Lowering a BMI!!!!

[Italiangreyhound]

OK, it's official, this little greyhound is less whippet

www.petwave.com/Dogs/Dog-Breed-Center/Hound-Group/Whippet/Appearance.aspx

and more whipped cream!

coleensrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/peanut-butter-chocolate-dessert-with.html

My lovely social worker has pointed out my BMI is a bit high and asked what I think I can do about it. I said lower it. Of course. But it is actually quite hard. I have taken up running and Taekwan-do but I also love my food.

Please inspire me if you were also advised to lower the dreaded BMI and how you did it, please.

Thanks so much.

Hi lovely Italian (I remember you from ttc support threads) I am also in large bmi boat and finding it very difficult to start the scales moving in the right direction.

Thanks to MN I've been doing C25K (on a cross trainer) and using MyFitnessPal. I am feeling fitter but he scales have barely flickered. I hope you don't mind me sharing any inspiration that comes your way. I'll certainly be cheering you on

Me too! We're not being assessed (as our DS has been wih us 2 years now) but since i went back to work i have put on a 1 1/2 stones.
We go on hol on Sunday and none of my bloody holiday clothes fit me.

I feel i look like a Mum of a 3 year old who has never managed to lose the baby fat, which is pants as i've never been pregnant in my life!

After weeks of a half assed attempt to lose some weight I have decided that i'm going to join Slimming World when i get back from hols. I have done it before and i gets tons of motivation from doing it with others and being weighed every week keeps me on my toes.

My energy levels have been low which tells me that my eating habits/kind of foods i'm eating also needs sorting so it will get me back on track. Hopefully.

Good luck and will be cheering you both on as you both get back to Whippet status!!!

The running will improve your health ( physical and mental ) and help you deal with the stress of the assessment process and waiting. But it doesn't burn as many calories as you think /hope so you won't lose a lot of weight unless you cut back on your calories too.

Lots of people enjoy slimming clubs and find them very motivating . Why don't you check out the weight loss threads here on mumsnet, apparently they are a very friendly lot

When you say you have taken up running, I assume you are starting a proper training programme like the c25k, like isabeller?? and have a decent pair of shoes and Sports bra? Reassure me please.

Thank you so much Isabeller, yes, please do share any inspiration.

Thanks flossymuldoon and I hope you too have a fab holiday with your little one and success for weight loss in the future.

Krisina, thanks for the encouragement. I have very good running shoes. My boobs are not very big so I wasn't really worrying about the bra. Is it important?

I did well on slimming world before.
Its so hard though isnt it. Book a beach holiday, we are going away in may i the thought of getting in a swim suit fills me with fear!! We booked a holiday just before we went to panel and it was lovely,our last holiday as a three.

Unless your boobs are tiny, you do need a proper sports bar for support. And to avoid...ahem....chafing.

I took aftre running about 18 months ago after joining a C25k thread on mumsnet and Im still going!! What program are you following?

Quite a few years ago I was about a stone and a half overweight (from my BMI). I was veggie and decided to try being a vegan - I dropped down to my ideal BMI in three months and stayed there for the 7 years I stuck to it, with no other effort involved! I still ate plenty and really enjoyed good food so it's not as hard as it sounds. I did succumb though a couple of years ago and started eating dairy and fish again, so have put lots of weight back on. If becoming a total vegan sounds a bit much you could try having vegan days or weeks maybe (which is what I shoudl be doing really!)

Cedar yes, it is hard.

Kristina I found my sports bra. I wouldn't say my boobs were tiny but no chafing, maybe I am not running fast enough! I am not doing a programme, just running with a friend, what should I be doing? Suggestions welcome.

GreenJoni not sure I can manage being a vegan for very long but would probably consider going dairy free for a bit.

Thanks one and all.

Most beginners run too fast and too far , too few times. Little and often is good. It's fine just to run and walk and build up the running time gradually . Taking it slowly reduces the risk of injuries . Remember to warm up and cool down properly and do your stretches religiously .

