The secrets of overweight people

[ColouringPencils]

I mean this in a light-hearted way, but I guess it might also be helpful to us to see where we're getting it from.

I'll start:

I always serve myself the largest portion, and often nick a few extra bites in between the cooking and serving stages.

I eat a full meal whether I am particularly hungry or not (then often have seconds).

I gave up sugar and doubled my cheese intake (then I went back on sugar too).

Speaking of which, no meal is not improved by a generous topping of grated cheese.

I could quite happily drink a bottle of wine a night, although I don't let myself. On my 'good' nights I drink hot chocolate/ couple of beers and eat crisps instead.

Sometimes if nobody has seen me eat my first slice of toast, I'll put a third one in. This is especially the case when it's white bread, the 'only one' I could buy in the corner shop.

When DH is away I love to read and eat chocolate in bed.

Anyone else got any good tips to help me continue to sabotage my weight loss efforts?

My secret to being 4 stone overweight is that I really enjoy biscuits, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, crisps and cake.

Having said that, I really enjoy salad, lean protein and eating lots of fruit and vegetables.

I don’t do exercise either which is definitely a problem. When I had dogs I used to walk them and get my 10,000 steps in a day no problem. Now they’ve both died and I have a 5 yo and I don’t have the time for a new dog. I honestly think walking a dog, daily, helped me keep the weight off.

bunny, you poor thing

My top tip is to be a bit disorganised about eating. Skip breakfast, pop out to shop for lunch, come home with random assortment of too much food, get to dinner time, don’t have a plan, go out/get takeout.

If any of you are interested in changing your habits, checkout Team RH on fb. They’ve changed my life. ❤️

I'm going to be brave and tell DH about my bingeing tonight- inspired by this thread- as it seems my behaviour is not completely uncommon. As a semi reformed smoker I think/hope he will understand. The main thing stopping me telling him is that then I'll feel like I have to stop the bingeing and I actually really love it- just like you say oldandwornout. I also went to the GP today. As I suspected she would, she just suggested CBT and keeping a diary of my behaviour. But it felt good talking to someone about it. And I'm stopping going to slimming world as I know the weigh ins are acting as a trigger for overeating.

I either go Vlcd or binge. I'm okay at the start of the week but as I get tireder I hit the crisps, crackers, nuts and wine.

I've just had a bit of a wake up call though. My mum has always been obese ( she'd have to lose 15 stone plus to get to the top of a healthy bmi) . Her knees and ankles are so painful now she can't walk or drive - she's just lying in bed all the time. She's only 71.

Has anyone ever tried a support group- eg overeaters anonymous?

Xenadog Have you thought about volunteering for the Cinnamon Trust? They walk dogs for elderly people that can’t exercise their own dogs any more.

@pippitypoppitypoo I have quite a few AA friends who do OA as well. It's worked really well for some; less so for others. It's very similar to AA in that it follows a 12 step programme and you have a sponsor.

I've read this thread with a lot of empathy because many of the emotions are how I felt when drinking. As PPs have said, it's impossible to stop eating altogether - a bit like saying to an alcoholic that they must have two drinks, three times a day but no more.

My secret to being overweight was so secret that even I didn't know. I was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Since I've had the CPAP machine I haven't binged once. I had a cream egg today (instead of the usual 5) and that's the only crap I've eaten in a month. For the first time in my entire adult life I feel in control of what I eat. And my weight is dropping for the first time in almost 20 years.

I don't think it's anything like alcohol at all, at all.

Overeating, you are only hurting yourself, nobody else.
alcohol changes your personality and you can't drive or think normally. It affects your brain, and is poisonous.

I don't know much but it's not just one decision, but every decision, every day that makes people the way they are.

