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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I feel like an idiot but any advice anyway!

27 replies

two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 11:01

Please be nice to me lol.

I'm overweight, but by no means massively so - a "healthy" weight for my height is between 8 and 10 stone and I'm just over a stone above that so I need to lose 16 lbs maybe? But to be honest I look okay at half a stone heavier than that.

I lost this and more by accident to be honest in January - I was trying to lose weight but then became really ill and so it was easy in a way! I lost a stone and a half so was a really nice healthy weight, felt great and so on.

I started to gain again when I went back to work (DD2 was an April 2011 baby so went back after Easter) I found it so tough and I just wanted to buy a bag of sweets after work and then I'd find myself snacking, and slowly but surely gained it back.

So, DH was away for a month and after doing some research online I found a very low calorie product called exante, it's just soups and shakes and so on, I thought I could maybe do it for a month or so but I'm finding it so hard to stick to! This is day 4 and I feel really listless and depressed and lacking in energy!

I think I might be able to stick to it when I'm back at work (I am a teacher so go back september) as I don't eat really during the day as am running around teaching, photocopying stuff and so on ...

I'm toying with the idea of joining SW or similar and doing exante in september to lose the final half stone as that always kills me!

any thoughts for a miserable chubster :)

OP posts:
ImperialBlether · 08/08/2012 11:03

Personally, with so little to lose, I would avoid Slimming World. I think most people go back again and again and are always fatter than the previous time they went.

I don't know what exante is, but surely there are better ways of losing a little bit of weight?

Could you just cut out the crap?

JumpingThroughHoops · 08/08/2012 11:04

You will - you are eating a gimmick with little or no nutritional value whatsoever.

Gimmick diets never work long term, you need lifestyle change.

Really, you aren't that much overweight at all, so it's a case of soup (I am the soup queen) and grilled white meat with salad, not smothered in mayo.

Reduce treats, don't ever cut anything out completely because forbidden food has allure.

confusedgypsychick · 08/08/2012 11:05

Have you looked at Weight Watchers?

squeakytoy · 08/08/2012 11:07

You dont really have much to lose there. If you have a Wii, do the wii fit exercises every evening for half an hour, and you will soon tone up and lose a bit of weight.

ChaoticismyLife · 08/08/2012 11:08

Sounds like slim fast/lighter life to me.

If you've only got a small amount to lose then I wouldn't bother with it tbh. Keep a food diary to see how much you're eating and make sure you include everything. Keep an eye on your portion sizes as well and just try to eat healthily, that way you'll have a better chance of keeping the weight off.

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 11:09

I tried WW but the point counting just confused the life out of me, it really did! Blush I ended up relying on packets because the points were counted, and then it was never enough so I ended up snacking and I have a bit of a binge eating history to be honest.

Imperial, I just seem to find it unbelieveably hard to cut out the crap, I don't know why, it's like when a shark sniffs blood and goes crazy, I get a bit like that sometimes where food is the ONLY thing I want! But it's never salad or something of course!

OP posts:
Spiryt · 08/08/2012 11:10

Do half an hour of vigorous exercise (enough to struggle to talk) 3 times a week and cut portion sizes by about 10%. Should start seeing results in a few weeks.

Greatdomestic · 08/08/2012 11:11

Weight Watchers worked for me a while back but it's like anything else in that you need to follow it.

I think cutting out the extras is a good start, drinking your 2 litres of water and eating your 5 a day etc as well as doing a bit of exercise.

Good luck with it.

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 11:11

Chaotic yeah, I looked at lighter life and it's similar to that but cheaper cause it's ordered direct from the Internet so no middle man if you like. I quite enjoy the products actually! Just hungry, rahhhhh! (Re the taking own advice, yes me too!)

Squeaky, exercise never ever makes so much of a jot of difference to my weight loss, I haven't a clue why! I lost a stone in hospital when I wasn't moving at all - I wasn't eating much, granted but I was certainly eating enough, it's so strange!

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 08/08/2012 11:13

Not even vigorous fat burning exercise??

confusedgypsychick · 08/08/2012 11:13

two2blackcats, WW is entirely online now, so you don't have to count the points yourself, you just put it into the online calculator. You can also get an app for your phone that will calculate them for you.

I'm a lot like you, I found it really hard to cut out the crap, and I'm a really bad binge eater. But I just found it better when I had to put what I was eating into the calculator and see how much crap was actually adding up.

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 11:19

Confused, I know, I just get lost when it comes to weighing and measuring a homecooked meal for instance, I had the calculator and the scales last time and I really just couldn't follow it at all :(

Squeaky - it's hard to say how vigorous really but 3 years ago I was a member of a gym and I went regularly (at least 4 times p/w) and it didn't seem to make any difference. I was also a swimmer in my early twenties and never lost weight that way,although I didn't need to.

More recently I walk for a minimum of 2 hours a day (dog) and I do walk quickly as other people comment on it so I don't know - it just doesn't seem to make any difference, I don't know why! Yet I've lost weight when I've been bedbound Grin

Maybe I am just a freak!

OP posts:
newmum001 · 08/08/2012 11:34

Im doing slimming world atm, lost 21lbs in 8 weeks. Im never hungry and it is so easy to follow. I've known loads if wonen who have done it, some have gained the weight back but others haven't. I personally think its fantastic.

TroublesomeEx · 08/08/2012 11:39

I'm in a similar boat to you.

