To ask how to lose weight

[Emlou07]

Be brutal. I need a kick up the arse.

I'm 24, 5'3 and 225lb. A good 90-100lb over weight (6/7stone)

I have a borderline thyroid issue and moderate scoliosis which is causing a lot of pain recently. It also causes my whole structure to be off and puts a lot of pressure on my right foot. Two doctors (my GP and my neurologist) have told me to lose weight. I'm definitely not in denial that it's a must.

I have some mental issues with food that stem back to childhood, which I don't really want to go in to too much. But one of those 'are you going to stop feeding me again vs when will I eat next?'

The mental issues with a bad bout of PND, depression and then finally anxiety topped off with 6 months of health anxiety have definitely not helped with piling on the pounds!

I have no issue with exercise apart from the pain it causes. Swimming is fine as is cycling and walking/bouts of jogging for a while until it becomes uncomfortable.

I've tried slimming world and been unsuccessful. I had a dabble in MFP but it didn't last long. I struggle with control.

Eat less and move more, I know. But how do/did you personally do it and keep the weight off?!

I’ve tried various methods (haven’t we all?!) with varying degrees of success.

Weight Watchers (group and online) was good, I thought it allowed good flexibility with food.

Slimming World not so great, although friends have had amazing success on it.

5:2 fasting worked really well the second time round - first time I was over-eating on the non-fast days. This is a good way to maintain too, and allows loads of flexibility.

Exercise for me is brilliant to help maintain, but can’t be used as a single tool for loss. I’d say it’s at least 80% what you put in your body.

Do you think all of your anxiety issues are under control now? This can be what knocks me back, although when it’s really bad I just don’t eat.

Unfortunately the answer sounds easy, eat less and move more, but your other issues make it harder.
Any chance of some sort of counselling,I don't think you're going to be able to lose weight and keep it off without sorting the underlying emotional issues I'm afraid.

Surgery. Only thing that’s bad worked for me, makes everything so so much easier.

Low carbing.

Ignore the that “bad”

I've only ever been successful in losing weight through MFP. Calorie deficiency lost a lot of my weight and then when I joined the gym, I lost the rest. Now I'm at target I have to actually work on staying there and not going under.

If you have issues with when you'll next eat could you not structure your meals and snacks on hours of the day? For instance "at 8am I'll eat my porridge, then at 9am I'll have that yogurt. At 11am I'll have the cereal bar and at 1pm I'll have lunch" etc

I think small changes are best. Do you have a friend you could go swimming with? So you'd feel motivated to go. Build it into your routine and start small. Agree with a friend to go once a week at first, and build it up.

Same with food, no denying yourself things or making huge changes you won't stick to. Porridge for breakfast, healthy lunch and something more filling and a pudding in the evening. Do a weekly meal planner and one big online shop each weekend. Don't weigh yourself every day and remember it's a long term goal, not a crash diet.

Walk more, get off the bus a stop early. If jogging is causing discomfort, maybe stick to walking which you're more likely to continue with.

Good luck, hope others come up with more ideas for you!

Slim fast yes it's not recommended but whatever. Worked for me twice! Only gained when I got pregnant for those saying "why did you use it twice" I always pile on the pounds whilst pregnant. The weight fell off! I lost 4 stone in less than 6 months.

EFT is a useful therapy for the type of issues you’ve described. Google it, it’s really interesting

Walking on an incline on a running machine? But agree calorie reduction is very important.

Also, writing down every single thing you eat is really helpful. It makes you think, so I really want this, and is an eye-opener to those little snacks you sneak in through the day.

I think for a lot of people the answer isn't physical, it's emotional and until you begin to resolve that your weight could be a problem. It's such a complex thing, though, and isn't quick or easy to sort.

You have to make small changes; don't have fizzy drink in restaurants or fast food places, have water. Ask for jacket potato instead of chips if you do go out to eat. Don't stop off at Costa or Starbucks for a treat. Cook decent food every night instead of relying on takeaways. Reduce the amount of red meat you're eating and fill up on more protein, pulses and 'good' carbs. Don't snack between meals. Don't buy junk food. Take up exercise; swimming, cycling and walking are a great start, do one of them for 15 minutes a day. Just one of those changes will make a small difference. Learn each change then add on another when the previous one becomes habit. Eventually you'll have changed the way you think about food and how you feel about it.