Another one... I eat cake and other "treats" in front of some slim through restricted eating friends to pretend that I am really relaxed about being overweight. I have a couple of friends who only have, for example, a mint tea if we're out. I love mint tea, it's one of my favourite drinks and I regularly drink it. However, if out with these people, I will have a latte and cake! MIL is incredibly disciplined when it comes to food and she is someone I overeat in front of.
I find DH interesting as he can easily "forget" lunch and has never eaten breakfast. Weekends and holidays are interesting as I have to eat more regularly than him as otherwise I get terrible hangry. What is most interesting though is that, if he is ever just cooking for himself, it will be quite a complex recipe involving a lot of fresh ingredients whereas I will just have w couple of slices of toast slathered in butter

This thread, there are so many of us. It feels so freeing to say it. I’m fat because I eat too many crisps, I love the wine bottle and I hate the merest thought of going to a gym. It’s that simple and I know it. There’s a bit of deep seated school bullying and hatred of PE involved but I am 48 and that isn’t really an acceptable excuse any more. I have to lose 2 stone because LK Bennett are in receivership and I can’t just buy new (bigger) work clothes. Sounds ridiculous but it seems to be motivating me. Vanity basically.

I am a world champion yoyo dieter losing and gaining the same 6 stone for years and years. I can demolish a pack of 8 meringue nests in one sitting and jaffa cakes don't touch the sides. Fortunately I have dodged the diabetic bullet (so far) but not the swollen ankles and lethargy.
I love the very rare occasions when I lose my appetite because I am ill. I don't want to eat, I stop thinking about food and it doesn't occupy every waking moment. I wish I could maintain that feeling when I am well again.
As PPs have said you can give up fags and booze completely but you can't give up food. And for me, the more I eat the more I want.
I am hoping that by joining the weight loss threads on here I'll be motivated to treat myself better and stop punishing myself for I know not what.

I’m not very fat but I did realise that 4 years after my youngest I had somehow put on 5 kilos over my pre children weight. It was gradual creep of snacking on chocolates, crisps too much wine and no consistent exercise. I’m no good at restricting what I can eat so I’m now controlling my weight through intermittent fasting and regular exercise.

I'm pushing the healthy range of BMI. When I was pregnant I couldn't eat chocolate but breastfeeding had me eating loads. Now I'm down to one or two feeds a day so I can't utilise those chocolate calories. I'm really active as cycle 10 miles a week in term time and walk around 30 miles at pace and up big hills yet the weight has crept on. I was on the combined pill and fluoxetine and these made me hungry so I've stopped them as of about a week ago and I'm already less hungry. Luckily now it's nicer weather my mood has lifted as it always does at this time of year but I find the winter hard going. And in winter it's easier to hide the extra pounds.
I too eat more when alone, especially in the evening once the children are in bed so I've enforced a no eating after 6pm rule. Basically nothing after dinner. And I've cut my sugar and general junk consumption right down.

Good luck to everyone. Food and feelings are very complex. We associate food with love, especially home cooked meals, puddings, and treats. I'm a feeder as I show love through the above. Remember how the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Yeah, I really took that one on board and all my ex boyfriends were very well fed and treated to treats regularly. I'm single now and much prefer it! no one to judge my diet for a start.

My secrets are.... never having a normal relationship with food as long as I can remember, finding that my day hinges around mealtimes, finding any excuse in the book to binge, being married to someone who also likes to binge (but is slim), having gained and lost lots of weight many times has nearly given up the thought that I'll ever be able to retain a normal weight. There, I said it. Feels better.

This thread has made me have a little cry I really admire people's honesty on here and overeating has been a big problem for me. I'm much better than I used to be, but I have good days and bad days. I'm not overweight, although I should be for what I eat. I'm sure overeating was a contributing factor to having my gallbladder removed earlier this year. Before the op I said this would be a fresh start. I'm not often overeating now but still sometimes make poor choices, especially when feeling unhappy.

Mine seems to be that I barely eat. Can't remember the last time I ate a plateful of food... genuinely. I live off bites of things and cups of black tea. Still a massive 16 stone.

