To be 24 stone?

[Bunny2607]

Obviously i know I am. And trying to post for traffic to see if anyone has been where I am.

just had my 2nd baby 6 months ago, and while i did well at first dropping the baby weight the last 2/3 months i have absolutely ballooned and now weigh the most i ever have. I’m embarrased and ashamed. Its come to a head on holiday as was only just able to fasten the seatbelt on the plane and have been spilling out of restaurant chairs etc. it’s embarrassing.

my baby is starting nursery soon and i’m back to work part time. I have worked out i should be able to get to the gym 2/3 times a week, so i am going to join and hopefully exercise will prevent loose skin?

has anyone lost a massive amount of weight and if so how? Any stories to share? Thank you

The gym (and I'm a 4x a week weightlifter, I love it) will make you fitter but it's not a weight loss tool, not at the beginner level. It's diet, and by that it's eating habits and how much you consume. That's the part that's the most difficult to give up.

I won't bang on and make you list what you eat or any comfort eating habits and stuff, you already know it, but tackle those habits, walk more, and the gym is the cherry on the top; fitter, stronger, healthier joints and so on, but calorie burn is in the low hundreds, which is about two or three biscuits. Diet and food habits is the hard part.

Intermittent fasting. It’s tough and you need to be super strict but the results are fantastic. Good luck OP x

It's your diet more so than the exercise.

Slimming world might help you drop a large amount of weight. I've lost 4 stone since January and I was 14 stone to begin with. Just under 10 now.

Regular exercise - that fits with your schedule - will help your mental well being and that’s going to be a big part of supporting you in long term goals. It’s always helped me, regardless of my age, weight, shape. Getting decent sleep (probably a bit of a fantasy right now) is also important for weight management. Wishing you every success and feeling good and better along the way.

I was 29st, now just under 20st.

Intermittent fasting (8:16) and using an app to count calories (weighing, portioning every single thing you eat to begin with is incredibly eye opening…apparently 8 chocolate biscuits ISNT the recommended serving size, who knew! But very much worth it)

Add in extra exercise, do your 10k steps or start smaller if you need to

Dont expect immediate miracles and do it slow and steady

you can absolutely do this x

I have had to lose weight. I would say keeping a positive attitude really helps, don't get into the habit of caring what anyone else thinks. And also just accept that it will take a while to get to where you want to be. But say it takes 2 years, those 2 years will be continually increasing gains and achievements. It really is about one day at a time.

It's about changing your attitude, and to identify and access good support that works for you. The gym is great but the majority of weight loss will be done through a healthy diet. What are you thinking about that?

I've lost six and a half stone. There are no shortcuts. It is calories in vs. calories out.

The gym, and exercise, are beneficial for your health but weight loss really comes from how you eat and your choices around food. Add the exercise in if it fits and makes you feel good, but don't rely on that to get to a weight loss goal - that's all in how you fuel yourself.

for what it’s worth once you get to that stage the fat is an extra organ with demands on the body and messes with your hormones which increases hunger, and carrying the extra weight increases tiredness so you’re more likely to feel a need to snack, which stops weight loss. So stop feeling bad about how you got there and self flagellating and look forwards to how you will feel so much better and deserve to, as it will help motivate you more than being hard on yourself.

you need to prepare your mind to deal with cravings. You will be craving sugar, fat and salt which will make it hard to lose the weight. So kindness and acceptance will stop any comfort eating! Get to the root of any emotional eating and put a stop to it. Work out your calories and work your way down slowly. Eg if you’ve been eating 3000 calories, aim for 2750 for 2 months and increase daily movement. Follow the fitness chef on Instagram for ideas about how to still eat what you like but with portion control. Nothing should be forbidden or you’ll just obsess over what you can’t have. The following two months aim for 2500 and increase the intensity of your exercise, then 2250 and increase intensity, until you get down to what you should be eating for maintenance. It should take a year to lose weight healthily so prepare your mind for that, if you can get through to your go, get their support. Good luck

Weight loss is about 80% diet and 20% exercise. You really cannot out-run a bad diet.

Yes, going to the gym will help with things like toning up and may help improve your metabolism, but ultimately, it's what you put in your body that needs to change.

Calorie Deficit.

You need to heal your relationship with food so please don't do Slimming World or similar.

Work out your TDEE

tdeecalculator.net

Use My Fitness Pal to log everything that passes your lips and remain in a deficit.

I agree with everyone that monitoring food intake has a greater impact than exercise. However I find that regular exercise improves my mood and because I feel more energised I tend to make healthier choices around food and I find I am less hungry. But eating differently and less is the way to lose weight. Exercise is the cherry on the cake. I find it difficult to lose weight just by dieting.

There’s a topic section for weight loss with loads of positive stories and ongoing support.
weight loss happens in the kitchen not the gym. At your weight I would not be doing more than walking/swimming/biking to preserve you knees.

I lost 6 stone after my DD by fasting, as PP have said exercise will make you fitter but it isn't a tool for weight loss, can make it harder as it tends to increase hunger. I go to the gym now but lost all the weight before stepping foot in the gym. It's really all about calories in, calculate how many you should be eating to maintain and reduce that - see how you go.

