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.

So am I, my weight wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't shrunk 2" in the last few years due to my spine doing a concertina act 🙄

I weighed just under 8 stone until I hit menopause. I blamed hormones while ignoring the large bar of chocolate in my hand and the weight gain continued until I decided just before my 70th birthday to do something about it.

The only exercise I've done is 10k steps a day - even that was an effort to begin with, since I was a couple of stones overweight; I'm only 5ft 2, so the extra weight made a huge difference. One of my 70th presents was a Fitbit. I love it.

I didn't "go on a diet" - I counted calories until I sussed what I was actually putting into my mouth - but I did cut out cake, chocolate, biscuits, crisps and chips. Completely, to begin with. I'm not much of a drinker so that wasn't a problem. I drink water and tea and start the day with a real coffee.

I try to stick to 3 meals a day - plenty of protein and fat and not a lot of carbohydrates, because carbs seem to make my blood sugar levels wonky. If I have potatoes or rice, I have a small portion. Lots of veg and not much fruit - I like strawberries, raspberries, pears and plums in season but that's about it.

I lost 2 stones in 3 months and by summer I had gone down 2 dress sizes. I'd actually lost 2.5 stones by autumn and although I sometimes have chocolate or cake now, I find I'm not craving a lot. I'm just over 8 stone now and finding it easy to stay that size. I have butter on my toast and cream on my strawberries. If I eat out, I have small portions but I still eat pudding. If I feel I've eaten more than usual, I walk a bit more and eat a bit less the next day.

I honestly feel I have my life back. If an unfit oldie can do it, so can you, OP. Don't panic or get upset - just think about how much better you'll feel in a few months

What a lovely encouraging post Babyboomersrock!

As a counterpoint to all these diets, could I suggest you read I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna? I'm not doing any of the self hypnosis but just the straightforward logic of his approach has made me think differently about food. Early days for me but I'm hopeful.

In short:

1. when you are hungry, EAT.
2. EAT WHAT YOU WANT not what you think you should
3. Eat CONSCIOUSLY (no tv or reading) and enjoy every mouthful
4. When you think you are full, STOP eating. Pay attention to your body and stop eating as soon as you're no longer hungry - eat very slowly, putting your knife and fork down between bites, so you notice.

It's a quick read and a good book. It makes a good case for dieting messing up our systems and causing weight gain in the long run.

Well said @YellWat !

If you feel happy and healthy in yourself then that should be what matters. Scales and charts are devils work! A few numbers on a chart can not tell you if someone is healthy or not.
I'm 5'1 had a baby 6 months ago and have just got back to a 'healthy' bmi of 22.4 and weight of 8 and a half stone.
6st 14lbs is still classed as 'healthy' for my height.. which is ridiculous! I haven't been that skinny since I was 14 and if I was to go back to that size now I would look and be seriously ill.

I wear size 8 clothes, I eat what I want in moderation, exercise whenever I get 5 mins peace but most of all I'm HAPPY!

Life's too short to not eat the cake xxx

OP I had a similar wake up call to you yesterday. I'm "only" 11st (same height) so not as bad but firmly into the overweight category and a bit of a shock as I've bumped along the top of the healthy BMI category for years now and, whilst I'd been feeling a bit uncomfortable in my jeans, had no idea it was as bad as it is. I think the top of the range if you're 5'4" is 10st 6 (146lbs) which means you don't have so much to lose.
Time for some changes!

For that height as the original poster and I know 9 and a half to ten stone is fine (and down to 8 stone is also healthy and normal).

1 stone as squidge says is a bit more than those of us this height like to be. if I ever get close to 11 I really do feel all wrong. If i get back to nearer 10 stone it feels a lot better and 9 is even better

Well done @babyboomersrock !

OP - I'm the same height and weight as you and used a BMI calculator today and am no longer in denial about being obese. I'm trying to lose weight - eating much more healthily, exercising twice a week and I'm losing weight, very slowly, but it's not dropping off and the hard thing is to keep yourself motivated when it doesn't fall off you! I do weekly weigh ins and take weekly photos of myself as well as measuring hips, waist and thighs and the measurements is where I'm seeing the biggest difference.

Would be interested to hear where you go from here and sharing tips and weigh ins!