I want to lose weight. I know I can.... Then my back (that needs me to lose weight to get better) is agony at the end of the day (and during the day) and I'm tired (because I need to lose weight)

So I eat crap because its easy to put in the oven and let cook and the thought of having to stand and cook is too much for my back to deal with.

Then because they're no good and full of crap they give me sugar cravings and the sugar craving will make me continue even though I don't want any really!

I started a new medicine which might help people on this thread, those who feel the hunger urge at all times and who over indulge regularly especially.

I hadn't heard of it until my doctor prescribed it just before Easter. My first injection was yesterday and my second was a few mins ago (just laying in the bed a sec whilst it gets in and round and catching up on mn). I felt comfortably full for most of the day, ate only a cereal bar, a banana and portion of spaghetti bolognase all day.... Id have gone on snacking and eating forever normally.

(please read up about it if you're considering it. Facebook groups and google drugs. Com user reviews saxenda) as it does have some side effects for a lot of people and some are pretty serious. You also may need to fight your doctor because the facebook pages have told me that it's not always the easiest thing to have prescribed on the NHS and some doctors haven't heard of it.

Personally I had a headache (could have had that anyway so not sure if it is saxenda causing it) and then I felt really tried from approx 7pm (really bone type tired, the sort you get when you're full of cold) and that was it but that was only day one on the entry level amount. Over the next five weeks I'll be increasing to full dosage and we'll see what happens there.)

@lololove possible side effect of thyroid cancer. I don't think that's something that should be recommended do you?.

From what everyone has written here, this is an emotional issue, not a physical one, and therapy is needed to address the underlying reasons as to why they overeat. They don't need hormones. Especially ones that can cause cancer.

www.saxenda.com/learn-about-saxenda/how-it-works.html

Fuck that shit.

Saxenda® should be used with a reduced-calorie meal plan and increased physical activity.

Personally, given that list of potential side effects, I’d skip the Saxenda and just go for the reduced calories and increased activity.

From the NICE website.

Liraglutide (Saxenda) has been compared to placebo in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) but there are currently no published double-blind RCTs comparing it with other medicines for weight management. Studies have shown statistically significant weight losses with liraglutide compared with placebo in people with and without type 2 diabetes. However, as reported in the European Public Assessment Report (EPARR_) for liraglutide (Saxenda) it is unlikely that any potential weight loss would be sustained after treatment with liraglutide is stopped. There were high dropout rates in both the liraglutide and placebo groups in all of the studies so continuation with treatment may be a problem in practice.

It's an expensive medication, that needs to be taken alongside a good diet and exercise regime, which as this thread shows is difficult for people to maintain. There are also unpleasant side affects for many.

Be a SAHM to school age children when the School bus picks them up a 2min walk away.
On cold days go back to bed after the drop off to warm up. Stay there until lunch. Eat sweets for lunch as you've stayed in bed too long.
Potter around for an hour 'cleaning'... This is your daily exercise...
After school snack with the kids as collecting them from the bus stop is such hard work.
Eat same size dinner as your active husband.
Get even more down because of your weight, and even less likely to leave the house.

I am trying to break this cycle now.

If anyone wants a medication to help them get MORE hungry (and fat) on the other hand, I thoroughly recommend mirtazapine!

Sigh. It's a sad thing that it happens to be the first anti-depressant that's actually really noticably helped my mood (I think it's the 5th I've tried?. The effect on my mental health and sleep has been so great that even my ED riddled brain can't quite justify stopping it just to stop the carb cravings that came with it. Luckily, because my MH is better, I seem to have quite a bit more sense of control in my life, including my eating, so I haven't actually gained weight while on it. I never knew I loved potatoes this much, though!

Mirtazepine... oh I remember the joys of that one. It's prescribed off label to people with anorexia because it increases the appetite so much.

I have sort of disordered eating habits where I wake up, go to work, don't eat all day and then come home at 8.30 and have a huge tea. So effectively only eating once in 24 hours. Mirtaz had me scoffing biscuits at 9am