Gone over into the obese category

[Howdidthathappenhey]

Been to the Drs today about a different matter. Before the appointment, the nurse took my blood pressure etc, all ok. Did the dreaded weigh in and I’m 82 kg, so 12 stone 12. I’m 5’4
I’ve just looked it up and it’s bmi just 30, which says obese.
Feel really low and not sure how this happened.
I feel like people wouldn’t look at me and say ‘Obese’ but maybe they do

There's always one. Hopefully it'll be the only one.

Thanks everyone 😊

If I work hard at it now, would the first stone come off fairly easily for example? Need some hope!

I know how quick the weight can creep up. I've put on 3 stone in 18 months! I'm getting my thyroid tested soon hopefully to see if it could be down to that.

Although it's probably down to losing 10lbs after a bereavement and ending up almost underweight at 5'8 and 8st 10 which is too slim for me. Once my appetite came back I piled it all back on and it just keeps going up, am now 12st. I just feel like giving up now because it's something I'm obviously going to have to keep my eye on forever. It's so depressing to have it happen so quickly after I was a size 8 two years ago. I did manage to stay at a steady 9st 7 for years before which was perfect for me, but I don't know if it's possible to get back down to that and keep at that weight after all this yo-yoing. I have so much work to do now 😔

I don't think of 12 or 13st as obese (unless you're tiny!) so I agree people probably wouldn't think you are. I'm sorry that must be a shock to find out.

Op - I'm the same height at 5'4 and ended up rapidly gaining weight when I was 19 to the point I was borderline obese. Turned out to be PCOS and a massive ovarian cyst. It took a lot of hassling the dovctors, but eventually I was put on Yasmin and I lost 2 stone in 6 weeks.

Def worth getting all your hormone levels checked out.

You dont have to be very overweight OP to be into the obese category of overweight. Its just a category that marks that and categorises the amount of extra weight someone is carrying.

No one is looking at you and categorising that, its a medical thing.

I've only ever managed to lose weight by cutting out all sugar (that includes stuff like ketchup, a lot of store-bought bread, ready meals - just look at the labels). Also refined carbs like flour as well. When I do that, then I lose the weight quite quickly.

Trying to focus on exercise has never worked for me. I would work out and then feel like I 'deserved' a treat for doing so, completely undoing any good I'd just done. Focusing on eating healthier was what helped.

You can do it! 💪

I wasn't criticising, FFS. I've weighed a lot more, at 92kg. The BMI is a crap 'measuring tool' that can make people feel shit.
Sorry if you thought I was being critical, OP.
💚

Op I'm the same height and I'm around 12 stone, never been this heavy and like you I don't know how it happened. I tried intermittent fasting for a few weeks and I didn't lose a single pound, I don't know what I was doing wrong but I've just given up now to be honest.

@Dramatic have you ever tracked everything you're eating in an app like cronometer.com? If it turns out you're eating under 2000 calories and getting all the vitamins/minerals you need etc, then you can go to a GP and show them. Insist on tests to rule out thyroid issues, insulin resistance etc.

The first few pounds are water weight but they can still be encouraging. If you haven't lost weight much before then it's likely to happen quicker than if you've done a lot of yo-yoing.

All diets work if you stick to them. It's about finding one that's sensible and sustainable for you and making it a habit.

So feel for your OP - I've been there, like many of us.

Yes, the first stone comes off much faster than the rest.

It depends how hard core you want to be - I did Michael Mosley's Fast 800 combined with intermittent fasting, and took a stone off in a month, then the next one in 2 months.

But I'm a big believer in finding the diet that works for you - many prefer to cut 500 calories a day and lose a pound or two a week. For me, Intermittent fasting is revolutionary and it's how I eat for life: huge benefits like not feeling hungry and being able to eat big meals.

Whatever you do, the first 4-5lbs typically come off in the first week, as it's usually water weight.

