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?

OP yeah I think it will. You are correct that it is 24 bags of sugar that you are carrying around - can you imagine how incredibly strong you are? Much stronger than most of us. And you probably have some pretty god damn impressive muscles on those legs of yours too (better than the rest of us). You just cant see it right now.

Do it for your health, just think of dropping each bag of sugar so you can start showing the world what an amazing strength athlete is being hidden by it all. I'm majorly rooting for you!!

OP try not to see it as a huge mountain. Break it up into small steps. For example, each time you lose 5lb/2kg, whatever, you but yourself a small treat (not food related). Then a big treat when you hit your target weight. You can do this! I hope your partner will be supportive.

If you like visualising weight, then sticks of butter are also fun!
1 stick of butter is 250g / ~ ½ lb
4 sticks = 1 kg / 2.2 lbs
~ 25 sticks butter = 6.35 kg / 1 stone
Really helpful when you start losing - oooh I've lost X sticks of butter this week :)

This is me too. To be honest, I had a shock recently when I went for a routine health check. My BMI was 24.9 and the nurse explained that this was at the top end of normal. When I looked at my records later, I saw this had been rounded to 25 which meant I am now classed as overweight. I honestly nearly cried. I’ve always had to ‘watch my weight’ and have large boobs which is where the weight goes first, but I’ve never thought of myself as overweight. I’m just under 10 st and in my mid 50s. No matter how much I try and manage my diet the weight seems to be stuck.

I have 3-4 stone to lose and went through a similar realisation when I weighed our pram. I find it sooo hard to lift in and out of the car and found it only weighed about 1.5-2 stone. So thought it was unbelievable that I am carrying around that weight and more every day! Full disclosure - I'm still carrying it around 😭.

This is a really lovely movational post.

Apparently overweight people develop really strong muscles in order to carry the weight - so once you lose weight, even without any exercise you'll be toned/in pretty good shape

I have just taken drastic steps and lost 5 stones and 4 lbs. I still have another 2 stone to go, but I am happy where I am It’s gamechanging. Everything is easier. Literally everything. Every little health issue which I had and which can be linked to being overweight is now gone. I shop for clothes with ease. I move with ease.

Mentally, I am in a whole different place. And the world is so much kinder to me.

I did something drastic and expensive to lose the weight - spent time abroad in fasting detox retreats to lose it. And I’m now doing a combination of intermittent fasting and ‘food combining’ diet to keep it off, and generally no processed foods or sugar, and only whole foods.

I have a joy for life, I didn’t know before. I think it is singularly the most important thing you can do for yourself to transform your energy and life.

You can do this OP

God, I can't imagine ever feeling like this! 😄

Happy to give up carbs but to replace them with mountains of veg? No thanks!

I was 11st 11Ib in January 5ft 4 I'm now 9st 5Ib. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in September. I was shocked as had no symptoms had already started to workout and eat better and lost weight.

I had tried so many times to lose weight I kept losing and gaining the same 11Ib I'm turning 40 next year that's what made me stick to it as it's only going to get harder and didn't want to be any bigger. I feel so much better have so much more energy I enjoy working out. My face is so slim when I look at before pics it's crazy. I can't believe I let myself get so big.

Take before pics and measurements as doesn't always show on the scales. I've printed off a before picture to keep me motivated. Start off small don't try to do to much at once. If you have a bad day food wise just start fresh the next day. There are some great 10 min workouts on YouTube. Good luck you can do this 💪

Haha.... start by replacing ultra-processed foods with lentils perhaps?

Lebanese lentil soup with lots of lemon juice, garlic and fresh coriander 🤗

We all have to start somewhere

@ilovetea14 are there any particular 10 minute workouts you would recommend?

Get to like healthy food. You have to change what you want to eat out of choice. I cannot eat junk now. I don’t see anything junky or in a bright packet or processed as food. But I’ve had a good diet most of my life. Eating healthily is not punishment. It is divine. A Buddha bowl or a freshly cooked fish pie, or a homemade burger or a veg curry is gorgeous and will help you lose weight. Take a long term view regarding weight loss, this is forever actually. Fall in love with cooking and real food. Then keep waking!! No snacking. No booze. You’ll do it.

@emsmum79 I do a grow with jo bum and thigh work out and a ten min seated ab workout and 10 mins Madonna arms workout. I try and change it up every few weeks. I bought a rowing machine so do 20mins of that 5 days a week. Also bought ropeless skipping rope it has weights on it do 20/30 mins of that some days. Grow with jo has lots of different workouts.

@emsmum79 I do Donovan green chair workout he does other workouts too.

I weigh as much as two MN people. What really annoys me when people talk about fat people like myself is this idea that we are lazy. Ask a MN 10stoner to carry around another MN 10stoner all day everyday and they would keel over with the effort, but that it what a fat person does every hour of every day.
Tell a MN 10stoner that to lose that weight requires someone to not eat very many calories and they throw their hands up in horror.
They eat the calories they need to function, we are carrying the calories we need to function in our fat stores, so don't need as many extra calories, but cue the ' I would feel faint if I didn't eat at least 3,000 calories a day when training for my marathon' post's, forgetting that they don't have the fat stores that the average obese person has !

Happy to give up carbs but to replace them with mountains of veg? No thanks!

Add a bit of butter and herbs, or streaky bacon, or olive oil and parmesan, only the British think veg should be boiled and boring !