporary. And I also don't starve myself from everything I like.. I just make sure I don't eat too much of it.

I hope it helps! Most of all; Value yourself and your health.. You need to feel you deserve to be healthy and feel good about yourself. (I'm still not there, but it is very important)

I have no idea about other countries but my mother and swister both go to something we have here in the UK called "Slimming world" and i've seen a drastic improvement in both of them. everyone says slimming world has worked well for them.

it's not a calorie counting thing either. they have this system called "Syns" and certain foods have so many syns and you aim to have between 5 and 15 syns per day. there are groups of food supposed to help you loose faster and all sorts of things.

oh and as a side not I just started drinking green tea and apparently one of the benefits is it helps you loose weight.

It's more healthy and natural to eat small quantities more than 3 times a day.
Healthy snacks. Rather than large meals.
Try to eat less meat. The best option is to cut off meat entirely but no-one follows that advice as meat is delicious and people don't know enough interesting vegetarian foods.
So, rather, eat less meat.
It's bad for your body to suddenly turn around. With anything you do, be gradual.
Do a bit of research into good veg food. By good I mean tastes nice.
There is LOADS, I promise.