to think that its fecking impossible for me to lose weight?

[immortalwife]

I'm so depressed about my weight gain in the last year. I was a prebaby size 12 and now I'm post baby size 16. None of my clothes fit. Can't afford new ones.

I did start cycling but the thing is I have pretty severe hyper mobility. My left knee is pretty much in constant pain. Its affecting most of my joints now. I do stretches and some light yoga to help with the joint pain (suggested by doctor).

What the heck am I meant to do? I don't want to starve myself with salad. I want to be FIT not just slim. I'm getting rather despondant about it.

Am I missing some exercise I should be doing?

I agree katy
Since i changed to porridge/eggs for breakfast and no sugary tropical fruit,my weight has stabilised and so has my mood etc .
The sugary cereal ( most breakfast cereals) thing is a huge con-it makes you crave and buy more sugary carb rich stuff.
Sugary muesli(sold as healthy) gives you a huge insulin spike and blood sugar drop so you reach for more carbs ,usually bread and so the cycle goes on.
Its a marketing dream

I went through the menopause two years ago and piled on the weight. At my heaviest, April, I was 11stone 6lb. I am 5' 2" so that is heavy. I went up and down counting calories. I would have a piece of toast or two for breakfast, a tuna or meat and salad sandwich for lunch and a small portion of something with veg and potatoes for dinner (like half a pie normally meant for one), chicken with no skin weighing it out. According to my fitness pal I was on 1000 - 1200 per day so definitely not over eating. I kept getting to eleven stone and stalling.

I had a wake up call then when I was diagnosed as per diabetic. So I looked into low carbs as there had been a piece in the paper about a university which had reversed pre diabetes with a low carb diet. I though it couldn't do any harm as I would still be pre diabetic if it didn't work so I had it a try.

I started in June and have lost 17lb from my starting weight of eleven stone. I slipped up when we went on holiday and did carbs very day. Came back 3lb up. That was gone in five days.

Today I have had

Two rashers of streaky bacon, one sausage, mushrooms fried in butter coffee with double cream

Half a can of tuna with ff Mayo, salad and a small amount of cheese grated on top.

Roast chicken with skin on about three slices, one sausage made into stuffing balls, cauliflower, greenbeans and carrots

Later I will be having my version of ice cream (double cream whipped up with vanilla extract then bunged in the freezer - on the solid side but lovely with warmed up berries!)

And then I may finish with two squares of 85% cocoa solids chocolate.

And I lose between a pound and two pounds a week with no more exercising than a longer than the school run walk three times a week which I was doing when I counted calories. So the low carb is definitely what is working for me!

Banana omelette for breakfast...epic??

Scrambled eggs and stir fried spring greens ( using butter) scrumptious breakfast too!

Also consider womens calorie limit of 2000 and what your height and frame are like.
If you are unable to exercise you will need hundreds of cals less.

Have you actually put on much weight? Or are you just a bit more wobbly than you used to be? I know I can lose a dress size just by exercising, without much weight change. And the reverse (more usually ).

I suspect you're really not that bothered about a number on the scales, and just want to be fit again?

I'm not sure whether a physio or a personal trainer would be more appropriate (or getting a physio to recommend a PT!) but have you any spare money to throw at the problem?

I am extremely hypermobile too op. I do weight lifting twice a week (once with machines and once with dumbells) you can do them with tins of beans or four pinters of milk if you are skint. There will be tutorials on youtube. It's really helping me. I also do power walking five days a week (I'm a dog walker) and I swim when I can.

I'm overweight too at the moment, but have been losing weight steadily since January on the low carb high fat boot camps run on here by lovely BIWI. I heartily recommend them, they are quite a commitment but there's tons of support and success stories.

I'll be blunt, OP - it sounds like you're overeating to me. In that sample day you've quoted, you eat cereal AND bread AND potatoes. That's a lot of stodge.

Also, are you honest about portion sizes and what a "portion" of cereal or potatoes should look like? When I started logging on My Fitness Pal I was amazed to see a "portion" of cereal was 30g - the same as one of those tiny fun size packets.

I would recommend logging everything on MFP. It's so good for seeing where your extra calories are coming from. A small cappuccino, for example, can push me over my daily allowance quite easily. I would previously have not really considered it, calorie-wise.

As for exercise, if I were you I'd definitely do Pilates and swimming, as others have said, but also weights to tone up.
When I had major knee problems I toned up and built muscle with Body Pump classes - it's easy to adapt the class around your joint issues. For example, I didn't use weights for the squats until my knee was much stronger.

Good luck.

Google Tim Noakes and Banting. It works!

Of course exercise is good for you BUT it's overrated when it comes to weight loss. You have to exercise an awful lot in order for it to make much difference to your weight.

If you want to lose weight without eating leaves or revolting shakes and soups etc, try low carb.

I've done that 5-2 'fast' diet. Bloody marvellous! Slow but sure. Dropped three dress sizes in four months. Plan on doing it for the foreseeable future. ACE!

thefastdiet.co.uk/

I haven't read the whole thread so others will have likely said this, but dieting isn't about eating salad. If it was, no-one would lose weight because they wouldn't be eating enough!!

DD has just turned 5 and it was only this year that I decided to do something about the weight I put on when PG with her. I didn't have a huge amount to lose (was size 12 pre-DD and was a 14 after) but I did by Slimming World and then when I felt that was starting to plateau I changed to Weight Watchers.

