Officially my heaviest and time to change. Anyone with me?

[DreamingOfADifferentMe]

Hi all,

Well, having just returned from a gorgeous week's holiday, I decided to take the plunge and step onto the scales. Bloody hell.

I'm officially the heaviest I've ever been. I look awful. And I'm desperate to change. I've spent the last few days reading threads on here that I think will inspire me and I'm determined to make a change.

I have a number of milestones to get to, including a holiday in October, but the big one in my head is going to see the GP in a few weeks' time for a repeat prescription for my contraceptive pill. Last year, she made some reference about my weight as they may not have been allowed to prescribe it, given my high BMI. She did, and prescribed me a year's worth, and they're nearly gone. Have I lost weight? Have I heck - I'm actually heavier, and I can't bear the idea of going back and having the same utterly humiliating conversation.

So, I'm just debating the best approach. I know low/no carbs works really well for me, though I can struggle to stick with it, but that's what I'm going for initially.

This morning I weighed in at 15st 11, and I'm just 5ft 4. I'm a size 18. This cannot be who I am. I am not the woman who looks back at me in the mirror.

My mission is to shift, ideally, around 3st initially. I know that I look and feel great at 12st something, and even though I'll be far from a size 10 skinny minnie, I will feel fantastic. Then, when I get to that point, we'll see.

However, when there's such a long road ahead, I know I get easily defeated. So, does anyone fancy a hand to hold along a similar path? I'm happy to give tonnes of support and will cheer folk on, anyone fancy returning the favour?

I too am heading bedwards. My two youngest tagteamed last night so I'm shattered. No more food and hopefully decent sleep - win win.

Mama - I did think 1st was a little ambitious as a goal weight...!

Lake, my love, of course you're welcome. I am so, so sorry to hear about your little girl, and congratulations on your pregnancy. I can only imagine how emotional the whole experience must be for you.

We'll hold your hand with the healthy eating - it definitely can be done while still growing a happy, healthy baby.

Please can I join too? Size 18 and unhappy with my weight, I have been trying to lose weight for a while but can slowly see myself slipping back into my old habits, so this is great timing! Good luck everyone.

I'd like to join too please.

14st 13lb and I am 5"8. It's the heaviest I've ever been. Even just after giving birth I weighed less

Going to Florida in March next year and determined not to be big and uncomfortable on the plane.

Lake I'm so sorry about your little girl.
That is very sad.

Dreaming I've had dreadful trouble with grains over the last five years. I'm not coeliac, but wheat and gluten knock me out for a couple of hours after I eat them, and oats rice and corn make me swell up and my joints ache. I've got autoimmune thyroid disease too which is thought to be linked.

Google led me to some autoimmune/paleo type books and this one by Chris Kresser recommends doing 30 days 'resetting' just eating basically meat fish veg and fruit, then dropping in one thing at a time eg milk, cheese, rice etc and noting reactions. It's supposed to be good for managing autoimmune reactions but also for weight management. I had good success with low carb a few years back but did miss the fruit.

Got to get off my backside and exercise a bit too I reckon!

Hi, I too am largest I've ever been (not pregnant) at 14lbs 6oz and 5'8"
I not only want to get fit to chase DS 15 months around but feel like me again. Also I herniated a disc with DS and want to try for number 2 in May next year. Aim is to lose 3 stone which equals 1lb a week.
I eat healthily but portion control and lack of time (& money for the gym or classes) to exercise are my main problems.
I came on to post for tips on time efficient free ways to help up my exercise and saw this thread.
I'm am quite weak willed when it comes to small portions and eating fruit like a fruit bat. Need all the tips and support I can get.
Lake I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, congratulations on your current pregnancy.

Morning all,
Please can I join in too. I've been faffing about over the last 18 months losing and gaining the same 20lbs gggrrrr.
I'm 5'4 and weigh 15 stone, clothes size 18/20, classic apple shape.
Would love to be a size 14, I know I could do with losing more but that's my first goal.
Will restart MFP later today. Good luck everyone.

