Is 15 st too heavy to come back from??

[Wantachangefor2024]

I am 32 and currently weigh 15 stone. 5’3. Had an accident and had to have surgery, sat around feeling sorry for myself and got depressed and the weight I’m at. I finally faced myself in the mirror and burst into tears. Am I being unreasonable that I’m too far gone to come back? I’d like to lose 6 stone and get back to 9 stone. Will I be left with terribly loose skin??

I have chronic pain, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I piled on the weight desperately seeking energy and used sugar to create that. My health has slowly improved and last year I was able to start losing weight and cut my need for sugar. I can only do it in the summer and autumn. Winter flattens me resulting in eating sugar again and spring is about regaining strength so I put some but not all back on again. I’m starting to lose weight again. At my heaviest I was 17 stone 4 and now 14 stone 11. I do have an overhang due to multiple major abdominal surgeries and being stitched up tightly on the last one resulting in my belly button being a couple of inches too low. I’m 53. I don’t think I will be getting in normal bmi range this year. Slowly. Steadily. Skin is skin. So far I don’t have saggy skin but I still have a long way to go.

You can definitely do it. Loose skin is less likely to happen if you lose weight gradually but even if it does happen it can go. A few years ago I lost over 8 stone very quickly. The top picture is about 6 months after losing it. The second picture is after 2 years. It just snapped back. It took a while but it did happen. I had no strict exercise regime or anything like that (I’m too lazy!). I just kept the weight off and my body seemed to sort itself out. Just to add,I was 46 when I lost the weight. Best wishes to you

Break it down into small chunks. Looking at it and saying "I need to lose 6 stone" is bloody dispiriting and makes it seem difficult. What you can do is find an easier target to achieve. Maybe say "I want to lose a pound a week, so by the end of June to be 3-4 pounds lighter"

That is a achievable and you will feel good for doing it. You'll probably overachieve because weight loss in the first week is usually greater than the steady loss through dieting. Luckily we're just going (hopefully!) into sunnier weather so salads etc are far more appealing!

I've recently dropped from 14 stone to 10st 10 (5'6") through 1200 calories per day plus gym 3 times a week to tone up. You don't need the gym though as there's plenty of YouTube exercise videos you can do. I was referred by my gp to the gym and had 12 weeks free (same scheme you can choose slimming world if you prefer - it's run by OneYou, just google OneYou and your county to see if it's in your area, and you can do self referral).

Every pound off will make a difference to your health, so it's definitely worth doing. Wish you luck xx

I was almost 16 stone. Now I look like this. No issues with loose skin, I mean I’m not ‘toned’ but equally it’s not hanging off me if that makes sense.

I’ve found that diets from gym trainers and other PTs can be tough to stick to. Id highly recommend SlimmingWorld if you’ve not tried it already as once you get your head round the plan, the results are brilliant and you can still eat out/ have ‘treats’ without being off-plan. SlimmingWorld is all about treats in moderation and also understands that during life you will be attending events with certain foods that most plans cut out completely and you can account for them. Good luck on your mission, @Wantachangefor2024

@Wantachangefor2024 do you live in Yorkshire? (Since you went to the alhambra). I know a really supportive women's gym if you are in the right area. I'll pm you.

When I left school I worked with horses, so I know exactly how you feel after stopping as I suddenly realised just how much exercise I was doing daily with them!

I did also forget to add that I did not weigh myself daily as some do. I weighed on a Sunday evening after my shower. Same scales, same place.

I no longer have scales because I don't want to become obsessive.

You look incredible.

It's really not. I started covid lockdown at 15 stone and was just under 10st by the time my second vaccine was given.

My motivation was I was ill and at risk of serious complications with Covid. Weight was one thing I could control to help a positive outcome.

Find ways to eat so you don't feel hungry. Eat smaller portions and wait then eat more if you are genuinely hungry and it's not habit or boredom.

I didn't calorie count. that de-rails me.

No too far gone at all. You are very young still and much easier now than later. I want to encourage you. Go for it with small goals at the time. Get active and even walking long distances would start shedding pounds.

@fruitpastille yes from South Yorkshire!

