Feeling so fat and confused

[singingpinkmonkey]

Hello all.
Feeling very sorry for myself.

I had my baby 8 months ago and swore I would lose my baby weight plus a bit extra before I go back To work this month.

Well, October is here and I'm fatter than ever. I have 4.5 stone to lose and can't seem to settle on a plan to follow.

I've looked at Slimming World and WW but keep reading thjngsbthat put me off. I have also read the 5:2 plan, Harcombe Diet and tried calorie counting.

I seem to decide on something new every week but never actually follow through. Now I'm fat and feel like a total failure.

I just wish there was a plan I could follow that would be healthy and easy to follow.

Is anyone in the same boat as me?

[OliviaD68]

@singingpinkmonkey how badly do you want it?

If you want it enough weight loss is very easy. You just need to know what to do for maximum effectiveness and stick to it.

Scientifically speaking, The most effective ‘diet’ for weight loss and health is one where you burn fat for fuel. If you are interested I can show you some peer reviewed studies that validate this statement.

Note that a diet is really only an expression of what combination of protein fat and carbs you consume. The body doesn’t care what the diet is called - it uses food as information then finds a way to process the food macro combination you throw at it. This then leads to a glucose or fat burning state.

What a diet is called is irrelevant. So Atkins vs blood sugar vs blood type vs low carb vs low fat are all fairly meaningless concepts to the body - they are brands that I find are unhelpful to achieving goals. Your basic choice is: do I fuel off glucose or fat and what’s the food macro combination that gets me there? The body ONLY has the choice of glucose or fat for fuel. Proteins are not fuel unless consumed in excess of daily requirements for amino acids in which case they convert to glucose.

By health is - btw - meant improved cholesterol, reversal of insulin resistance, reversal of diabetes 2, reduced inflammation, reduced blood pressure and many other improvements.

For a number of reasons losing weight while burning glucose (eg if you consume a carb heavy diet) is harder in addition to being less healthy - again if interested I can share the science but it relates to hormones - insulin in particular.

If you subscribe to these statements and choose to burn fat as a fuel then ‘diets’ you can follow are low carb / high fat or ketogenic. There are plenty of resources available. They will both require you track your food ‘macros’ being carbs and proteins mainly (the excess being fat which is the rest of what you eat after you’ve controlled carbs and proteins).

You will also need to put a cap on calories and operate at a caloric deficit so that your body burns body fat instead of dietary fat. You will starve your body of carbs but will not be hungry bc you will burn your own fat as fuel and finally access belly and other fat which you cannot do biologically while your body is fuelled off of glucose. Your cravings for sugary stuff should disappear.

Bringing in @BIWI who can talk about how to do this - she seems to have a ton of experience.

When you do this Make sure you limit your protein intake (no more than 50g per day) as protein intake beyond what is needed for amino acids converts to sugar and will prevent body fat burning.

Carbs to less than 30g per day.

Eat a ton of veg for nutrients too.

Happy to help as I’m sure @BIWI would be too. She has great posts elsewhere on MN.

[BIWI]

Thanks, @OliviaD68 !

@singingpinkmoney I'm starting the next low carb Bootcamp on 9 October. Why don't you come along and have a look at what it's all about?

The great joy of low carbing (aside from the weight loss, of course!) is that it's much easier to follow than low calorie or low fat diets, mainly because you can eat lovely food and it suppresses your appetite, so makes it a lot easier to stick to it.

[BIWI]

the link: [[https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3042618-If-you-want-to-join-the-next-low-carb-Bootcamp-its-starting-on-9-October?msgid=72249230 ]]

[BIWI]

Sorry - that link doesn't seem to work for some reason

trying again

[OwlinaTree]

I'm sure the people above have great advice. I did Slimming world after having my baby and I've lost over 3st. Very easy to follow, which gives it a big advantage if you are working full time as well as looking after the family etc.

[FlightyMare]

Maybe just start a bit more simply rather than a drastic overhaul of your eating. I find that when I make some adjustments to my usual eating then I have most success, but when I attempt to change too drastically I fall off the wagon a couple of days in and end up feeling even worse about myself.

I'm having weight loss success by sticking to 3 meals a day, so I've cut out all the sugary snacks, and my meals are filling and things I actually enjoy eating. I'm also exercising, and overall I'm feeling so much better about myself and what I'm eating.

I know low carb works wonders for lots of people, but I've never managed to stick at it and find a less drastic approach works better for me. There's a way of eating to suit everyone though, deciding which one suits you is the first hurdle, then just get going with it as best as you can.

[OliviaD68]

@flightmare. It’s a choice you make. Fat for fuel or glucose for fuel. It’s literally that basic.

Glucose works best for you and that’s great. And you of course can lose weight on a glucose fuelled diet. Restrict calories and it eventually works. It doesn’t really matter what ‘brand’ you put on it. Even SlimFast - basically sugar - works.

But it’s a scientific fact that fat for fuel is quicker and healthier - I can show you a few peer reviewed studies. It’s also easier because you are not hungry - access to the 200,000 + calorie belly fridge ensures that.

Speaking of which I also came across a study which showed that low carb diets tend to be stickier than low fat diets (these are the only two choices, granted along a spectrum of carbiness) - ie in one study I read many more people fell off the low fat (therefore higher carb) diet after 12 months than the low carb diet. I can dig that up if you want. Won’t help you because you’ve made your choice but it’s interesting nonetheless.

[FlightyMare]

No thanks - but thanks for the offer

[singingpinkmonkey]

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I think I need to make some changes and not too from one extreme plan to the other. That's been my problem in the past.

I've tried to put myself on a drastic diet and then majorly rebelled after a few days and gone on a binge.

I want to start being kinder to my body and eat foods that are good for me rather than stuffing my face with junk and not knowing why I'm doing it.

I also want to set a good example to my son and not make food an issue. I've made myself miserable for about 15 years constantly trying to diet and then binge.

I'm going to make a real effort to think carefully about the meals I'm preparing and cut out snack or and the frequent trips to the shop where I buy my binge foods.

[OliviaD68]

@singingpinkmonkey that’s great. Most important is to determine you goals first. Then just do it. Good luck.

[Nancy91]

Singingpinkmonkey, gradual, small changes are the best way to go. Gradually reduce portion sizes and the amount of calories you eat and you'll be good to go. Avoiding binge triggering foods is a great idea.

[Noofly]

I agree with the gradual changes. I kick started myself by doing 6 weeks with no junk sugar, by which I mean no biscuits, cake, desserts etc. Partway through I also reduced my portion sizes. Then I added exercise. I do have the odd treat now, but have kicked my sugar addiction.

I don't low carb, in part because it would drive me batty restricting pasta/bread etc but also because I need to restrict the amount of fat that I eat. I lose on average 1-1.5lbs per week and the slow but steady approach works for me. I'm in it for the long haul and am in no rush. You need to decide which approach appeals to you most and then stick with it- say for 6 weeks and then see how you are getting on and whether you need tweets or a new approach.

[singingpinkmonkey]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement. I do feel a lot more positive today and definitely think that I can commit to gradual changes. I will just have to accept that this will mean a slower weight loss but one that I will actually stock to.

I made a nice Vegetable Thai Curry for tea and have so far not been tempted to eat anything sweet!

Thanks again for replying. It's nice just to get some words of encouragement.

Xxx

[surbiton1961]

How overweight am I at 11.5 stones and only 4' 1" height?

[OliviaD68]

BMI of 46.5. Obese is 30+. Morbid obesity is 40+. Rough guide but works for most people.

NHS site says healthy range 4st 7 to 6st 2. Rough guide again