To ask for advice and support around losing 6+ stone between now and May?

Are the lists above what you’re eating now? There is still way too much processed food on those lists if so. You need heaps of veg and lean protein (piece of unbattered fish / chicken breast) could do a fresh turkey and veg stir fry. Would keep you fuller for longer.
cut out the processed stuff and you’ll notice a massive difference. Swop fried eggs for two egg white scrambled eggs too

If you go on a glp1 its even more important to strength train as basically its muscle wasting. My friend has lost a lot in a year. But she's doing strength training twice a week and a circuits type class. She's accessing a local weight loss group that is run by the council but you have to be referred by the gp. Basically free gym membership and classes. She pays for her glp1. Shes also eating lots less processed food. Doesnt drink.

Do you not have a freezer for bread? I keep seeing about you hate food waste.

To add, I meant Jamie Moran of BodySmat in my post above...

Well done on what you've done so far, that's a really good start.

I'm also on a big weight loss journey aftet putting on a lot of weight after surgery last year. A lot more minor that your surgery though!

I've found Jamie Smart/Body Smart on Instagram a really useful source of help. I am doing the paid programme now, but the socials alone so helpful and v realistic.

It's all about getting strong foundations in place:

1. Daily movement - 8,000 steps daily or buildng up to that.
2. Eating in a calorie deficit while losing weight - My fitness pal useful here. Focus on upping protein to help you feel full.
3. 2 x 30 mins weight training a week - this has been transformational for me. I always used to run, swim etc. I still do when I can, but the weight training is the only must do not only build strength but boost your metabolism.
4. Take sleep seriously - 7-9 hours per night. If you're tired, you're more likely to eat poorly. Good sleep also helps regulate hormones. Exercising as above and walking more has improved my sleep.

Pulling all of this together has really, really, really helped me. I'm not perfect at it, but aim is to be consistent so a way of life. Better to do 80% of the above long term, than 3 weeks of hardcore dieting and exercise perfectly and give up.

There other things eg. Intermittent fasting etc, but impact limited if the right foundations aren't in place. They're best added later.

Good luck with it all.

PS Sally Gunnell is also a good person to follow. Realistic, practical messages.

You are drinking quite a lot of calories in whole milk. Maybe you could switch to half fat, or drink water instead.

Me too. 80 percent of people who lose weight, regain it all within 5 years on average, some weight loss methods having a much higher regain weight, ie slimming world is 97 percent regain and weight watchers 95 percent, but you’d expect that, that’s how they make money.

obesoty is a relapse disease, the goal is not just to get to a healthy weight, but keep it off. Forever. That’s why the WHO and other global health authorities recommend people take the meds and stay on them long term.

the good news is you can move to a low maintenance dose and maintain your weight, or if you regain within 12 months, most pharmacies will allow you to restart, they don’t want you to wait until you hit obesity again, so there is solutions depending on your finances. Ideally everyone could access of course.

but everyone on these drugs legitimately is on them as a last resort, not a first resort. No one is taking them as they don’t understand how to diet. As the simple fact is you do need to diet when on them. Again unless you abuse them, go on too high a dose, and rely on the drugs to do the heavy lifting. Which is the height of stupidity

i think it’s great the posters posting about their success without can do it, and keep it off, but they are in the minority, we have an obesity crisis. Two thirds of the uk are overweight or obese.

And it’s not becaude people are lazy and greedy,

it’s way way more complex than that, if it was just laziness and greed the drugs wouldn’t work, as everyone on them at the correct dosage for them, knows you can push through, eat more.if it was just laziness or greed, we would all do that and the drugs would fail.

Their very success is evidence of the complexity behind our bodies and the metabolic processes involved. Very few people wish to be fat. It scares us in terms of the very significant health impacts, we don’t often like our appearance, leading to mental health impacts as well as the physical ones.

and there has not been one death globally directly caused by the drugs. Not one. Lots of scare stories abound, from pancreatitis to random shit, I saw a ridiculous article in tne mail the other day saying they caused you to lose the fat pads in your feet.

in reality fhough these are very safe meds, used by about 70 million globally, been in use for decades and trials for 15 years before that, and they have many additional health benefits , for example about to be approved for cardio vascular disease, with fatty liver, sleep apnea, dementia etc all now in final testing. And fo course we factually know about the reduction in cancers, the fact there is no increase in pancreatitis, following several studies with tens of thousands of people and a significant reduction in pancreatic cancer , 69 percent on mounjaro.

Overall if you can do it without and keep it off, then absolutely thays fantastic. But if you’re not in thay minority, then medical science has moved forward, and we can now take a safe medication to enable us to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, without all the pscychological struggles normally associated with it.

