To not have realised how over weight I am? :(

[Lostandlostsomemore]

Always been a size 10 pre kids, never weighed myself but maybe around about 10 stone as not very small framed boobs 36d.
Had my son 4 1/2 years ago and my daughter 3 years ago and remember on my last weight check before having her I was 16 stone and appalled.
Walked everywhere with the double pram as didn't drive and over 2 years was back down to a size 12 still horrible saggy stomach from 2 c sections but generally wore dresses so was fine.
Learnt to drive as moved out of London and although I don't eat large portions I don't eat the healthiest of food as just don't bloody like it.
Weighed myself today and 12 stone 13. Awful :( I knew my dresses felt a bit tight but still buying a size 12 so didn't think it was that bad.
I work evenings so literally impossible to join a gym as my 2 nights off a week I want to see my husband and kids and we live somewhere that you have to drive everywhere and now neither kid will get in a pram anyway so that's not going to work.
Am I going to have to starve? I have my brothers wedding in December and clearly have a good 3 stone to lose

How tall are you? What's a typical daily menu?

I don't think you should write off all healthy foods. There is a huge choice of foods that are good for you, so there must be some that you enjoy.

Perhaps it is the way you are preparing, cooking or serving them that makes them unappetising.

For example a plain salad is boring. Dress it with a tasty balsamic vinaigrette and it is delicious. Plain boiled broccoli can be a bit bland, so toss it in some soy sauce.

You don't need to go to a gym, exercise at home, get up and do it before the children are up, do it while they nap etc etc it only takes 30 mins. I don't accept that you do t have ANY time to exercise. I put a workout on YouTube and get on with it.

5 foot 7
Generally toast for breakfast, lunch a sandwhich type things or sometimes nothing ( know this isn't good but generally live on diet coke through busy days with kids ) and then a dinner always has carbs now thinking of it, rice / pasta / potatoes with meat and some veg. I do have sweets every few days not really a chocolate fan but pastries are a downfall.
It's def as I'm not moving as much, I was walking a good 2 hours a day with the pram :(

What height are you?

Yep exercise at home! There are very few exercises you can only do in a gym! If you have stairs so much the better!

The very rich gym industry rests on people not doing this..

Oh I know I could make time, I'm just knackered. They've been at ore school differernt days so I always have one of them. They get up at 6.30 and go to bed at 7 but Monday - Friday I work 7pm - 12am so home and in bed by 1am so tired and probably eating crap to get me through it.
Weekends are always busy visiting family who don't live near so seem to be late nights on the Saturday and Sunday early nights for everyone so it will be hard to fit in but am very unhappy now I know what I actually weigh so will have to

How tall are you - that's quite key to assessing how overweight you are. 12st3 is quite a bit at most heights but not morbid necessarily - the fact you're still getting into size 12 clothes shows that.

Can you exercise first thing in the morning at all? Or 20 min during the day in front of an exercise Dvd?

I also think you need to be realistic about the amount and speed of weight loss - you mention at least 3st which would take you well below the weight you were happy with years ago.

FWIW I am 5'8, just over 11 St and reasonably happy with that although I would like to lose maybe half a stone and get fitter so now run twice a week.

I feel your pain. Go to Slimming World if you can, they will help. Even if it's just an online membership. 3 stone to December is a bit ambitious though, but good luck x :)

Can you not excericse with children?

My 4 and 5 year olds love cycling. They will easily cycle 5 miles there and 5 back. You could get yourself and 4 year old bikes, and a bike seat for 3 year old on back and cycle every day.

Also what do you mean you don't like healthy food? Theres a lot of it. I would look at different foods as at the moment you are eating bread breakfast and lunch

That's an awful lot of carbohydrate, if you're doing no exercise you won't be burning any of them off hence the weight gain, you need to eat far more protein, this fills you and gives you more energy. Exercise will send your energy levels soaring, you just need to get started.

I found investing in a folding exercise bike changed my weight loss experience greatly. I hate running, I hate exercising in public, I hate having to wear exercise clothes, the the time it takes to get to the gym etc but didn't have room at home for gym equipment!

Or so I thought! I tried exercise DVDs and felt like an idiot as I'm so uncoordinated and would immediately stop out of embarrassment if my husband even passed the lounge door!

I got a fold up exercise bike from Argos - I think it was about £80 so not mega cheap but not mega expensive. It fits neatly away in the corner of my lounge and can be got out at a moments notice. Now I can happily cycle away in front of the tv and it has made a huge difference to the scales and overall health.

It took some pushing to start to make myself do it so I got one of those big calendars that you can put an x through the days - which I did every time I got on the bike and then I wrote on how long I had done. It was satisfying seeing a chain of unbroken x's. I also made myself do it everyday by telling myself "I know you don't want I do it but just get on and do 5 mins then, even if you get off" 9 times out of 10 once I'd get to 5 mins id think "oh well may as well stay on and do some more". Now I do cycle every day and actually want to do it, I feel an absence if I haven't! And literally to begin with I'd be, "just stay on until this item on the one show finishes" or "just cycle till the next as break and then you can get off"! That's why I kept it folded in the corner of the lounge so there was no excuse and it was always there ready to go. Also being in the lounge - the bike isn't that noisy meant my husband could be about and I could chat to him and as I wasn't lurching about trying to dance I didn't find if embarrassing. He started joking he could cycle further on certain times or go faster so that was quite a good motivator too. I'm competitive so I would want to beat his time!

