To be serious now about dieting and fitness?

[SnapHairband]

OK so I’ve just been into Boots and been on the scales -

13st 10lb???!!!!!!!!!!

I’m also 5 ft 1 /1.55 m in height

i have to start a diet and exercise plan … TODAY!!

Shout out to everyone on the same path as me !!

I think its great for anyone to focus on their health and fitness, but just wanted to say remember: slow and steady wins the race. It might be worth speaking to your GP about sustainable ways to lose weight and have a look in the related mumsnet sections for ideas on fitness plans you'd enjoy and keep on at.
Best of luck to you!

Thank you ! ❤️🙌

Good luck, OP.
Don't be too ambitious or adventurous - set yourself small, achievable goals for specific time-frames.

Focus on incremental in/de-creases that you can salt into everyday life - one extra exercise class than last month, one less pudding than last week.

Try a few different types of exercise classes - think outside of the box and keep experimenting until you find one you really enjoy, and will stick to.

Main one:
Don't focus on much on weight - focus on health, eating and drinking well, doing physical activity. Weight loss will come but not necessarily in the form or speed expected. It's better to focus on being healthy than solely what the scales say.

Thanks so much - that’s a very good tip

Lol speak to your GP about losing weight...

Even if we're ignoring the fact that getting a GP appointment is extremely hard, do you really need a GP to tell you to eat less and move a bit more?! They aren't going to dish you out a personalised diet and exercise plan, just hand you some leaflets that you can find online.

Same OP. I’m 13st 7lb and only 4’11’’

had my over 40s health check this week and have high BP so now doing readings each day for a week. How did it get to this??

Yes that’s the thing - I was doing excellently up until last spring - was down to 10 stone!

Sorry you struggle with appointments. That being said, yes there's plenty a GP can support with.

There are plenty of people who fall foul to fads because of poor guidance, going too hard because of unrealistic exercise expectations. The GP can also refer to local walking groups where they partner with local government groups, local weight loss groups provided by your local authority, the NHS etc. They can also refer patients to exercise on prescription trainers where they are suitable....and all of that is over and above signposting to reliable guidance on diet, nutrition and exercise. Oh,and yes - for a number of people with medical conditions that can include plans relevant to their specific needs.

Well done on realising that something has to change.

Small steps are the best.

Have a look at your lifestyle and see if there is anything you can swap out with a better habit.

e.g. a friend of mine drank HUGE quantities of coffee with milk and 3 sugars. His job is often away from home and long hours, so he swapped coffee for sugar free squash. One cup with 3 sugars is around 70 calories, but he was drinking 6 a day (or more!), so 420 calories. He has lost around 2 stone in a year with just that swap.

Another friend took up crochet in the evenings to stop herself snacking, as she had got into the bad habit of sitting down once the kids were in bed and snacking/drinking. She instead has herbal teas instead of alcohol, and if she is crocheting (whilst watching TV!) then she can't snack. Again, one small change but she has lost a lot of weight.

What changed between last spring and now?

What worked (or didn't work?) before?

What triggers you?

What motivates you?

Thank you to everyone who took the time out to reply to my thread. I’ve also bought a copy of Slimming World today for some inspiration with the success stories?

incidentally, does anyone remember the Rosemary Conley magazine and the Weight Watchers magazine? They both seemed to have disappeared now.

There seemed to be much fewer diet magazines nowadays

I'm here!

I'm 41, 5'4" and 13st 5lbs which is the heaviest I've ever been. I haven't weighed myself for a few weeks as I haven't wanted to know.

I gave up alcohol mid-way through December and it's made absolutely no difference to my weight, which is annoying. I'm hoping it will at some point though! That was my first change towards a healthier lifestyle - I actually haven't missed it at all, even though we've had Christmas, new year, birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate. I wasn't really a huge drinker, maybe a couple of bottles of wine a month.

My next change is to do a workout once a week on a specific night. I did it once, then was ill, then forgot. So I will be starting that again from next week. I don't do any exercise at all at the moment, my job is a desk job so I don't really walk around at work either. I'm very much hoping I'll enjoy it and increase to two workouts a week, then three.

Im also trying to increase my water intake, I got really good at drinking 2 litres a day but this week I've not been very good.

What are you planning to tackle first?

I’m planning to tackle calorie control first

Basically I’m doing what you’ve proposed in your post -

healthier diet
exercise
more water

I decided to start exercising and improve my diet roughly this time last year. I was the heaviest I have ever been having had a baby 12
months previously. I suddenly decided I really wanted to commit to improving my health. I’ve struggled with my weight for my whole adult life but I’m now the slimmest I’ve been in 10 years 😁
Things that definitely helped me (in case it helps you!)
Exercise:
Started with Couch to 5k (had to redo some of the runs a few times but can now run for 30 minutes, which seemed impossible a year ago.)
Only once I’d finished couch to 5k and kept going for a couple of months, I joined a couple of fun exercise classes (aerobics!). I agree with posters who are saying to make incremental, sustainable changes.
Now I’ve been exercising for a year, I’ve bought a couple of simple pieces of equipment (weights, aerobics step) that mean I can do YouTube work outs at home.

Diet:
no strict dieting as much of my diet has improved anyway since I’ve been cooking for a toddler. I’ve just accepted that I have no self control when it comes to sugar. I’ve stopped buying any multipack of chocolate and only buy small single bars. Aside from a single serving, I can’t keep treats in the house. Sounds extreme, but I know I’ll binge them. I have slipped up on this many times.

Most importantly, I’ve tried to understand the underlying problems around my unhealthy eating without allowing myself to attach shame to them. It’s counterproductive and unfair. I feel like this may be the step that some people struggle with the most.

That’s fabulous! Congratulations!! ❤️🙌

Mounjaro … only thing that has worked for me. 3 stone in 3 months so far

Excellent result - congratulations 💪

OP, look into intermittent fasting. I lost 5 stone in 10 months doing it.

Thank you - excellent result 👏👏 💪