Good luck, you can do it x

Look for some easy fixes - e.g. stop drinking alcohol (if you do) cut out any fizzy drinks, juice etc and just have water. Make food at home rather than meals out or takeaways. Fruit instead of a pudding. Low carb and intermittent fasting work well together and will really help with dealing with hunger and cravings. I lost six stone doing this. You can do this! Slow and steady win the race.

When I lost a big chunk of weight I got quite a lot of back pain, I think because of the change in weight distribution that meant my muscles were imbalanced for my new shape. Strengthening exercises helped with that.

I about 20 stone and it is a vicious circle. My back is in so much pain I find it hard to walk more than about 25 metres. Be sure I don't walk I don't lose weight. I have been swimming but can only do about 200 metres and I am exhausted. I am just going to keep swimming my little bit 3 times a week and walk along a bit with my rolater walking frame and do best i can. My thyroid has been under active for years. I have Thyroxine but blood test show it is not enough to stop weight gain of about 1.5 lb a month. It does not sound a lot but every.month.it all mounts up. GP keeps trying to book me in with endocrinology but they say they are not taking new patients. Endocrinology wrote back to GP saying give me more Thyroxine and test again in 2 months. Problem is I have been on too low a dose for over a year, putting on more weight. If I was not in so much pain I would walk more. Can you walk OP? If you can it makes a big difference and swimming too is good as you are weightless in water.

You've had some good advice,@Bunny2607 . Particularly listen to @Weefreetiffany, and especially this:

stop feeling bad about how you got there and self flagellating and look forwards to how you will feel so much better and deserve to, as it will help motivate you more than being hard on yourself

Whilst it is true that your weight-loss will have to be the result of a change in diet, exercise can be a powerful motivator and will help you get into shape. As well as going to the gym, try to fit in a daily workout at home. Lucy Wyndham Read has lots of workouts on YouTube. Most are only 10 minutes or so, and they are a good way to get you moving. She is very calm and gentle and explains all the moves really well.

Walking is great too!! Especially if you wear ankle and wrist weights, which really helps.

If you eat lots of lean protein and vegetables, you'll feel full and in time won't crave sugar and carbs. And you'll feel soooooo much better!!

Exercise is great but on its own you won't lose weight. As others have said it's all about calorie deficit. Can you post what you eat at the moment?

I'd be careful with IF too, you still need to be in deficit, you can't just eat whatever you want within your 'window'. Same with LCHF, you can still be over your TDEE and think it's ok because it's LCHF.

I say this from experience!

OP have a look at Ozempic or Saxenda. I agree with the comments about calorie deficit. These may help you get there. Good luck xx

I always think it's good to look at the source of the calories and go from there, we all have different overeating patterns and times when we make less healthy decisions.

My mum lost over 50Kg and kept it off for the last 20 years. She was fat al throughout my childhood/young adulthood. Suddenly, when she was in her 40's she started running- initially only 15 mins per day every day and then upped and upped the time. She also stopped eating in the evenings after 6pm. The transformation was incredible. She's now in her 60's and a size 6 and is a bit too skinny in my personal opinion, but she looks amazing and no one would believe she was fat for the majority of her life. She stopped running because it was affecting her knees but she walks for several hours each day (to/from work) and does gymnastics exercises at home.

One thing though - my mum and my dad were and still are doing all the exercising together. My dad was never fat, but he also became incredibly fit and healthy by exercising with my mum.

Easiest way to lose weight is to stop eating after 6pm. It really makes such a difference even if you eat unhealthy before 6pm. Eating late in the evenings is what makes me balloon straight away.

Agree with the comments about importance of diet. But also I find going to gym is unrealistic for me (and sure many others)! Can you find ways to be active during the day, like walking fast enough to raise your heart rate, 15-20 min workout videos (so many free on YouTube) etc? I find this much more achievable and sustainable than going to the gym

I was a size 20 plus (have yo yo years done weight watchers, sw etc). This time I did fast 800 lost some weight then started doing to the gym everyday if possible. Only did 20mins on cross trainer to start and then left as I could reason in my head it's only 20mins even on days I didnt want to go. Once I got a bit more motivated I then added short weights routine which really helped chnage my body shape more.
I needed the 800 calories a day to see the weight come off quickly as I get easily demotivated. Then move to 2 days 800 then 1800 for normal days.
I drink lots of water now. I tend to stick to 2 meals a day usually full fat greek yogurt with strawberries then salad or veg for dinner with salmon or fish or chicken etc. I drink unsweetened almond milk lattes to stave of hunger and they feel treat like plus an alpen light bar or skinny crunch. Night I have caffine free coke instead of snacking. When I up my calories I try to chose healthier fats like olive oil dressing, seeds, nuts, cheese
Iv discovered loads of foods I like - greek salad is current fav, sauerkraut, doing fajitas with lettace leave instead wraps.
I sometimes add in fybogel if getting a bit bunged up