Help me please - 12 stones to lose and a wedding to plan/look amazing at

[ilove]

My son has proposed to his girlfriend, and we are really pleased, she is lovely. They are looking at 18/24 months time.

I'm going to be the mum of the groom eek! And a MIL but that's another thread entirely lol...

However. I weigh around 22 stones, I'm 5' 6" and am hourglass shaped. Boobs are a 38-40 JJ and the tape measure doesn't actually reach around my widest part (tummy) so I reckon that is around 65".

I have previously lost weight on LL and put it all back on again. I am severely gluten intolerant (medically diagnosed) so get bread/flour/pasta etc on prescription.

I have tried SW but lost very, very little and got very demoralised with it.

I think I need to do a combination of 5:2 and low carbing. I have a blender, a juicer, a proper meat slicer for joints of meat etc. I'm reg disabled - I only have one arm that works properly and I have bad pelvic issues due to severe SPD which have left me with a lifelong weakness. I'm trying to get everything into one post so I don't drip-feed, sorry. I can swim and have several free passes for the gym across the road. I HATE the actual gym with a vengeance, I don't have much self-confidence in the way I look, and I really do want to make 2014 the year I sort myself out once and for all.

Please can anyone help me?

Oh, I drink coffee (black), probably 6 large mugs a day of full caff, and one of decaf. Water (tap water) and several large glasses of white wine a week.

CMOT we sound quite twinny! the bike won't work but the airwalker might, if I can balance one-armed on it...I have bought myself a sports bra that fits so that's a start, right???

Give it a try - would a velcro strap work to hold your bad arm onto the airwalker handle help with balance? When I cycle, I use an arm and wrist splint to hold the arm rigid, then though I can't grip at all, putting the weight on the handlebars helps it all balance.

You could try just counting the calories of what you eat to start with - its then easy to see where it all comes from. A friend of mine says a glass of wine isn't worth it as its the same calories as a chicken breast for instance.

Hmm - the glass of wine I'm just drinking, I wouldn't swop...there again I'm not starting till tomorrow so give me a few days and I maybe will!

if you are massively altering your diet, do not drop caffeine at the same time ....

change one thing at a time ....

Have a look at Jamie Oliver recipes for inspiration. He uses lots of fresh ingredients, fresh herbs, citrus fruits and spices to give bland 'rabbit food' etc flavour. And they're v simple.
Oh, and 5:2. The first few times you starve are hard (do it on a busy day when you're not planning on doing much or any cooking or food shopping), but it gets easier as your stomach shrinks quite quickly I found. Although I accept we're all different. Good luck and well done!

ilove, some great advice and support here, I have my fingers crossed for you, demented, wow, what an achievement so far, fingers crossed for you too .

headoverheels, absolutely agree about Eating Less book. It takes the focus away from dieting and puts it back on to, well, eating less, with strategies to cope.

ilove for a soft start and if you don't fully understand low carb yet why not try my motto of not eating anything beige :) (apart from chicken which some would argue is beige ish)

Beige = crisps, potatoes, cakes, biscuits, couscous, rice (okay okay it's white but just throw this in the mix for now.), sweet potato, parsnips - try this for a week whilst you research low carb properly and then you can start in a better frame of mind with all the knowledge you need.

In this week up your water intake, lower your caffeine intake and lower any soft drink intake. Keep up with your wine if it helps and if you fancy something sweet buy high quality dark chocolate - lindt mint intense is great for us - one square is all that is needed.

I can't do links but if you browse over the next week on the Low Carb Forum in the weight loss section you should follow all of BIWI's threads - they will give you everything you need for a "proper" low carb start next Monday and you can use this week to give you a taste of what is to come which is bloody lovely :)

Its the choice though isn't it - blowing 1/12th of your daily calories (or however it works out) on a glass of wine/skinny latte/packet of crisps/crunchie bar is fine, but its at the cost of something else that day.

CMOT - I don't believe in calorie counting so I don't get your or your friends ethos I am afraid. I know for me that low carbing works and I can also include the things I enjoy whilst not having massive cravings for them i.e. white spirits and wine (in moderation of course) as well as some dark chocolate.

Each to their own but I don't want to sit and work out that one piece of chocolate = massive guilt that I should have had a chicken breast instead. I just low carb and IF (which is not often after you have low carbed for a couple of weeks) I fancy something sweet I can still have a bit of choc or a glass of wine/vodka tonic and it's going to be okay.

I suppose they are similar but there is a whole different mindset to low carbing versus low calorie and from mine, my husbands and a lot of my friends experience low calorie is miserable and short term whilst low carbing is more of a lifestyle choice and really enjoyable, however it is VERY difficult to undo 43 years of "low calorie/low fat" hype which has dominated my life as this way of thinking was taken up in the 70's! A lot of nutritionists, doctors and health professionals have finally understood the carb/sugar addiction but it is going to be a long road before it is fully understood and probably not going to be fully accepted for many years to come......sadly :(

Amanda, there is no guilt, thats my point. I can have the wine/choc or whatever, or a humungous salad. My choice, and I do.

For weight loss to work long term, cutting out a whole food group doesn't work, be it fat or carbs, and you are left with the simple fact of your calories in each day needs to be around your expended calories, and thats what you need to reboot imo.

CMOT - low carbing isn't about cutting out a whole food group. It's about changing the proportions of your diet from high carb/med protein/low fat to high fat/med protein/low carb. You still eat carbs, but they come (mainly) from vegetables and salad.

OP, have you thought about trying Weight Watchers? I always find that I have the best success when I'm 'accountable' to someone so to speak. Whatever you decide, good luck.

I hate the points counting and calorie counting - makes me feel like Im on a diet!

I got weighed, and I'm bang on 21 stones, so a whole stone less than I thought!

Today I have had a coffee coffee, and two pretend coffees. Boiled some eggs so going to have a couple now, and cooking salmon, veg and mash for dinner. I won't have the mash but I do love salmon...

ilove
there is a classic WW trick that I never stopped ...
before every meal, have a whole pint of water. IT helps to control portions.
And serve your own food either on a side plate or make sure that your whole portion fits on the flat middle bit of the plate.
Makes the whole 'learning smaller portions' thing much easier.
Go for it

Thankyou Talkinpeace, good ideas there!

can I suggest that you get some proper nutritional help, taking into account your medical issues. As you are disabled this should be available to you.

the fad diets don't work (That's why they are so profitable, people get fat again) and make life hell for you and all who live with you.

food should not be a matter of guilt.

good luck!