new BMI is really getting me down

[Flabuary]

It’s 25.5. The highest it’s ever been and I hate it. I’ve had 4 DC so I did always have a mum-tum, but now it’s just horrible.
im 43, 5’1 and 9stone 9. Is this weight/bmi too low for any sort of weight loss medication?
having the DC means my lifestyle isn’t as I’d like it to be. I can’t really exercise as I have arthritis in my ankle, I try and make meals from scratch as much as I can.
thanks for reading. I just don’t want to feel so self conscious any more

I know you are not very overweight but as a fellow arhtiritis sufferer i can say that staying in the lower half of the normal bmi range is really quite important. The last thing you want to do is add more weight to those damaged joints. You also need to build muscle around your joints to protect them going forward so you need to both look at a bettre diet and strengthening your body. That's really all there is.

Have you measured your waistline? Your BMI isnt very high but if you have put it all on round your middle, which can happen with menopause, you may be at higher risk of health problems than your BMI suggests. It might akk look so make you feel/look fatter than it was more spread over your bidy.

I know what you mean, OP, there’s a point where you just know your weight isn't ‘right for you’.

I’m the same at the moment, 5Kg has crept up. So I am not dieting but adjusting to a healthier diet. Upping fruit and veg (especially veg), decreasing size of carb portion, decreasing portion size generally (but not drastically), stopping snacks except for a modest healthy snack to see me through the afternoon. Avoiding UPF.

I sometimes do squats while watching TV. Make an effort to walk briskly when out. Do something to get your heart rate up every day.

Yep, I swear by this. I've been doing it for years. I think it's almost impossible to be overweight if you do this. I eat between 11 and 7pm. Suits me perfectly.

I crossed into overweight section, having been slim my whole life. I tried calorie counting and exercise which didn't shift any pounds. I did the 14/10 time-restricted eating pattern, where you can eat during a 10 hour window. It was a bit hard for the first 3 or 4 weeks, I was hungry, tired and cranky but suddenly the weight just fell off and I've managed to keep it off. I recommended it to relatives and the same happened for them.

You are only just in the overweight BMI so way to low for weight loss injections. I hate this current culture of weight loss injections as a quick fix or first stop.
Your first thought shouldn't be injections it should be what you can change in your diet/lifestyle to lose the weight you want healthy. Like a PP said, 90% of weight loss is to do with what you eat not what exercise you do.
Maybe look at a calorie counting app (I use nutracheck) and start there. Work out a sustainable goal and stick to it for a few month. I get its hard (2 kids here and working etc) but sometimes you have to make small changes to see the bigger ones.

That didn't take long did it🙄

Me too and I have the same eating window as you do. I think I have been doing it for 2-3 years now and my weight is very stable and I am completely used to and fine with feeling hungry sometimes. It's not dangerous after all.

Also, for the OPs sake, at 12 hours of fasting your body starts to decrease inflammation so I get 4 hours a day where my arthiritis is actively improving and all I have to do is not eat.

Or just skip shitty diets that keep you in a cycle of boom and bust forever anon and pay closer attention to what you're eating?

Diet vastly outstrips exercise in weight loss gains, so you don't have to turn into a gym bunny overnight (or take up rigorous and unrealistic exercise regimes that only last for a few months), any additional movement is good.

I find calorie counting (My Fitnesspal) useful as they can easily mount up without you realising. Don't be fooled into starting too low on the calories though, or taking your eye off off the quality of food you're eating as can be the temptation on calorie controlled diets. Aim for a good combination of clean foods - protein, vegetables, fruit, good fats and complex carbs. Keep an eye on sugar and salt.

Agree if it’s not emotional or trauma related eating and you’ve been slimmer then it’s usually having a stern word with oneself and being strict.

