Gone over into the obese category

I was in exactly the same.boat in January. 5'7, weighing 13:12. I was still in size 14s for the most part but they were tight!

I was aching, uncomfortable, couldn't bend down easily, also peri and feeling dreadful.

I felt so dreadful I had to do something about it.

Plucked up the courage to go to a hiit gym close to home (after the 3rd attempt). Been doing 2 classes a week since.

Since Feb been tackling the weight using IF, fast 800, really reducing sugar and processed foods.

Also doing that couch to 10k since March and can run 5k now.

Also just doing more steps in general.

I now feel much better and am two stone lighter, about half a stone to go to get into the healthy bmi.

Easily fitting the size 14s, in fact really quite loose!

You can do it too! Start today

This sums it up perfectly!

I didn't look big around others, but I was obese, struggling to walk up hills/stairs.

I have lost two stone and still have at least another 1.5 stone to go and my mum said this week don't lose much more you'll be too thin when actually I'll be in the top few pounds for my height! We've got used to seeing people bigger around us

You just need to grow a bit taller.
You have my sympathy, I am a very similar height and weight to you.

Two thirds of adults in the UK are overweight, and about 1 in 4 are obese.

When the majority of people around you are overweight it's hard to keep sight of what's a "normal" weight.

And that's why obese also doesn't look "big" to many of us.

Last April I was 72kg - at 5 foot and a bit
This April Im tipping the stone at 58kg

I am now 59

How did I get to that weight without knowing? Never allowing photos, wearing leggings and baggy tops , if I didnt see it, it wasnt happening

What got me to that weight? Eating full on crap. Oh I would say to anyone - I barely eat, and I didnt - well not real food. But in work mindlessly tucking into crisps, sausage rolls, chocolate - because I worked in a very physical and monotonous job which I so hated and everyone brought in a "treat" for the day

Then last April I saw it, caught myself wearing just bra and knickers in a full length mirror and I was mortified

Its not been easy, losing weight peri or menopausal isnt easy , but not impossible. I might lose 2lb one week, 1/2 the next, another 1lb the week after, then gain a bloody pound. But I never let that gain derail me, I keep plodding.

Ive changed the diet - obviously. Really upped the veg, eat veg with every meal ( and I hate veg, spent most of my life dodging it ) , swapped white bread to wholemeal, same as pasta, use fats sparingly ( do I need butter on a sandwich if theres bacon and brown sauce ? ) and basically cook everythng from scratch

Sure I have cock ups, sometimes nothing but a peanut butter and jam sandwich is going to hack it, so I have it, its a blip, once a week isnt going to make a difference as long as all my meals are healthy and balanced - with a pile of veg

Im not built for exercise, but I do walk. I walk loads, seriously loads. Even a couch day will see me putting in 10k steps

If you want to change things, you can. You just need to want it enough

Best of luck xxx

It’s not the end of world op. It was a bit of a shocker when I realised I was medically obese. I have to say I was really feeling the extra weight on my joints/ ankles / feet. I’ve lost a bit now bmi down to 27 and am feeling much better physically. Am 44 so it’s never too late.

I’m so sorry to hear that a poster made you cry when you were already feeling vulnerable and upset. Other people have given some good advice though.

my own experience of dieting (six stone loss) has taught me that it is important to take the wider view of what you are eating and use ‘swaps’ for some foods. For example I do not use butter in a sandwich instead I use a very low fat cheese. I gave up alcohol and chocolate, but do have some treats. Slow and steady is the best way. I was in the obese category and remember bursting into tears at the GP surgery when I was weighed having already lost a couple of stone and finding out what I weighed. I hadn’t faced up to it at that point. I also write down everything I eat. I have found it is ok to stop the diet from time to time with no harm done. Today we had a pub lunch, but the rest of my meals were as usual. Also weight can vary slightly from day to day. Often I am three or four pounds heavier a couple of days when my eating has not changed. I would think this is water, though I have also given up salt on food

OP, I am about your age, and found myself weighing about 1.5 stone more than normal in September last year. I downloaded Jo Wicks' Body coach app, and it has worked really well for me. There are exercise sessions and recipes (although I don't use the recipes religiously.) I have lost over a stone, and have a lot more energy. Definitely worth a try imo.

I’m the same height and 2lbs more than you, looking forward to getting back into the overweight category - I believe that’s 12at 4 🤣 Not that far away for you.

I think that the term 'obese' creates a mental image of someone who is absolutely ginormous, but that's not the reality. Obese isn't as big as people think it is.

Forget the word obese, and focus on looking after yourself to get back to a healthy BMI.

