Shit! I'm actually obese.

[pigmcpigface]

I know IABU to register shock at this, but I just got on the scales for the first time in nine months. My BMI is 30.5! That makes me officially obese for the first time in my life.

Shit, shit, shit.

I'm so ashamed! I can't actually believe it's got this out of control. Or rather, I had deliberately avoided confronting this issue until today.

I need to get my act together and make some positive changes to my lifestyle.

Hi Op,

l found the Louise ParkerFit for life book fantastic and lost 1 and a half stone in 8 weeks without extra exercise, ( l was already very active)and its healthy and sustainable, l have fluctuated a bit in the year since but soon got back to my better weight each time, it really does work and the recipes are tasty and quick, although you do have to cook from scratch.

Good luck

@pigmcpigface not a good username. You aren't a pig in any shape or form.

Also it would probably be easier to do some weight bearing exercise e.g. weights, classes that involve resistance training at least twice a week, and then do cardio exercise everyday. If you do a mixture of stuff like walking from A to B as fast as possible, zumba, dancing, swimming, playing outside with children, cycling as transport, etc. then you are less likely to give up. As unless you enjoy doing something like running or going to the gym it will become boring chore, and you will find excuses not to do it regularly enough or at all.

I'm 5'4'' and have been about 8st in my early 20s. I didn't look ill at all. I looked slim, but not even skinny. I do have natural curves though, and had breasts and hips even at that weight which may have made a difference. I also have quite a small frame.

Anyway, I now weigh a lot more (more like 9.5st) as I've stopped doing such a physical, outdoor job, but didn't stop eating like I was straight away. I also have a massive sweet tooth (I'd rather eat a nice cake than almost anything else!).

I think the thing with weightloss is to start off small- It will probably take you at least the time it took you to gain the weight to lose it. Keeping count of your calories will help, as it helps stop you eating extras too!

500 kcal is actually quite a lot if you're not doing much exercise right now. It would probably take 50-60 mins running for me to burn that much, or about 75 mins of other cardio in the gym. The good news is that while you weigh more, you'll burn more calories, but 500kcal extra a day is quite ambitious. Maybe start by aiming for 300 and build things up? (Also don't forget to put in rest days to help avoid injury!)

Some people see great weight loss results by fasting using the 5:2 method. It also gets you in the habit of seeing your calorie deficit across a week rather than a day- so if you mess up one day, you have more motivation to try and do better the next.

Anyway, good luck, and I'm sure if you put the effort in, you'll see results soon!

@Yellcat

Goodness, @LollaRossa* (page 1,) that's terrible, you're not in a healthy BMI either.

I really hope you're taking your own advice and are tackling your own weight issues, as it would seem a little hypocritical if you've come online to tell someone else about to manage their weight issues when you're not in the healthy BMI zone yourself.

Being underweight increases the risk of malnutrition, osteoporosis, immunity issues, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia, and more. It's something to be taken very seriously. I hope you're not in denial.

Well said @YellWat

And OP, you are really not that bad.......... 12 stone, for a grown woman of 5 ft 4 is not hugely overweight. If you want to lose weight (as you feel too big at that weight,) then that's cool, but don't beat yourself up, because you are really not that big.

if it makes you feel any better I'm in a similar situation, though it's partly related to ADs which I'm loath to fiddle about with - when you find one that helps you function it's so cool.

one reason it's taken me ages to do anything about it is I feel fine, my bloodwork etc is all fine....but I hate how I look. I've increasingly realised, as I've gotten older, I'm not bothered at all about heart disease and so on, I certainly don't want a long life, but I shudder at my reflection.

@YellWat

Goodness, @LollaRossa (page 1,) that's terrible, you're not in a healthy BMI either.

I really hope you're taking your own advice and are tackling your own weight issues, as it would seem a little hypocritical if you've come online to tell someone else about to manage their weight issues when you're not in the healthy BMI zone yourself.

Being underweight increases the risk of malnutrition, osteoporosis, immunity issues, vitamin deficiencies, anaemia, and more. It's something to be taken very seriously. I hope you're not in denial.

