Just woken up to realising I'm three stone overweight

[olaplexisshite]

Genuinely ... I've had the most horrendous and stressful three years.
Husband walked out ( affair) and I became a full time working single mother to three kids with all differing needs.
I have now found myself three stone overweight, unfit and slow when walking.
I never saw the weight creep up.
I don't realise nor did I care.
Wine for me through many sad and lonely nights as did take out foods and compensating for that prick , with lovely foods and treats for me and my kids.
Then I met my now bf who loves junk but zero interest in alcohol so on our free weekends , we indulged in delicious food and endless junk.
Im so pissed off. I'm shocked too.
I'm fat now and knee deep in menopause ( on hrt which has bloated me hugely )
Is this it? Can it be reversed ? How could I even start to work through this to get healthier and slimmer. It feels like a giant obstacle.
I'm in a fog.

Please be kind to yourself. You sound like you have really been through it. You know the standard responses will be eat less, move more but as you’ve mentioned you and DP like to cook I’d suggest looking into something like weight watchers where eating proper meals applies. You can embrace some healthy cooking perhaps.

One step at a time. You've got everything coming down on you at present x

You absolutely can reverse it. I went from 85kg last summer to 66kg now and most of that was the first six months. I'm 5'8".

WW meals or one of the box deliveries so you're cooking different and interesting stuff but know what the calories are is a good idea. We get Hello Fresh which some on here believe is tantamount to Burger King every night but it's nothing of the sort!

Consume 500 fewer calories per day on average than you need (there are online calculators to help work that out) and for me that meant it came off at roughly half a kg per week.

OP, the best advice I can give you is start with the smallest change and be patient with yourself. Small steps lead to bigger ones and as you start to feel the difference you’ll be inspired to keep going. You can do it. Good luck!

OP be kind to yourself. I'm also 3 stone overweight and don't really have a reason other than too many takeaways and carbs. I've just woken up to it and realised I need to do something about it.

Ah OP, you sound very down. Please don't be!

You've taken the first step already which is realisation and the determination to make a change.

The next step will be as I'm sure I don't need to point out, to start changing your diet. There are numerous ways of doing this and myriad programs / apps which can help you. Read around and find one which you think will fit best with your tastes and lifestyle.

The weight absolutely can come off, of course. But remember, it didn't appear overnight and it won't disappear overnight either. It's been a long journey to get to where you are now and you're going to have to do that journey again, just in reverse.

And don't beat yourself up if you have an unhealthy day. To err is human and the occasional slip up or cheat day won't undo the past few weeks work. Your weight loss journey will not be a simple straight line - some weeks you'll lose more and some less, sometimes you'll see a change and other times not at all, but don't be disheartened by that. The key is to keep going.

I put on 3 stone in the past year!! I have no idea why/how (although I did start the DEPO jab last summer which I now understand can cause weight gain!). Like you, I'm horrified. But I've managed to lose more than a stone in the past 8 weeks, and I'm working towards the next one. It feels good. There is hope!

I don't eat in the morning so perhaps I could have two big nutritious meals at one and six and try to limit wine and my treats to Fridays to begin with .
I could do without pasta/ rice and noodles.
I think the main issue is the chaotically busy life I lead and lack of prep and planning time although I could prioritise that.

This is what it comes down to though, putting myself firmly at the bottom of the pile for the last few years, despite thinking that I was treating myself

Ah OP I sort of understand and you’ve been through the mill.

Im also 3 stone overweight and also just started estrogel along with my Mirena.

I just feel so fat and horrible but have sort of messed up my eating by trying slimming world, low carb/keto and am now in a pickle. I’m also a single mum and not enough free time to join a gym (which is how I remained 3 stone lighter in the past)

i watching your thread with interest in case someone offers advice that I can use

@StellaGibson2022 I'm the same. Tried these powder protein things and was starving which made it worse. Already done slimming world. I'm also in a pickle

Have you looked into 'second nature'? It's an online healthy way of life that looks at your habits and gives you help and ideas to slowly change the not so good habits for better ones. You have access to workouts, recipes, online communities and and online nutritionist or dietician. Similar to Noom but it's UK based. I've found it helpful and recognise some v bad habits; like you with the alcohol and takeout. Menopause isn't helping either 😕
Good luck on your journey...let us know what you find helps

You can get 12 weeks at slimming world free from the gp by referral. There's no quick fix but you can shift the weight

You poor thing, you've gone through an awful lot over the last few years it's not surprising that somethings had to give. You need to look at this as a very very long term project with the emphasis being on looking after yourself and putting yourself first. Losing weight (slowly!) and improving your fitness levels (slowly!) are things that needn't cost you anything and that you can do just for yourself.