Eliminating UPFs (and drinks) is a good way to go (read “Ultra Processed People” - it will change the way you think about food.).
Then buy yourself a smaller plate/bowl. This makes a huge difference, believe it or not, because it makes your smaller portion look bigger!
Cutting down (not cutting out) carbs helps as well eg instead of a sandwich have an open sandwich with only one piece of bread, then an apple or other fruit to follow.

I am 5.4, about 9 st and my Apple phone says I burn about 1400 calories a day so I wonder if you need to drop a bit further to ensure a calorie deficit? Could the GP advise, given your medical situation?

Personally I'd ditch the ready meals, they're not doing you any favours. Get back to real ingredients. I really recommend Emma Bardwell's most recent book, all calorie measured but with a focus on protein and fibre which will keep you much fuller for longer, and actually give your body the nutrients it deserves. My DH is on a big weight loss push so we're working from her book mostly - then I add a lot of extra carbs for teens. Good luck!

@BluntButEmpathic I think that a lot of us who are using weight loss medication have realised that, over the decades, we have not been able to lose weight and keep it off successfully by diet alone and therefore "keep it natural". I'm nearer to 50 than 40, and I am very tired of trying it by diet alone, succeeding for a bit and then regaining the weight plus more. I have been overweight, obese or morbidly obese nearly my whole life. Hence choosing medication to support me.

Sure and that’s different, and I’m pleased you can be successful that way, honestly, lucky you. It was simply your comment you prefer to do it via food not drugs, as everyone does it via food.

Thanks - I appreciate your explanation. It’s just a personal preference I suppose, that if I can manage something by changing diet alone I would prefer to keep it natural. Perhaps I’m old fashioned?! But I do appreciate that a lot of people have been helped by the weight loss drugs.

I lost 18kgs in less than 8 months last year. What I did is I stopped having any bread, pasta, rice, sugar, alcohol and anything processed/coming out of a packet for 6 days a week and then I ate some of the things mentioned above one day a week in moderation. It was very easy that way to loose all my post pregnancy kgs. I didnt really exercise other than lots of walking.

I don’t understand your comment of preferring to do it with food rather than drugs. All I can think is there is a huge lack of understanding out there.

tbe drugs don’t melt the fat off, you need to proactively diet. You chose what goes in your mouth, you chose what diet you follow. Be it Michael Moseley, low carb or simple cal counting. And like with any weight loss method, you need to ensure you consume enough protein to protect muscle and work out.

all the drugs do is control blood sugar, improve insulin response, slow gastric emptying, and dull appetite, which enables you to stick to the diet you chose.

you don’t lose faster on the meds, you lose longer, they enable consistent weight loss over a long period, so you can hit goal and maintain

weight loss is recommended at up to 2lbs a week, like any other time you diet.

and over 80 percent of people who use the meds have no side effects, and those who do it’s normally mild gastro impacts.

if you do not change your diet, and it was bad, you will have gastro effects, too much fat and sugar will see you feeling nauseas, the runs and sulphur burps. So they support you to eat and clean and healthy diet. You still get hungry for meals, just you feel full after a recommended portion size, and don’t have the urge to snack.

of course some people abuse them, go on too high a dose, starve themselves,drop weight rapidly, don’t work out. But as you can see from any of the monthly threads on here or even Reddit, this is a minority. People on the whole are not stupid, snd when they need to spend this much money, they usually focus and do it right.

I have done something similar, following the Michael Moseley books. OP if you’re on Facebook you could check out the fast 800 Facebook page where there are a lot of people following that way of eating. Fast 800 refers to the short term rapid weight loss stage during which people do intermittent fasting and also only consume 800 calories per day. It’s important during this stage to eat high protein and high fat products, as well as drinking loads of water and eating lots of greens. They recommend doing this stage for a maximum of 12 weeks. Then the “way of eating” is to basically stay on a Mediterranean style diet for the rest of your life - plenty of fish/meat/chicken with lovely veg and olive oil, that sort of thing. Once you’re at the weight you’re happy with, you can add in a small amount of healthy carbs.

It’s a real sign of the times that so many people are recommending weight loss drugs. I personally would prefer to do it with food rather than drugs if it was me. Buy a copy of the Michael Moseley book and see whether you think you can follow his guidelines. There was a fantastic Michael Moseley programme on channel 4 about losing a stone in a month but I don’t think it’s available now. Good luck with it! ♥️

I have weight to lose and I had an appointment for private weight loss jabs at a local pharmacy. I decided the £200 a month cost and long list of possible side effects (I have a very sensitive tummy at the best of times) made it not for me.

