To ask you to help me lose weight

[iwashappyonce]

I have to. I'm huge. I need to drop at least three dress sizes and even then I'd probably still be classed as obese.

I've downloaded the NHS weight loss app. I've ordered some scales, they come tomorrow.

That's as far as I've got. I suck at this.

@Lara53 I have a duff thyroid too, bloody so hard to loose weight isn’t it! Calorie counting is the only thing that’s working for me.

Look at Michael Moseley Fast 800 book (it’s 16/8 intermittent fasting)...25kg down in 5 months...

Exercise won’t do it...you have to do an awful lot to burn off even 200 calories. But if you do want to exercise the couch 2 5k running is brilliant because it is only 30 mins and you can do it from your front door. Plus it’s surprisingly psychologically good for you even if you loath running like I do!

Agree with loads here.
I haven’t lost tons of weight but have gone down nearly 2 dress sizes by logging and being aware of my calorie intake and regular exercise. I hated the exercise but at first but as I’ve got fitter I’ve learnt to love it, it gives me a real buzz!
I think you gradually learn to make the small changes as you track your calories. I didn’t think my diet was too bad but then realised I was eating way more than I needed to. Again, this gets easier in time as your stomach gradually shrinks.

My best advice would be not to throw yourself in at the deep end as you won’t end up sticking to it. Get rid of the caffeine addiction first while you increase your daily step count. After that you can start to decrease calories and increase exercise.
You don’t have to go crazy with exercise either, 20 minutes fast paced walking is enough to get you going and then maybe look in to adding some weight training.

Good luck!

Also I keep a mantra of wanting to be fit, strong and healthy in my head rather than focusing on vanity goals like dress size etc. I find it helps me obsess less and I get less upset when I have a not so good day eating wise.

The important thing is to address why you are overweight in the first place.

If you gradually gained all this extra weight slowly over a number of years, then you will barely have been over-eating and don't need to make huge changes to your normal diet.

If you are a yoyo dieter, then it's a different story.

Some people are happy on very low carbs, some on very low fat, some on doing a ton of exercise, some on Slimming World, some on Weight Watchers, some on 5:2, some on 16:8, some need gastric surgery, some can just make a couple of tweaks and are happy to lose a couple of stone over a couple of years, some want 2 stone gone by Christmas. Some eat large meals, some graze all day, some eat no breakfast, some eat a colossal breakfast.

We're all different. Honesty with yourself is the most important first step.

I've lost 9 and a half stone just from eating low carb, and eventually keto. I eased into it and feel better than ever eating clean keto. Worth a bit of research!

I love my Fitbit, I have it set so it gently nudges me 10 minutes before the hour to encourage me to do more steps (not at night of course!) and it gets me up and moving even if it's only pacing about in the house to hit the target.

I have the heart rate monitor on mine and find it helpful too, if I see that it is high I can do relaxation breathing/exercises until it settles down.

I also went low carb (Keto) about four weeks ago and have found it surprisingly easy and a massive benefit is that I am sleeping so much better than I have in years and when I wake my heart rate is in the low sixties which again is very unusual for me.

The most important thing whichever way you go is don't set yourself up to fail!

Start off slowly and steadily because that way you will be able to maintain it because this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change.

Wishing you the very best of luck, oh and if I can do it, you most certainly can!

I would think about why you are over weight in the first place. Is it comfort eating? Portion size? Alcohol?

For me, my portion sizes were fine but I had a massive habit of wine and a ‘grab bag’ of chocolate (supposedly shared but I was eating most of it) and a take away once week. Once I stopped this, I started to lose weight.

I agree lots of other people, small gradual changes so you can maintain it. And recording what you eat.

Tbh op I would discount the majority of the advice on here and go with the poster who said you just need to be honest with yourself and find your own way because we’re all different.

I could never do what lots suggest like calorie counting or tracking everything I eat. My sister is like that, worrying over the calories in a bloody banana or a spoonful of gravy with her dinner - I couldn’t bear to live like that personally (which is why I do 16:8).

You'll get all the magic diets, Instagram challenges and all kinds of bollocks Facebook stuff recommended on here. A lot are fine for people who wanna drop 10lbs but you'll find that a very small % of big losses come from these kinds of diets and if they do they don't stay off.

If you really don't want to eat carbs ever again you'll lose weight by not but really? Fuck that.

I've lost over 120lbs and went from a size 26 to a size 12 in just under 2 years.

And get this. I did it by stopping dieting. I have tried literally every plan going. All of them and whilst they were great for 10-20lbs they never lasted as largely they were too fiddly (looking at you slimming world, a choice b choice, syns) or too restrictive (paleo, carb cutting, etc) or just unrealistic (1200 cals a day is designed to maintain a 9 year old girl thanks MFP).