Morning all,

Welcome to everyone new - it's so brilliant that there's so many of us to do this together.

Well, today has gone a little awry as my lovely mum, who has my two youngest one day a week, has called to say she can't have them today as she's hurt her leg, so I won't be around this morning as I'll be attempting to juggle clients and a three and four year old. Wish me luck!

Woke up this morning with a real sense of purpose, it has to be said. It always feels great to have the first day under your belt. I think today's menu will look a little like this:

Greek yoghurt and berries
Salad with brie and parma ham
Either chicken and veg stir fry or salmon fillet and salad

Good luck today and I'll check in with you later.

Can I join?

Been lurking on the weight loss threads for a while. It's time to face facts and sort myself out.

5"6 and 17 stone. Heaviest I've ever been including both pregnancies. I have been very much in denial until I had to buy size 20 summer clothes last week as I was sweating in leggings and cardigans. I cried in the changing room.

I have a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes in sizes 12-14 and would love to wear them again.

I saw myself on the local shop's security camera and did a double take. My body is like it belongs to someone I truly don't recognise the me in the mirror.

I started today to keep up with you guys;

Breakfast: mini weetabix
Lunch: whole meal pitta, ham, carrot sticks and tzatziki.
Dinner: cod with Mediterranean veg.

My downfall is bingeing at night so if you see me on here past 11pm tell me to go to bed!

I'm on MFP...happy to add others for accountability.

I forgot to weigh this morning! Damn.

Anyway - had
B: homemade granola and green milk
L: chicken salad sandwich and a pear
D: will be roast chicken with summer veges

Snacks - I have succumbed to a Cadburys eclair or two from the bowl at work but now having pineapple and pistachios.

Under my 1600 calories on MFP so far, but my nemesis is between 8-9pm where we snack on the sofa! Will call in later

Hello all, hope everyone's first day is going ok! Rum thank you for the c25k advice, I started today and found it really hard, I am SO unfit! Unluckily/luckily the app closed itself halfway through so I took that as a sign to cool down, and I'll try to do the whole thing next time.

Had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, and grilled chicken with pasta for lunch - been craving pasta so decided just to have some! Planning a small salad for dinner, maybe with a couple of fish fingers (I'm not good with fish, only eat these and tinned tuna).

Haven't used MFP in ages, might rejoin!

Well, today has been trying to say the least, attempting to juggle but I survived a spontaneous trip to M&S Cafe with my two littlest as they had sandwiches and delicious things. I'd missed breakfast, and was tummy-rumbling ready for lunch and opted for a small skinny latte. I came home, had some prawns, some chicken wings, some salad and then, as I was still seriously hungry, had some yoghurt and raspberries.

Doesn't just a couple of days being in control of my food intake, rather than controlled by it, make a huge difference?

How's everyone else found today?

Hi everyone, good day so far. Scrambled egg for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and I'm about to have a baked potato with a little left over bolognaise and a corn on the cob which I will try my very best not to smother in butter!

Then heading out to the gym (3 days in a row whoop whoop). Spent the day at the park and geocaching with the kids so have been relatively active and resisted the urge to snack. Although I did take a flask of coffee after my 5am wake up call that's to a teething DS2.

We'll done for starting c25k mess and for your restraint in M&S dreaming . Little victories and all that!

I'm in almost exactly the same situation as you Dreaming - back from holiday last week, and away again in October.

Instead of stepping on the scales, some photos popped up on Facebook. In a few well posed ones I am clinging to 'looking OK' but one in particular...oh my god. What a state. Fat just everywhere. Stomach is HUGE.

The denial has gone on long enough. Up to a size 20 (5' 8) now, although scared of the scales just at the moment! I've let the weight creep on over the last three years or so.

So I will join you (started on Monday in fact). I've lost weight before (absolutely kicking myself now for wasting that hard work - it won't happen again) so have some idea of what works for me.