I do intermittent fasting (I don't eat between 7pm and 11am, every day) and the weight is really dropping off. I swim twice a week and eat lots of fruit and veg. It's worth a go - a lot cheaper and no side effects.

Having been yojr size before and lost it what worked was protein rich diet low to moderate carbs to sustain gym and exercise and same with fats. You need to understand your maintenance calories then run a 500 calories deficit from that.

You should be prioritising weight training over cardio, the more muscle you have the more you burn at rest plus you need it for old age. I only do strength training every other day and on redt days ill do my walking.

You should be eating as clean as possible so chicken, white fish, eggs etc for protein and complex carbs like brown rice, sourdough bread only, lentils and then for fats olive oil, avocado etc. Obviously eat whatever veg and salads you like e.g. broccoli, spinach, mushrooms.

If you are going to go on a glp then the above is what you definitely need to do to ensure you don't lose muscle.

Not to kill your enthusiasm but wheb you start the first week or so if you see a quick drop it isnt justnfst, its water retention, inflammation etc. So don't be dismayed if after that initial drop you see it suddenly slow down.

Just go on Mounjaro. Honestly aft 40 year trying to lose weight I have lost 6 stone.

Ok you understand that that applies to any form of weight loss and the way to mittigate it is to eat enough nutrients and exercise, ?

im a little bemused by these comments, as it really does feel the posters actually believe what they are posting and simply don’t understand it.

surely there is enough information out there now that people have a better grasp of how their bodies work, when they diet or when they over eat? The impact of both. As these comments show a complete lack of any knowledge.

as for the meds, they are simply a synthetic hormone we produce naturally. They don’t target your muscle, or cause any of the other odd things people post.

losing or gaining weight has signficant impacts on us. Losing weight if you don’t eat enough can of course cause loss of muscle, thays why people are urged to consume their protein and work out. It’s not like you can’t do thst if you take the medication, and of course obesity is the biggest killer in society, causing so many many health issues from increased cancers to heart attack and stroke.

if the drugs caused even 1 percent of what obesity does, they would never have been approved by the health authorities globally.

Everyone can cook, whether you’ve done it before or not. You have a serious amount of weight to lose so need to take this seriously. Food waste is awful, I agree, but your health comes first. Better to see 10 slices of bread in the bin that will decompose quickly, than in your tummy adding the pounds.

And LOTS more protein, low cal stuff like cottage cheese, 0% Greek yogurt, chicken breast etc

I’m going to suggest Sally Gunnell’s 8 week hurdlers programme (if affordable, it’s about £400). Great combo of simple nutrition advice and beginner-level strength training and you have the support of being part of a virtual group with webinars and advice. V much oriented to long term health not just weight loss (though that’s part of it).

Finally a sensible answer. @ForMerryPinkCat be wary because you get so much different advice in here. Some of it is almost disordered. There really is no need to cut out food groups and every processed food going.

Eat nutritionally well; plenty of whole foods! vegetables can help fill you up too. Stay within a sensible calorie deficit. Find what works for you and you will stick to it if it’s not extreme. Exercise is important but diet more so. But we do need it to retain muscle mass and it’s just good for us. Plenty of water/fluid

Walking is great keep it up if you can do it. As is swimming. I had a great figure when i was swimming. But do think about strength: you can start with dumbells or bands at home if you wanted and build up. Plenty of you tube videos for beginners.No one needs to work out 5/6 times a week and certainly not straight away. It’s a fast track to injury. Build it up.

I’m on the weight loss boat too, ideally 4st. I’m about 16lb down since I started in March so I’m happy but would love it to be quicker!!! Im calorie counting, 10k steps a day & gym 3-4 times a week. I am also a shocking cook & find Myprotein ready meals from Iceland a god send! Worth a look

Although possible alone with determination, the likes of mounjaro still help massively, I found mounjaro much better than wegovy, the money you save on food will help buy it. It takes away that food noise, you don't even think about eating and when you do eat you can only eat a portion about a quarter of the size. I lost 5.5kg in a year on it. It could have been more quicker but I had a break for holiday.

I reduced my bmi from 29 to 22 in 5 months without WLI or calorie counting. I ate whole foods and walked daily, fasted overnight from 7pm to 11am most days. That was enough to change my health very powerfully and I have maintained the weight loss for 10 months now quite easily. I’m 58 so there is menopause in the mix for me too.
My GP told me I didn’t need weight loss drugs and she was right. You can do this OP, you just need to keep going, your best future is waiting for you.