When I need to lose weight I use MFP and I log everything. I start off really slowly and very gradually lower my daily calories until I start to lose weight. Very slow and steady is best. I exercise because I enjoy it and it's part of my social life. With three kids is there anything you can do with them that would help you exercise.

I know that it will take lots of time and I would prefer to do it properly by changing my intake but that said I have limited daily time eg for workouts or online interaction .
I can cook at weekends and also a couple of evenings midweek but it needs to be fast ! Online shopping will be my friend. Sadly my ole pal vino will need to be binned off for a while .
I'd love a healthy recipe book with no more than five ingredients that cooks in twenty minutes !!!!
An idea for a business venture perhaps 🤗

I found myself 3 stone overweight a little while back also. I've lost a stone and a half so far - first half stone about 18 months ago then fell off the wagon, then a stone between mid May and mid- August . I've had a bit of a break due to summer holiday, but am getting back on it.

I also had a bad wine habit, ate too big portions and picked at anything from 4pm till when DH and I would finally sit down for dinner at 9ish.

The changes I made that worked for me were:

• no food between 8:30/9pm and midday the next day
• no wine in the week
• having dinner earlier most nights
• watching my portion sizes

No food was off limits (other than wine in the week) but once I got in the zone mentally I was happy to pass up 'treat' food most of the time anyway. We've eaten all the same meals as normal, I've just had less than I was before.

Good luck, you can do it!!

For small, extremely achievable tweaks that will make a big difference (they are all aimed at keeping blood glucose levels stable so also great for energy and mood) please do check out the Glucose Revolution book by Jessie Inchauspe. Great book. Or follow the author who is Glucose Goddess on Instagram and see what you think first. I think doing that and cutting out ultra processed food will take you a long way.

Of course you can get the weight off. I put on 21kg when I was pregnant. Minus a 4 kg baby I was 17 kg overweight. I had weighed 50 kg before and nothing fitted and I wobbled. I walked at a brisk pace for 45 minutes every night. If it was raining I peddled an exercycle for 30 minutes. I cut out all junk food and ate 3 meals a day -normal food. I had 1 small glass of wine with dinner. The weight just fell off.

To stay thinner you do have to commit to eating less forever. Never eat standing up and do nothing else while eating -no reading, television watching, surfing the net etc. Just savour the taste of the food.

It sounds like you've had to cope with a dreadful time. I don't mean to sound condescending but you should realise that your children will appreciate a healthy happy mother more than they will any number of treats. I couldn't live with a man who ate a lot of junk food so I'd evaluate this relationship carefully. Has he been "fattening" you up?

Do something about it now.

I didn't, and two years later, I am five stone overweight. My boobs ache, my thighs rub and I can rarely buy clothes in stores that used to be my go to places.

@scarletisjustred why would you think a partner could be fattening me up?
Sounds bizarre!
We don't live together so it's just when we spend time together at weekends

Yes it can but you’re using food for pleasure. Not surprisingly because food nowadays is tailored to be extremely pleasurable and thus really hard to moderate. You need to find something else to give you joy and accept that you will not be able to eat loads of food all the time any more

I've put my fitness pal on my phone weigh all food I eat, to stay with in calories, earn extra calories with walking tells you on the app.
Been doing it two weeks, still learning, it's about making healthier choices and eating foods to fill you up.
Plenty of fruit and vegetables and water.
You can have cheat food in moderation.
I have 5 stone to lose, but I am now starting the journey to healthier eating and hopefully will get to my goal eventually. X

Focus on adding positive habits rather than trying to restrict yourself. Add more veg and fibre to your diet. Personally I’d avoid Slimming World or calorie counting. It’s not sustainable long term. Look for recipes that focus on tasty fresh ingredients and try to avoid processed foods. I love Lucy Lord and Rukmini Iyer. Add in some exercise. You don’t need a lot of time to do this - have a look at Lucy Wyndham Read’s youtube channel. She has so many quick effective workouts and they are all free! Start using a fitness counter and aim to gradually increase your activity levels. And bin the scales. Weight is just a number and a very poor indicator of health. If you want a measurement to help you see progress them use a tape measure instead.

Yes eating too much happens to blokes as well. It has been a difficult 3 years for me. Started with back injury which makes exercise impossible. My target would be to lose 45lb. But so difficult.

We stopped it getting worse by following Michael Mosely recipes and quantities. Weight is stable now and I can walk a little, 400 yds one day, furthest for 3 years. I have started and will report back when I can keep off the booze 4 days a week.

Jamie’s 5 ingredients cook book can easily be adapted to be diet friendly
Slimming works do their own version
I find meal planning works best and only buy what you need - if it’s not in the house I can’t be tempted
We meal plan for a week including lunches at work with a few treats built in
prepping in advance also helps me - tonight I made 3 salad lunches for work - mixed fruits for breakfast with yoghurt which means evening meals can be more filling

Low carb
lots of water
walking