Holy CRAP. I just got weighed and I need help!

[MrsGyllenhaal]

Hello.

I am in shock. I just got weighed. I have been avoiding the scales since DC2 was born 18 months ago. I knew I was big. I feel big and my clothes look awful on me. I am 16 stone!!! How the hell did this happen??? .

I am 5ft 9" so SHOULD apparently weigh somewhere between 10 to 11.5 stone. Such a long way to go.

I need to do something about this. I feel crap. I get out of breath when playing with the kids. I try and avoid most of the physical activities with them and manage to 'volunteer' DH for it. That's bad is't it? They'll grow up knowing their mummy is fat and lazy. I can't let them think that. I need to change this starting NOW!

I have suffered with postnatal depression after the bith of both our children and when I'm depressed I eat. Problem is, I don't eat healthy food. I crave KFC, chocolate, fizzy drinks. I do take the kids swimming once a week or so but with a 5 year old and an 18 month old, I do very little actual swimming, more just splashing about and keeping them safe. I also do walk a lot. I don't drive so I walk everywhere but should really make more of an effort.

I am so out of proportion. My waist could probably pass for a size 14- 16 which I don't mind but then my bum and my hips are measuring about a size 20! Consequently nothing fits nicely. It's either faaaar too tight around my bum and legs or fits OK around my bum but drooping and gaping around my waist.

I need to fix this. Any tips? My friend recently lost 4.5 stone on slimming world but it seems fairly complicated. I'm not the best cook and DC2 is still fairly young and needs a lot of supervision so I don't get a lot of time to faff about in the kitchen.

Another one of my friends has lost 4 stone on Weight Watchers. This might work for me. I need to stick at whatever I choose though. I can't carry on getting bigger each year.

So this is me. I am 29 yrs old, married, 2 kids....and nearly 6 stone over weight! Anyone else out there?

I am aiming to get down to 10 stone 5 and I'm not too worried how long it takes. I want to be healthy.

I have 79lbs to lose! Anyone want to join me?

Does anyone know if losing this much is possible without surgery? Will I have loads of excess skin left over? Is it do-able?

Thanks x

Walking is fantastic exercise - you should invest in a pedometer and see how many steps a day you take. Doesn't the NHS recommend minimum 10,000? You could make it a challenge.

Mrs I have been exactly where you are. As in exactly the same height and weight and body shape too. I joined slimming world in January last year and quickly (about four months) lost three stone. I've hovered up and down around 12.5 since last summer (currently back up to 13 stone oops). I want to get to 11.5. You can do it - baby steps.

MrsG, don't set goals for certain dates.

I lost a lot of weight, started 2 years ago and didn't have a specific goal in mind. I changed my eating habits and did a lot of exercise (5times a week for 1 hour) and let my body find it's healthy weight.

It's been 10 stone 4lbs for over a year now, I'm 5'7.

It's a change of attitude towards food. I don't eat when I'm not hungry.

Walking is good to keep fit, but I didn't lose any weight with it. It had to be exercise classes which left me absolutely shattered at first but were really fun when I started to lose some weight.

Once I had lost all the weight (5 stone) I could eat cake and biscuits etc again, but Not when I'm not hungry. Sometimes I have cake instead of a meal if I feel I need it

Keep up the enthusiasm, this is my 2nd summer at a healthy weight and it's lovely.

Well done MrsG on your lifestyle changes

I'm wanting to lose a couple of stone and am hoping it'll fall off now I've started full time work? Only thing is the dinners are lush there

I do gardening and walking in my spare time as work shifts so can fit it in when the dcs are at school. It's good you've taken up walking. Free and healthy what's not to like?

I can't eat diet food so am just watching my portions, eatiing more salad which I love and trying to have one main meal,breakfast and light snack at night.

Thank you Lizzylou, I am looking forward to seeing those measurements (particularly my thigh measurements!) going down.

Chubfuddler,we can do this! I've heard a lot of positive things about Slimming world. My friend did it and lost 4 stone in a year, she looks amazing now. I had a look at it briefly but I found it a bit confusing but maybe I am a bit dim . I am sure if you can get your head back into it then you'll do great.

