To feel totally overwhelmed with my weight

[Overwhelmed10]

I weighed in at 180lbs / 12.8 stone yesterday

I’m 5’6” so this gives me a bmi of around 29. I have a small frame so do not carry extra weight well.

My weight has yo-yo’d throughout my adult life - my best size where I feel healthiest is around 135lbs / 9.6stone - but this is so far away, I’m struggling to even get started with tackling my weight.

AIBU to feel really overwhelmed and hopeless? Does anyone have any words of wisdom on this? I’ve gained a significant amount of this weight over the past 12 months - I had a cancer scare which involved hospitalisation, surgery, and medication with a side effect of weight gain (but tbh I take full responsibility for the poor food choices I’ve been making!)

I’m feeling quite low and depressed about it today. I’ve purged the house of junk food this morning but that’s about it.

I did think it was interesting that although he espouses a lot of the same ideas as low carb (and acknowledged Dr John Briffa), he says you don’t need to be as low-carb as all that and it will still work. It’s just wheat, sugar and other heavily processed carbs that need to go. I wish he’d mentioned Diet Coke, though - DH drinks heaps of it and I’m convinced it’s terrible for him.

The only thing is...lots of the people he talks about in the book are immensely overweight and often serial dieters who have seriously messed with their metabolisms. I'm wondering if his advice will work as well for someone like me - only a bit overweight really, tried and failed at a few diets, but eat plenty of good food as well as too much sweet/processed stuff.

I guess I'll see how I get on. Even if I don't lose much weight, his advice should be beneficial health-wise. I've done well so far today - oatmeal and apple for breakfast, and after my big salad with chicken, avocado and extra virgin olive oil for lunch I completely skipped my usually inevitable 3-4pm craving for a snack! Lamb steaks with hummus and veg for dinner.

One of the things I hadn't really read about before was the whole Omega 6 vs Omega 3 balance. He advises avoiding nuts and seeds for that reason, which surprised me as they are usually on the 'calorific but good for you' list. He's a big fan of fish and seafood (Omega 3) too, which I don't eat much of normally.

Yes, I think that too - I’m a bit overweight but not obese, and he sees only morbidly obese folk. I have done quite a few diets over the years, though! I actually think that it should be easier for people who just want to settle a stone or two lighter - possibly no need to be quite as strict. And tbh we were going a bit mad with the takeaways.

I’m still ploughing through my podcasts and today heard something slightly different that I thought was interesting.

@DrRamonIssa

The 3 DON'Ts of HEALTHY eating:

1. Don't drink sugar!
2. Don't eat processed junk food!
3. Don't eat >3 times in>12hrs each day

I think I graze a bit more than that even though I’m Keto. It’s something for me to ponder. But as just simple advise, it’s great!

*advice

I'm 5ft 6 " and was 14st 10 eighteen months ago , I am now 9st 6 . I'm not even going to pretend that it's been easy and like you I didn't even know where to start , but I just had to get it done . I'm so glad I've done it as my health and fitness have significantly improved , at 52 it's been a slow process . I started off making small changes to my diet , cheese and crisps were my enemies so I just stopped buying those in my weekly shop , yes I craved them but stayed strong and determined .I bought an exercise bike and put it in my living room so it couldn't be ignored !!!
It was incredibly difficult to break my bad habits , but once I got into my new lifestyle the benefits started to show and that spurred me on , I still feel really chuffed with myself when others notice and tell me how much better I look now , I no longer feel like a middle aged blob which makes me feel really proud .
Just take it slow , change one small thing at a time , even an extra 10 minute walk a day is better than nothing , yes you'll have bad days , but you CAN do it !

There are loads of ways to lose weight but the only one that will work for you is the lifestyle change you can do forever.
I spent my entire 20s and early 30s fat. I'd lose a bit of weight on diets and then put it back on again when I stopped.

Then I took up running...
I'm now a size 8 and eat what I want, when I want. I maintain my weight through (lots of) running. I also don't drink any more, which helps. But running was the thing that completely turned around my mental and physical health.

Then I took up running...I'm now a size 8 and eat what I want, when I want.

I wish that worked for me. I took up running too. Went from couch potato to half marathon. Didn't lose much weight though, except when I also dieted. I've had to give uo running now due to constant injury niggles. I miss it a lot - it was indeed great for my mental and physical health, even though it didn't make me a size 8 (or indeed a size 10 or 12!).

