I've been dithering, on and off, about WLI for well over a year now. I've not weighed myself in months (I can't get the hang of my new scales, they're 'smart' and clearly I'm not 
but I really need to get to grips with them) but I was almost 11 stone (and I'm only just over 5') when I last weighed in and I can absolutely feel that I'm quite a bit heavier than that now. I have newer rolls of fat on my torso and back, my hips are massive, my knees and thighs feel like they're overlapping when I stand with legs together, I can see in my face that I've continued gaining, etc. I'm also finding it really hard/impossible to chase after my prone-to-bolting autistic son, which is a safeguarding nightmare, and worryingly I've started dreading stairs. Obviously I'll weigh in before making a final decision because I need to record BMI but I'm fairly sure I've now hit 30.
I feel that my main meals are already really healthy. I consciously try to keep the carbs (white carbs at least) to a minimum, I eat plenty of legumes and vegetables, I try to include as many different fruits and veg plants in a week as I can. I drink water as well as (a lot) of teas and coffee, I don't often drink alcohol. But the snacking is where it's creeping in. I make choices that a few years ago I would never have done, and that's incremental, so what was considered a 'treat' a few months ago is now more routine. I just can't turn the 'oooh you should have one of those' voice off. Some of my snacks are 'healthy' like fruit, nuts, cheese - but it's still extra snacking. So I think I'm conning myself into believing my diet is good, when all the things I eat in between really aren't helping.
I know I'm at a relatively low BMI/weight to start but I assume that if my BMI is indeed 30+ I'll be able to get it privately.
The main thing I'm worrying about (aside from side effects, loss of energy, hair loss, sticking a needle in myself...) is using it alongside HRT. I'm 52 and have been taking HRT since 2022. I recently changed the progesterone to continuous, so I take the same amount but spread out daily rather than over two weeks. But in any case, I know that HCPs are concerned that intake of oral progesterone can be compromised by WLI. I'm assuming this is because the WLI slow digestion (or change your metabolism??). Or is it a different issue? About a year ago I got a standard text from my GP surgery, clearly sent out to all women on HRT, saying that if I'd started taking WLI I needed to make an urgent GP appointment because there was a risk my progesterone wouldn't be absorbed.
What can I do about this? I know there's an off-license use of oral progesterone where you take it vaginally, but I've only just started continuous progesterone and I'm still bleeding most days and worried that might interfere with taking progesterone that way. I'm also a rule-follower and would want to run that past my GP first. What are others on HRT doing? Mirena? (I've been offered one in the past but have a history of cervical shock so very reluctant, but I'm now reconsidering that option.)
I just want to be able to exercise without dropping out almost instantly, reduce the arthritic ache in knees and feet, chase my bloody errant son, and fit back into my size 14 dresses (which is a pretty modest aspiration given some of the dramatic size changes I've read about on here!). I don't want to fit into size 10s, I'd be deliriously happy to be 9 stone again!