I've always been that annoying one who never puts on weight...not any more! What do I DO???

[IHeartKingThistle]

Yep I'm the one everyone hates. I've always been tall and a size 10 regardless of what I ate. And I love food!

Turns out that at 37 my metabolism is letting me down. I've never had scales so I didn't notice until my clothes stopped fitting . I'm not hugely overweight but I can't do up my favourite jeans, I'm falling out of my bras and my knickers seem to have shrunk!

What's the best thing to do now? I think I should probably stop consuming vast quantities of cheese for one thing. Is it as simple as eating less and going to the gym more?

[RedMapleLeaf]

You just need to consume fewer calories.

[sparechange]

HIIT training. It is great to get your metabolism going again

And while you don't have to sign up to his personalised programme, buy the Body Coach book to read the principles of when to eat carbs v's protein, and the effect it has on your metabolism
It's worked wonders for me, and still means I can eat cheese and carbs

[CharminglyGawky]

It really is as simple as eat less and move more. Unfortunately as simple as that sounds it isn't very easy! Good luck!

[IHeartKingThistle]

Anything that means I can still eat cheese is worth a look!

Sigh. This is going to be hard.

[happywithlife06]

Yep me too! Only difference is my weight gain started when I got married for the second time (contentment) and I hit the menopause. Last year I hit nearly ten stone, last time I was that weight I was pregnant with twins! I developed a "biscuit top " , not a muffin top as I don't eat muffins, but believe me I can eat a biscuit or two (sometimes a whole packet)
Anyway my size 8 's wouldn't go on, my size 10 jeans just about fitted but if I bent over to put my shoes on a great wodge of stomach got in the way. I had a stomach shelf when I sat down, and to cap it all I had to buy a pair of size 12 jeans.
I appreciate that buying size 12 jeans really is first world problems but like you I'd never had this issue before. I decided to sort myself out as soon it would be size 14 then 16!
A year later and I've lost nearly 1 1/2 stone by following a simple idea that I thought up.
First, you're not on a diet. (I call it " my not on a diet diet " ). I eat potatoes, just have less. I have puddings with cream on, just eat less cream. I snack on fruit in the evenings or rice cakes with chocolate on, they're lovely! I eat biscuits but only one or two not the whole packet. I eat chocolate but only 2 squares at a time. One day a week all I eat is fruit (plus a biscuit with my tea at night, I'm not an animal! )
My own personal treats are crisps, cheese and chocolate and I have one of them a day. If I want all three of them, bugger it, I do. ( I won't mention my recent habit of mainlining liquorice allsorts, tho I do share them with hubby)
If we're on holiday or at Christmas I don't stint myself, life's too short and I get back on it when I feel like doing so.
Size 12 's are too big now, size 10's need a belt with some of them and I did it all myself, no faddy diets or counting calories, no turning my nose up at cake (who would?). I will admit my weight went up after our holiday last year by 4 or5 lbs, soon came off.
I do tend to walk everywhere and have a very active lifestyle, work, housework, looking after grandchildren regularly etc but no formal exercise (I did swim once a week but was looking after grandson 5 days a week for 3months) so stopped for a while and I must get back to it.
Try my idea and see how you get on. I found swapping the snacking in the evening for fruit was the big help, after a while you don't miss chocolate, crisps etc but when you do, have it, just not every time!
Sorry to have gone on so long but I know how you feel, it's a right bum when suddenly your body let's you down!

[IHeartKingThistle]

Ooh thanks, loving this plan! You're giving me hope! I think you're right, it's got to become habit. My portion sizes are way too big right now so that's a good place to start. Thank you!

[bigfriendlygiant]

This happened to me at 32. It's a bit of a shock isn't it!!
I considered taking up smoking again to kill my appetite which is possibly the most shallow thought I've ever had. In the end I did more activities so I didn't have to cut down on food. I have a quick swim most nights after work. A couple of years ago I committed myself to a half marathon so had to train for that - I bloody hate running though so it didn't last after the run. I find yoga helps too.

[NiceCuppaTeaAndASitDown]

This is happening to me right now, 5ft8, always hovered between 9st10-10st, and somehow the scales this morning are saying 10st11!!!!!!!

