Help me MN, I have 4 stone to lose and 10k debt to pay off!

[ChickenVindaloo2]

Hello,

I've mentioned this on a couple of other threads but I hope you don't mind if I start my own thread as I have 2 really important goals this year and want to tackle them both, together.

This morning, I am 14 stone exactly. I'm 5'1' and have never even had kids! (I'm 33). I gave up booze 2 years ago so now time to tackle the cake/takeaway habit. If I lose 2lbs a month, I can be 10 stone in time for (hopefully!) going to Wimbledon this year.

I have taken some "before" shots of myself nekkid in the mirror and entered my weight on fitbit. And am stocking up on healthy food (low GI type idea). I also have a wee stepper machine in the living room so I need to get on that.

RE the debt - long story short this was due to slight overspending mounting up and then being out of work for a while. It's partly overdraft, rest credit card. I should be able to pay this off if I just stop filling my trolley with things I don't need, esp in Tesco. And if I stop buying clothes/random crap. So Lidl it is, going forward! I probably won't clear the lot but if I could get it under 5k that would be great.

So here we go any followers and support is much appreciated.

I wish you luck in whatever goals you have for yourself!

I look forward to Boxing Day 2017 when I should be slim, healthy and financially sound.

WE CAN DO THIS!

Hello comrades,

Well 1/4 of the year in and still assessing why things are not going to plan. I will confess that the past 2 weekends, I've woken up on Saturday am with no food in the house and nipped to McDonalds. That has then led on to the "fuck it" factor and last night I was shovelling down crisps and chocolate yoghurt things like there was no tomorrow. (Well, because I planned to "start again tomorrow" for the millionth time)

I think the cause is that low carb is eventually really unsatisfying. I didn't feel hungry so much as just not satisfied. Whereas bread really hit the spot. Low carb is just too restrictive.

SO I need to tackle this the same way I did my alcoholism. I'm going back on the Overeaters Anonymous plan. Basically - you plan your meals/snacks and don't eat outside of them. And you only eat the foods which don't set up cravings. So you "abstain" from "trigger" foods. This means I can, however, reintroduce wholegrain carbs and fruit. Not eating after dinner is quite a big help to me - I can eat way too much over the course of an evening in front of Netflix.

I did quite well on the OA plan 2 years ago but went off it when I changed jobs, there was snack food in the office one lunchtime and I got carried away. And I stopped going to meetings.

So anyway, I've redone my list of foods (pic attached) and today inclusive, I am "sober" from the foods on the red list. Amber foods are TBC. Green foods tend not to be problematic. It's basically the low-GI diet.

There is a meeting this Friday at 7.30pm and I am going to prioritise getting to that. There's another one Sunday night too.

Hello,

Well so far managing to stick to 3 low-GI meals per day - no snacks!

Having low-sugar granola & seeds for breakfast does make a welcome change from EGGGS and EGGS And more EGGGGGGSS!!

And a tuna bagel for lunch is much nicer than HAM or FISH on its own.

I was 13st 5 today. 95 days until Wimbledon so still hoping to get under 12 stone by then! (3 months)

Hello chicken!

Lots of the fuck it factor here too but incredibly I'm still 14st 2 which leads me to believe if i put some effort in I would weigh a lot less.

This morning I put half a bag of biscuits and yoghurt raisens in the bin. I have never binned food but can't really understand why I bought them. Progress maybe?!

I'm still looking for 13st by July. It's doable if i can get my arse into gear

Hello Rowt!

Food is better off in the bin that on your body so don't feel bad!

I'm back down to 13st 3. I have had a good rest today after a few hard weeks at work. Going to the gym and OA meeting tomorrow night. (Completely forgot about the Friday night one and the Sunday night one is closer anyway).

Much dieting done today, best friends with the loo, I have a bug.

Total calories today? Nada

Haha, well done , Rowgtfc!

I once lost 5lbs just by going for a colonic irrigation!