The c25k takes you to running 5k ( or for 30 minutes ) in 8 weeks. You can download it free and play it on your smartphone or iPod. I think there similar apps that you can use with your own music

Once you can run or jog for 5k I would recommend your local parkrun. It's free and fun, every Saturday at 9am in a park near you. Google it

There are lots of websites with tips for starting running. Also you tube videos will show you how to do stretches properly

Good luck.

Running with a friend sounds really good Italian I wonder if I could find a RL exercise buddy somehow.

GreenJoni is your diet vegetarian plus fish now? When you were vegan what were your main sources of protein?

KristinaM I love the idea of running in the park but I am also very wary of doing anything to damage my knees - any advice?

I'm doing 5:2 (saw it here first) and actually losing weight slowly but steadily (hurrah!) which is a massive change from having to really go low on cals to lose anything.

I've lost 18lbs since Christmas. Get yourself on MFP - my fitness pal, it teaches you what food is worth putting in your mouth. I was stuck over the top of my healthy BMI for over a year despite exercising three times a week for 40 mins and I was eating too much chocolate and cake. Joining one of the threads on this board has really helped me. I'm on the Chief thread but I've looked at them all and they all seem really supportive.

Good luck

Another rec here for my fitness pal/map my run. It is awfully faffy putting in the foods but you could always do it separately on an excel sheet.

I tend to set myself a weekly target of calories per day, factoring in exercise. E.g. if I eat 2500 cals but go for a 30 minute jog, my total for the day would be 2200 (obviously there's a bit of rounding and guesswork involved!) Averaging out over the week means you won't feel like you've fallen off the wagon if you go wild one day and have some chocolate cake.

Start gently - don't think that you're going to get down to 1800 cals a day straight away. If you're new to exercising, you'll want to eat more..and that's okay, just make sure it's the right more (that is, low fat, low sugar, high protein...things like plain yogurt are perfect)

Oh, and please, please, please steer clear of diet products. Eat natural, wholesome foods and they will fill you up so much better than mullerlight/weight watchers type stuff, which are also full of all sorts of nasty chemicals.

Hi Isabeller,
Vegan sources of protein are beans and pulses, tofu, nuts, lentils, veg (suprisingly has lots of protein!), soya products... I only went back to fish because it was the one thing I really missed! I think the diet is so healthy as well because you have to cut out most processed food as nearly everything has cows' milk in it for some reason. I've never got over discovering that some brands of "pure" orange juice aren't even vegetarian.... The only downside is having to spend more time cooking and it's a pain to go out for a meal! But I have to admit I did feel much healthier when I was vegan and it cured my hayfever, bizarrely... These days though I'm much lazier!

Thanks so much.

I am doing a low FODMAPS diet for my IBS so I can't have a lot of foods, I must stick to it before seeing dietician again.

Can't really help on BMI I am a bit overweight, but as long as you are trying a good SW will bend the rules if you can be a good parent. I was nearly 65 DH 61 when DD4 was placed she was 3 which was really beyond the pale. BTW they approached us Be totally committed.
Good luck

Thanks so much for all your tips and advice.

2old2beamum that is amazing! Has everything worked out OK. Does having a young child make you feel younger? Just curious. I am 48 and could still be approved for a baby and there are babies in the system. We had kind of thought older child (e.g. 3-5) as DD is 8 but we are told there are babies. Trying to be totally open as far as we can be!

Thanks to all for taking the time to reply.

I am also keen on 'mental' tips, urge surfing, mindful eating etc. I know it all about calories etc but i love food and I pick pick pick!

