What motivated you to get into shape?

[Anon20201]

Really at low point. Start diet every Monday and by mid week break it. What motivated you? I have zero willpower and break quite easily. How did you break the cycle?

At the start of lockdown. 2 months post birth, had been eating badly for 4 solid months, little exercise and most suddenly felt really uncomfortable.

My issue is that I lack willpower and when I have a little something ‘naughty’ everything else goes to shit too. ‘Ah I’ve had 5 chocolate buttons now I may as well have whole pack and some crisps too’ plus a takeaway!

So have been really trying to change relationship with food and come up with a sustainable diet that I can follow forever. Otherwise I feel like I’m just waiting for a diet to end and then I can revert which isn’t good.

So over the last 9 weeks I’ve lost about 10lbs. Still have a stone to go. In that time I’ve still had the odd bit of chocolate, and 2 takeaways - the point is, I’m not totally restricting myself. Generally -

• trying not to eat after 6pm
• no more than 1 takeaway a month
• no more than one carb a day - ie. toast is fine for breakfast but not if followed by a jacket potato for lunch then pasta for dinner
• have at least one lemon water a day, seems to help suppress sweet cravings, generally drinking more water
• swapped wine for slim gin and tonic, only have it at the weekends
• loosely calorie counting and trying to stick to a max of 1400 - 1300 is better

Overall it’s a mindset, had a chocolate bar for lunch? No worries, all is not lost, have some lovely seasoned fish and colourful veg for dinner and don’t have one tomorrow.

Have also started jogging. Very slow and it’s not easy but get a huge feeling of accomplishment and never regret a run. On the days I run I find eating well is easier. That said, I think losing and maintaining weight is 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise.

Good luck OP!

I think meal replacement shakes can be useful for kickstarting weight loss which can spur you on to stick with a healthier regime.
They can also help to shrink your stomach and retrain your appetite so that you get used to less food without feeling hungry.
I usually do slim fast or Atkins shakes for a fortnight to get myself going, then introduce small portions of lean protein with lots of vegetables and fruit.As long as you don’t go way over the top once you come off the shakes you should be fine.

Sorry forgot to say, the thing that always pushes me to shape up is looking at my gorgeous daughter and thinking « I used to look like that !»
Happens every summer 😆

I started 0-10K running app early in the morning. After I’d been for a run it made me mindful of what I shovelling in my gob!

I left my breakfast as late as I could possibly leave it and filled up with boiled eggs and smoked salmon. Then had lots of protein and salad for lunch then a very low carb dinner at around 5pm. If I filled myself up at my three meal times I didn’t snack on sugary things. I limit myself to one weekend day where I can have ‘treaty’ things ( which have changed now) I could eat a four pack of double deckers in one sitting where’s as I will have one on a Sunday.

Weights coming off at about 1-2 a week but I’m never hungry as I’m not really dieting, just not eating bread and shit

@Spillinteas sounds like we have similar approach! The runs are good aren’t they?! I’m not a natural runner but agree you’re more mindful about what you eat when you’ve been running! How late do you leave breakfast? I do same as you, early low carb dinner but I’m starving when I wake up!

I'm the same, have put on 3 and a half stone. I've recently started the 5:2 diet where you fast twice a week and stick to your calorie intake the other days. Seems pretty easy to follow, so far.

I didn't want to be the fat mum at the school gates.

Seeing a hideously unflattering photo of myself on Facebook, weighing myself and finding that I was overweight for the first time in my life

I now do intermittent fasting on the 16:8 plan. So sixteen hours fast, and the an eight hour window to eat. But in that window I'm trying to stick to 1300 calories so I don't just binge!

Seems to be working so far and I've lost 4.5lbs. I'm allowed black tea/coffee/water during my fasting period so it's not like I'm allowed nothing.

It took me a while to start but I kept seeing pictures of myself and thinking that I don't look like me anymore.
But motivation didn't get me anywhere, I think sheer willpower / motivation only gets you so far and it's then easy to go back to status quo once the weight comes off. For me I'm always reminding myself "why" I'm doing it, little steps "I'm having vegetables instead of chips with my chicken because I want to feel good after my meal" , "I won't snack on this xyz item because I want to enjoy my lunch in 20mins which I've put effort into and is good for me" , "I want to go for this run even though I find it so hard because I feel my body is getting stronger when I do it" .
I want to make lifestyle changes rather than temporary dieting which I can easily see going out of the window with me once I'm my target weight.

At the moment I'm calorie tracking on MFP I'm on 1200 cals a day and not finding it too bad to stick to, I make sure I avoid snacking but put a lot of effort into making nice meals that I enjoy and look forward to, also being more conscious about the ratios of foods on my plate so I'll put more veg on than carbs and so on.
I allow myself a bigger treat at a weekend because I'm still human and have a big sweet tooth.

I'm down about 4.5kg since mid April and I can see in pics my DH takes that my face is looking a lot different and not as round and my body is looking a bit leaner. Ideally I have another 9kg to go to get to my pre "life hit me like a truck and I had babies too" form

@Anon20201 Hi, good for you for shouting out. There's a thread started just over a week ago, I don't know how to link but it has 'peak fatness' in the title. We are all fed up of our size and each trying different things to make the changes we really want.but struggle to with. From my initial feeling of, 'I've been this big too long' I now feel like it's in my hands in a real way, not just as a 'could be'. I've gone from eating leftovers and justifying my need for food boosters to really, really thinking about what I need. I've fallen into fasting (18 hrs and 6 hr window to eat) and it's not hard at all, I'm not hungry and mindful of what I actually want rather than what can fill a void. I was ready to eat at noon yesterday and was pleasantly hungry, never felt that before. My body told me I needed the soup that was frozen, it look about half an hour to get that ready - I did not feel the need to change course for a quicker 'fix' or to justify a snack until it was ready because I'd been 'good'. Eating is now a calm and thoughtful thing, I like it. I started with a suggestion on that thread for My Fitness Pal, an app that tracks food. It's really easy to use and has all the UK supermarket food - you can even scan the packets - so you get an idea of the way you're spending your calories. I just cooked as normal and when serving myself weighed each food item before putting it on my plate and then recorded it after I ate, it was revealing. I'm now in a hybrid of both but I find the fast decreases hunger and has given me energy and it's not hard. I like how my mind is changing and hopefully the body will follow! Come on over?