I was 83Kg, I’m taller than you, but it was more than I needed to be carrying for my health.

Don’t beat yourself up or think in terms of a harsh punitive regime. I lost 18Kg through eating nice but healthier food, and cutting fine portion sizes of high calorie foods. Also stopping snacking . I did have snacks, but a healthy snack at a planned time in the afternoon, rather than repeat trips to the toaster.

Eat healthy, nurture yourself.

And add a bit of brisk exercise, which will make you feel better. Whether it be a walk or dancing to the music in the adverts.

Good luck!

Theres nothing wrong with BMI, people get defensive over it. Its a range showing what generally is a healthy weight for your age, sex, ethnicity and height

Also I like to keep an eye on my qrisk, which unfortunately isnt great. Im trying to get that down

I’ve gone from morbidly obese down to touching distance of overweight. You can do it OP!

I think BMI is bullshit. I’m 5’6 and haven’t weighed in too long I know I’m putting weight on due to clothes. I’m morbidly obese according to BMI. I will loose it when I put my head to it but life is too short to be defined by a generic number.

my advice for what it’s worth, was you happy before you went to the GP with your image? If so fuck the BMI. If you weren’t you are a greater judge of your imagine than a pardon the pun, one size fits all scale.

good luck 🥰

I lost 4?stone in 7 months last year. I started with the NHS healthy eating app (a calorie calculator basically) then migrated to MyFitnessPal.

I'm the same height and 4.5 stone lighter but just lost 1 stone in around 6 weeks after my weight creapt to 9.5 so it can be done!

Do a few tdee calculators to get an idea of correct cals. Don’t over estimate how active you are. I use paid version of nutracheck as it is easy to use, uk products and has a barcode scanner. Good luck 🤞

Omg me too!! Nobody thinks I’m ‘obese’, but I technically am. It was a complete shock. It’s crept up so slowly, things got a bit tighter but it was easy to mask as I wear loose clothes and my legs still look good, sadly they’re going to the dogs now. I’m starting to make some changes, it’s a bit up and down to be honest. Some weeks I have a massive drive and some weeks I go the other way. I have found exercise good, more for my health than anything else. Also when you slog your guts out for 40mins and only burn 250 calories, it makes you question whether you really want to waste calories on snacks etc.!

I was there 5-6 weeks ago. We’re the same age and height, I was a shade under obese but if I’d carried on eating as I was I would have been in the obese category by now. Like you I was surprised at the obese label because I didn’t really look that overweight, but as lots of people have said it’s just a name for a category.
It does seem much harder at this age to lose weight- and all too easy to gain it!
Like a PP I’ve been roughly following the Fast 800 and logging everything I eat in the Nutracheck app. I’m 6.5kg down since mid April and hoping to lose the same again but at a slower pace- I’ll change to eating about 1200cal but stick to low carb.
What has really helped is DH had a similar epiphany at the same time so we’ve been doing it together- the only problem is we’ve become diet bores constantly comparing stats 😂

It’s surprising easy to slip into obese. People think obese is very visibly overweight but it often isn’t (I was obese and wearing size 14 dresses)
At your age it will be perimenopause.
Calorie counting with nutracheck, up your steps, eat mainly lean protein and veg, up your water.
Positives are better to tackle now in a few weeks you’ll be overweight bmi.

No I haven't, but thank you I'll give that a try

So feel for your OP - I've been there, like many of us.

Yes, the first stone comes off much faster than the rest.

It depends how hard core you want to be - I did Michael Mosley's Fast 800 combined with intermittent fasting, and took a stone off in a month, then the next one in 2 months.

But I'm a big believer in finding the diet that works for you - many prefer to cut 500 calories a day and lose a pound or two a week. For me, Intermittent fasting is revolutionary and it's how I eat for life: huge benefits like not feeling hungry and being able to eat big meals.

Whatever you do, the first 4-5lbs typically come off in the first week, as it's usually water weight.

And there's a lovely Gin Stephen's slogan - Delay Dont Deny... so when you find you're reaching for a bag of crisps, just stop... you can have it later (and then you usually dont want it!!).

Good luck! You'll do it.

The first few pounds are water weight but they can still be encouraging. If you haven't lost weight much before then it's likely to happen quicker than if you've done a lot of yo-yoing.

All diets work if you stick to them. It's about finding one that's sensible and sustainable for you and making it a habit.

@Dramatic have you ever tracked everything you're eating in an app like cronometer.com? If it turns out you're eating under 2000 calories and getting all the vitamins/minerals you need etc, then you can go to a GP and show them. Insist on tests to rule out thyroid issues, insulin resistance etc.