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?

Following as I'm the same need to lose 4-5 stone to be at the top end of a healthy weight. BMI 37 was 29 before covid.

My toddler weighs 2 stone so I'm constantly carrying 2 of them around in theory.

Starting to get a couple of weight related health problems too ☹️

I've come to a similar realisation OP. Not diabetes here at the moment, but I do need to lose @10 stone 😮

I'm going to the local Slimming World group for the first ever time tonight. Fingers and toes crossed.

Best wishes to you @Throughtheroof . Hope you can find a way through that works for you. Probably the realisation and facing up to it is the worst bit. Probably! 🙂x

You can't really force your body to stay in a calorie deficit.

Sure, you can reduce your calories in, but your body controls your calories out through varying your metabolism. When food is scarce you become tired and cold, and so retain weight. This is why dieting is hard and as soon as you stop dieting you gain weight again, becoming heavier than you were before the diet.

Another vote from me for the book Why We Eat Too Much (I believe the Obesity Code is similar but I haven't read that one).

Also OP exercise is good for you but doesn't really help with weight loss (except longish term in that that more muscle uses more calories) so just focus on what you eat to begin with.

I also had this epiphany one day!! My hips and knees were hurting so much.

I immediately started a low carb diet and lost 2 stone very quickly. I also started couch to 5k and increased my fitness levels.

Sometimes when I’m feeling low, I comfort eat and my weight increases (half a stone) and it happens very quickly. I always end up feeling low energy, achy, tired, foggy, IBS.

But the moment I start exercising (even just 10 mins a day on a “low impact aerobic” YouTube video) I start feeling better within days.

The realisation of my weight was life changing for me xx

Thanks @REP22 & good luck at Slimming World!

Re exercise, I understand that it's not the key to weight loss but my body really needs it. This week I have been swimming and walking every day (because I am on holiday). I know that I need to keep this level of activity up to feel healthy.
The problem is (& one of my problems is that I can always find an excuse!) that there is nowhere that I enjoy walking where I live and nowhere affordable that is nice to swim.
I need to change my mindset about this. (Or move to the coast next week 😂)

The positive is that the more overweight you are, the quicker the weight will drop off you IF you just eat 3 sensible meals a day.
You’ve had your lightbulb moment, try to capitalise in it. Good luck.

@User8976543246790087

How about starting at 1700 for a few weeks and see what happens. Even if you don't lose any weight it will be good for you to start to get into the hang of eating less and counting your calorie. Keep weighing yourself and see what happens.
I'd log every single calorie at first but I'm sure once you get into the habit you won't have to.
Good luck.

Hi @Throughtheroof
i lost a stone fairly rapidly a long time ago and was amazed at how much more energy and bounce I had from that fairly modest drop. I can’t say I felt ‘lighter’ as such but I sure felt good! And Ive never put it back on thanks to lifestyle changes.
Ive recently read that it can be really beneficial to start with rapid weight loss as that seems to really impact fat around the organs. So it’s worth doing some research to see if starting with a v low calorie regime would be good for you. Good luck!

I’ve lost just over 4 stone this year and I can’t believe I carried that weight around day after day. My 3 year old is about 2.5 stone and when I carry him he’s like a lead weight yet I carried 1.5 stone more than that around on my body every day for a couple of years.

You are capable of losing it if you’re motivated enough and actually want to lose the weight. You’ll fail if you don’t genuinely want to enough.

You're going to feel amazing when it's gone, or even reduced.

I used to run pre-dc when I was at the lower end of a healthy BMI (was probably a bit too anxious about my weight then), and it's so different running now, a stone heavier. I used to just float along, and was probably a bit smug, didn't realise just how much I was benefitting from simply being lighter, I was no fitter than most runners, if anything not as strong as my muscles weren't holding up as much weight.

Downside is that being lighter makes you feel the cold more.

500 cals less than your TDEE is absolute bollocks (apologies for sounding rude but it’s true!)

Honestly, I would aim for between 1700-1800 cals a day, prioritise protein (keeps you fuller for longer), and get more movement in.

And remember, it’s all about consistency, not perfection. Think of your cals as a weekly limit - so around 12,000 cals per week rather than 1700-1800 a day. This gives you some flexibility.

@User8976543246790087 - I agree with @WudYouSayItInRealLife, but I would also try intermittent fasting. I think many of us have become used to perpetual grazing, and it is useful to try and break that pattern.

