Losing weight, weight loss injections or gym?

[undecidedfatty]

I've recently been lucky enough to go up a pay grade. The number one things which gets me down, which has always got me down, is my weight. I've been a size 16 since I was a teenager and I can't seem to change it. It goes up and down a bit but I've never been a healthy weight. I lost quite a bit a few years ago by fasting every day but I can't do it now as I get too shaky and irritated.
I'm a single parent, I have two small children all the time, I work full time out of the house in a healthcare related role and I cannot lose any weight. This is partly circumstantial as often the thought of a few rich tea biscuits is all that gets me through a difficult shift. My DC's don't sleep, one has autism and I honestly can't keep my mind on dieting. I don't overeat but I often make a cheese toastie for tea or pot noodle (I'm veggie) as I'm so busy and worn out, I'm also skint a lot.
I really need to do something and thought I want to lose weight. I'm not looking for a quick fix (and I don't think such a quick fix exists) but I can't carry on trying to reduce calories as it just feels so joyless in an already pretty difficult existence.
Would the weight loss injections be a good investment? Or would a nice gym membership (with pool) be a better investment? I really want to do something to improve my overall well-being, and feel more refreshed outside of work, mum life.
I would really appreciate some advice from mums in similar situations, especially if you have chosen one of these options. I really don't want suggestions on home exercise (tried it, kids don't let me, no room) or complex diets when I'm constantly on the go, running on adrenaline, no time to cook etc. I'm out the house from 7.30am until 7.30 pm and I have no time nor energy when I get back. I don't enjoy cooking and I can't even batch cook as we have a tiny freezer. I don't even get a lunch break.
I have about £150 a month to tackle this and I really need help after 20 years of trying to do this the natural way.

If you've lost weight before with fasting, then why not start there? Just don't do such a brutal version that leaves you shaky, easy in gently. It has so many health benefits beyond weight loss as well - improved energy levels amongst the many.

Start with 12h fast/12h eating window, get used to that, then go from there.

If you're buying crap because you're skint, then use the money to buy better quality food. Prep your meals the night before so that you just grab something healthy rather than reach for crap.

But you need to be willing to make some changes, and at the moment it doesn't sound like you're there.

To be honest, I don't know anything about weight loss injections, the risks and benefits associated with them, but for me, it would always be the gym and exercise, over taking a pill or injecting something into my body.

The benefits to regular exercise is much more than just losing weight, mentally and physically. Most of us have busy lifestyles , but if you want results you find the time. For me, this means setting the alarm at 5.30am and hitting the gym at 6am and doing an intense HIIT or bootcamp class in the mornings, 3 times a week.

Less, but also better quality perhaps.

I'd think long term health in your situation and make time to sit down and think what you can realistically do. If you'll use the gym, get a program and stick to it you'll be healthier and that's better for your kids. Equally if you did c25k same thing, or walked 5 miles a say.

Then make a meal plan that includes protein, veg (lots) and carbs. Make a packed lunch the night before. You probably need to eat more not less.

Really no the weight loss drugs, you have 2 young kids and no one knows the long term effects of the drugs. But changing your lifestyle is sustainable....

I'm doing IM and more exercise- just a lot of walking and a simple weights exercise off youtube. I've lost a stone since Xmas and the next stone is starting to come off. It's really slow,.and sometimes demoralising and the weight loss injection is tempting as friends of mine have lost an incredible amount of weight in 6 months and actually look skinny. But I can't justify the cost, and I am hoping my slow way means it will stay off. I don't like the sound of the side effects either.

I would use the extra money to buy an extra freezer. If you don't have room in your kitchen, put it in another room - it's such an important tool when you're too busy to cook but want to eat well.

Then I'd start researching batch cooking. I did read your OP and I know you don't like cooking and don't want to do batch cooking specifically but, honestly, much of it barely counts as cooking. Lots of recipes now just involve dumping ingredients in a slow cooker and leaving it alone.

There are entire books and websites devoted to the concept of putting ingredients in a bag and freezing it. Then, the evening before, you take it out of the freezer and leave it in the fridge to defrost. The next morning the bag is emptied into the slow cooker and maybe stock or something is added. And you come home to a meal that's cooked. You can then freeze any portions that are left over.

I hope you can find a way to prioritise your wellbeing - aim for good health above anything else. I hope none of this sounds preachy - you've found coping mechanisms for lots of difficult challenges, you have 'kept calm and carried on'. But your coping mechanisms aren't working so well now and you want to find new ones that do work for you and really help you.

I am very ambivalent about the injections.

I've struggled for 6 years to lose weight and overall I've ended up gaining.

I stopped drinking alcohol (went completely alcohol free) over 2 years ago and now I'm totally addicted to sugar.

I know I need therapy. I need to tackle my reasons for comfort / binge eating. If I had spare money it would go on therapy.