OP this is from a different angle to simply weight loss and may be helpful.

After a big accident - couldn't walk properly for 8 months - I put on some weight. I was looking in the mirror feeling awful about how I looked naked and then from nowhere my mind said 'instead of thinking how awful your body looks, think about what a wonderful thing it is to have got through this accident'. It was like a lightbulb moment.

I started being more accepting of what had happened to my body and I sort of began to cherish it and move on. I looked at my diet, gradually started doing more walking then exercise back at the gym. Now, although it may sound foolish, I look at feeding my body properly as the ultimate form of self care that it deserves for being such a good body recovering from a big insult.

@Dita73
@Thehonestbadger
Wow well done! To the pair of you! Massive weight loss achievement 👏 👏 💪 💪

@Wantachangefor2024 Find an excerise you love to do. If you're not sure, try something new every week until you find it. It could be swimming/cycling/hiking/areobics/zumba/ dancing/ wall climbing/ice skating etc. I hated exercise apart from walking. At the age of 42, I discovered a love for hula hooping! I use a weighted one, for an hour a day. I find it so relaxing, I really love it! I hope you find something that you enjoy doing. Down load my fitness pal to work out your calories, and stick to it. Remember to always have protein, so you're always feeling full up.

I’ve read each and every post and amazed at how many of you have lost a significant amount of weight. I have no choice to do it slow. But I’m doing it.

I think the hardest thing is to not beat yourself up and think how I used to look and repeatedly go over how I’ve allowed this weight to pile on. All my friends are healthy weights so it’s made me really anxious socially too.

I am single so don’t have a partner to support me no and that’s why when I confided in a few friends and they said I may end up with loose skin and need tummy tucks, boob lift etc. I felt so down in the dumps and posted as I wanted more opinions on how I may end up looking.

The few who have mentioned injectables I think they are a great thing, but for me right now. Facing myself in the mirror has turned my appetite right off!! And I’ve put my health at risk enough that I can’t risk the side effects. Thanks again ladies x

Come back and tell us how you've done next year@Wantachangefor2024 . I believe in you and I'm rooting for you.

This is key. I’m not a gym bunny (have tried but not for me) but have done classes at places where there are gyms and have sometimes done various gym machines.

I love walking, aqua aerobics, swimming, would do volleyball if more classes and teams around and when younger loved ice skating. I’ve tried hula hooping @Beautiful3 but sadly it wasn’t for me!

I used to do yoga and salsa dancing too.

Barbara Curry has a great yoga dvd. You could get a dvd for salsa too and do it at home, until you feel more confident to join classes again?

What I’d say to your friends is pick one or two who might come to a class with you or even shopping for food and clothes.

If you’d like to get your hair cut or coloured then do it. No one cares about your size and a new cut and maybe colour might be a step towards a new you.

I’ve often been with my larger friend when she’s shopped for the odd clothes item (once for a dress for a work Christmas party), it’s fine when they’re larger but once you start to lose weight (she recently was walking with me and proudly pulled the material on her dress to one side and said I’ve gone down 2 dress sizes!) it’s better because they’re growing in confidence but as a friend they can help you (if you need it) with clothes.

I think with you though, you’ve had a blip with your accident and it’s caused weight gain and lack of confidence. Also it doesn’t help that from 30 onwards your metabolism slows down so weight goes on quicker. But as others have said, it’s fairly easy to lose weight and tone up. Worry about loose skin when it comes to it. My friend isn’t worrying about loose skin either.

Thanks for the tips.

I’m the same as you (5ft1 and 15st3). I’ve just had a baby - however I’ve put on weight since having bub. I’m back at pre pregnancy weight.

Weirdly I lost a lot of weight in pregnancy, gained when I was coming towards the end and then ended up lighter than when I got pregnant after I had her. So I’ve put it on since having her. The joys of having no time to prepare food, and spending a good month not being able to move.

Happy to join forces if you want :)

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain all your suggestions are great. I can't handle regulating the rich tea biscuits though. Lol.

Ah thank you!

I was with my mum the other day and she said she used to eat an entire pack of digestives to herself! 😱

Now she buys the reduced sugar ones.

The regulating stuff is such a pita!