Wow - that's impressive, Peony68! May I ask what your diet looks like now? You surely didn't manage all that weight loss by just ditching cheese and crisps (plus the exercise)?

I wish that worked for me. I took up running too. Went from couch potato to half marathon

Yeah, you've got to run a lot further than halves for it to make much difference. But if you run enough, it's a reliable way of keeping weight off (providing you don't eat all the calories back!)

I'd say take it one goal at a time; for example 1 stone by mid November, another one by mid January and then allow for the final one to take a bit longer. Just enjoy a healthier life and still have treats you enjoy! Use a calorie counteroffers you like to help you stay on track.

Also, don't go too mad exercise wise (unless you love it). Just find something you enjoy and try to move about a bit - I never found that exercise made a huge difference. To me, anyway. I enjoy yoga and walking and am slender. Hate the gym.

Apparently the problem with running and no weightloss happens when you keep same pace and your heart rate drops. They recommend that if you run for weightloss you do short sprint bursts to get you heart rate up. I don't know how truth it is, but it appeared in quite few health mags. I don't run. 🙈

I know olive oil is considered healthy but still would never pour it on a salad. Doesn't add any amazing flavour and is really calorific! I'd mix one teaspoon with some chilli or vinegar and have a lighter dressing.

I do think fat is the undoing of many good low carb diets. People just won’t believe you have to go careful with it. You have people adding butter to coffee, making fat bombs and all sort of crazy stuff! Then wondering why the weight loss stalled.

I am surprised there is any olive oil left in the world with how much Jamie Oliver uses😂

Yeah. Little bit of it mixed with some tasty things is the bets. Salads need some fat. Just a bit

I agree with pp - you have to find what works for you. I can only lose weight (easily) when I low carb. I've been doing it for so long now, it's just the way I eat, so there is no angst or hardship - and I occasionally do have a bowl of chips, or rice with some curry, but not very often. I use the app 'Carb Manager' and that keeps me on track. I have lost 3 stone in the past year or so, and haven't felt deprived at all. I aim to walk 12,500 steps a day, and do a yoga session most days, but apart from that I don't really do any other exercise. On the other hand my work colleague just doesn't get on with low carbing, and has lost a lot of weight with weight watchers.

Hi all! Sorry for being a bit quiet on here - I’m off to a fairly good start, I’ve cut out the worst offenders carb wise (bread, pasta etc) and I’m currently on the way to the gym for the first time in many years feel quite self conscious in my gym wear, but I’ve forced myself to just go for it today or I’ll put it off forever!

I’ll have a proper read through everything on this thread once I’m finished at the gym - your replies have all helped massively, so thank you

Well
Done @grool !

I know olive oil is considered healthy but still would never pour it on a salad. Doesn't add any amazing flavour and is really calorific! I'd mix one teaspoon with some chilli or vinegar and have a lighter dressing.

I disagree about the flavour. But yes, when I pour olive oil on my salad it's only a teaspoon (whether I mix it with vinegar or not).

Yeah, you've got to run a lot further than halves for it to make much difference.

Blimey. Not many people have the time to be doing that regularly, never mind the ability and the joints! And that's why exercising to lose weight doesn't really work - because you have to do impractically huge amounts of it to make much difference. Not that it isn't great for you anyway of course!

People can't expect to lose just with exercise for the correct reasons above, but exercise is very important part of weightloss as it benefits mentally and physically.

It wasn't just losing weight what made me stop sounding like a steam engine when I walked up the stairs. It was the exercise, which made me feel better about it all and made noticeable difference outside of scale and measures and that adds motivation.

It all ties together.

I agree with @SchrodingersImmigrant - exercise is so important. I know it's diet that speeds weight loss. But that discovery of owning your body again, of knowing it again, being aware of all the muscles and how they work and what they do, instead of feeling like a blubbery mound of jelly. That feeling is SO good. I love discovering what my body might be capable of now. And although, technically I am still very overweight, I feel masses more confident socially. I don't slouch or hide. I enjoy meeting up with friends without feeling endlessly self conscious and apologetic about my lumps and bumps.

Definitely, Schrodingers. Running helped bring down my high blood pressure and made my cardiovascular fitness much better, made me stronger and more toned and more confident and happy. I miss it. I'm doing yoga and dance move-based workouts now, but it's not the same!

Oh and plenty of brisk walking.

This thread is wonderful. I need to lose 3.5 stone and every morning I deal utterly overwhelmed by it all. Thank you to all who have posted, I've learned a lot.