Obviously I did think about shrugging it off as a localised gravity issue, but my knickers are suspiciously tight and one of my bras gave up the ghost and tore between the cups. Jeans are still fitting but I'm afraid to wash them as they probably wont then!

In the last three months I've been married, gone on honeymoon, had another holiday abroad with friends for another wedding, celebrated several family birthdays, comfort eaten due to nightmare client at work and had far too many late nights, takeaways etc. It's also going to be TOTM today/tomorrow so I'm a bit bloated, but I'm disgusted with myself,

I'm going to start weighing in at least once a week, and getting our meals planned at the weekend so there's never an excuse for a lazy takeaway.
I'm also going to cut back on snacking at work.

I really want to be back to normal before Christmas or I'll end up liking more weight on.

12lbs in 12 weeks is achievable, right?

[IHeartKingThistle]

I don't know! So, I'm saying Yes, absolutely! I'm glad you're here to share the pain!

[happywithlife06]

When I first started my 'not on a diet diet', the hardest thing was sticking to 'all fruit Thursdays'. By about 3 o'clock I'd have killed my granny for a biscuit or chocolate, and if I got past the 3 o'clock urge I had to watch it later when at work. We have a vending machine with lots of different stuff in, plus fruit on the table (but the chocolate in the vending machine kept speaking to me!!)
However, a year on, I can do all fruit Thursday easily, never feel the need to eat anything else, apart from the compulsory biscuit with my tea at bedtime!
Cut out the snacks and replace with fruit, drink loads of flavoured water and for a chocolate fix, try the rice cakes with chocolate; Aldi sell some really nice ones. One less potato is an easy thing to do, you won't miss it; a bit less cream is do-able (we eat a lot of cream on our puddings!); share the liquorice allsorts with someone so you can't eat them all (or just hide them in the cupboard and eat them when the other half is at work/in the loo/ having a shower!)

All of the above worked for me, although it's taken about a year. My friend did something similar, mostly giving up jam sandwiches in the evening plus chunks of cheese at bedtime and she's lost a stone as well. Good luck! x

[IHeartKingThistle]

OK so I'm 2 weeks in. Have been eating much healthier, using Hairy Dieters recipes, not snacking, exercising a bit every day (rotating short workouts, long walks, half hour dancing game, quick swim etc). Had friends for the weekend and forgot about dieting completely and made fried chicken and ate pudding and drank beer. But weekends don't count right?

I've lost a kilo. 2 pounds. Is that OK or is it pathetic? I don't know how much I need to lose but it isn't loads, maybe half a stone. So.does that mean that it will be a bit slower? I want to keep motivated! I do feel better.

[Stripyhoglets]

I was like this until medication and pre menopause. I've slowly gone up to 11+ stone from 9 - 9.5. I am trying to stop snacking mainly. But it's a pain when I know it's hormones that are mainly doing this.

[IrenetheQuaint]

I'm in this situation too. Might actually have to buy some scales and start weighing myself regularly. Even possibly eating fewer biscuits

I think losing 1 lb a week is absolutely fine. Rapid weight loss is counter-productive, and totally unnecessary in your case anyway.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

I like the idea of slow changes so I can actually stick to it. I've done low-carbing and 5:2 in the past and while I can do them for a while I then fall off the wagon with a crash, and actually, I have never stuck to a diet except for immediately before a holiday or when I was on maternity leave and could cook whatever I liked, no matter how long it took. As soon as I got back to work the healthy eating stopped again. I'm a size 10/12 but at 5 foot 2 I'd like to get firmly back into the 10s, or better yet, the 8s.

Sins: toast and biscuits. And coming home from work and inhaling half a bag of Kettle chips and then not really wanting dinner, so not cooking, but then getting peckish by 8pm and eating more toast. Oh, and not exercising - I have a very sedentary job and if I don't make the effort to go for a walk/do the Shred then I'm barely moving all day, 4 days a week.

However, this is all about to change because in about 6 weeks time we're moving to the Middle East and I will be a SAHM with permanent access to a swimming pool. This will mean the weight will fall off, right? But before then I have to lose a good few lbs so as to fit in my bikinis.

Plan: Exercise!
Cook healthy dinners and stop snacking at 6pm when I get home from work. Snack on fruit, not toast.

[TooExtraImmatureCheddar]

Oh, and I will eat full-fat Greek yoghurt/eggs for breakfast and not toast or bagels.