@Nottherealslimshady I’m doing exactly the same as you!! Currently at 73.6 And I really need a dominoes 😂 will get one at 70 and 65 but end aim is 60 too! Good luck 😁

Don't try a specific diet (Atkins etc) and just cut down your calories. Look at a calorie calculator to work out how many calories you should be eating a day to lose weight - www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Still allow yourself to have things you like, as long as you don't go over those calories. This is why a lot of diets fail. People start off too strict and it's simply just too hard to stick to. It should be a lifestyle, not a fad.
Carbs etc don't make you fat. Consistently eating too many calories does.
Let us know how you get on :)

I know exactly what you mean about starting the week on good intentions and then ending up bingeing by the end.

What really works for me is:
Taking “before” photos in underwear - imagine being able to compare those to photos in 3 months with your weight loss. If you have old photos of when you were fitter, use those as inspiration.

Make yourself a weekly chart to track weight loss - aim for a gradual and sustainable 2lbs a week. So if you want to lose a stone, that could happen in 7 weeks!

Exercise is a big part of it for me. Not just because it speeds up the process but because when I’m exercising, it motivates me to eat better to fuel myself. It’s no good trying to make yourself do something you hate though. You may need to try lots of different types until you find yours. For me couch to 5k running works because there’s no equipment required, you can walk out your door any time and it’s slow incremental changes that don’t make you feel like a failure.

Following plans has also really worked for me in the past. I know the Body Coach is amazing but the 90 plan is £97. However with that you get HIIT workouts and a meal plan. www.thebodycoach.com/90dayplan/

Or if lifting weights works better for you (don’t knock it until you have tried, it’s the best thing for building a sculpted body and great bum) Michael Matthews has a book and also lots of free stuff online. legionathletics.com/how-to-build-a-workout-routine/

Good luck and please let us know how it goes!

I found a 'diet' that I could maintain as a complete lifestyle change that didnt make me feel I was missing out.

For me it was low-carb which doesn't suit everyone but it does me.

Cant believe the recommendations for fad diets.

Eat healthy (and less) and move a bit more. It's that simple. I think the hard part is breaking the bad habit and trying to establish new ones.

Sometimes a "fad diet" can help you do that, though, because it gives you something to follow. And if it works for people, of course they're going to recommend it!

I find it much easier to follow a plan than I do to just try and generally improve my diet.

Swap your treats. My motivation was that i wouldn't go swimming with my grandchildren the way i looked, so my weight was getting in the way of what was really important.

I'd lost myself in my fat. I couldn't buy the clothes that I wanted, so stopped bothering with jewelry etc. Started carrying a shopping bag, instead of nice bags.

I treat myself about once a fortnight with food. Yesterday i happened to be in M&S and a Colin the caterpillar cake was down to £2. I shared it with my GC. I calorie counted it into 1200 calories.

I started on Exante, it got rid of my carb addiction and reset my hunger levels. Now I cut out refined carbs and calorie count.

I ask myself if I want the food more than fitness and health. Plus looking good, my vanity helps with that. Food put in the bin isn't anymore wasted than you eating it, because it still isn't needed. That's the biggest thing to get your head around.

How much do you have to lose?

Forcing myself to wear the clothes that make me feel a bit lardy or cling where I don’t like, it helps me make better choices with food.

Also starting regular exercise - I don’t want to waste the effort I’ve put into doing it by then consuming more calories than I’ve burned.

Have you identified why you’re overweight?

@lemmathelemmin, how much weight have you lost? after being overweight for how long?

I'd second weight lifting. But don't go into running etc unless you already have a reasonable level of fitness and especially if you are over 14 stone. Things like squats have to come later, or you might end up with knee damage.

For me it was when I was walking home from playgroup pushing my DD wearing my size 16 jeans and I could feel my belly hanging over the top of them. I was almost 42 then and DD almost 2. For some reason at that exact moment I decided enough was enough. I started the couch to 5K that night and joined slimming world a couple of months later.

Roll on six years I’m three stones lighter a size 8-10. I’ve run several races including 6 half marathons and a marathon and I run at least three times a week. I feel so much better.

Maybe look at the couch to 5k threads in exercise? Running doesn't make you lose weight, but it can make you feel fantastic and in touch with your body, so you want to treat it well and put healthy food in it.

I have never gone to a gym but I love exercise outside, running, hill walking, stretching and toning. I enjoy it and I feel less like eating crap when I am feeling good about my latest exercise. I never thought I would enjoy running but after doing the couch to 5k app I look forward to my runs.

I am in my 50s and post menopausal, so I find this benefits my mental health as much as my physical health. The coach to 5k thread has lots of encouraging posters who are overweight but going at their own pace and feeling great.

A good friend had a heart attack and died at 52 last October.
I'd reached the point where I felt my health wasn't good so that was a massive wake up call.

DH took a photo of me with the kids by the pool. Its actually a beautiful photo where we play around and laugh with each other. But i couldnt bear to look at it. That day i changed my whole diet around.

Routine medical nurse told me was officially in overweight category as bmi 27. From that day on I took action. Intermittent fasting 16 / 8 upped cardio lost 2 stone bmi 21 now.