AIBU to ask for you all to be honest with me about my weight?

[Elmo230885]

I am really wanting some honesty advice and a bit of a reality check (please be honest but not cruel or rude please)

For context - I am a size 18/20 which has crept up over the years but have never been smaller than a 12/14 as an adult. I'm not sure of my actual weight, I just know I don't look great and I'm having to buy bigger and bigger clothes. I am currently on maternity leave with my 5 month old and also have a 2.5 year old. In the past I have lost bits of weight by trying to cut down on eating and have also done Slim Fast, have never tried Weight watchers, Slimming World etc. I know I eat too much (I'm a vegetarian and my downfall is cheese, mmm pizza!) and don't move enough, but its not that simple...at least I don't think it is.

The advice I want is in relation to what obstacles are actually stopping/hindering me losing weight and what are just excuses I'm using to kid myself?

Please offer me advice, then please please (please please) set me straight when I inevitably make up excuses as to why it wont work!

People say SW and WW don't be work but they are wrong. Both work if you accept that you need to change for ever. But if you treat it as a 'diet' that you will stop doing once you are thin then of course they won't work longer term.

If you want to be thinner for a life time then you need to make a permanent change to the way you eat and to activity levels.

If you can do that then you can maintain.

SW does work. I've lost 2 stone so far

When people say it doesn't work I assume they aren't meaning that no one who goes there loses weight, but rather that many many people who lose weight put it back on again.

Well done for taking those first steps OP!

And honestly, having a baby and a toddler is no excuse for weight gain. I'm a SAHM to 2 under 2, we go out walking in the park everyday. I don't go to the gym or exercise but I am active throughout the day with my kids.

The "diet" I am on at the moment is not even a diet. It's super foods to fuel your body and then working off the extra via exercise. I've lost 20cm mostly on my stomach and bust and lost 4 KG in 5 weeks. I eat Breakfast, snack, lunch snack and then dinner. I've never eaten so much. My food program even includes dark chocolate! After all it is a super food.

Calories in vs calories out. Doesn’t matter what they’re made of, when you eat them, whether you stop for two days or get all your calories only from vegan cabbage soup: in the medium/long term if you’re eating more calories than you’re burning then you’ll gain wait; reverse, you’ll lose them.

In practice it’s impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. Even if you run for an hour that’s only c 600 calories (ie a Pret sandwich). You can run a marathon (c 2000 calories) and still eat most of that back with a decent Indian takeaway. (Don’t get me wrong, exercise is great for overall physical and mental health - I’d recommend parkrun - but unless you’re a full time athlete it’s not going to keep you slim if your diet isn’t right).

What really matters is tracking what you eat. MyFitnessPal and other calorie tracking apps are great for really providing a reality check on what you’re consuming.

You need to stick with the meal planning and apart from healthy snack and fruit stick to it.
Remember that you will pass on the eating habits to your children.
It's very hard if your not Inthe right mindset though as you can get into a cycle.
Get your husband on side and apart from losing weight find out what could motivate you.

Well done OP. I'd add get some easy to make low calorie food like canned beans, lettuce and frozen veg. Good luck

Once again I'm updating mostly for myself... I've lost just under a stone since starting this thread. I'm really quite proud of myself. I've made small changes and they have all added up.

Well done!!

You need the support of a weight loss group in my opinion. Clearly it's not working by yourself, and that's the same for a lot of people. I lost 3 stone thru WW and have kept it off for 15 years. Whenever i feel it starting to creep back up, i rejoin to get me back in track for a while. It's a way of life, not a short term thing

Well done on losing a stone! Just saw most recent post

Congratulations on losing a stone! That's brilliant- especially in winter when no-one really enjoys salads haha