I'm doing well sticking to the 3 low GI meals a day, no snacking. Back down to 13st 1.

Morning!
Happy Easter

Enjoy your eggs-poached of course

Bleurgh! Gone up 4lbs again due to period/too much bread.

I'm on annual leave this week so time to restock the cupboards.

Does anyone else just sometimes get SO HUNGRY and no matter WHAT they eat, it just doesn't fill the hole? Protein/carbs/fat/sugar, NOTHING hits the spot?

I don't think I have that many emotional issues round food tbh - it's more that I just CAN'T STAND being hungry. But after a while on Atkins, I get HUNGRY for CARBS.

Well, I'm not going to be anywhere near my goal by Wimbledon. But I'm keeping on plugging away. I'm still a good stone and a bit under my all time-high weight. I just need to figure out something I can stick with long-term.

So i'm in a bit of a state of flux at the moment.
And don't even mention the money situation! Not got into any worse debt, but only paid off about £500 since the start of the year.

Hello chicken

Hope you're still plodding away with the diet and the debt.

I'm getting weighed Sat then back ON the bloody diet as I appear to have had a couple of self congratulatory weeks.

July is looming. I WILL weigh 13st something if i have to chop a leg (large) off in the process

Hi Rowgtfc! Thanks for checking in.

Happy May Day everyone! That's us 1/3 of the way into the year and I am nowhere near as far on as I would have liked.

I have been bingeing on crisps, chocolate, ice-cream, cake etc. Not my worst ever but yeah, amazing how the weight can go back on!

I was 13st 9 this morning. Still less than at Christmas and less than my all time high.

Things should actually be easier now - following an office move, I can actually go home for lunch! Plus lighter evenings just makes everything easier.

So basically, today, I am once more STARTING AGAIN! But I'm being realistic - eg bought ready made green smoothie instead of the mess/hassle of making them at home.

I'm going to make my health a priority going forward. I'll be carrying my notebook everywhere I go to note down what I eat and try and catch any slips before they get out of hand. And see if there are any patterns. Also planning on gym, OA meetings and looking for inspiration online. Going to keep the house well-stocked with plenty of tasty, healthy food.

Never EVER give up!

And I'm going to keep it simple and not overthink things!

Well so much for the great intentions, the "writing down everything I eat" idea lasted about 2 days.

I've taken the bull by the horns and have my first appointment tomorrow with a counsellor for eating disorders.

Will report back!

Hello!

Hope the appointment went ok. Have tried the writing things down. All it proved is what I know, I'm greedy and lazy.

Down to 14st 3lb. Long time since I weighed that. Stupid thing is two weeks of healthy eating and doing more would tip me into the 13st s. Can I be bothered!?

Hello!

Yes, the introductory appointment went well and I have managed healthy eating since then. Just really because I know I'm addressing it properly now.

I think I might still go to Overeaters Anonymous though.

Not easy in the heat to refuse an icelolly!

Hello,

So I've been "in therapy" for 2 weeks now and have lost a couple of pounds. Basically doing low GI. And no Pepsi Max (used to drink minimum 2 litres/day). I've also started going back to the gym. Just for an hour 2/3 times a week. No need to spend the whole evening. And I'm learning to recognise myself trying to make excuses...

I suddenly have more energy now - have been cleaning and gardening!

I remembered that it's only a couple of years til my 20 year high school reunion so I better look HOT for that!

How are you doing Rowgtfc72? And any others?

Hi

Still 14 3. No heavier so a bonus. Am at a wedding in six weeks and will be 13 something!

Agree that positive mind gives you energy=weightloss=positive mind=energy........ Took me a long time to recognise that.

Keep going!

Good to see you're still at it, Rowgtfc!

Yeah, although I haven't lost much, at least I'm still a good 10lbs under my peak ever weight of 14st 5. I reckon if I hadn't been trying at all, I could be well on my way to 20st now.

