If you’re new to Just Average Jen, welcome. Whether you’re trying to lose weight for the first time, starting again after regaining weight or simply looking for honest advice, you’re in the right place. I’ve lost 10 stone, regained some of it, tried medication, considered weight loss surgery and learned that healthy living is about so much more than the number on the scales.
This section brings together my most helpful weight-loss articles, guides, and personal experiences. Whether you are just starting your journey, trying to lose weight after 40, considering weight loss medication or looking for ways to stay motivated, you’ll find honest, practical advice based on my real-life experience.
My aim isn’t to tell you what you should do. Instead, I share what I have learned so you can make informed decisions and find an approach that works for you.
My Weight Loss Philosophy
I don’t believe in guilt, shame or chasing perfection. I believe in making realistic changes, enjoying food, looking after your mental wellbeing and remembering that your worth has never been defined by a number on the scales.
The principles I come back to time and time again are:
- There isn’t one right way to lose weight.
- Small, consistent changes are more powerful than quick fixes.
- Healthy eating should still include foods you enjoy.
- Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health.
- Weight loss medication and surgery are tools, not shortcuts or failures.
- Progress isn’t always measured by the scales.
- You deserve to enjoy life now, not just after you’ve reached a goal weight.
My Weight Loss Journey
Weight has shaped so much of my adult life. I’ve lost 10 stone, regained weight, obsessed over the scales, tried medication, and even considered surgery. Looking back, I realise the biggest lessons weren’t about dieting at all—they were about learning to be kinder to myself and finding an approach I could actually live with. These articles tell that story honestly.
I Lost 10 Stone and Still Struggled With Food
More about my experiences
- Why I decided not to have weight loss surgery (even when offered it)
- My honest Wegovy experience – Why I stopped taking Wegovy after 6 weeks
- What I learned from taking Wegovy
- The things no one tells you about regaining weight
- The day I realised I was obsessed with the scales
- How a 10-stone weight loss affects depression
- Realising I had a kind of eating disorder
- What food noise actually feels like from someone who has lived it
- I am a secret eater
- A letter to my 12-year-old self – realising my weight issues have been around a long time.
Weight Loss Mindset
Weight loss isn’t just about what you eat or how much you exercise. It’s also about how you think, how you feel and the habits you’ve built over a lifetime. I’ve learned that changing your mindset is often the hardest part of losing weight, but it’s also what makes lasting change possible. These articles explore the emotional side of weight loss with honesty, compassion and plenty of lessons I’ve learned along the way.
What food noise actually feels like
For years, I thought everyone constantly thought about food. It wasn’t until much later that I realised there was actually a name for those relentless thoughts. If you’ve ever wondered why food seems to take over your brain, you’re not alone.
Understanding Yourself
- Metabolism and how it affects your weight – everyone is different, and this could help you understand why you struggle to lose weight.
- Why slow weight loss is actually a win
- What is binge eating disorder
- Avoiding snacking with the kids – this is something I used to be terrible at. These are some tips that may help!
- 7 Reasons you are eating even when you are not hungry – we have all been there! This article helps you identify why you do this and what you can do about it.
Changing Your Relationship With Food
- The day I realised I was obsessed with the scales
- Why I no longer believe in good foods and bad foods
- Disordered eating vs eating disorder – understanding when you may have a problem
Learning to Be Kinder To Yourself
- The things no one tells you about regaining weight
- Why you may get excess skin when losing weight
- What to cook when you have no energy – you don’t have to be “good” even on bad days
- 70 Self-Esteem Quotes to help
Remember: Weight loss isn’t just physical. Learning to think differently about food, your body, and yourself can be just as important as changing what’s on your plate.
Building Healthier Habits
Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean cutting out your favourite foods or following strict rules. For me, it’s about finding a way of eating that’s balanced, enjoyable and realistic enough to stick with for life. Here you’ll find practical advice, nutrition tips and ideas to help make healthier choices feel easier.
Why I no longer believe in good foods and bad foods
Making your meals healthier
Healthier meals make all the difference. This means portion control and planning healthier meals when you can, but still enjoying unhealthy foods when you can’t or when you choose to.
- Mastering portion control
- Tips to manage your portions from my experience
- Meal planning tips – tips for real people with a real kitchen!
Understanding Food
If you want to lose weight, understanding nutrition, in my opinion, is as important as understanding any weight loss plan.
- Protein – how much you actually need
- Healthy fats explained – the truth about healthy fats and what you should and shouldn’t eat
- What is a calorie deficit and why it is important for weight loss
- “Healthy foods” you should avoid on a diet
- Can processed foods be healthy?
A Balanced Approach
I feel like the key to weight loss is balance, no good and bad foods and enjoying everything in moderation. Here are some of my articles that should help you with this.