I'm of similar stature/weight as you are and what really helped me with my tummy is a daily hula-hoop (20-30 min) and dumbbell (weight) training 3x a week (you can find lot of videos on Youtube). You really don't need to run/do aerobic/fitness if you can't because of your ankle. You don't really need to lose weight either, just lose fat, gain muscle and become stronger (which is recommended to all women over 40). As far as diet is concerned, just quit soft drinks and snacking between the meals, and swap white carbs for brown/wholemeal. I found cutting down on food intake itself impossible to maintain in the long run - we are so short that it's impossible to eat less (I got headaches when reducing calories below 1500 a day, etc.). If you maintain 1500 a day and do some strength activity, you should see improvement after a few weeks (esp. with hula hoop).

Sorry if someone's already said this but no time to read everything 😜

My advice as you don't know where to start, is to download My Fitness Pal (just the free version) and start logging everything you eat.

Also, do an internet search for a site that'll explain/calculate your TDEE, and take it from there

https://tdeecalculator.net/

I’m 5’1 and just hit obese / BMI 30 :(

I’ve ordered and received some weight loss medication but too scared to take it as I worry about side effects and being there for my kids. I’ve tried going to the gym and walking more but really it’s all diet. I eat too many biscuits and crap.

Can you tackle your diet for a month and walk at least 10 k steps / join a gym? I really think weight loss medication should only be considered at my stage.

It might be your new normal though. There’s this idea that we should “go back” to what we were before four kids and two decades have had their impact. Get healthier and feel better but don’t be miserable because you don’t weigh or look exactly how you did when you were 25 and had no kids! I get it because I best myself up too but honestly it’s really time women just accepted themselves aging and changing and didn’t keep telling the younger generations that old is ugly. Got get some jeans that FIT - that means get them in your current size, don’t squeeze into your old ones hoping you’ll soon lose the weight. And some tops or dresses that fit your current size. Don’t punish yourself until you lose weight. Treat yourself like a queen and then softly focus on losing what you need to feel healthier alongside that.

Omg your weight is fine stop worrying

Get a cheap static bike (everyone is always getting rid of them, try Facebook) and stick it in front of the TV. You can work off quite a few calories while watching something engaging, then give intermittent fasting a go. Between those two things you should lose the pesky extra pounds, although, as you aren't that much overweight, it might take a little while.

Signed someone who only has four pounds they want to lose and is getting extremely fed up with their persistence!

I’ve put on almost 2 stone. This is not my ‘normal’.

OP, you're a 43 year old woman with 4 kids unable to exercise, you're going to have a new normal. You'll need to reframe your expectations, but it shouldn't take too much effort to get back into healthy.

I am 5' 3" and post menopausal and my weight has gone up to 10 stone 6. I hate it. I may not be vastly overweight but when you are short even small amounts of weight gain are obvious.

I also have arthritis (knees) and I think if I could lose a stone or so it would help. As a pp said, staying lighter reduces the pressure on joints.

Some good tips on this thread. Good luck OP.

As a 60 something woman, I have kept weight in check (not obsessively just to stay within range for height) over the years by this very simple method -

Low carb
High protein
Berries and low carb veg
All eating done within the "window" of 8 hours every day on the 16/8 intermittent fasting thing.

Minimum half hour fast walk every day. No other exercise as I can't be bothered with gyms or swimming pools 😊

I like rules! So it works for me, I break out occasionally and it doesn't affect anything.

Intermittent fasting has stopped my craving for snacking at night. I don't drink alcohol so that probably helps the calorie count aswell, although I don't count them at all.

Any diet or exercise needs to fit your busy lifestyle, and I can imagine how busy you are with 4 kids 🌷

I was like you, until recently on the side of slightly underweight, so had never dieted. I found Ben Carpenter’s book helpful, factual and a humane approach to it all.

Ridiculous

If she didn't already have arthiritis you might have been correct but being overweight and having joint issues is a really bad combination. Also, if she should stop worrying about gaining 2 stone, when should she start? At 4 stone, 8 stone? It's much easier to do something about it when she is lighter after all.

Why is it? OP is slightly in the overweight category and wants to get her weight back down. Nothing wrong with that as long as she doesn't overdo it. Although I agree she is not a candidate for injections and rightly so.

By low carb, do you mean no carbs at all? I love carbs!