Bsshbossh- yeah I have ordered the weight watchers pedometer. Just got in from a 3 hour walk with my friend and we ended up hiking up the hills in local woods which was lovely. We even saw some deer which was pretty amazing and I would have totally missed seeing all that with my old life style. I'd have been glued to the sofa with a glass of wine and crappy tv! I have really fallen in love with the walking. That moment when I'm not just mummy but an actual person who is free, free to move and go wherever I want.

Cinnamonaddict, I love your post. Well done on losing 5 stone! That's fantastic!!! I like how you say you can still eat cake too. I am slowly changing my eating habits. Not eating when I'm not hungry and I have cut out all alcohol (which actually I never really needed or particularly even enjoyed but it was just the way that signalled to me it was evening and it became a habit to have a glass of wine or 2 or 3 with DH once the children were in bed) but I actually think it was more through boredome and wanting some 'adult time' . Since starting this, I haven't missed it and DH has taken up some old hobbies of his which is lovely actually rather than us both being couch potatoes.

I know it's early days but I actually do feel pretty proud of myself! No idea what the scales will say on Monday but I am sure my fitness and well being will be improving even if the weight isn't dropping off me. We'll see. x

MrsG Slimming World and WW were too confusing for me too
and I wanted something sustainable around family. So I changed all carbs to complex carbs, and didn't eat them at nighttime. I ate 3 meals and no snacks. But I did drink alcohol just not massive amounts.

Well done for starting to change your habits! You don't want the weight to drop off you, whatever goes very quickly will be back quickly. Better to lose it slowly and safely. I had phases when I lost a lot and couldn't see it, and others were 4 pounds made a world of difference to my appearance.

Keep going and next summer will see a different looking, healthier you.

I have lost 13 lbs recently by doing 2 days of no carbs, just lots of protein and veg. No calorie counting.
It has revally changed my attitude to eating...I really think about what I eat, have had no bread/crisps / pasta for 3 months and have no bloating which I used to have. I don'teat biscuits/cake, and have cut down on high sugar fruit intake...substitute veg instead.

Still have about 6 glasses of wine a week .

I have reached target weight and maintained it...also dropped a dress size and it's great when Things fit...no thinking " oh I can't wear that because I feel fat".

Keep going...it's worth it and becomes a lifestyle, not a diet.

Hi mrsg I've recently got back into healthy eating/exercise since the birth of ds2 (7mo). A friend gave me a gentle nudge kick up the arse and arranged a running club. In the beginning I couldn't run more than a minute without stopping. But now (6weeks down the line) I'm running 30 mins non stop and looking at doing my first 5k next weekend. I've lost 9lbs in 4 weeks since we had our session on diet (in our running club). And my clothes are fitting better. I haven't stopped eating/drinking anything. But I have upped my water intake (including a pint of water before a meal) and changed the proportions of food groups. Less carbs, more veg. And running (very very slow running) 3x a week for 30 mins (started with intervals of 1 min run, 1 min walk, and gradually upping the running). I'm a work in progress, but I'll do it, and so will you :)

Hi Mrs G congrats on your lifestyle change! Hope I can join in as I too am on WW (I'm an online member, can't be doing with the meetings).
IMO WW is the best way to lose weight sustainably, because unlike Slimming World it teaches you portion control and how to make healthy choices all the time. Don't get me wrong, I've lost weight on SW too, but I've never kept it off because it didn't make me look at my portion sizes.
I also obsess about inputting all my food / exercise into the online tracker AND Myfitnesspal. I am truly sad - but I find that this also helps me to stay focused.
I lost 2.5 stone about 3 years ago, which I kept off until I fell pregnant a year ago. DD is now 19 weeks and I have half a stone to get back to pre-pregnancy weight - and then another stone!
If you like walking so much, but perhaps think that eventually you'd like to graduate to a bit of running, can I suggest the Couch2fiveK programm? Just google C25K. I know LOADS of people who swear by it.