- Healthy snack ideas
- How to stop craving sugar
- Tips to avoid emotional eating
- How to stop boredom eating: finding new hobbies and spending time on yourself help with this. Check my wellbeing section for guides on this.
- Eating out on a diet – if you want to choose the healthiest options this guide should help.
Making Healthy Eating Easier
Sometimes the best way to get a good healthy mindset is to make it easier for you to eat healthily. These tips should help.
- How to stock a healthy freezer – if healthy food is in the freezer, then you only have that to grab when cooking!
- Batch cooking – my tips for batch cooking to make life easier
- Healthy packed lunch ideas – my preferred healthy packed lunches to help keep you on track
- Making a healthy snack box
- Weight loss tracking apps – these can be helpful to keep an eye on your progress.
Weight Loss Medication
Weight loss medication can be life-changing for some people, but it’s rarely as simple as the headlines make it sound. I’ve shared my own experience with Wegovy, what I learned from taking it and the questions I had before I started. Whether you’re curious or considering medication yourself, I hope these articles help you feel better informed.
Why I stopped Wegovy after 6 weeks
If you are considering weight loss injections or medications, then these guides should help you decide if it is for you.
- What I learned from taking Wegovy
- Which weight loss medications are available in the UK – everything I found out while considering medications
- NHS Weight Loss Tiers – when can you get medications
- Contrave vs Ozempic – if you are comparing the two this may help
- Alli slimming pills – a guide to how these work and their benefits
- Understanding Ozempic dosages – a guide I found helpful when discussing dosages with others.
- How to create your own diet plan when on injectables – how to plan your meals when you are on weight loss injections.
- Alternatives to Mounjaro – if you like the idea of Mounjaro but don’t want to pay for it, this explores alternatives.
- Nutrients to consider while taking injectables – When you use injectables and eat less, it is important to keep a check on your nutrients.
- Finding a safe supplier of weight loss injections – there are so many dodgy sellers, this will help you find a genuine seller.
Weight Loss Plans & Diets
With so many diets and weight loss plans available, it can be difficult to know which one is right for you. I’ve researched and written about many of the most popular approaches, explaining how they work, who they’re designed for and what to consider before deciding if they’re a good fit for your lifestyle. If you really don’t know where to start, then why not consider my diet quiz to find the diet for you?
Popular Programmes
Here are some guides to the most popular programmes I have tried or considered to help you understand what they are about.
- Slimming World guide for beginners
- Weight Watchers – how it works
- Noom – A beginner’s guide
- Second Nature – How the diet works
- Cambridge Diet – What it is all about
Healthy Eating Approaches
These are general approaches rather than paid plans, but all are very popular, and all plans I have looked into and considered at some point. Of course, the most popular method is just calorie counting and eating fewer calories than you burn.
- Mediterranean – the Mediterranean diet is a very clean way of eating common in Italy, Spain and other Mediterranean countries.
- DASH – The DASH diet is a healthy eating plan designed to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Nordic – A plant-based eating pattern with plants and fish based on traditional Scandinavian foods.
- Low Carb – Many people reduce carbs to try and lose weight but here is a guide to what that actually means for real people like us.
- High Protein – While there are many fad diets based on increasing protein, generally eating high protein is a common approach. A common one is the Paleo diet.
Crash Diets
These diets are ones that often go viral on social media as quick fixes and easy diets for a quick weight loss. They often work in some aspects, but are not necessarily healthy. Here is everything I found out about them before deciding they weren’t for me.
- The Carnivore diet – eating high amounts of meat
- The Alkaline Diet – uses fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant proteins while strictly limiting meat, dairy, grains, and alcohol in an aim to reduce body acidity.
- Atkins Diet – Low-carb and high-protein diet popular in the 1990s
- Detox diets – These tend to involve eating very little or only one item!
- Juice Diets – Usually these involve mostly fruit and vegetables juiced to drink throughout the day.
Fasting Diets
These diets are common but, in my opinion, not very sustainable. For this reason, whilst I have looked into them I have found them not right for me. Here is all you may need to decide if they suit you.
- Fast 800 – A friend’s experience, as I haven’t tried this one myself.
- Optifast – A shake and fasting type plan I tried, popular with the NHS
- Slimfast – I have tried this before, but personally, shakes just don’t fill me up!
- Intermittent fasting
If you read just one thing while looking for a diet, I highly recommend you read my article about Weight Loss Scams to avoid falling victim to any of them.
Slimming World
Slimming World played a huge part in my weight loss journey and helped me lose 10 stone. Over the years, I’ve shared recipes, tips, shopping guides and my honest thoughts about the plan, including what worked well for me and where I think things could be improved. Whether you’re a current member or just curious, there’s plenty here to explore. Remember, my guides are just based on my experience and understanding. If you are unsure, you should check with your Slimming World consultant directly.