5 foot 3. Was 8st 3 from about 16 until 10 years ago when the weight started to creep on. I'm now 11st 5. And I'm definitely suffering for it!

We've just cut down on crap and sugar and finally, the weight is starting to drop off.

Avoid diet, low fat and 'health' foods because they take the fat out and replace it with sugar. It's evil stuff.

I've already posted about this on another thread this morning, but really cutting down on the sugar and just eating sensibly really is the key to it.

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 11:45

I'm not sure, it's hard. I'm reading suggestions and know they are sensible and I should do them but I don't seem to be able to :(

OP posts:
Ephiny · 08/08/2012 11:52

You could try calorie counting for a while, using something like My Fitness Pal. This is a pain to do long-term, but can give you an idea of where your 'problem areas' are in terms of your diet - e.g. are your portion sizes too big at meals, are you snacking too much - so you can see where you need to cut back.

I don't think you need to go on any extreme diet, small adjustments will probably do it.

I don't find exercise makes a huge difference either - though of course it's worth doing anyway for general health and fitness. It's very easy to eat hundreds of excess calories every day by overdoing the snacks, sweets etc, and not so easy to do enough exercise to cancel that out and lose weight.

Ephiny · 08/08/2012 11:55

Also, if there are particular foods you tend to binge-eat on, don't have them in the house. Don't buy them at all, at least until you've broken the habit.

Think about other distraction activities you can do when you get that crazy-feeling urge to eat everything in sight. Go for a walk, listen to music, have a cup of tea, phone someone for a chat etc. Have a plan, so next time you feel like that you know what to do.

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 12:05

Ephiny, we never have sweet food in the house, ever. Yoghurt and fruit is about the extent of it. Unfortunately a 24 hour tesco is within spitting distance and I'd say most of my binges are after 8pm in the evening.

OP posts:
ChaoticismyLife · 08/08/2012 12:21

I said it earlier but I'll say it again...food diary. Keep one and put everything in it, including what you drink, it might just highlight where you're going wrong, apart from the evening binges :)

Original poster
two2blackcats · 08/08/2012 12:28

It is the binges Chaotic, I know it is, I don't eat much apart from that.

Sorry, I'm so miserable and don't know how to stop!

OP posts:
JenFraggle · 08/08/2012 12:31

Make sure that you allocated yourself treats but be sensible with them. You will find it easier to stick with it if you can have a little treat now and again. When I did Slimming World I still had chocolate, just a small pack of buttons rather than a normal size bar. Curly Wurlys are good as they look big but are actually rather small, you think you are having more than you are. I also used to have chinese each week but just had a boiled rice and curry sauce. Still having the taste so not feeling like I was missing out but it wasn't a bad meal.

Ephiny · 08/08/2012 12:35

I've been in that situation :(

Why do you think you're binge-eating like that? Are you bored, lonely, is it stress? Sometimes if you can fix the underlying problem, it gets easier to sort out your eating. For me it was being stuck in a job I hated.

Also it really is helpful to have strategies in mind, other things you can do when you feel that way instead of heading to Tesco!

The very low-calorie diets are really not going to help with this sort of problem. If anything they'll make you more likely to binge, not less, as your body will be desperate for food.

HellonHeels · 08/08/2012 12:37

Are you binging because you are depriving yourself all day then cracking and having a binge?

There's absolutely no point in doing a strict regime if you then end up feeling either so deprived or so hungry that you go on a binge.

Eat more during the day - quality, substantial food, three balanced meals and a snack mid morning and in the afternoon. Suspect you'll be less likely to binge if you're better fed.

LizaTarbucksAuntie · 08/08/2012 12:42

I'm in a similar position and looking to lose another stone.

I love cake and biscuits and ice cream and bread. I can't follow faddy instructions and would feel starved on a shake/soup diet.

I needed to drop the bread (toast/butter/jam breakfast) Eat More fruit and get into the habit of drinking 2 litres of water a day.

I now have my tea and coffee first thing, then all day I drink water and green tea ( I swear by the Green tea part! and I'm a confirmed builders brew with one sugar girl)

I've reduced the amount of bread I eat and am eating museli mixed with fruit and fibre (sainsburys basics with added flaked almonds and mixed dried fruit)

I have a graze box delivered to work and Snack from that. For lunch I'm having a pack of sainsburys basics instant noodles and 2/3 pieces of fruit.

I have the same sort of dinner I always had but with less potatoes/rice/pasta.

I am still having a glass of wine in the evenings and a bit of cake or choclate if I fancy it.

I lost 1/2 stone in the first week - it will probably slow down now but:

  1. I feel better and less sluggish
  2. I'm not craving the stuff I thought I would crave

I suspect it's about finding a system that works for you and I'm not sure the shakes will work as a healthy eating regime and it sounds like that what you need more than a kick start as it's unlikely that weight will stay off

Good luck - it's really disheartening to be unhappy with your body and I hope you find your solution

RuleBritannia · 08/08/2012 12:48

I weighed 11st 12lb (height 5ft 4in), saw myself in a photograph and knew I'd have to do something about it!

I went to WeightWatchers with an aim of 2st 7lb loss but with a WW target of 10st 7lb. I reached 9st 8lb which included long, speedy walks down hospital corridors when my husband was ill. I gained somewhat and manage to keep my weight at 10st 7lb. I am satisfied with that wish it were a bit less though because I can get into clothes that had been unworn in my wordrobe for years.

I would recommend WeightWatchers to anyone.