The past few days I've actually been eating 2000 cals a day which is more than diets recommend but it's way less than I have been eating and what with the exercise, I think the weight should just come off steadily. I'm just going to eat like a normal person in a sustainable way and see what happens. I'll maybe try and cut calories gradually so it doesn't hurt as much as I do need to get back to a healthy weight.

I've come to this conclusion too. I'm eating what I would normally do and keeping my treats to the weekend. I'm finding I look forward to them more. I have had a bag of doritos in the cupboard for two weeks now. Unheard of.
14st 2 yesterday, and the period fairy is visiting!

In the same boat with the weight loss too. At my 8 week pregnancy check in 2006 I weighed 16st, probably got to 17 and a half when pregnant. Jan I was 15 and a half stone. I could weigh a lot more.

I think what's come out of this is a healthier relationship with food. Do you feel the same?

Hi there! Sorry, I didn't notice your reply.

I've had 5 sessions of therapy now with more booked and have lost 7lbs since I started. I'm at 13st 4 so 10lbs lighter than at Christmas. We've been looking at my history of food/dieting/body image as well as my thought processes and trying to improve my relationship with food. It's all going fine, actually.

I've also signed up for a "Pure Loser" course at the gym - exercise and nutrition advice.

And I've been out on a few Tinder-based dates...

Oo! Dates!
I've got to look into my nutrition. I'm definitely intolerant to wheat these days and I probably only eat five a week (banana a day at work).
Been to the docs today and officially been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my knee, have bought a knee support which means I may start a couch to 5k sometime soon.
On an even better note I'm not prediabetic, blood pressure is spot on and more to the point I officially weigh 13st 13lb.

Hey Rowgtfc, good to hear your (mixed) news.
I'm about 13st 2 atm. Doing fine with the food and gym visits.

I've finally decided there's no way I'm going to be able to pay off the credit card debt of 10k anytime soon so I've consolidated it into my mortgage. Means I'm giving myself a clean slate though and I have learned my lesson. Never again rack up a debt like that.

And yes, a bit of shagging is good exercise!!

Don't mind me butting in, but have you tried monitoring your spend using an app or similar? I use one called money monitor.

I have tracked every penny we've spent since Jan 1 and it's been brilliant at helping me see where we spend on stupid stuff (like take outs - I now make sure there's always freezer pizza instead...)

I don't enter itemised bills but if I'm recording a 75£ spend at Sainsbury when I only popped in for rice, even I can tell I need to cut back on my impulse purchases! 😀😬

Hi ftw! Thanks for joining us

Yeah, I tried that You Need a Budget app but I found it too much of a faff. The plan going forward is to stick to the budget I've made myself on my computer. And to separate money into 3 accounts: bills, spending, saving. And to save up for big items (eg MOT) in advance.

Thing is, I earn a decent salary and it is just me (and the cat) so I shouldn't really be struggling. I spend a LOT on food. Especially now I'm losing weight (eyes up red quinoa and bags of dust and seeds, plus steak, fish and salad is not as cheap as doritos!!)

We're exactly half-way through the year now and I'm feeling positive about the second half. Let's do this!

Hello,

Well, Wimbledon is over and my birthday is next week.

I'm down to 12st 12 as of this morning. Hopefully that's the last time I will ever see a "teen" number of stones on the scales.

Am carrying on with the gym sessions, counselling CBT sessions and the low carb eating. Am pretty well in the groove so just got to stay patient and on track as those pounds peel away.

23 weeks until Christmas so:
If I lost 2lbs per week, I could be under 10st by December.
At 1lb/week, I'd be 11 and a bit stone by Christmas.

How's everyone else doing?

Wow! Well done!

I've put half a stone on. There's been a family wedding and birthdays and visiting aussies. No excuse really but hey ho.

I will be 13st by the time I go on holiday end of October. My knee hurts and the drugs arent working. Losing stone and a half will work. Ive had my hair cut and wore a dress at the weekend. Yes i looked fat but that is preferable to looking very pregnant when im not.

So, all good here really. I'm not down about my gain nor have I gone on a food bender.