Please help me - desperately need to lose *alot* of weight to have more IVF

[spongebrainbigpants]

Hi guys, I don't know whether anyone can help me but I'm really desperate for some advice .

To cut a long story short, I was a healthy slim teenager/young adult, but piled on a lot of weight in my mid-20s due to depression. I was overweight for eight years as every diet I started I failed miserably at as, despite my depression lifting, I was still a dreadful comfort eater.

At the age of 33 I was told I needed to lose weight to conceive and I finally discovered Lighter Life - an abstinence diet which means you're on shakes and bars and don't think about food. I successfully lost 6 stone and reduced my BMI from 36 to 25. I kept the weight off for two years and in that time I had 3 cycles of IVF, the first two ended in m/c, the third I had a beautiful son who was born 10 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, I still haven't addressed my comfort eating . During the pg and since his birth I have now put on so much weight I'm back to a BMI of 35. I desperately need to lose this weight as I want to start IVF again next Spring/Summer (I'll be 37 in June). I started WW a couple of weeks ago but as usual that was a disaster, so I reluctantly went back on LL last week. However, this time round I'm really struggling to stick to it and fell off the wagon today while my dh was out.

Now I don't know what to do. LL was the only thing that worked for me. Staying fat isn't an option because I have to have IVF and having a sibling means so much to me (although clearly not enough to stop comfort eating ). So what do I do?

I have just been researching hypnotherapy and wondered if this is something that will help me stop my comfort eating for good .

Has anyone else got any suggestions? Please don't just tell me to eat less - if it was that easy I wouldn't be here .

[jellyrolly]

Congratulations on your ds. (I want to say well done on your amazingly hard journey but it only sounds patronising written down!)

I wish you weren't feeling so about your weight, you have come through so much you should only be feeling proud of yourself.

I think hypnotherapy sounds like a good idea if it is something you are drawn to. BUT I think you must be very hormonal and tired so it is understandable that at this time, you reach for your old comfort - food. It is really really early days to even think about your weight and could actually be unhealthy to diet so soon after your delivery.

Are you able to get out with your ds and go for a gentle walk every day? Spoil yourself with other things (although let's face it, they never measure up to chocolate ), what kinds of things do you enjoy?

Your dh and ds love and like you, you need to start to love and like yourself too sweetie.

[misi]

you more than likely have a brain chemical imbalance. depression alters brain chemistry and certain neuro transmitters actively encourage weight gain through fat deposition and others encourage weight loss by fat mobilisation.
choline is one such of these. choline produced by the gall bladder and liver combines with inositol to break down and digest fats in the diet. choline is also made into acetylcholine a main neurotransmitter. a lack of choline can produce excessive fat absorbtion and deposition, and a brain imbalance that can lead to depression and insomnia etc. (this is just one possible example) I often use a circadian linked pre cursor hormone to stimulate weight loss and mood lifting, but you will have to see a nutritionist/herablist for this. there are many weight loss natural alternatives out there, most I wouldn't touch with a barge pole as some mess around with your metabolism with copious amounts of caffiene or gurana, hoodia garcenia etc. but others are quite effective.
depending on where in berks you live you could have either one of 2 of the top 5 health shops in the country near to you. or you can contact NIMH.org.uk for your nearest herbalist or you can e mail them to find someone nutritionally and herbally qualified.

weight loss is not always about restricting food intake only, state of mind and the way your body works is very important too as if you have a very slow metabolism even small amounts of food will lead to weight gain.

have you been tested for thyroid function by the way?

[jellyrolly]

You see, this is why mn is good. Tea and sympathy from jelly and quite frankly f**kng awesome knowledge from misi. You came to the right place sponge!

[spongebrainbigpants]

jelly and misi, thank you so much for your support and advice. I don't think I'm depressed anymore but I'm certainly hormonal. I appreciate it is v early to be losing weight but I have so much to lose and time is not on my side .

I have had a long chat to my dh this afternoon and feel a little better but think I will explore further options, taking aboard what misi said.

Thank you again.