I've been reading a Jason Vale book and feel like I've been hypnotised into only eating things that are good for me. I haven't even finished the book - I read it one night and the next morning all I wanted was something that was healthy. He's as mad as a box of frogs but very effective. This is what I read.

For anyone who's drinking too much, Jason Vale's book on drinking will stop you!

Psychotherapy taught me to have a better relationship with food, as well as helping me feel more confident, so I went out more and comfort are less.

Plant based diet, keeping to 1,200 calories a day, smaller portion, logging all food on fitbit, drinking at least 1.5 litres of water a day, no alcohol and when I go to friends houses I bring my own food. I rarely ate bread, lived on homemade soup for lunch and avoided processed food. No exercise because of disability, lost 6 stone in year one, 1.5 in year two and have kept it off for a further three years.

After I had ds2 I lost the baby-weight with WeightWatchers. It's really good for making you re-evaluate your eating habits. Sometimes you can think you are making really healthy choices but in reality they might not be as healthy as you imagine. Weightwatchers is very good for encouraging you to eat lots of fruit, veg and fresh food.

Can you also make the time to go swimming a few times per week, or buy an exercise bike so that you can do little and often in your own home.

Don't know if you are any medication for your thyroid problems, but if not you could speak to a pharmacist about whether sea kelp supplements would be of benefit to you. They are high in iodine. You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist before self-prescribing supplements though as some can interfere with prescribed medication you might already be taking.

Alongside sorting out your emotional issues, MFP really is a Great way to lose weight

I've used it for years to maintain weight and it transforms how you manage your intake

It's a little like working to your weekly / monthly budget

So you've got 1500 calories a day and you have a choice in how to spend them. Do you eat the slice of cake for 500 calories or save the 500 calories for an omelette that will fill you up?
Do you have the lasagne for 900 calories at lunch which means you can't eat at the restaurant you have planned for later?

It becomes your choice about what to do with whatever calories budget you set....and the same questions happens as when you try and manage a budget....is this worth it? If I have this, what will I have to go without? Is there anything else I can have that might be better value?

Only thing that worked for me was juicing after watching Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.

It took me about a fortnight to really get into it and I altered it so I had a large juice when I felt like it as my first "food" of the day and juiced vegetables (added a veggie oxo cube) in the evening added the juice and a load of the pulp to a pan and made a hot soup.
I have spent most of my life on a diet and it is the only thing that after a month when I got on the scales I had dropped significantly.

I lost 7" off my waist in 2 days.

Sympathy, OP.

The problem is, people will tell you what worked for them, and we are all different.

Swimming is great excercise and also great for MH

Use a fit bit or a pretty journal to keep a food and exercise diary. Just by recording what you eat it helps you start controlling and cutting down.

Set realistic exercise goals, if 3,000 steps a day and swimming once a week is all you can manage at first, fine. You can up it later.

Cut the crap out of your diet. Sugar, alcohol, cakes etc. Cut right back on carbs bread and potatoes. Fill up on veggies, eat enough protein. Keep little boxes of veggies in the fridge. Raw stuff cut up into sticks and some cooked mixed veg, it helps to stop the going without food panics. Make some veg and lentil soup. Treat yourself to a really nice lunch box. Take a multi vit and vit D. Use hebs and spices to season your food, you deserve nice tasting food.

Remind yourself that you are learning to eat healthily as a treat for your body, not a punishment.

One of the most down to earth threads on MN on this
It's about learning it's good to feel properly hungry and you really need to eat much less.
Exercise is good for you but won't make you lose much weight.

Slim fast (well, the tesco version) works for me. I have one shake for breakfast, one for lunch, normal tea - I don't worry about what I eat for tea (just normal family meals in a moderate portion size, I have pudding sometimes if I feel like it etc). I think this works for me because (a) minimal thought involved (b) I'm not making different food for me & rest of family (c) I get used to feeling hungry during day, which reminds me that I don't have to eat as soon as am a bit hungry, and that makes a big difference.

I'm 5'2" with a desk job, so my calorie needs are pretty low - I don't do the slim fast snacks etc.

look at calorie density charts. eat bulky calorie low/nutrient rich food. it will be a slow but sustainable way to lose. prep your meals for a few days at a time.to avoid snacking