First target is start of October, when I go on holiday again. 11 weeks. That is enough time to take off 1.5-2 stone I reckon, with a bit of fast loss to begin with, then 1-2 pounds a week.

While by no means will I be a size 10, that will make me look a good bit better and feel happier. I'll be able to wear some of my smaller, nicer clothes.

Then it's about the same number of weeks to Christmas, but I'll think about resetting the targets in October. I don't do well without smaller goals!

Plan of attack is:

1. My Fitness Pal, tuned for me to lose 2 pounds a week. Within that, cutting right back on carbs, especially white bread/sugary stuff/crap carbs which provoke hunger, lots of protein, salad, veg. No wine (biggest downfall!) during the week. Loving it so far.

Will ease off a bit (but not by any means totally) Friday night/Saturday, and have some wine, maybe eat out etc. But still track what I'm consuming and not going mad.

Again, I need to know I can have a 'treat' at some point during the week to keep going the rest of the time.

I need to count calories I find - low carbing or not, I tend to eat too big portions. And too many treats. And too much wine...I love MFP because you really can't get away with any denial.

I'm only on 1,200 calories on MFP at the moment, which is pretty low for my weight. I'll see how I get on. I will be looking to give myself a good few more calories through exercise, and will I think need to eat some of these back, but I will do my best not to eat all of them, especially during the week.

1. Gym. Five times a week, doing at least an hour of cardio per visit. Maybe getting someone to show me how to use the weights too.

Despite reaching this size, I do go to the gym, albeit have bad weeks (/months!!), so one thing I've got going for me is that I am not totally unfit and know I can handle this amount of exercise.

Also, I start a job next week at an office I've worked in before, so know (according to my phone counter thing) I will also be walking about 3.5 miles a day getting there and back and going about my daily business. Gym is right next to said office: no excuses.

I am going to really prioritise these two things for the next 11 weeks - no excuses, no taking on too much work/too many other commitments to be able to fit the gym in etc.

It's really important that I commit to this for my own health and happiness.

Sorry, that's really long! But it's helped to write it all down.

Good luck to you all! We can do this!

Howdy everyone.

Phew, children in bed, work nearly complete and stir fry nearly done, ready to be scoffed. Husband is having rice noodles, I'm sticking with just veg and prawns. Seriously, I feel like polishing my ruddy halo.

Mess, bravo on the C25K - getting your head around doing it in the first place is huge so well done. Good luck for next time, and here's hoping the app shuts down/doesn't shut down (delete as appropriate) again!

Wardeness - totally know what you mean about your body belonging to someone else. I look at myself and feel like my face is mine, albeit a bit more like Mr Potato Head than I'd like, but my body belongs on the Jeremy Kyle show. It genuinely horrifies me. And makes me cry. Good luck in making some changes - you can and will do it.

Spaniel - hurrah for opting for fruit instead of those bloody pesky addictive eclairs. They're spiteful little fattening critters.

Rum - is it wrong that everytime I see your name I drool? I love all three elements! Huge well done on your third gym trip - seriously impressive work. And fab food choices too. Hurrah.

Vida - we could be twins (and holiday buddies in October) as I too feel just the same. For some reason this feels like a last-chance saloon for me. I've talked about it too much, and had false starts too many times and now it's time for me to stop my half-arsed attempts and actually tackle my weight once and for all.

Stir fry's done, best go and munch.

Well done on resisting all the M&S goodies Dreaming

Third proper day of low carbing for me and its going well. I'm completely quitting sugar and sweetener in the hope to reintroduce some berries further down the line. I really need to break the sugar addiction. Still have slight carb flu symptoms-my head feels foggy half the time, getting tired and lethargic at random times in the day before perking up for a while, niggling headache that keeps coming and going. Wondering if this is just the start of carb flu as I've read it can get a lot worse i want that cherished burst of energy people who get through induction seem to get!

Just had 3 seasoned chicken drumsticks with creamy, cheesy broccoli and cauliflower. It was delish!