Well said YellWat

And OP, you are really not that bad.......... 12 stone, for a grown woman of 5 ft 4 is not hugely overweight. If you want to lose weight (as you feel too big at that weight,) then that's cool, but don't beat yourself up, because you are really not that big.

@YellWat I don't need any lectures thanks. My BMI is 19. (Or just under depending on which calculations you use.)

Presumably you don't know my age so you can't actually work out my BMI :)

Normal BMI is 18.5 to 25. I'm fit and healthy. I don't have osteoporosis because I have regular screening for it because of my small frame (not the same as being underweight which I'm not or my consultant would have said so.)

Thanks for your concern though.

OP I wasn't having a go at you. I think it's commendable you are doing something about your weight.

I was making a point that it's not good for other posters to try to dismiss being overweight as 'not that bad'.

Good luck with your weight loss!

This is why we have an epidemic of diabetes
Of COURSE it's bad. Stop being in denial

True. I'm 5'8 and 12 stone (BMI 25.5) and I'm clearly overweight, I can grab handfuls of fat around my stomach and thighs. So 12 stone at 5'4 is actually quite bad, as the OP already knows. Obviously it could be a lot worse, lose three stone and you'll be in the middle of the 'normal weight' range, which is perfectly doable (says me who has trying to be shift two stone for the last five years ).

summercat 12 st for a woman of that height is obese. I'm not sure how you can say it's not 'that bad'.

Medical advice is that a healthy BMI is at the LOWER end of the ideal range.

The ideal range is 18.5 to 25.

I think you need to re-educate yourself.

Well, I am trying the No S plan - no Sugar, no Snacks and no Seconds. There's a thread about it under Weight Loss Chat www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/2971372-The-No-S-Diet

It seems a very sensible regime that you can adopt for your whole life really. Totally hear you on the cutting out drinking - I've tended to use wine as a pick-me-up and calm-me-down over the years, and I've reduced drastically over recent months, partly because I was fed up with the disturbed sleep. Sleep, mood, memory and weight loss all improved as a result, so it really is worth doing.

And I'm not a gym fan, but I have joined PureGym - inexpensive and they do good and various fitness classes with fiery and motivating instructors. I like the classes and I can keep going to them, whereas sessions on the treadmill/weights bore me to tears and I stop going.

Good luck! it's good to look after yourself, so well done on making the decision.

@pigmcpigface thank you so much! I don't mind sharing at all. Diet wise I have been using MFP and calorie counting. Make sure you put in your height and weight accurately because it makes a big difference to your calorie intake. I've been having porridge for breakfast, soup or a salad for lunch and things like fishcakes with salad or veggie chilli (no sour cream or cheese very sadly!) for tea. I've been trying really hard not to eat between meals but if I'm starving I've been having boiled eggs or fruit.

I've also started running using couch to 5K and I can't recommend it more highly. When I began I literally couldn't run for a minute (no exaggeration) and now I regularly run 5K!

I have still had days where I've cheated and had chocolate or a big plate of pasta but I've not beaten myself up about it and it's been ok. Still a long way to go but for the first time in my life I feel like I've made sustainable changes.

Good luck - you can definitely do this, you're a champion!

Use this as a springboard for achieving a better weight. Start taking a bit of gentle exercise, then a bit more.
Look at what you eat, try to eat healthy things and smaller portions.
Don't get discouraged if progress is a bit slow. You'll get there with determination. And don't beat yourself up if you fall off the wagon - it's bound to happen sometimes, just pick yourself up and keep trying. I'm an inch shorter than you and I was overweight but have become lighter. It took time and determination. Good luck.

OP, you sound like you are taking a very sensible approach to this Best of luck in achieving your goal.

500 calories to burn a day? That's too excessive at this stage. 200-300 Is far more reasonable but don't rule out focussing more /equally on weights. Heavy weights. Don't trust what fitness pal says you're burning per exercise. Half it.