I really enjoy it now, some times I do a super speedy cycle and get dressed appropriately to sweat. Some days when I'm feeling lazy I'll just hop on and have a leisurely cycle. I know some people would say what's the point of that but I figure on days I don't want to exercise, a bit of slow exercise is better than none!

Just wanted to share my method as I'm no gym expert or dietitian or anything but I just thought if share my experience of finding a way of exercising more - my way.

I hope this can help inspire you to find a way that works for you.

Hopefully others can share what weird and wonderful ways worked for them to fit more exercise in and you can find something that works for you. I think having a goal like the wedding is a big motivator. I can always stick to healthy eating when I know I've got an event on the horizon!

Good luck!

You sound very similar to me.

You're tallish, and getting into s12 clothing, so you probably don't have to lose as much as you think. All I can suggest is cutting out sweets completely, only eating pastries at the weekend, and trying hard to exercise for 30m every other day.

Your diet at first glance doesn't look like it contains energy giving nutrients

Those carbs you mention are not the right sort for energy

And yes. Everything everyone else said re exercise

I would aim for a couple of stone, and do as much exercise as you can indoors so that you look and feel more toned.
Invest in a set of dumbells or kettlebells, look on youtube for routines and start doing them.
Bodyweight exercises (pushups, squats, etc) are pretty good as well. A lot of people find Jillian Michaels 30 day shred pretty effective and that only takes 20 minutes.
As far as diet, buy a smaller plate and eat your food off that as that will control your portion size. Make the majority of your plate vegetables.
3 meals a day ,plus 1 or 2 small snacks if you must. Cut out the obvious crap - sweets, biscuits, kebabs, crisps, (or as an occasional treat). Watch your liquids intake, especially alcohol.

Just count calories and log them on My Fitness Pal. Don't rely on exercise to cancel out the amount you're eating if you're not going to be able to keep it up. Everyone who is overweight and unsure how to lose the weight could do with a bit more awareness of what they're eating and how many calories are in it.

It's diet not exercise alone that will shift all that extra weight. The exercise will tone you.

Another one who would second just counting calories honestly and accurately.

Your not much heavier than me and your the same height and there's no way I'd fit into a 12 so I so think you need to start buying clothes that properly fit.

It's not a substitute for the diet and exercise obviously but you might feel better about yourself if you had some clothes that fitted nicely instead of hiding in what must he shapeless dresses.

I'd say treat yourself in the mean time to some clothes and try and build up your Confidence a bit

Exercise does much much more than just 'tone you'

After exercise your metabolism is raised for a good few hours
It gives you energy.... Energy to continue being active
Releases endorphins and puts a on your face!
Keeps your heart/lungs/body in general fit
Makes you more aware of your body meaning you are less likely To make bad food choices
Oh yeah, it also tones you up

I'm just under 5'9" - a similar weight to you and would no way EVER fit in a size 12 anything!! Something sounds askew somewhere ...

I was the same weight as that and slightly shorter and easily fitted into 12s (and 10s in more generous shops) as long as the dress was fitted at the top not the bottom. Jeans were a different story of course!
Some people are smaller than others at the same weight, and everyone carries their weight differently.

I have had this... I realised I was around 13stone and had no idea (clothes mainly stretchy.)

Anyway - I was very very down about it. Then I randomly signed up for a 28 inch loss plan that my Pilates instructor was running - all online. She shared video workouts of 15 mins with us - that I could quickly do while the children watched octonauts. But the key thing was the diet change - basically cutting out processed food and carbs. There was a daily meal plan and recipes and basically it was the trigger for me to change my lifestyle. The first week or so was shite - but you eat 5 times a day (3 meals, 2 snacks) and there was no calorie counting. I am now still on it and have got down to 11 stone 6. Since June. I have weekends off. And am still losing steadily - it's slightly amazing and I feel so much better to have taken control.

Anyway- it's not the exact plan that is the key here.. It's about finding something you are prepared to do and stuck with and going for it to take back control. Although low carb does seem to be slightly amazing for weight loss...
Good luck x

I've lost a stone over the past 10 months. I'm not very tall so any gain or loss is very obvious on me.

The key I've found is really, really limiting snacks and keep most treats out of the house. It's rare we have crisps or biscuits in, for example. How do you take your tea/coffee? I take both black without sugar. You'd add lots of calories by adding sugar. I've also found an exercise I enjoy, in my case swimming. When I push a bit I get a sweat on! Dh likes to run and thinks it's a superior form of exercise but I'm fitter than he is.

Watch the alcohol too. I wasn't ever a big drinker but I've really cut back. Two glasses of wine a month at most now.