I weigh 16.5 stone 🙁

[LadyintoGaddings]

I’m a size 22, I’m 5’7.

I have zero motivation and I like food too much.

I’ve got a 3.5 year old and I’ve no energy most days as he’s very hard work.

I also have ADHD so I struggle to prioritise and plan healthy meals etc.

Hi OP. I’m a similar size. If you want a dieting buddy message me! Xx

Me too!! Isn't it funny how different bodies can be the same weight but different sizes, I wear size 16-18 (or I'm kidding myself hahaha) also 5ft 7.

I had a baby 7 months ago but I was 14.5st before. I need to lose 5st really. I used to be so motivated about my weight but now I'm not, yet I do want to lose it.

It's so hard isn't it!

Just try short waLk a few times a day.
I would definitely go the intermittent fasting route, after the first couple of days it'll be easy, it'll become a routine.
Find a herbal tea you really like, and drink that between meals, it'll become something you look forward to.
Soon you'll start to enjoy the walks, especially if you can go somewhere nice with your dc.
Good luck xx

I'm a similar Wright and shorter than you.

At the beginning of the year I started seeing a wellbeing mentor via the NHS. I weight with her monthly on body analysis scales.

My overall weight hasn't changed that much yet, but the small changes I've been making have improved my hydration levels, reduced my visceral fat, and last month alone I lost only 1kg, but converted 4kg of fat to muscle.

I have accepted it will be a long journey now...and focusing on the overall positive effects on my health rather than just my weight has made it easier to keep making positive changes.

People put weight on slowly usually and that means they’re only over eating by a couple of hundred calories a day but as it is every day that adds up over time. Make one small change and stick to it till it becomes a habit. Then make another. Set goals that will set up the habits you want rather than aiming for a weight loss. Weight loss or gain is the byproduct of habits.
I’m an emotional eater so I look for ways to improve my mood - cold water dipping has been amazing! - and then I naturally eat less. If I think about food, I eat more. So I tried to keep busy and improve my emotions. I’m still a work in progress but it’s coming.

You don't have to do full on fasting, just try eating breakfast a little later each day. Extend the time by an hour, until you're eating breakfast at lunch time

That's presuming so much though
I don't drink, I have water or tea (no sugar)
I don't have high calorie snacks
I batch cook and meal plan
I do 4-7 (HARD!) spin classes a week of up to an hour plus stretch and strength work
18 stone and I'm a size 16/18

But I'm on meds that cause weight gain and have a knackered thyroid and sit down all day at work

Hi, fellow Adhd person here. I find meal planning to stressful, dull and even with good intentions I don’t do it.
my suggestions are keep your meals simple. Concentrate on protein to keep you feeling full.
i have been quite successful with metabolic balance program. It’s initially an amount of money to spend. The less personalized alternative is The Human being diet - there is a book. Petronella Racenshear.
i keep my meals simple and quick.
breakfast: full fat yoghurt, fruit
lunch:bagged salad, cucumber, avocado, feta or boiled eggs. Small amount of salad dressing. Fruit for dessert.
Dinner: protein and veg
once a week a meal of anything I want
no snacks between means and 5 hours between meals and only water between meals.
it’s not the most thrilling but it’s simple and it works

I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t drink any fizzy drinks or fruit juice. Just water and one cup of tea a day, camomile in the evening.

I wouldn't start off by calorie counting. I would write down everything you have eaten the day before and look at where you are going wrong. I used to pick as I cooked and eat too many crisps.

Don't deny yourself with meals but maybe fake away instead of takeaway, buy leaner cuts of meat and reduce portion sizes. Fill most of your plate up with vegetables.

Start with small manageable changes and up your steps by going out for a walk. When you start to see results you will be able to tweak/up the game where you see fit.

Don't see it as losing weight, see it as a long term lifestyle change. Fads and strict diets end up making you miserable and are not sustainable.

You can do it 💪

Are bread and pasta, things like that a big part of your diet? I find that if I eat those sorts of carbs I get hungry quicker and it’s that desperate sort of ‘must eat NOW’ feeling. After a few days off that stuff hunger is a lot more reasonable.

Skipping a meal shouldn’t be a huge challenge hunger wise, we did not evolve on a three meal a day and snacks type diet. It IS a massive challenge when you’re experiencing sugar and carb highs and lows.

You’d be surprised at how much intermittent fasting helps mental health, sleep and hunger.
I was against IF for quite a while but decided to look into it when I felt I needed something more than calorie counting and it’s really helped me.

If you’re interested there’s lots of reading material online and videos on YouTube.

I get it Op, it’s so easily done and it’s hard when you are in denial about your weight gain (which I was guilty of too). Once I accepted it, I started bargaining with myself for excuses. I found plenty - medications that causes weight gain, underactive thyroid, etc. Obe day I decided to brave the mirror butt naked from all angles and so for myself what had happened. I said out loud “I can change this, I can improve”.

Don’t skip meals. Write a food diary and make sure everything is in there. Including drinks- are you confident you are drinking enough?
Boiled eggs are SO filling. Chicken is really good, healthy protein. I can only afford pasta on very special occasions. Jacket potatoes have been my best friend - filling and healthy. I have it with bolognese. I didn’t go near any treats such as crisps and chocolate for over 5 months. It was difficult, truly difficult, for about 2 weeks. Your body adapts, trust me. Your taste buds will even change. I’ve stopped craving it so much and when I do cheat I will have a tiny bowl of crisps, the bag stays away or I will over do it. I really enjoy what I eat now whereas I used to wolf things down without really tasting it. Oh and water. I have a whole bottle of water before every meal to curb the desire to wolf it all down.