Hi, really not sure if this will help but I lowered my bmi without option really. Diagnosed with diabetes and high cholesterol and blood pressure, had to do something.
So cut out lots of fats especially hydrogenated. Cheese and eggs had to go because of cholesterol. I changed all white processed food such as rice, bread, pasta etc to wholewheat. Obviously cut out sugar but some is ok if it is far down the list of ingredients.
At first I fought it as it wasn't really by choice, I missed my former unhealthy diet. Now nearly 2 years on I am 2 stone lighter and health is improving.
Sorry, must add that 2 stone is a lot as I am only 4 ft 10.5. Obviously for someone taller the results could be far greater. I also learnt not to weigh myself but use a tape measure as its the inches that count not the weight. In inches I lost about 5. Oh and getting off the white stuff stopped me being bloated and looking pg.
Good luck, If I can do it anybody can.

Thanks Potatoeprints well done.

I always look pregnant, people give up their seats for me on the bus.

So by giving up the white stuff do you mean white bread/white flour/white rice or sugar?

Hi Italian.

I mean white bread, rice, pasta, yes and the floury stuff.
People used to ask me when I was due, and I was like the old Milton advert.
Whenever I resort to the occasional white crusty toast (I love this) I really can feel myself bloating and getting all lethargic.
I only don't have sugar (well added) because of diabetes. I can control it with diet atm and obviously don't want to go onto injections, so was scared into it really. I make all my own sauces now rather than jars and they are so much healthier than those with all the added sugar and salt. The family soon got used to it too, although they aren't as strict with it as I am.

I reckon Slimming World is the best weight loss programme and the food is very healthy, so it will ensure you get your 5 a day. There is a thread actually on SW but people don't seem to be very good at answering queries. I lost 2 stone on SW a few years ago, but guess what - yes you've got it in one! I am now on it again and am (like last time) doing it myself at home, but I will need to go to a class because they have new books out.

I think if you have never done it before it's best to go to a class to make sure you understand the different ways of losing weight. They call it food optimising and I think that's fair comment because it isn't really a diet and you can eat loads of food. I am eating far more, but the weight is starting to come off, but only 1lb a week - but that's ok. Slow but steady wins the race!

Thanks so much for all your kind words of encouragement.

I am that people are asked to lower their bmi so they can adopt surely the love to give and want for the children should be enough? Next theyl be banning people from trying to concieve who are higher bmi. I think its very wrong.

Good for you for doing it though!! Ive got zero chance. Im considering adoption in the future but it looks as if id be unwanted

Lora it is not (as far as I am aware) a requirement. I am not sure we would be totally stopped if I just stayed fat but I would rather not risk it!

I think the thinking is (as I understand it) two fold.

I am thinking of myself now, knowing how overweight I am. I am not speaking of all overweight people. Obviously there is a big diffference between a BMI of 27 or 30 or 35 or 40!!!! I will leave you guessing where I am on that scale!

If a person is very overweight or obese there is a chance the children in that family will also be overweight or obese. This might be because of gentics in some families but probably is a lot more to do with habits and patterns of eating and attitude to food. So to put a healthy child into a family where people ate very badly might be viewed by some as being wrong. If it were a choice of a fat family or no family I expect most kids would want a family, but if being in that family means you will end up overweight or obese and as a result get bullied at school or have health problems you can really see where they are coming from in wanting to avoid that and wanting kids to have the chance to join a 'healthy' family.

This does not apply to me as DH and DD are both slim and healthy, very fit and sporty. We eat a very sensible, healthy diet as a family.

The second reason, which does apply to me, is that people who are very overweight or obese run an increased risk of lots of diseases including life-threatening illnesses!

My problems with overeating go back a long way. Over the years I have tried lots of diets and exercise regimes and if I am honest they have all failed long term!

I now do sport that I think is fun (walking and Taekwan-do) and as a Christian I have had some councelling/prayer ministry to deal with the issues of why I over eat. But I am still overweight because I overate for a long time. I had two big break throughs, one last year that dealt with the overeating and another which I really hope has dealt with the reasons why I want to overeat!

www.bethelsozo.org.uk/

newid.org/

I was really hoping for some inspiration and encouragement. I don't want to join a diet club, it's not for me, but I do like to be inspired by other people's great stories.

All the best Lora, for the future for adoption if you choose to go down that route and all the best for other things too. Feel free to PM if you would like to.