FWIW someone very close to me has just come off of Mounjaro as it made her so poorly. She lost a fair bit of weight but was weak, tired, felt constantly sick and dizzy and quite frankly looked bloody ill. She's absolutely anti weight loss medication now for obvious reasons.

They will stop that.

You get hungry at appropriate times, but are full on very much smaller portions so you will struggle to finish your own large portion let alone eat the children's.
You will find that you don't think about food or feel driven to graze between meals.

It's hard to describe, but it's the most liberating thing not to feel constantly hungry.

Then spend the money on a dietician and life coach that will sort your head out and make you not want to eat mindlessly.

The injections might fix the weight but won't fix your head which is the issue.

I'd then pair the life coach thing with a personal trainer session twice a week.

Well done. Slower weightloss and implementing diet and exercise changes you can (mostly) stick to is often thought of as the most realistic plan for long term success.

I get mine via Boots and my GP was happy to monitor me alongside. There are actual doctors at Boots prescribing (admittedly you don’t meet them). Boots sent the details to my GP practice so they know exactly what I’m taking. My GP was in favour.

You sound just like me. 3 months ago I was a 16. BMI 33. Now I'm a 12 with monjaro. I have a fancy gym membership but it's only now I'm 12 that I want to go- as I look okay in gym stuff/swim wear and I can actually move my body now it's 2 stone lighter x

Probably already been said but spend the money on a small freezer and batch cook healthy meals or buy a meal subscription. Being overweight may not be good for your health but eating badly is far worse. Focus on good nutrition and then a few mins a day of yoga for flexibility, strength and the MH benefits.

FFS. If it was that easy no-one would be overweight would they?

What an ignorant comment.

There is usually a deep rooted psychological reason that a person overeats. Disordered eating doesn't just encompass anorexia and bulimia but there is very little support for overeaters. We're just seen a greedy / unable to control ourselves / lacking in willpower / thick and uneducated 🙄

The gym isn't a substitute for calorie deficit. You cannot out exercise over eating and excess calories. You would need to spend countless hours in the gym to generate the deficit needed to see weightloss.

No matter how " joyless" it is, you have to cut calories and generate a calorie deficit to lose weight.

The injections actually make the processes less joyless , because you you don't feel starved on the deficit and its more sustainable because you aren't craving and thinking about food constantly.

There is no way to lose weight other than cutting calories. The injections make that a little easier and are a handy tool.

I'd buy a step counter or a smart watch if you can afford one. I'd then save towards buying a chest freezer if you have somewhere to put it. I'd then ask for help from family or friends at least for 2-3 hours one afternoon a fortnight allowing you to batch cook some meals to freeze. If they can't watch your kids then I'd ask them to make the meals for you with you buying the ingredients. I'd use an app like nutracheck or any that come with your smartwatch to log your calories, diet and exercise. I'd aim for 6 months and see where that gets you. Only then would I consider injections.

Weight loss injections are not a quick fix that come without any repercussions. They have side effects, yes some might be mild but others are more serious. You will still need to exercise. If you sop taking them the weight will creep up. To lose weight and sustain it you need to make lifestyle changes.

You need a healthy relationship with food because your children need a healthy relationship with food.
Injections might stop you eating so much but you need to make the food you eat count.

I've had cross trainers at home and used them daily in the past and was a lot fitter than I am now. Id never go to the gym so that was a good exercise option for me.

The gym isn't a substitute for calorie deficit. You cannot out exercise over eating and excess calories. You would need to spend countless hours in the gym to generate the deficit needed to see weightloss

I read this time and time again, but there is no doubt that when I add in exercise I lose weight more quickly.

Thanks for all the responses. I think some people have misread parts of my OP, I'm veggie so chicken breasts in the airfryer won't work for me. Even my quickest meal which is whacking up some butternut squash, cooking rice and adding some pine nuts takes at least half an hour. I know how to cook and I'm a very good cook but I'm tired and I just don't have time at 8pm.

My kids eat well as I pay for school dinners and it's a very health conscious school where they have actual fresh cooked meals. I cook them food when they get home but my DC's really only eat about three things so it's not easy to cook family meals which we all eat. Usually I'll make rice and veggies for one and a salad with protein for the other. Both my children are underweight due to food issues and hyperactivity.

I'm in a nurse type role so I do well over my 10,000 steps a day. Averaging 15-20,000. I like exercising but it has never made much dent on my weight loss. Even pre kids, I had a personal trainer but I stayed the same despite running three times a week and doing weight training.

The gym I was thinking of was more of a health spa and the kids could come too, it's £180 for a family membership. The main bonus is they have a crèche and pools so we could all go and swim together. I thought it would be a nice distraction from food at the weekends or if I finish early one day. If it was a gym where I had to find childcare I wouldn't go at all.

