My view for what it’s worth having read most of the weight loss threads on here is I can see doing VLCD for say 3 weeks as a starter to get you started and to take the pressure off working how to eat in a sustainable way at the beginning possibly makes sense for some people (done a huge u turn on my thinking on this).
But we all focus on weight loss when it’s weight maintenance we need to think about. Most of us can lose weight but how many on here have yoyo dieted for years ? It’s maintaining your weight that’s the hard bit. I think those of us who have been morbidly obese look at our think friends and think well it’s easy for you, it comes naturally. But having spoken to them at length it seems that most of them do actually work at it. Maybe that’s specific to my friendship circle but I doubt it.
It’s not too bad being obese when you’re you’re younger for a lot of people but time creeps by and more and more health problems creep in. The profile for gallstones is female, fair, fat and fertile and they hurt like nothing you have ever experienced. Perimenopause can be hard on even the fittest person, lot of luck involved. But the night sweats, joint pain flushes, lethargy, anxiety are generally all worse when you’re fat.
There’s something in the US called somelike the National Weight loss register. Can’t remember the exact details but they follow people who have lost more than 30lbs and kept it off for over 5 years I think. They found it didn’t really matter how people lost weight, it was the ones that made life style changes and walking for an hour a day, every day that kept it off.
Walking is hugely underrated . If you don’t want to go out use some Leslie Sansone YouTube videos to get started . The 5 min one great for boiling the kettle, the 15 min whilst boiling rice. Fitness levels do improve very quickly. Walking outside even better after a bit. Download running music, headphones on and ignore any obnoxious wankers who comment. There’s research in the field of Horticultural Therapy that talks about a nature disconnect that modern lifestyles have resulted in. If you walk outside you get the benefits of fresh air , the endorphins from exercise but become more connected to the seasons and their rhythms which used to play a huge part of our lives.
Get support from those around you, those that have at least 3 people supporting them have been found to be more successful. As you get fitter you can build in more activities into socialising which will help.
Channel the anger you’re probably feeling from reading this thread and do something today to change something - doesn’t matter what, just start.
Anyone reading who has a lot to lose and would like to talk to others in similar situations please feel free to come over to the lose 100lb thread in the weightloss section, we’re all at different stages. Good luck OP.