Massive well done OP, I think getting in the scales when you're not feeling the healthiest is scary/brave! I felt awful a few years ago and downloaded myfitnesspal, really gave me motivation to stop snacking on unhealthy foods and get extra exercise when I could. Whatever works for you, I wish you luck!

I hear ya ! I have lost a stone and a half but am still ‘overweight’

The booze is the hardest to cut

Now onto healthy diet and portion control it’s hard but you are not that bad

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

I find this a strange mindset. It's like if a woman posts she earns a high salary some other women don't believe her. I, exercise a lot. I'm in the gym most days. I am a size ten and I'm five foot eight. I am happy to post images of my body and have posted a couple of Images of my stomach, as I've been losing weight I gained after breaking my ankle.

If we say we are a certain size and weight, and we exercise, why would we lie? To what purpose would that serve? Many women are not over weight and many of us do exercise regularly.

The op is overweight, she's capturing it at the right time and she doesn't have much to lose to get to a healthy weight. Why say it's "not that bad". How bad do you think it should be before she accepts it and deals with it?

Peoples responses to her are not about you personally or your weight, whatever that may be.

Who would lie that they are 5 foot 4 and 10 stone or 10 and a half stone? It's a bit chubby but it's a reasonably healthy weight and I would like to be a bit thinner. 9 stone looks good on me and 8 isn't too bad either. 8 - 10 as a band is about right for me and towards 11 always looks a bit fat. This is not obssession with ebing superslim. Superslim would be under 8 stone and getting towards an unhealthy weight. Most women my age now in the UK are over weight so some people lose sight of normal healthy weights.

I think some folks are losing sight of healthy weight. Something like 65 percent of adults are over weight in the U.K now.

I'm 5"3 and at the beginning of last year I had a terrible shock when I got on the scales and discovered that I weighed 14 stone!! I knew that I'd put on some weight but I honestly didn't think I looked that big!

Once the initial shock had worn off, I just got on with trying to be healthier and lost some weight. I've stalled a bit now as I have some other personal challenges going on and I don't want to think about dieting right now, but I know that I can get back to it.

If you want to try losing weight then go for it, but don't let anyone else try and shame you into doing it.

Hear hear @summercat! Couldn't agree more.

OP would you consider making little swaps ?

When I met my OH I was around 7 stones and drank a lot of fizzy drinks and pizza. I noticed he drank a lot of water. At some point I swapped all of my drinks for water and after about 6 months randomly weighed myself and went down to 6.7 which was a major shock. It wasn't intentional, it became normal for me and now I just don't touch fizzy drinks.

He's also a vegetarian and further on in the relationship I just ate what he ate because it was easier (I really hate cooking). I lost a further 6 pounds. This was over the course of 2 years.

I've been able to maintain my weight 7 years on because I've never forced myself to go on a diet and did little swaps that came naturally.

Previously I've found if I intentionally went on a diet I'd crash and binge.

So I guess little swaps would be good? Starting with water? And then healthier food?

I am 5 3" and weight 7st 8lbs. I have all my life been between 7 4 and 7 12. I am petite. BMI 19.

DP is 5 10 and weighs 10st 10.

Well bully for you. And this helps the op how?

So fizzy you weigh 6st 1. Unless you are really tiny that's pretty unachievable for most people.

Will someone please pin a medal on to LollaRossa and her utterly irrelevant husband?

Yes, so you are overweight OP. It's not a crime, don't feel guilty about it. Don't let some of the obsessives on here make you feel bad.

I am 5 3" and weight 7st 8lbs. I have all my life been between 7 4 and 7 12. I am petite. BMI 19.

DP is 5 10 and weighs 10st 10.

Should have been highlighted sorry.

@OwlinaTree yes I do.

I'm 5'2 and I'm Asian. We are naturally petite and slim according to British standards. Constantly classed as underweight but if I were to go to my parents home country I would be classed as 'healthy' or even chubby.

The aim isn't to tell the OP she should be my weight. It's to highlight little swaps can make a difference in the long run. Not a forceful diet.

Sorry underweight according to the British standards*

Fizzy you are seriously underweight according to the NHS website. And you say you would byvregarded as chubby in your home country? God almighty.

Sorry your parents home country.