I know everyone is saying... well you must have known you were overweight... but I'm tipping the scales around 11 stone and I'm the same height and honestly I feel fine... I can see how it could creep up!

Presumably you don't know my age so you can't actually work out my BMI

Do you need age for bmi? I'm now confused, I thought it was just height and weight...

Well said @YellWat**
Not well said at all. Lolla has a healthy BMI, she doesn't have a weight issues. OP does and even acknowledges it herself. What do you think you are gaining with your post?

You are expected to gain weight as you age, hence the benchmark increasing with age.

You are expected to gain weight as you age, hence the benchmark increasing with age

I've never seen any bmi chart that says that, it's always been adult or kid. Bmi is simply an actual..

"To calculate your BMI you need to know your height in metres and your weight in kilograms; then divide your weight by your height squared. Or just enter your height and weight (in either metric or imperial measurements) into our handy BMI calculator below"

Age does not change the calculation.

You sound like me! 5ft 1 and 11 stone 12. Changes needed

Don't be discouraged OP, honestly this is the kick up the bum you need. It was the same for me I had got into denial about my weight. I stepped on the scales and at 5ft 6 I weighed 14.7. My bmi was 32.Now a year or so later I'm 10.10. My bmi is 24 and I feel tons better. Also, have you measured your waist? I'm sure they say under 35.

My friend has a dd who is two, and they said she was obese because she's like an inch too short

That's my leI'm not overweight, I'm undertall.

I think BMI is a bit of crude measure, tbh. At 10 stone, I'd supposedly be in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height, but when I was 10st, I looked positively emaciated. Size 10 clothes were baggy on me (I'm 5'6"), my hip bones were visible in jeans and I had a big gap between the front of my jeans and my belly, my ribcage wouldn't have looked out of place on a whippet, I had legs like twigs, my collarbone was really scraggy and I looked gaunt.

At 12 stone, I was in size 12 trousers/skirts and size 14 tops and I looked much better, despite being overweight according to the BMI.

My PROBLEM, duh, not lel'm!

Medical advice is that a healthy BMI is at the LOWER end of the ideal range.

Please supply some links to substantiate this statement.

What ‘s the point of the upper end of the ideal range then if it is not actually healthy?

It’s a wide range to take account of differing frame sizes and body types. If you have large frame and/or a muscular build you should certainly NOT be at the lower end of the ideal range.

A woman at 12 stone and 5 ft 4, is no more OVERweight, than a woman of 7 stone and 5 ft 3 is UNDERweight.

It's absolute bollocks that 12 stone is really big for a grown woman who is 5 ft 4. Yeah of course it's overweight, but some of these charts tell women that they should be as low as 7 to 8 stone at that height, which would make many women would gaunt and ill.

I said the OP's weight is 'not that bad' because it isn't! So stop making the OP make feel like a massive fat whale, when she's not!

As I said 12 stone for a woman who is 5 ft 4, is no more overweight than a woman of 5 ft 3 and 7 stone is UNDERweight.

The obsession with being super slim on here (by some) is ridiculous. The fact is, the vast majority of women in real life, are not the size and weight that some women claim they are on here. They often claim to be runners and gym bunnies as well, (to try and 'prove' they are healthy.') But in actual fact, if they WERE sporty and fit, they would be heavier.

Stop trying to convince every woman that she is a fatty if she is more than 8 fucking stone!

And saying 'you don't know my age, so you can't say if my BMI is OK' shows how little @LollaRossa knows about what she is banging on about. It's got naff-all to do with age. And the 7 and a half stone she claims she is (at 5 ft 3) is on the very low end of the BMI range, and puts her at a point where it will start to affect her health and well-being. (If it hasn't already.)

And I am not any more 'in denial' than some others on here who think a perfectly healthy, normal weight for a 5 ft 4 inch grown adult woman is 7 to 7 and a half stone!

LollaRossa

Medical advice is that a healthy BMI is at the LOWER end of the ideal range.

Utter nonsense. Stop spouting dangerous misleading crap.