I didn't go to any classes. I just borrowed books from friends and bought them from ebay. I'm very self-motivated and became determined. Once I was comfortably back into my size 12s I 'stopped' trying to lose weight and now I eat healthily but do have some treats and my weight has stayed the same.

It's not about salad .

You may have to try a couple of diets to see what works for you though. A lot of people swear by the 5:2, like the PP, but I lost 1lb in 4 weeks doing it because I had so little to lose, so as easy as I found the diet, it didn't work for me...

Keep a food diary/app and count everything you eat.
I have mobility issues due to arthritis and also had a lightbulb moment and decided that for one year i would stick to 1400 cals, not give up after losing a few stone but see where i end up after a year.
after less than three month i feel so much better, more energy, lighter, and in control of my eating.
Not wanting to eat leaves is an excuse. I hate salad and don't eat it.

Agree with MrsJoss you should definitely set yourself up on myfitnesspal I swear by this.

It is amazing what you actually consume without tracking it. It is a great way to keep within your daily limits. I also use fat secret.com which also give you a breakdown of your daily calories in fat, carbs & sugar which it sounds like you need.

Imagine your cereal, bread & potatoes all mashed up with water - I find that turns me off when I am eyeing up the bread in the shop.

I am a carb monster too and lose weight simply by cutting out bread. I now have eggs for breakfast and try to have protein and veg for lunch and dinner. I sometimes have a baked potato but I won't have any other starch that day as I know I will find it stuck to my belly!

I also use weights now in the gym. You can use tins at home if you don't have any. I have good muscle memory anyway but have seen a big improvement in my arms just over a couple of weeks. I do biceps curls, work the triceps, lateral raises and the one where you move your arms out to shoulder level then bring together in the middle like you're giving someone a hug. I do 3 sets of 15 repetitions. I also do lunges and squats, you can do this waiting for the kettle to boil. I walk at least 10,000 steps a day too and try to swim as often as I can.

The weights will help to lean you out and give you that fit body you want, not just to be a skinny salad muncher.

Don't despair, you can do it it is just mind over matter, once you have started you should start to enjoy it not least as you will be motivated by what you see in the mirror/on the scale.

Good luck!

I've lost 51 pounds since March with MFP. Just didn't realise I was eating so much......... My downfall, red wine and cheese. if someone ever invents a carb free low cal wine that doesn't taste shite, they will make a fortune.

Hear hear Grandtheft! and bread are mine. And congrats on your weight loss that is awesome in 6 months.

What is MFP?

When you are very active an injury can mean you like on the weight. Unfortunately you won't be able to eat as much if you can't exercise. You won't really be able to lose weight through exercise alone unless you can do something really hardcore like Bootcamp/ marathon training and are prepared to be patient for all the time it will take

immortal you may be feeling tired due to the lack of fat you are consuming - not only is Katy right about the satiety that fat provides, it is also essential for your body to repair and regenerate, good brain function etc. I would definitely look at low carb, low GI or Paleo as options, no calories counting, all based on real, nutrient dense food, plenty of good fat and you shouldn't be hungry. In addition, mindful eating, learn to slow down when you eat and tune in to your body's hunger/satiety signals that are all to easy to switch off from.

What you eat and how you eat is 80% of weightloss.

Pop over onto the Low Carb and 5:2 boards here on MN. Low Carb could work well for you as it doesn't rely on cutting down on portion sizes as much as cutting out refined carb and sugar and eating low carb foods.

It's very easy to do and you a never ever hungry doing low carb.

If you cannot do without the carb. There is 5:2. You eat mostly what you like for 5 days a week (obv not gorging on chocs and takeaways). And 2 days a week you eat circa 500 cals for a day (say a small salad or soup at lunch and say grilled piece of fish with steamed veg at dinner).

You can ease yourself into 500 cals. I am an utter wimp and started doing. 1000 cals fast days.

Btw I lost 6 stone after DD was borne and regained over 7 stone whilst pregnant with DS (there is only 2 years between them). All of which I lost again and I have been maintaining since Feb this year no issue.

I have SI (hip) joint issues which has meant exercise can be a struggle and at times I have not been able to do more than care for the DC and take them to the park twice a day.

Losing weight has helped that as well. Less strain on the SI joints.

And I'd try swimming or aqua aerobics for exercise. Or moderate pace walking.

Good luck. You can do it! I'm on the 5:2 maintainers board if you want to find me. Happy to answer questions if you have them.

And yy to strength training.

Thanks everyone! I'm seeing my doctor about exercises and seeing a physio for appropriate exercise with my set of joint issues.

I'm going to check out the 5/2 page and look up some nice low carb recipes too. Just realised I drink a glass of red wine a night too so that won't help me haha.

Thanks for the replies.

Well I have been referred to physio and booked in for xrays - Dr thinks I have arthritis as well as HM. I am going to have to try the low carb or 5/2 diets as exercise is a no no for the moment!

Good progress!! Physio will help as long as you do the "homework" they set you. I had extensive physio due to SI joint issues and it worked! I'm not saying it was always easy but it worked.
And if I ever find myself struggling or pain returning I have a set of "tools" to turn to so I can start doing my exercises again and get on top of it.

See you over on the 5:2 thread.
Also BIWI has a new bootcamp starting next week. Worth a look. Her thread has already started I think.

You could ask questions on both threads and see which one appeals to you the most. And importantly which one will fit in with your lifestyle.

Did you doctor say no to exercise? I am surprised. Exercise is beneficial for most physical conditions like hypermobility.