Read my guide to Slimming World for beginners
Here are my most popular guides to help you follow the plan.
- How to calculate approximate Swips in a food or drink
- Speed foods – the fruit and vegetables that count as speed foods on the plan
- Slimming World tips – based on my experience 100 tips to help you
- Healthy Extra Calcium Guide – my favourite choices
- Healthy Extra Fibre Guide – my favourite choices on the plan
- Eating out on Slimming World – best choices on the plan
- Slimming World groups vs online – my thoughts
- Slimming World free foods I love and recommend
- Avocado on Slimming World – their rules and my thoughts!
- Lunch ideas on Slimming World
- Free snacks we love on Slimming World
- Children following Slimming World – our family experiences
Real Weight Loss Journeys
Sometimes the most helpful advice comes from people who have been there themselves. These inspiring stories from real people show that there isn’t one single path to successful weight loss. Every journey is different, but each one offers encouragement, motivation and honest insight into the ups and downs along the way.
Common Weight Loss Questions Answered
No matter where you are on your weight loss journey, you’re bound to have questions. I know I certainly did, and even after losing 10 stone I still find myself learning new things. From understanding calories and healthy eating to dealing with weight regain, food cravings and motivation, there’s always something new to discover.
I’ve put together these guides to answer some of the questions I hear most often from readers and those I asked myself over the years. Rather than promising miracle solutions or one-size-fits-all advice, I aim to provide honest, practical information to help you make choices that are right for you.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been trying to lose weight for years, I hope you’ll find the answers you’re looking for here.
Popular questions
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
- What are the best foods for weight loss?
- How can I stop snacking between meals?
- Is weight loss medication right for me?
- How do I stay motivated when progress slows?
- How much weight is it healthy to lose each week?
My journal to help you
My 12 Weeks to a Better Me Journal
Buy Now →What I Believe About Weight Loss
After years of dieting, weight loss and weight regain, my views on weight management have changed considerably.
I no longer believe there is one perfect diet. I don’t believe anyone should feel guilty about enjoying food, and I don’t think your worth is defined by the number on the scales.
What I do believe is that small, sustainable changes are more powerful than extreme restrictions. I believe health matters more than perfection, and that everyone deserves support and kindness throughout their journey.
Many of the articles above reflect lessons I have learned through my own experiences, as well as research from trusted health organisations and experts.
Trusted Weight Loss Resources
If you’ve ever searched online for weight loss advice, you’ll know just how overwhelming it can be. One website tells you to avoid carbohydrates, another says fat is the problem, while social media is full of quick fixes and dramatic before-and-after photos. It can be difficult to know what’s genuinely helpful and what’s simply trying to sell you something.
Throughout my own journey, I’ve learned how important it is to rely on trustworthy, evidence-based information alongside real-life experiences. While I love sharing what has worked for me, I’m not a healthcare professional, so I always encourage readers to use reliable sources when making decisions about their health.
These are some of the organisations and resources I recommend if you’d like to learn more, need additional support or want information you can trust.
Recommended resources
NHS Better Health
Practical advice on healthy eating, physical activity, weight management and healthy lifestyle changes, backed by the latest medical guidance.
British Dietetic Association (BDA)
Reliable nutrition information created by registered dietitians, helping you separate evidence from myths and misinformation.
Obesity UK
A charity providing education, support and advocacy for people living with obesity, with a focus on reducing stigma and improving understanding.
NICE Weight Management Guidelines
The clinical guidance used by healthcare professionals in England when recommending treatments and support for weight management and obesity.
Your GP or Local Weight Management Service
If you’re worried about your weight or have underlying health conditions, don’t struggle alone. Speaking to your GP can help you access personalised advice and support, including referrals to specialist weight management services where appropriate.
Diabetes UK
Even if you do not have diabetes, Diabetes UK provides useful information about healthy eating, weight management and reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Mind
Many people find that weight and mental wellbeing are closely connected. Mind offers support and advice on mental health, emotional wellbeing and finding help when you need it.
Remember
There is no single diet that works for everyone. Sustainable weight loss is usually built on small changes that fit your lifestyle, preferences and health needs. If you have a medical condition, are taking medication or have concerns about your weight, it is always best to speak with your GP or another qualified healthcare professional before making significant changes.
I hope the articles and resources on Just Average Jen help you feel informed, supported and encouraged throughout your own journey.
Not sure where to go now?
Explore my healthy recipes, wellbeing guides and exercise tips to help you build healthy habits that last.
If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this site, it’s that you don’t have to be perfect to make progress. I’ve had successes, setbacks and everything in between, and I know how hard it can feel at times. Keep going, be proud of every step you take and remember to be your own biggest cheerleader.