And I went out for lunch today and had a mixed grill. Managed to resist ALL the chips and onion rings and left them for DD to eat shines halo

Hope everyone else is doing well

Woah, Letme, seriously impressive will power with the chips and onion rings!

I know relatively little about the sugar/low-carb thing so am just avoiding the obvious culprits, such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. Can you shed some more light on it for me? I too want the burst of energy that folk talk about when going carb free.

I would love to join you as I need to lose about a stone and a half as I am the heaviest I have been after having 4 children. I have done WW but have always gained all weight plus more! I know I have to reduce my sugar intake as I have a very sweet tooth and although I can eat sensibly during the day, I then start snacking on cakes, biscuits etc at night time. I also know I need to know that I am answerable to someone, if that makes sense? If I could just lose 1 stone I would be much happier and feel in control of my life. I also find I am more confident and not so stressed if I am comfortable with my weight. I am going to change my eating habits, it is the only way to lose weight and keep it off! Will weigh in on Monday. Good luck everyone!

Well done on the good food choices today everyone, I feel like the black sheep now for having pasta while you've all been so good! It's just one of the foods I know I'll never be able to give up so I thought let myself have some and hopefully I won't crave it again for a good while. Luckily my other absolute favourite food is chicken so I'll happily munch on that most days (grilled of course!) without getting bored.

Anyone got any tips on healthy but still tasty desserts? I'm mostly happy skipping pud if I'm trying to eat healthy but sometimes just fancy something, and fruit/yoghurt is going to get a little boring as that's my go-to breakfast of choice!

Just back from the gym, and while I was there realise that I got my starting weight wrong! I was 114kg which is actually 17st 13lb. Fuck! Turns out I'm shit at maths as well as being massively overweight. But hey what's an extra 6lbs when I've got this much to loose! At least I figured it out now rather than on Monday's weigh in which would have been massively demotivating.

Dreaming, it's my favourite drink although I'll be laying off it for the forseeable future. Spiced rum and equal parts apple juice and ginger ale. It's still pretty delicious even without the rum.

Mess, favourite healthy dessert. Slice a peach in half and remove the pit. In the hollow of each half add half a teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stick in the oven at 180 for about 15 minutes. It works out about 100 calories per peach. If you're on pinterest there are some delicious recipes for healthy desserts but most are American so a set of cups comes in handy for measurements.

Off to bed. Good luck tomorrow everyone.

Thanks Dreaming, it was a real first for me plus it meant we didn't have to buy DD a separate meal as she only has a small appetite and was happy with sharing ours! Cheapskate

I'm completely new at low carb as well so I don't think I can be much help! I've been asking my mum (who was horrified I had a small portion of peas with my mixed grill--I didn't know peas were too high in carbs!) I'm just watching things on YouTube (the skinny on obesity series is 7 episodes focusing on different topics to do with low carb. They're short and explain the science behind it which I found really interesting!)

I'm just confused about knowing what vegetables you should and shouldn't eat. Going from fat = bad to banned vegetables is messing with my mind! but I think cutting out the bad carbs will still make a huge difference. All the sugar in processed carbs is bound to be a lot worse for you than the carbs in vegetables I think.

I'm actually feeling really positive right now not hungry, satisfied and most of all excited that I might lose some weight and get my self esteem back instead of being embarrassed to leave the house. And this thread is really helping, it's nice to know that there are other people going through the same struggles!

Wow, sorry, I am such a rambler when I post!

Best snack-apple slices and 2 teaspoons of whole peanut butter (meridian brand) to dip.

Surprisingly tasty!

Morning, had a rough night with DS2, he's teething and was up at least 6 times. Today is one of the days I would usually eat rubbish all day and have a can of coke for breakfast. Need to get through today without falling off the wagon. Although I do envision an extra cup of coffee or two.

Same here Rum. We have a local meet up at the park today so should stop me hitting the fridge and cupboards for a few hours.

Was supposed to start yoga this morning. Too tired. Might try it before bed instead.

Hope you all have a great day.