I'd love to do some running IsThatTrue. I feel like I couldn't run for even a few meters at the moment though. I am so unfit..and also the heat at the moment isn't helping.

I am definitely going to give it a try over the next few weeks though. My friend took up running a few yrs ago and she started by walking, then power walking, then jogging in between 2 lamposts, then walking to the next lamp post, then running to the next then walking and so on. I think this is a gentle way for me to start and actually up my fitness level. I am someone who needs to start small I think! It's very daunting to begin with so well done on being able to run for 30 minutes now IsThatTrue!

Stowsetter, welcome! Thanks for the couch to 5k recommendation, will check it out! Interesting point about slimming world not teaching you about portion sizes. That's exactly what my friend says. She has limited the variety of what she eats and everything is cooked healthily rather than fried or in sauces etc but she has enormous portions of bland food. I have seen her eat plain pasta by the bucket load because it's syn fee. Which to me just boiled with no flavour or sauce etc just seems like something I'd get terribly bored of and what nutritional value can it really have???! I'd rather eat a little bit of whatever I fancy but understand portion sizes. Anyway, each to their own. I know slimming world works but I don't really understand it or see it as being sustainable for me.

Well today we had a BBQ and I have calculated all my points and managed to stick to my daily points allowance so that's good. Weekends are normally my downfall though as we go out with the bchildren to the beach or out for dinners etc. I need to stay stong!

You are foing bloody brilliantly MrsG, honestly!
I preferred Sw myself, but never ate like your friend! I still watched portion size.

Running is fab, once you can run you feel such a sense of achievement. Doing your long walks is a fab way to get your fitness up.

Really, really well done

Well done for starting! I've lost nearly three stones this year also due to the thread that Bssh and Lizzy mention

In the early days without any doubt one of the things that got me through was the super cheesy phrase "Losing weight is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard"

You have no idea how many times I reached for a biscuit and made myself say this under my breath and put the biscuit back. It's really, really hard for the first few weeks but believe me once people start noticing and commenting, and you fit into a jeans size you can only dream of today it'll be a lot easier. And every single missed biscuit will be worth it.

Good luck!

Thank you so much Lizzylou. I know it won't be easy but I am looking forward to it and excited to hopefully see my body change and have more energy.

LaundryLego, I actually love that 'losing weight is hard, being fat is hard' mantra. That's what I need to tell myself because snacking is my favourite pass time . I may actually write it down and stick it to the biscuit tin! I have recently been grabbing a handful of strawberries or grapes when I want to snack instead of chocolate or crisps though which is great for me!

Well done on the 3 stone. Have you got much more to go?

mrsg starting small is great. I've built up to 30 minutes over 6 weeks, but I have friends who in that time have got to 15/20 minutes. Everyone needs to take things at their own pace. But it feels like such a sense of achievement when you think ' I can run '

Somebody once told me that however wonderful SW and WW are, they are a business and they want you to come back, so although they teach you how to lose weight they don't explain why you should be making these changes. Maybe reading up on what your body needs etc would be helpful to you too? My big was the fact the the body doesn't actually need sugar to live. None at all. And that eating sugar makes you crave more sugar.

I think I'll stop tab wring on now. Dinners nearly ready, oven roasted veg with honey and mustard pork. :)

Well today I have eaten over my daily weight watchers points (grrr, I knew weekends were my downfall!) but I have stayed well within the weekly allowance which allows 49 points added to use however I wish throughout the week.

In a way I think (hope!) that WW may have the key to my success with their daily and weekly points system. It means if I do have a day where I crave junk or eat a bag of crisps, I don't feel like I've completely ruined my diet and I just eat crap for the rest of that day...then the next day I feel like I failed so I eat crap again and plan to pick up the diet again on 'MONDAY'... anyone else do that or is it just me? I can not count the number of times in the past I've calorie counted and been really 'good' for 3 days, then felt too restricted and fallen off the wagon big time and never quite managed to haul my fat arse back on! ]

Weight Watchers so far suits me quite well actually as I can have some chips or a bag of crisps or even a take away as part of the plan and just calculate the points and take out of the weekly points. I like that. It means I don't feel depressed after a day like today. I still feel like I'm on track which is the key to me sticking at it I think.