Things I did do:

• got my head straight. My relationship with food was dreadful after years of dieting and being around dieters.

• I read labels more. If the portion size was unrealistic for me I didn't eat it (1 twix finger - fuck off).

• I moved much more. I got a Fitbit and then an Apple Watch and was appalled by how sedentary I was even in a busy job when I was on my feet a lot I didn't break 5000 steps a day sometimes! 6000 is the threshold for lightly active. Started with walking more and then got into running and weight lifting. Saw biggest shape changes from lifting.

• I read some nutrition books and learnt to cook healthy stuff. Not diet books or diet plan books but straight nutritionist stuff.

• I ate more veg. Half a plate every meal. I don't really enjoy fruit but I do even less now but I love veg. Soup for lunch a fair bit - with bread :O

• I paid attention when I was eating and stopped when I was full. Not busting or nauseous but comfortable and no longer hungry.

• I drank more. Doesn't need to be water although it's the best but diet pop, soda water, tea, black coffee etc was fine.

• I ate dinner later. Then I didn't snack all night.

• I learnt to love myself as I was. Because you can't look after and properly care and nourish for something you hate. I shifted the focus from my body and negativity to other things. I read Hungry for More and The Goddess Revolution which really helped with this.

• I cooked from scratch, very often at weekends, ready for the week and took lunch to work.

• My husband joined in and helped.

• I stopped expecting instant results. Took 20 years to gain all my weight and I wasn't going to lose it in 2 months.

It's more than doable but I really had to cut through the bullshit out there and really consider what my life was gonna be like. Was I really not going to eat pizza ever again - no.

I eat a bit of everything and I don't feel the need to overindulge or starve myself. I've kept the weight off over a year.

@doublebarrellednurse firstly CONGRATS!

Secondly. This is the most sensible and realistic post about losing weight ever

Exercise won’t do it... it’s the golden key though to a healthier fitter body to live in

@doublebarrellednurse

What an inspiring post!

@doublebarrellednurse

Yes! This is exactly how me and my husband lost weight. Spot on.

Thanks for all your supportive replies. I've taken some steps.

I bought a Fitbit, have been wearing it for about two hours now and clocked 1200 steps just pottering around dealing with kids.

I bought scales and weighed myself (painful).

I have reactivated my subscription to a recipe box and ticked the Vegetarian option. I'm only going to get them weekly for a month or so but I should get some good recipe ideas from this.

I am going to cut down the cola initially to two small glasses a day, then one small glass a day. One day I might be able to cut it completely but for now I can manage that.

Lots of fruit in the fruit bowl for snacks.

It's not loads but it's a start.

You can totally do this @iwashappyonce you really can.

Honestly it felt like an epic mountain when I started. I broke it down and set myself 5lb weight loss goals but had other goals alongside it weekly like 3 walks or 5000 steps so that if I didn't hit my weight loss target for that week (which has lots of variables) I had others I had more control over and managed to give myself little rewards too but not food related. Make it achievable and treat yourself. Make yourself feel nice, nails or hair or whatever. It was very alien to me at first as I spent a long time really struggling to care for myself but it's changed me for the better.

If you decide to run get fitted for shoes and start slow.

Thank you so much others for your kind words ☺️

@iwashappyonce brilliant start, well done. Let us know how it goes!

I've lost 3.5 stone recently (and still going) and I cannot recommend giving up sugar enough. I've been obese my whole adult life, I had no idea how addictive sugar actually is, it's not food, its sugar. I quit it by stopping sweet and switching to savoury. So instead of chocolate I had crisps. By day 2-3 my mind started to forget about cravings and I naturally ate less, now I eat far less than I ever have and rarely think about food. Start slow, it sounds silly when all you want is to see results but after crash dieting with little success for 15 years this is the first time in my life I've actually felt in control and like I can actually get to my goal (another 2-3stone) I've not set unrealistic limits. I just repeat to myself 'keep going and itll happen when it happens'. I still enjoy cake when its birthdays etc, I still had desert every night on holiday, I still habd bad days but i now know to brace myself for the cravings the following day and to actually realise it's just my body wanting sugar and i dont actually need it is massively empowering. You can do it.

Fitbit and aim to increase your steps gradually.

My fitness pal for food diary.

Drink plenty of water (flavour with fruits if you want or fizzy water sometimes)

Meal plan and portion control. Don’t deprive yourself of things you like but be more mindful.

Some strengthening and toning exercise like yoga (yoga with Adriene on YouTube is fab).

Start of small, don’t make drastic changes as they are less likely to stick. Make a couple of small changes, make them the new norm then make a couple more small changes.

Good luck and don’t obsess over scales and numbers, that change will come, focus on how you feel.