As others have suggested, focus on lean protein (especially chicken, fish and eggs) and fibre, including non-starchy vegetables such as beans, sprouts, beetroot, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber etc., as well as lentils. Dessert can be apples, pears, berries or a few nuts. Vegetables contain healthy carbs and I find them quite sufficient, but if you need additional carbs to fill you up, quinoa, lentils and oats are healthier and less calorific than bread, pasta and potatoes.

Exercise won't make you lose significant weight but can be a powerful motivator. I'd start off with a couple of 3kg dumbells and find an online trainer on YouTube. Rebecca Louise has some short workouts with weights that are easy and fun:

@Work2live Why is it bollocks?

I keep 500 csls under my TDEE and find this is a great way to steadily lose weight. Half a stone for me, without cutting out too much of anything.

Because “500 calories” is an arbitrary figure. Fat loss isn’t a one-size-fits-all. For someone with a very low TDEE (e.g. someone naturally very small), 500 calories would be a huge decrease.

Somebody with a TDEE of 2500 cals might be fine dropping to 2000, but for someone whose TDEE is around 1,400, consuming 900 calories a day for any length of time would become a pretty serious problem.

You can lose weight by being in a smaller calorie deficit and it’s generally much more sustainable. Even a small deficit of 100-200 calories below your maintenance TDEE is enough for steady weight loss, especially if you combine it with more movement and some form of resistance training.

A reduction of 500 cals for most people (not all, necessarily) would be very restrictive and in some cases counter-productive. If you’re not eating enough, you won’t have enough energy.

It’s the reason most ‘diets’ fail. People want to see results in two weeks, not two months. Then they start to feel terrible, hungry, and irritable and they go back to old eating habits.

So my maintenance calories are 1860. Does this mean my body needs 1860 calories a day to stay at the weight I am?

Op I agree when actually putting that weight into context it's mind-blowing.
I find the most inspiring parts of some fat programs when they make the people carry their excess weight on their backs.

It's a very good idea and I should also try it!!

Check out Roy Taylors book on Type 2 Diabetes... to make an impact and reverse Diabetes most people only have to lose 15 kg. I'm half way there and hoping to lose the rest by the end of August. I don't use the meal replacements he suggests but just try and stick to the 800 calories a day. Its taken me since Mid May to lose 7kg inc having covid for a month where I stopped bothering to be so strict.

Yes it does. And to lose 1 lb a week, you'd need to reduce your intake by 500 calories a day. Which is why the idea of losing 2 or more pounds a week is unrealistic.

Bear in mind that this is not a precise science - it depends on starting weight, metabolism, physical activity and other factors.

Yes. 1300 calories doesn’t seem like much. I really need to lose weight so im
going to download my fitness pal and see what I can do.

You can always tell formerly obese people because they have extremely strong looking calves

I am motivated by this thread

I was going to post about the tipping point between weight and activity, I am simply getting lazier and lazier because carrying extra 5 stone is exhausting …. I am only 5”4

Does that really make sense to you, GettingPiggy? Athletes have extremely strong calves. I know plenty of women who can't fit into normal zip-up boots because of their strong/large calves.

Many women who wear high heels have strong/very developed calves. It depends very much if someone is prone to putting muscle on in that area.

The turning point for me was getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I had an itchy skin rash that wouldnt heal in 2020, my GP referred me to a dermatologist, the waiting list took me to 2022, He calledit Nodular prurigo and took a blood test, The results in July were Diabetic, high cholesterol. fatty liver, fatty pancreas and poor LFT results. I kicked myself into gear when my son was worried I wont live to see any grandchildren (I am 57) I joined the diabetes forum and read up on the condition, have lost nearly 4 stone and my diabetes is in remission, I was a size 24 and can now wear size 12, I literally halved my size. I eat 3 meals a day, 1200 cals and no more than 130g carbs, I stop eating at 5pm and the weight has fallen off, the exercise I do it walking and dance videos on youtube. I use nutrcheck app and carefully monitor what i eat but have mountains of green veg and once I lost the taste for carbs I no longer crave them. good luck on your journey op xx

@Jenasaurus wow that’s amazing! Fabulous.I think that diagnosis would have had the same effect on me. So many people don’t see diabetes as the serious disease it is.Well done on putting it in remission.

I wonder how the OP is doing. Any success?

I have mountains of green veg and once I lost the taste for carbs I no longer crave them

This is so true! I no longer miss bread, or sugar. Give me a bowl of broccoli and I'll devour it 😎

Well done, @Jenasaurus !!