Of course I know diet and exercise are important but I cannot stress how little time I have. I pick my children up from a relative at 7.30pm every night. I cannot just swan off again to do a 5k run. If you don't live my life you can't imagine it. Every second is accounted for and my ND child just can't be left in a park whilst I run around it, she would run off. She wouldn't do it with me as she would get distracted and run off or stop and so there's no way I would be able to run.
I just know that if I could get some of the weight off, I would feel better about myself and not make myself the human dustbin.
I've only just qualified and the long term goal is to get to a high enough band to be able to drop to part time when my ASD kiddo gets to secondary. But I'm a little way off this.

I've been in band 3/4 jobs for so long that I feel my attitude to food in relation to waste and budget has become obsessive. I get a kick out of spending the least I can on food to the point where a 10p reduced loaf of bread and some 20p humous with lots of carrots lasts me a few meals. I don't buy anything full price and get kind of panicky at the thought of doing a full weekly shop. I haven't ever been a person who meal plans and preps. I have this fixation around food waste and feeding myself for under a £1 a day. But it's not been good for weight loss. I'm a terrible advocate for the health service.

This. I am 22lbs down with no calorie counting from cutting out upf food, starting mid May. I suggest using your budget to buy no / low upf food (it is more expensive once you get into the label reading, and it is the organic brands that tend to be low upf). The one thing is time to food prep so batch cooking or buy in some batches cook food. And have a reference list for some quick and easy meals when you don’t have the space to think about what to have. My taste for sweet stuff and biscuits etc has just gone.

One day a week to go to the gym won’t make any real difference so don’t waste money on a gym membership.
I know you said you can’t exercise at home but I thought the same until I got a treadmill. You can get a walking mat for under £100. I let the kids go on it! It tires them out and by making it seem like a treat (letting them take a turn on Mummy’s new toy) they will behave while I take a turn. It doesn’t have to be an hour non stop, I sometimes do 15 minutes like 5 times a day when the kids are watching tv or asleep.
Failing that, could you sign up to one of these plans where they send you food? At least that would help save you time and mental energy thinking about what to eat.

You sound as though your eating is already quite disordered. I'm not sure the injections will help you with that, although I can feel that you are talking yourself into them.

I'm currently steadily losing on average 2lbs a week with WW groups.

I've tried everything in the past, SW, Keto, Fast 800, Fasting, Calorie Deficit, Team RH and on and on and on... just not injections.

I had a BMI of 30, NAFLD and prediabetes and due to family history was offered injections on the NHS. I asked if I could try one last go at diy and will be going to my review telling the nurse practitioner this week that I am now considerably lighter, dropped several BMI points and I know from tests the prediabetes and NAFLD have reversed/are reversing.

I'm doing WW differently this time, with a better understanding of nutrition. As well as counting points, I use nutracheck to track macros and calories so I make sure that my protein, fat and sugar goals are appropriate and met. I'm never hungry. I have treats but focus on whole unprocessed foods (and the points system rewards this). It's utterly sustainable. I've never needed a "cheat day". Many of us at group have wanted to avoid the injections due to unknown long term risks and side effects (someone I know developed thyroid cancer as a direct result of Ozempic two years ago, hence my fears).

The people who are struggling at group are the ones who have made no effort to learn about nutrition, despite the fact that every week out leader talks about protein, nutrients etc. There is the option to stuff yourself with Skinny Whip Bars and jelly crystals in quark,
glugging Cherry Pepsi Max for cravings but that's the route that doesn't work ime. I look at my food diary and it's full of 5-8 portions of vegetables and fruits, complex carbs, lean proteins, calcium rich foods...it's how I should have been eating all along. I also make use of the online coaching, Zumba/Club Fit/Hooping/Resistance Band Classes online and the walking and motivation lives on the app and I'm far more active than I've been since my 20s. I signed up with a deal for a year and it's only cost me £8.95 a month...bargain.

Initially LCHF was working for me but although I lost weight rapidly, for the first time in my life I developed high (scarily high!) cholesterol and a heart problem (in my 30s!). Both reversed when I stopped.

Bodies are weird and we all need different approaches. I'd sworn off WW/SW type clubs but it's working now for me...because I understand the science behind nutrition (and the points system)...so all the other diets also got me to this point. And I know it will be a long term success this time.

So that's my long winded reply, that injections aren't always the answer and that sometimes the WW type clubs can work, even if they get a bad rep.

Look for a deal, sign up for a month and see what you think. If it works for you, as it has for me, fantastic. If not, there are other options that will work too.

@Ineedaholidayyyy so when I 'find the time' by setting my alarm at 5am to get to the gym at 6am, who is watching my kids? I get barely five hours a night as my daughter sleeps in my bed as she cannot sleep without constant physical reassurance. If I woke up at 5am, I would honestly have a breakdown. So many people judge without having any clue about the reality.

There's no secret to weight loss. All you need to do is stop eating so much

But for many it's not something they can do.