Need some support - losing the will to keep going on

[AlexMum]

I started my new healthy diet and exercise regime after the May half term. I weighed in at a rather whopping 105kg and I'm only 5'3" tall. This is a BMI of between 40 and 41.

15 weeks on, I now weigh 80kg which means I've lost 25kg. My BMI is just over 30 so I'm nearly out of the 'obese' category.

I have a very old (1989) Rosemary Conley book and have been using her diet from that. I've been swimming every day for 15 weeks (except on the day of my DD's 3rd birthday party) and now swim 3/4-1mile every day.

I saw my GP last week and she has set a target of 60kg. I last weighed that in 1999.

I'm losing the will to carry on. The change in the weather has me craving cheese and butter. I need a kick up the bum to keep going.

I've worked out that I've been losing approximately 1.5kg a week so it should be just about possible to reach my target by Christmas but not if I start munching on the huge block of cheese that's sitting in my fridge

Firstly, congratulations, what you have achieved so far is fantastic. Can you try not to fixate too much on the scales? The rate that you lose weight will begin to slow more and more as you get nearer to your goal weight and you mustn't let this demotivate you. Try to concentrate on how you feel now compared with before you lost the weight. Do you have more energy, feel more confident, etc? Do you have a 'before' picture you can stick up somewhere with a picture of what you look like now, and then keep taking one a month. This can really help to show the changes that are happening to your body shape that the scale may not reflect.

It sounds like you can now swim for a good length of time. Do you swim at the same pace throughout? If so, try doing a couple of interval training sessions a couple of times a week where you swim hard and fast for two laps then 'recover' for 2 laps and so on. If you only normally do one stroke for all your laps then try some different ones. Your body quickly adapts to exercise so if you do the same thing every day then within a couple of weeks your body is going to have made all the changes it needs to so to keep seeing the changes then you need to keep changing your workouts and keep challenging your body. Are there any swimming events that you could enter to help keep you motivated? You could try introducing some new form of exercise and see if you enjoy it. Weight training is great for re shaping your body, has huge health benefits and can be a really enjoyable challenge.

With regards to the cheese and butter make sure you don't deprive yourself of them completely as this will make the cravings worse. For me it's chocolate, I have some everyday but now it's a few pieces every evening, rather than having a bar in the morning, another at lunch... It's become something I sit and enjoy in the peace once the kids have gone to bed.

Best of luck, you are over halfway there already

AlexMum stick at it, you're doing amazingly well.

Now the weather is changing to Autumn think about all the postive stuff like brisk walks in the crisp air? Maybe changing the type of exercise you are doing would help?

But do stick with it, this is just a blip.
Good luck

Lostgirl WELL DONE !! Google Paul McKenna I Can Make You Thin.Ignore the thin bit but his way of eating is amazing you can eat anything on it but I combine with eating for health 'cos I"M old!

Alexmum Thats amazing! Well done.
You need to stay positive and strong and stick with it.

What have you been eating? Have you changed your diet to suit the weather more? Maybe you could look at some comforting but healthy stews and casseroles?

If you're really craving cheese, measure some up and have some as part of your food for the day or as a reward at the end of the day.

Good luck!

Thanks for your support

I've changed my eating plan to include more jacket spuds which cottage cheese which is allowed.

I'm going to start doing Rosemary Conley's exercises from the ancient book I have. That should help me to exercise the bits that aren't being worked hard enough.

Unfortunately, I'm really weak willed so if I allow myself even the smallest bit of real cheese I will finish a pound of it before I've blinked .

I've got some lovely friends who have been really supportive so far but when I told them what my target was, they told me not to lose too much or I'd be skin and bones (god willing). This was followed up with 'only dogs want bones' which my lovely DH was quite insulted by.

Hopefully I will still have lost my normal weight this week and then I'll be back on course.