Right, here we go again - losing weight because I need and want to. Come and join me.

[StealthPolarBear]

I am at the age where it is just a matter of (short) time before I develop a health problem relating to my weight - joints, Type 2 diabetes or even a heart attack. It really is that serious.
I am sick of not having any "nice" clothes (don't want to invest until I lose weight ).
I did it in summer, stuck to it for ages which is something I have never managed to do. I CAN do it again.

So here's the plan. Back to foodfocus as of tomorrow. No days off (logging, although I may choose to eat more than I am "allowed". Everything must be logged.
No excessive competitiveness with myself. I truly believe this is part of the reason it all went wrong.

3 or 4 lb to lose every week. Might sound a lot but it's easy when you're big - I'm sure I could do it by just eating 3 normal sized usual meals a day. So pathetic if I can't.

Coming back here to report on progress. Caring and supportive thread but not accepting bullshit excuses!
Anyone want to join me?

Hm

Count me in. I'm about a size 16 dpending on where I buy, I've not yet had to buy an 18 but it's not long off.

How I look makes me so miserable but I can't stick to anything long term. In 2012 we are going to two weddings, at one of them I am reading the lesson. I need to feel good, which I don't at a 16.

I think I weigh about 12 1/2 stone but my scales need a new battery , I'm 5'5".

So what do you think - down to 10 stone to be a comfortable 12?

I find it difficult because I drink too much, eat too much unhealthy food and am a vegetarian so cutting out carbs doesn't work. My best way is to go the old fashioned way of counting calories. I've had my msot success by limiting myself to 10,000 calories a wek so that I can splurge a bit a weekends.

And I will walk more

[gets up off couch, puts lid on biscuits, gets coat and scarf]

I will start with you all next week

Ooops. Was just about to say seeing it written down has shamed me into going down in a minute to stick some spag Bol in the slow cooker and make soup.

I haven't put the entire lot back on, about a stone and a half . But am cross with myself as swore I would never do that again.

I'm with you. Had a slight health scare earlier this year and turned to comfort food - I'm fine now but need to lose the weight and get back to being healthy. Going to join a gym once the kids are back at school and have eaten reasonably today (weetabix and banana for brekkie, chicken salad for lunch and watercress salad with spelt bread - no butter - for dinner). I'm tracking with mfp and know that carbs are my downfall but if I cut them out completely, I will rebel with a huge bag of kettle chips, cake etc.

I'm in Asia so a little ahead of you time wise, feeling peckish now but its 10pm so off to bed

Hi Thats and lilibet

lilibet, have you seen food focus? Or do you do CC the old fashioned way?
ThatsYou, online CBT sounds inyteresting. I ahve been wondering what I can do about why I eat - I eat to celebrate when I'm happy, when I'm sad, bored, relieved (e.g. treat myself after a job interview). Not sure I eat in any particular mood, I just eat!

can i join please ? need to lose a stone at least. will attempt exercise 4 times each week, but need to get the food (Booze) under control.

Other issue for me is that I will soon be working from home 3 days a week, so opportunity to pig ut will be unlimited really.
Hi butterflies, glad you are back to health
Wyken, ikwym. I am more annoyed that I have ut the weight on that I fought to lose than I would have been if I'd just put more weight on. Which is stupid! But you didn't put it all back on, so you've already got a head start on yourself iyswim.

Hi MABS - welcome :)

I'm with you. Sick of being a fat bloater and I want to do something about it. Think I'm going down the Slimming World route. but won't be starting till next week as I'm back to work then and there is too much chocolate lying round the house.

I'm aiming for 2lb per week and I have the best part of 5 stone to lose. I'll be here quite a while

Hello, I'm fat.

I need to lose around 20kg (I don't know what that is in stone). I'm going back to the UK for a visit in Feb and I want people to be able to see a difference in me. I was last over in October and I haven' lost any between then and now.

I'm low carbing as I have PCOS but I need to get back into bike riding. I was riding 5-6km every morning but then the summer holidays happened and lie ins were too nice and I never got back into the habit.

Is food focus better than My Fitness Pal?

Hello. I plan to lose two and a half stone in 2012... At the moment I think this will be with weightwatchers, although the last time I tried with them I only lost 3 pounds in 3 months. Boo. Right now I look rubbish and my clothes are awful. To give you some idea, my immediate goal is to slim into my maternity jeans. Yep. Tragic. I am worried about how I will manage to eat healthily though. I have 15 week old twins, who so far have left me precious little time for cooking. Am going to try not to use them as an excuse though, because I certainly seem to have time to sit around eating a lot.

At the moment I feel like I am just on the cusp of my willpower kicking in. I still have to make the decision to just do it. But I am definitely sick of being this big so I need to stop wavering.

i am so lazy, will do exercise 4 times per week , but for me it's not so much the food, it's the wine :(

Hi everyone!
No, last thread I started (solely food focus) ended up with people defecting to my fitness pal so I that's possibly better. I am sticking with the one I know, and psychologically, the one that's worked for me in the past as up until now I have always thought it was impossible for me to stick to a diet and lose weight.
Beamae, congratulations on the twins. After my singleton pregnancies it took me a while to slim back into my mat clothes (!!) so be kind to yourself. OTOH if they're in a sling and/or pushchair you probably get an excellent workout every time you go out :o Are you breastfeeding?