Anyway, like I say today I have eaten more than I have been doing for the past week but I have still had less than 2000 calories I think although I am mainly ignoring calories and using points.

The big thing I am most proud of is that this evening DH was having a night in watching a movie, (not one I was particularly bothered about seeing I must confess,) but ordinarily I'd have stayed in, lounged around snacking, with a bottle of wine and just gone on my lap top all night. BUT tonight, I actually wanted to go out for a hike. SO I did! I put my trainers on and hiked up a hill near our house, walked through the woods and was ur power walking for over an hour. The thought of me ever wanting to do this even a fortnight ago would have been laughable. The only walks I ever chose to go on were to get to a cafe for a cuppa and cake. I really d feel much happier having that time to myself just to think and be by myself. I never ever have time to myself but knowing the evenings aren't just ging to be based around a few drinks, crap tele and hoola hoops is actually really lifting my mood in general. The evenings are so beautiful at the minute, just the right temperature and lovely light nights. I am slightly concerned when the nights draw in again that I may not be so enthusiastic!

Anyway, hope you are all ok. Thanks again for the advice and support. x

I always overeat on weekends because that's when we go out and/or socialise but I never feel guilty as I know I can balance it all out across the week. When I was calorie counting I'd aim to have a 3500 calorie deficit by then end of the week so it didn't matter if I ate 3000+ cals on Saturday as I could adjust downwards another day. Now I don't count calories (or points, or whatever) I still do this instinctively. I do 5:2 so whenever I eat loads I just skip a meal the next day - it feels quite a normal, natural way of eating. WW and other calorie counting diets get a bad rap, but I benefited from it because it taught me portion control and balance.

I've been 5:2 ing and have steadily lost 1.5 stone since feb. I had that to lose, but people have lost much more. I have no willpower, so it's the ideal diet. :)

Weekends still are the days I eat most, because we go out etc. But I've got an exercise class on a Saturday morning which makes me feel good for the week end and then there is the roller skate meet up in Hyde Park every Sunday at 2, which I went to a lot during my weightloss time. That burns calories like nothing else - and is fun! Google lfns if you are in London, but I can only recommend it when being reasonably fit already. It's been incredibly toning

I've gone over my calorie allowance nearly every weekend since I started in May, but it hasn't stopped me losing weight. I definitely agree with philosophy of eating less during the week and letting yourself go a bit more at weekends. I aim to come in 200-300 cals under target mon-thurs to have leeway for weekend.

Thanks everyne. I really enjoyed the weekend and it made me realise this Weight watchers malarky is a lifestyle not a diet. It has to fit in around our lifestyle and I don't want to feel deprived and resentful everytime DH and the children have something yummy. I was able to enjoy the same food without binging and over eating in the way I used to everyday.

I got weighed this morning and I am down to 15 st 11 so that's 3lbs loss. Not a huge amount but it's a very positive step in the right direction.

Well done!

3lbs is great! If you lost that every week then by Christmas you'd be over 4 stones lighter!

Calorie counting is definitely the way to go. Fitness pal is free and lots of great support too.
I've lost 29 lbs since counting.
I can't afford a gym so purchased a jogging pushchair (£100). I do the free zen labs C25K programme with my baby. I was a complete non runner with 4 stones on my back. After 10 weeks I'm running 45 minutes.

If I can anyone can! You can do this!!!

MrsG, 3lbs is fabulous! Well done you

Thank you Bsshboshh, Laundry and Lizzylou. I am feeling very motivated. Even after only a 3lbs loss I am seeing that it's something I can do and it's sustainable. I am looking forward to next summer and being able to fit into nice clothes and not feel so out of breath and crap all the time! I'm only 29, I should not have all the aches and pains in my ankles and knees. I am hoping these will be allieviated after the weight comes off. It can't be good hauling about an extra 5 and half stone of blubber round all day.Plus the fact that I am usually carrying a 2 stone toddler on my hip too!