I want to feel like me again.

[sugarplumfairy28]

Am looking for any advice really.

I am overweight and it is really getting me down, I don't have a goal weight as such I just want to look in the mirror and not feel repulsed. I used to be a size 12 and was happy at that size so I think that is more my goal then a specific weight as such.

I have an app to track calories, 2 children with different dietary needs and one very fussy husband, and am already cooking 3 different dinners and lunches so this part is challenging.

I have hip dysplasia which causes me an incredible amount of knee pain, this as a result of injury many years ago. Over time I have become less and less active due to the pain and not being able to find an activity that doesn't leave me unable to walk.

I have a cross trainer, and can achieve 5km in 15 minutes without repercussions. My question is even if I up this to 2 x 5km a day will this actually be enough to see results? I live in the middle of the country and there is no gym I can get to and while I am desperate to lose weight I'm not in position to spend huge amounts of money on equipment for at home.

I really want to see a light at the end of this miserable tunnel but there is SO much information out there I seriously can't make head nor tails of it all. Can anyone help me?

I'd really, really recommend doing just one meal a night. Fussy husband...well, that's his problem, but surely there must be a way of combining actual dietary needs? I was accomodating lots of different needs/wants and seriously, getting it down to one meal, just making sure that there are parts everyone can eat, made life so much easier.

Would you be able to see a sports physiotherapist for a few sessions? They would be able to suggest exercises that would be ok for you. It sounds like you need specialist help in order to not end up injured.

I have tried so hard to get everyone to eat the same. Unfortunately my daughter ended up in hospital with horrific constipation and her diet has literally the opposite effect on everyone else. Tried the eat what your given approach and she literally ate cereal for breakfast and nothing else at all for over a week and ended up with headaches and being really lethargic so I caved. My son has allergies and things he can't eat my daughter lives on. I am trying to compromise with my husband, which is something.

I've had 4 lots of physio sessions over the years, spanning months each time, none of which improved things and nor did they offer me any weight loss exercises, they were unfortunately really unhelpful.

I know I can use the cross trainer, but I'm worried it won't actually help me lose weight.

Were you paying for the unhelpful physio OP? It’s just IME the paid for type are more helpful/specific.

Glad husband is compromising. I don’t do the eat what you’re given approach as it causes too much stress...I make a meal at least 1 person likes and just make sure there is bread/potatoes/plain veg or salad etc if people make a fuss and won’t eat the main thing.

I can’t see why a cross trainer wouldn’t help you lose weight, if you were also consuming less calories. I think they are quite hard work!

I feel your pain sugarplum, I'm currently trying to lose 2st to get back to a size 12! Have you tried the 30 Day Shred dvd? Really good, only a fiver on Amazon and no fancy stuff needed (just hand weights and exercise clothes & trainers) so if you don't like it, not too much of a pain. Or maybe a local exercise class to up your cardio?

My OH is ridiculously unhelpful and won't look after the DC so I can go back to the gym - I miss it he is also low carbing, meaning he wants specific meals, whereas the DC are only little and love rice/ pasta/ chips - aaarrggghhh! Add in the lactose intolerance that OH and DS1 suffer from and meal times are a right pain!

PS there are cardio bits in the Shred that you may not be able to do - but Jillian does give alternatives such as marching/ boxing!

dangermouse the whole physio thing is a long story, and it starts with the fact the consultant I saw saying there was nothing obviously wrong with me and the physio not really interested in my version of what is wrong with me. I live abroad now and we have private healthcare. I had learned to live with the pain because of the response I got in the UK. I had a very bad couple of months and went to my GP here, within 3 weeks I'd seen 3 specialists, had MRIs, tests, Xrays and a unanimous diagnosis. When asking for options I was told the only fix is major surgery and being in hospital for a minimum of 3-4 months, I have young children, no family to help in such a huge way and we cannot afford for my husband to be off for such a long period of time so (not that I'm complaining) the surgery will have to wait. That is my decision and I'm not placing blame on anyone for being in pain. In the meantime I really want to lose weight but in a way that won't cause more pain or damage. I'm no expert and I see such varying opinions on how effective cross trainers are. I'm not adverse to hard work, I used go to karate and train 5-6 times a week (where I got the injury.)

Ruby I generally got pain when its lots of jumping around, so need something low impact. I have seen videos but everything I see has running on the spot, star jumps, squats - squats are the worst. My husband has always been fussy, just getting him to eat beans and bananas was huge, his Mum was gobsmacked. He has given me a list of things he will try, so that's something. My children are literally opposites but with them both having reactions or health problems if I mix and match I'd rather just admit its difficult to come up with a 3rd dinner just for me and DH. Your OH is being very selfish, why can't he look after the kids? My DH is happy to but by time he gets in from work and I drive to a gym its closed! His offered to take the kids out the house if I want some free time to do a video or something, its really not fair your OH just refusing!

For toning up, I recommend running for 3 days a week and choosing a workout of your choice from a YouTube channel such as FitnessBlender (2-3 days a week) with 1 or 2 rest days a week. If you can already run 5k, then follow a 10k race plan, running 3 or 4 days a week.

It is really difficult to outrun your diet. Exercise will make less difference than you seem to be hoping for in terms of weight loss, though it will make you considerably more toned and there are loads of studies which say how good it is for health (both physical and mental) and mood. So definitely worth doing, and you will see positive change.

But for weightloss, you need to sort out the family diet and your own food intake. Eating less (even if your overall family menu remains complex) is the quickest and most reliable way, though it can be far from easy.