Shocked about the reality of weight

[Throughtheroof]

I've just been discussing (my) weight with DP.
I am over weight, have been since childhood in various degrees. Have Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure which I am sure is a direct result of never being a healthy weight.

I was saying how much different it must feel (physically) for people not overweight. I was walking up a hill at the time!

I said to DP really I need to lose about 4 stone and I was trying to imagine what it would be like without that 4 stone!

We worked out that 1 stone is just over 6 big bags of sugar.
So 4 stone is about 24 bags.

I cannot get my head around this. I could not pick up 24 bags of sugar. And yet I drag just that around with me every day. (Well, more obviously!).
No wonder I have aches and pains.

I feel shocked and upset that I have never tried to do anything about it.

The question is, will this change anything for me?

What is saxenda?

Vanity and other perks aside, it is SO much better for you to be a healthy weight.

Agree @mackthepony that's my thinking too.
Too late for vanity for me

Thanks all for the positive responses. I need to have a think about what I'll do from here. Fingers crossed!

I often think about what OP is saying, someone who is say 14 stone when they could be 9 stone & still healthy BMI. Literally draggin around half an extra person with them all the time (!) Very heavy people are very strong, have a lot of muscle on them.

It's amazing when you put it like that.

I've lost 8.5 stone and it's basically three of my 7 year old. No way could I carry her around all day every day. But I did

I'm currently carrying my 12 year old around in excess weight. No wonder everything's so much effort!

Life is absolutely so much easier. I lost 7 1/2 stone a few years back and it was life changing.,
I did exante, it's not for everyone but it really suited me. X

The only way it will change for you, is if YOU make the change. No one will do it for you. 80% of weight loss is what you eat so download MyFitnessPal or something like that and track (honestly) all your calories.

I had surgery-drastic, but it’s what I needed to do

I have always been average weight but as menopause hits I am putting on weight and I find it physically hard. My veins are bad and ache if I put it on a bit and my knees and feet hut so much more. It's hard work!

Yes @TheBikiniExpert that's what is bothering me too. My hips, knees and ankles hurt sometimes and I am sure that is because they are supporting more than they should be.

Yes it would make a huge difference! 😄 I was 140kgs 4 years ago and this was the heaviest I’d ever been. I couldn’t even walk to my GP surgery on the next road from my house, without having to stop several times for a break 😳 I obviously knew how overweight and unfit I was but I was in complete denial. It was only when I had a blood test for something unrelated that they tested my blood sugar and told me I was 1 point away from being pre diabetic 😫 This was a massive wake up call as my Dad is diabetic and I didn’t want to be like him (he’s in denial even though he’s had it for nearly 20 years). I’m high risk anyway because I have PCOS and my Dad is diabetic, so I think I was lucky to be only be ‘nearly pre diabetic’ at this weight! 😳 Anyway, I’ve since lost 45 kgs through intermittent fasting and in terms of my ability to do things, this has improved massively. I still want to lose another 20 to 25 kgs and will start this when the summer is over (I don’t do well physically in hot weather 🥵). However, the fasting has enabled me to stay the same weight and not put any on. It’s hard work to lose the weight but once you have, you’ll reap the rewards! ☺️

I miss vanity.

Shedding the extra weight is one of the biggest things that you have total control over and that you can do for yourself. It also doesn't have to cost anything.

It's not easy though 😅
I am generally an ok weight but if I go up then I take my time getting rid of the extra. I do 1/2 to 1 pound a week and I calorie counting with MFP

Before I diet I spend a couple of weeks getting in the mood by watching what I eat but not actually calorie counting.
It always takes me a long time but I get there.
I start at around 1400 calories and then see how my weight is coming off and adjust it accordingly.
I usually excessive a fair bit anyway so don't change that too much.

Good luck OP. Think of this as a lovely gift you can give yourself.

Might I suggest reading ‘the obesity code’ by Jason Fung? He’s a Canadian doctor, and it is full (sometimes a little too full, for some people) of actual science explaining why we get over weight. It’s not a diet book (although he does recommend and discuss fasting) I know you think you can’t fast. I thought I couldn’t fast. I can. You probably can. But even if you can’t, it’s still full of information that will help you understand how you got to where you are and what to do (or not to do) about it.

Look into intermittent fasting. It will also help you maintain any loss, which is where so many people (myself included!) fall down.

Fast, feast repeat by Gin Stephens explains it at an easily accessible level.

No one trying to sell you shakes or pills or programs either.

Good luck!

I've lost 2st since March and woukd like to lose 2 more but feel a bit fed up and stuck. Seeing it here, that a stone is 6 bags of sugar, makes me quite proud of myself. I need to find that discipline again but I know how hard it is.

Wether it changes anything or not is up to you.

How would you feel about it if someone you love was aching and in pain from carrying around 24 bags of sugar that had been strapped to them?

You’d probably feel a lot of compassion for that person and the struggle they face daily and you’d probably want to do everything you could to help them, even if that meant you had to make things more difficult for yourself by carrying a few of their sugar bags. What would it be like if you directed that compassion and effort back at yourself? You deserve it too.

I put on 3 stone and remember thinking that my youngest dd weighed 3 stone and there's no way I could carry her all day. No wonder my knees are knackered

This is such an inspiration. Thank you. I'm really struggling to lose weight at the moment. I need to lose about 5 stone and I just can't shift it. I'm going to the gym and doing other exercise a lot. I think I eat too many carbs, so I'm trying to change what I eat. Any tips, anyone?!

Hi @emsmum79 Losing weight is down to about 90% what you eat and only about 10% exercise. It’s tough to lose and some people find it harder than others. I’d recommend the following :-

1. Log everything
2. Plan menus
3. Drink water/stay hydrated
4. Get quality sleep
5. Eat a nutritious diet of healthy fats, protein, complex carbs and fibre.
6. Find a way of eating that’s sustainable with a flexible approach.
7. Intermittent Fasting. Have an eating ‘window’ For example 12:00 - 20:00
8. Keep moving and include strength training. Muscles burn more fat. Not talking arnie swatsneger (sp)
9. Look at your emotional health. Be in the right headspace.
10. Remember diets don’t work in the long term. There’s no magic bullet or short cuts to health & wellness.

Good Luck 👍

To lose weight, you literally just need to be in a calorie deficit. Exercise doesn’t even need to come into it (although obviously for overall health it’s still really important).

Use an online calculator to work out your TDEE and then count your calories for a month or two. As long as you stay slightly below your maintenance calories you will lose weight, even without exercise.

If you can get out for regular walks, or go swimming, or lift some heavy weights, even better. You don’t need to run or do HIIT or anything like that - if you are heavier it will put stress on your joints.

I’ve lost 1.5 stone since January and feel so much better for it - I’m determined not to go back to my heaviest weight.

I'm confused by my calories... my TDEE is 1899 a day, my BMR is 1583 a day... to lose weight google suggests eating 500 less than your TDEE (1399 - not enough for me from experience!) but google also suggests you should never eat under your BMR (1583)

So how many do I eat?!

Nutricheck always puts my calories too low, I end up overeating because I'm so hungry.

I'm wondering about going in higher e.g. 1700 a day and plodding along for a bit, see if anything happens. I have history with binge eating so I cannot put myself in a situation where I am hungry.

Any advice?

I am about 4 stone overweight but would be happy to lose 1.5 stone, I've not been my "healthy" weight since I was a child and I'd imagine I'd look awful so thin.

I was carrying around an 8st person all day along. It’s made a huge difference to me. Im literally half the size I was.

All day long * ^