You can change things and admitting you have a problem is a huge first step. Good luck and remember - it took a long time to put the weight on. It won’t disappear overnight.

What is the benefit of that?

Once women reach an obese BMI, they have roughly a 1 in 1200 chance of being able to lose weight to reach a healthy BMI and remain there for 5+ years unless bariatric surgery is undertaken

link to relevant study please?

You know, I’m still not hugely convinced with the science of it and the ethos, but I joined slimming world 2 weeks ago just to give it a try and I’ve lost 7.5 pounds already.

it’s the only plan I’ve ever done where I don’t feel hungry, I haven’t restricted much etc. just making better choices.

Ive not read all the responses but I wonder if your ADHD medication either current or past has had an impact on your eating habits? Also I know only too well that with ADHD can sometimes come a tendency to have an addictive personal, meaning breaking habits is unbelievably hard. It can also make people feel lonely. Over eating in our house is very common and I believe it's due to ADHD. Fortunately we all support each other and when one of us falls down the rabbit hole and habits reform we try to help each other.

It may be that you need to take small steps to change your habits or if you're like me, it's all or nothing.

Good luck on your new journey

Based on this post I'm going to suggest cutting back on carbs and drastically cutting down on sugar.

If the idea of skipping a meal is anathema to you, managing your sugar addiction will help.

Good luck.

I lost 3&1/2 stone last year op. Its boring as hell but it can be done. Anf it wont be forever
-get a Fitbit and track your sleep/steps and cals burnt.
-calculate your BMR so you can see how many cals you need to burn /not eat to loose
-half your portion sizes!!!
-eat a big bowl of cereal/porridge in morning
-just don't have snacks in the house
-cut out any alcohol unless social
-batch cook in the slow cooker so youre meals are already made
-jaffa cakes for a treat.
-limit eating/snacking after dinner
-low fat cooking sauces and milk.

track your weight. Would that help you to visually see it on a graph?

• must point out im not a mad gym bunny ( well done to those who are !) or extremr dieter im just a normal mum , trying to fit into my jeans again. Hahaaa

I think that’s part of the problem. I find it hideously boring. With my ADHD I’m always seeking a dopamine ‘fix’ and often get it from eating as it’s a quick hit.

Another issue is that we eat meals with our DS, so we normally eat pasta etc because that’s what we’re cooking for him. I find it too stressful to cook several different meals.

I was 14 stone 4 just over a month ago. I put my height and weight into the NHS BMI calculator and then gave my head a wobble. I’m using the NHS weight loss app (which is pretty basic) to track my daily calorie intake and on a weekly basis I record my weight and waist measurements. I use MyFitnessPal to track the calories every day: the BMI calculator gave me a figure to use, in order to lose 10% of my weight.

five weeks on, I have more energy, my clothes aren’t so tight and I’m sleeping better. Because I have to track my exercise I’m deliberately doing more walking. My weight is down to 13 stone 9 last time I checked, last Monday and I’ve lost a couple of inches off my waist.

YANBU because it’s hard. But you just need to decide you’re going to tackle it and stick with a plan, whether it’s an app, something like weight watchers or slimming world, or just something you track yourself.

I’m only 5 weeks in (the NHS advice was to stick to the calorie reduction for 12 weeks and I’m glad I started when I did, and didn’t do some weird crash diet I couldn’t stick to. This is manageable and I’m getting a much better idea of what meals are lovely and satisfying without masses of calories.

Realistically as an emotional eater the only way to truly tackle it is to address those underlying issues. Having ADHD also makes things trickier, but sounds positive that you're quite active and you acknowledge its becoming an issue. The trouble is different things work for different people. For me I have to have 5 or so smaller meals throughout the day otherwise I restrict and then binge in the evenings. I make up boxes of stuff for the evening to try and beat the binge- each has 250 calories or so- chocolate, sweets, crisps etc. When I need some comfort I limit to one and it means I'm a bit more mindful. If you feel you need a lot of food throughout the day then perhaps low calorie high density foods would work well. Tbh some ready meals aren't that bad now if you'd find that easier for meals? Or do you eat the same as your little one?

I’m 5ft 8 and was 15 stone 8.5 and size 20 when I started SlimmingWorld. Lost 5 stone in 8 months. Maintaining a healthy weight 3 years later size 12. It gets slated on here but I needed the group support. My group is lovely and supportive. It’s not muller lights and bowls of pasta. Plan is cooking from scratch and 1/3 plate veg. It’s easy to follow and very family friendly. I like slimming foodie book, slimming eats and pinch of nom for recipes. Some areas you get 12 weeks free on GP referral if you are overweight.

Upping protein really helps me.
I prefer 3 meals, 1 afternoon snack (usually kvarg/fruit) and a bit of choc eg a kit Kat or freddo.
I eat eggs or oats or 0% Greek for breakfast.
Lunch baked potato or omelette or salad.
Dinner stirfry, roast, Bolognese, chilli. I use pinch of nom/slimming eats/slimming foodie recipes a lot.
Key is portion control and lots of veg - you soon get in habit of 1/3 plate veg. So have pasta with your son but have a sensible portion.