And there's a lovely Gin Stephen's slogan - Delay Dont Deny... so when you find you're reaching for a bag of crisps, just stop... you can have it later (and then you usually dont want it!!).

Good luck! You'll do it.

No I haven't, but thank you I'll give that a try

It’s surprising easy to slip into obese. People think obese is very visibly overweight but it often isn’t (I was obese and wearing size 14 dresses)
At your age it will be perimenopause.
Calorie counting with nutracheck, up your steps, eat mainly lean protein and veg, up your water.
Positives are better to tackle now in a few weeks you’ll be overweight bmi.

@Investinmyself I’m size 14 mainly too, some clothes 14-16

I was there 5-6 weeks ago. We’re the same age and height, I was a shade under obese but if I’d carried on eating as I was I would have been in the obese category by now. Like you I was surprised at the obese label because I didn’t really look that overweight, but as lots of people have said it’s just a name for a category.
It does seem much harder at this age to lose weight- and all too easy to gain it!
Like a PP I’ve been roughly following the Fast 800 and logging everything I eat in the Nutracheck app. I’m 6.5kg down since mid April and hoping to lose the same again but at a slower pace- I’ll change to eating about 1200cal but stick to low carb.
What has really helped is DH had a similar epiphany at the same time so we’ve been doing it together- the only problem is we’ve become diet bores constantly comparing stats 😂

Omg me too!! Nobody thinks I’m ‘obese’, but I technically am. It was a complete shock. It’s crept up so slowly, things got a bit tighter but it was easy to mask as I wear loose clothes and my legs still look good, sadly they’re going to the dogs now. I’m starting to make some changes, it’s a bit up and down to be honest. Some weeks I have a massive drive and some weeks I go the other way. I have found exercise good, more for my health than anything else. Also when you slog your guts out for 40mins and only burn 250 calories, it makes you question whether you really want to waste calories on snacks etc.!

Do a few tdee calculators to get an idea of correct cals. Don’t over estimate how active you are. I use paid version of nutracheck as it is easy to use, uk products and has a barcode scanner. Good luck 🤞

I'm the same height and 4.5 stone lighter but just lost 1 stone in around 6 weeks after my weight creapt to 9.5 so it can be done!

I lost 4?stone in 7 months last year. I started with the NHS healthy eating app (a calorie calculator basically) then migrated to MyFitnessPal.

I think BMI is bullshit. I’m 5’6 and haven’t weighed in too long I know I’m putting weight on due to clothes. I’m morbidly obese according to BMI. I will loose it when I put my head to it but life is too short to be defined by a generic number.

my advice for what it’s worth, was you happy before you went to the GP with your image? If so fuck the BMI. If you weren’t you are a greater judge of your imagine than a pardon the pun, one size fits all scale.

good luck 🥰

I’ve gone from morbidly obese down to touching distance of overweight. You can do it OP!

Theres nothing wrong with BMI, people get defensive over it. Its a range showing what generally is a healthy weight for your age, sex, ethnicity and height

Also I like to keep an eye on my qrisk, which unfortunately isnt great. Im trying to get that down

Forget the word obese, and focus on looking after yourself to get back to a healthy BMI.

I was 83Kg, I’m taller than you, but it was more than I needed to be carrying for my health.

Don’t beat yourself up or think in terms of a harsh punitive regime. I lost 18Kg through eating nice but healthier food, and cutting fine portion sizes of high calorie foods. Also stopping snacking . I did have snacks, but a healthy snack at a planned time in the afternoon, rather than repeat trips to the toaster.

Eat healthy, nurture yourself.

And add a bit of brisk exercise, which will make you feel better. Whether it be a walk or dancing to the music in the adverts.

Good luck!

I think that the term 'obese' creates a mental image of someone who is absolutely ginormous, but that's not the reality. Obese isn't as big as people think it is.

I’m the same height and 2lbs more than you, looking forward to getting back into the overweight category - I believe that’s 12at 4 🤣 Not that far away for you.