I am ok with booze, infact I am thinking of giving it up for good. It is only other peoples reactions that have stopped me so far.

I love bread, and toast and pasta and cheese and eggs, and my portion sizes are way way too big.

I did 30 day shred when i dieted before, and it did really work, but atm i feel too fat to do it. I know that sounds like an excuse, but i tried a few weeks ago and felt really ill half way through.
I think I am going to do some wii fit first and build up to 30 day shred.

Oh i also need to stop using the car for the school run.

And I have to confess, right now I am in the back of our car on the M1 eating a box of thorntons. But as soon as January hits it will be health big time.

I know what you mean Stealth, I eat no matter what the mood. You definitely sound like an emotional eater. Last night I felt a bit bored and my immediate reaction was to go and get a packet of crisps! I think I did it partly out of habit so that's another thing I need to work on.

To some extent I find that losing weight is the easy part. I lose weight, feel good about myself, this in turn spurs me on to lose more. The problem comes when something happens that makes me stressed or anxious because that's when I fall back into old eating habits. I also know that as long as I see eating sweet, fatty foods as a good way to treat myself I'm going to struggle with my weight.

so agree, when the weight starts going, it is such a confidence booster .

Right, I've entered my day's food onto MFP and I'm under my calorie goal (or I will be once I've eaten dinner). I'm taking the kids swimming in a minute but unfortunately that means standing around and occasionally rescuing them when they choose to drown so not much exercise there.

But it will mean that I know how the swimming pool system works - I know that sounds stupid but it's a new pool and I'm such a wuss when it comes to doing anything new in French - so hopefully I'll build up the courage to go on my own in the evenings.

I have defluffed myself and dh says that I look ok in my swimming costume but he's biased so I'll still be breathing in for all I'm worth so here goes...

So what's food focus and what's my fitness pal - I use, book, pen and paper [old gimmer emoticon]

May I join too please?

I'm the same as you StealthPolarBear in that I'm on the brink of getting a serious health problem if I don't do something about my weight. Had a health scare last year as a result of which have to take beta-blockers for tacchycardia (which sounds worse than it is as underlying heart sound apparently BUT I've been ordered to exercise and lose weight and am treating this as a wake-up call). Would really appreciate being on a supportive but "no bullshit excuses" thread as mine are legion ....

I'm 76kg atm. First goal is to lose 9kg and I want to do that by mid-May.

Then from that my try to get down to 63kg but don't know if that is realistic or not given my age.

I've done Food Focus before but never managed to keep up with the logging. Think I might just stick to old-fashioned notebook once I have the calorie values off pat but will decide by 2 January (when I start!).

Going to try and lose 0.5 kilos a week by meal planning: ie eating three healthy meals per day plus two healthy snacks. Loads of veg/soups and salads for lunch/cut out biscuits/cakes/chocs etc etc Exercising four times a week and wearing a pedometer (goal is over 10,000 steps EVERY day - atm am only achieving that on 4 days a week or so). Going to ban myself from snacking in front of the telly too by taking up sewing again (can't sew and eat at the same time - well that's the theory).

Going back to UK tomorrow for a holiday (live in mainland Europe) but will be back here regularly from January 8th/9th.

In the meantime, good luck to everyone on here and Happy New Year!

Thanks Stealth. I am mixed feeding, but formula more than boob. And though I generally get out every day for about an hour of walking every day with the pushchair, I seem to be quite capable of steering with one hand, leaving the other free for a chocolate bar. Or stopping off for cake or a pub lunch. Or both.

I just eat and drink way toooo much, need to get it all under control so will join you after new year is over. lost loads with SW years ago but have ballooned and need to lose about 5 stone I know I can do it just need to build up to it and cut down on the alcohol. see you all in the new year.

Blimey SlightlyWrinkled, your start weight is my goal weight

I'm 5'6 and a size 14 waist, 18 top (mahoooosive boobs).

I'm in too please. Have weighed and measured myself yesterday and was horrified at the results, I'm heavier now than at any time in my life barring the last trimester of pregnancy. The only positive thing about being 15 stone is that at least it is a nice round number to start counting down from!

I have a huge incentive too - we are going to visit some relatives in April, and they live a very outdoorsy sporty lifestyle, surrounded by other sporty couples with very thin wives. To put this in perspective, my size 8-10 SIL looks "chunky" compared to her 5 closest friends. I am actually frightened of going out there and being white and lardy and wobbly all over the place,and spending all that precious holiday time and money sitting in the shade worrying about how fat I look.

I've lost weight before and know that what works for me is just eating much less than I normally do, rather than following any plan or diet, as I spend far too much time seeing how I can cheat the rules. I'll do the odd gym session too, to tone up, do some running and will walk a lot too. All will be much easier once the school term starts again.