Morbidly obese and Chronic illness - how to start?

How are things today?

Read up on binge-eating disorder, Valerrie. Or look at the questions used by Overeaters Anonymous:

This series of questions may help you determine if you are a compulsive overeater. Many members of Overeaters Anonymous have found that they have answered yes to many of these questions.

Do I eat when I’m not hungry, or not eat when my body needs nourishment?
Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I’m stuffed or even feel sick?
Do I have feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?
Do I eat sensibly in front of others and then make up for it when I am alone?
Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?
When my emotions are intense—whether positive or negative—do I find myself reaching for food?
Does my eating behaviour make me or others unhappy?
Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, injections or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?
Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?
Do I fantasise about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?
Do I need to chew or have something in my mouth all the time: food, gum, mints, sweets or beverages?
Have I ever eaten food that is burned, frozen or spoiled; from containers in the grocery store; or out of the rubbish?
Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?
Do I spend too much time thinking about food, arguing with myself about whether or what to eat, planning the next diet or exercise cure, or counting calories?

You definitely have an eating disorder. Your posts are the classic way an addict talks, full of excuses and why it's always someone else's fault. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad but you are in the grip of an addiction and you need to treat it that way. The first and hardest step is admitting it, and no one is going to change this apart from yourself I'm afraid. I am diagnosed panic attack disorder and medicated so I know how you feel in that regard. But do it you must.

You’ve taken the first steps, which is always the hardest 😀

You can do this OP!

My BMI was 48.1 at the start of this year, now it's 30.9 - I did it by following a low carb high fat way of eating. I found the right way for me and I feel so much better.

I would highly recommend the LCHF bootcamp on here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/low_carb_bootcamp/3103851-Week-9-Low-Carb-Bootcamp-our-last-fortnight. Great support!

Well done OP. Just read through the thread. It sounds like you are really determined and your mindset appears to have changed radically in 24 hours. You have gone from 'I can't do it' to 'I absolutely CAN do this'. Keep it up. Have thread after thread if you need to. MN will be behind you all the way.

Well done! A meal plan and an online shop is a massive achievement!

Don't look back and beat yourself about things - let it all go and just look to the future. When the voice inside your head says 'oh, you can't do that, what about that time you did x' tell it MN says to f off and do something positive for a minute - finding slow cooker recipes on Pintrest, circling your ankles, file your nails.

You can do hardboiled eggs in the slow cooker or oven which is super easy.

Great idea on the fruit teas! Its distracting, calming and will reduce hunger. I love a mint tea

I was over 16 stone 18 months ago. I lost a stone half heartedly using MyFitnessPal but I needed more. So I joined SW. I've lost 4st and only 4lb to go to target.

I find being in the right frame of mind helps. I plan my meals and shop round that. I have lots of foods which are healthy to snack on and it has worked for me.

I have fibromyalgia. It's not gone away but I am managing my pain more and have started an exercise class which has made me more flexible and Mobile.

I saw a photo this week of me 2 years ago and I'm glad I don't still look like that!

Sorry didn’t read properly- fish and eggs already advised!

Vitamin D in eggs ( which are also really filling for snack) and in oily fish - Lidl doing a side of salmon at the moment you could cut up and freeze portions - or buy ready frozen as it’s cheaper than fresh? If you like mackerel etc tinned fish is also affordable?

There’s a fantastic website which I use a lot called nutritionfacts.org it’s the best website out there for diet and health.

Good luck op!

OP I have always been fortunate enough to be in good health so won't pretend to be able to imagine what you're going through on a daily basis. However, what I was going to say is that I lost a couple of stone a few years ago and even after losing just one of those stones, I found going up and down stairs so much easier. I imagine anything to make the stair easier for you can only make the rest of your life better.
Have you heard to "Advert Olympics"? Each time the ads come on, you do some exercises for the duration of the adverts. On days when you are stuck in bed watching TV, it may be a useful reminder to try and do something. Walk around the bedroom if you can but just some leg & arm raises would be better than being still - although if you're having a bad day and can't do anything, don't beat yourself up.
In terms of lunch, just getting some tins of tuna or having some hard boiled eggs in the fridge would be a start to a healthy lunch. If it's just me, I don't tend to chop and mix a salad but get a length of cucumber, a tomato, half a pepper and half a little gem lettuce and munch on those whilst eating some tuna or a couple of eggs. Very lazy and probably not as appetising as sitting down to a wonderful bowl of salad but it's better than a packet of biscuits.
Do you have a kettle upstairs? You could make miso soup then or even just hot drinks which would stave off hunger pangs.

Oh - why are you buying apple slices? Surely just apples will b cheaper and better?

Wow. You've done really well.

Ok if Vit D is not affordable just now wait a bit. Concentrate on eating better. You never know - your food bill may well come down. How much were you and DH spending on take away and crap?

Does DH normally buy you a Christmas present? Or family? Ask for Vit D spray and chromium supplements! Am kicking myself as was shopping with a friend a couple of weeks ago and she bought Vit D and got second one for 1p in Holland & Barrett sale. I know she has already passed it on though. Might be worth having a look online to see if there are any offers around though.

Just read your thread, gosh you’ve made huge strides in a day! Well done to you!

Just keep going one day at a time and you’ll get where you want to be.

It all sounds so insurmountable. But it's not. You can do it.

Up your protein. You know you need to cut out the sugar. Sugary breakfast cereals are the absolute worst choice for breakfast. If you can't make porridge yourself at the moment you can get little pots of porridge that are higher in protein. I sometimes have those with blueberries and a sprinkle of flaked almonds and seeds. I make with almond milk.

You need to have a really serious talk with your DH. He needs to support you by not buying crap. But you need to not 'be a brat' about not having chocolate. It's killing you. It's not a treat. It's toxic for you.

You get sugar crashes and cravings because you are having too much. It won't be easy to go cold turkey. It will be hard. But it should only last four or five days. Think of it like flu - it's carb flu really. But think of it like normal flu. You feel crap. You will prob have a headache etc. But it WILL pass. Chromium is good for cravings so maybe get some of that along with your Vit C. Have lots of healthy snacks available. Don't go hungry. Concentrate on getting through. It won't necessarily be easy. But it's all pretty shit now anyway.

And please avoid things like Muller Lights etc. Get proper yoghurt. Add some fruit. Avoid anything labelled low fat and even low sugar or sugar free. They are all a chemical shit storm.

Drink lots of water. If you get a headache take painkillers. Just concentrate on day by day.

Good luck. Keep posting. People on here are really supportive.