AIBU to want a gentler health/weight discussion

[argumentativefeminist]

Want to interact with others and get support/motivation for getting healthier and active, and in the process losing weight. But I absolutely don't want to hear any "diet culture", calorie counting or unhealthy disordered eating promotion. Surely I can't be the only one? Sometimes it seems like every thread I click on is just full of upsetting, unhelpful comments that sound like they could have been lifted from a thinspo website.

koko your house sounds like mine! It’s a work in progress but chucking stuff away is a surprisingly great feeling. Keep chipping away.

Hello! Sorry, fell off the map for a while.

A skim-read to catch up tells me it's all pessaries and cunting bunting here nowadays, hope both are going well.

Are we all serene and thin now?

I've been losing 1 to 1.5 lb a week on my Don't Snack or Eat Shit Hypnotherapy Journey™ so I'm not yet a whippet but I'm still feeling relaxed and positive about it all.

Have also started running again (even though I'll be dragging my uterus along behind me in a shopping trolley due to shit pelvic floor) and PLANKING. Both are making me feel wobbly and feeble but like I am Doing Something.

I've missed you Agatha! Really glad to hear the hypnotherapy is helping you. This thread really does make me laugh 😂

I've got hours and hours on trains over the next few days so will either be on here not a lot or loads, depending on train Wi-Fi. Looking forward to a few days by myself though.

Good to be back, AF.

Ooh, I fancy a nice long solo train journey. Working too hard at the minute and would love a bit of solitude.

Agatha ! Sounds fab!

As a woman on an Organs All Attempting To Exit Body Through Baggy Pelvic Floor Muscles Under The Slightest Provokation Journey I’d definitely advise downloading the nhs Squeezy app and doing your pelvic floor exercises - they help even though I’ve got a proper grade 2 prolapse, so if you haven’t they’ll be even better and should help prevent shopping trolley uterus. Also give me a shout if you want any info - I’ve become quite knowledgeable since my fanny broke!

Ooh, check you, Verbena, with yer official knackered fanny diagnosis.

I've been seeing the Incontinence Clinic lady, and I think I might be making progress, albeit very slowly because I never do the frigging exercises. Will look at the app though. How does it work? Every hour on the hour a voice yells "MINGE!" out of your phone?

Queen of Baggy Nethers, me

The app times you for 10 long and 10 short muscle contractions 3x a day (or 4 if the incontinence clinic lady knows you’re planning to run despite the knackeredness), and keeps a record of whether you’ve done it. It is useful and keeps me on track. I am going to investigate whether I can make it yell ‘minge’ at me instead of doing a discreet ping (will be perfect for when I go back to work.)

Also the incontinence clinic loaned me an electronic fanny zapper to help tone pf muscles up and it was really helpful - got it because I don’t want prolapse surgery but I’m aiming for enough function to run so we’re chucking everything at it. They’re designed to help with stress incontinence so you could ask about that? (I found it so good I’ve ordered my own, which you can get VAT free with a hospital letter - am now thinking maybe I need some mini cunting bunting to adorn the wires...)

Just realised, the fanny zapper is actually called a ‘neurotrac continence’, in case you want to ask in a serious manner at your next appointment.

You see, I think I'd be more likely to do pelvic floor stuff if there was a contraption to use. Slightly disappointed it's not actually called a Fanny Zapper.

Or ‘quinny buzz’ Such a waste of a name, that

When mine arrives I shall emblazon it with ‘Quinny Buzz’ and festoon it with bunting

It contracts the muscles for you (so you can sit there in peace and do nothing), but if the muscles are less fucked you might be better with a biofeedback device which measures the strength of your contractions so you can see you’re getting it right.

Sorry all. Normal non-vagina-centric service will resume shortly!

In France they have specialist physios stick their hands up your fanny post-delivery to check you’re doing your pelvic floor exercises.

Sometimes I wonder if that sort of fear is something I needed

I’m 7w pp and also bfing so not in diet-land! However, these are my last babies and I’m determined to get healthy, fit and strong! I find that exercise is key - if I’m in a good exercise routine, I want to eat well. I have a couple of patent and baby exercise classes sourced for when I’m ready 😊

Hiya reiltin

Breastfeeding and no diet/weight loss plans here either, but aiming to get fit and strong again after baby as well, and look after my well-being in general.

Hey Reiltin! As you'll discover as we go along, my knowledge of babies and baby related things is so small that it basically doesn't extend beyond cuddling them a bit and probably not feeding them chips 😂 but there's lots of other lovely ladies here that seem to know loads about post baby bodies and keeping them healthy, so I hope you'll feel welcome and find it helpful!

Don't worry about your vagina centric PSAs Verbena! I am an argumentative feminist after all, it's the kind of content I think is very important 😂 it's all part of your health at the end of the day and that's what we're here for!

Half an hour early for my train. There's something absolutely blissful about listening to music on my big noise cancelling headphones and watching other people run around trying to catch trains 😂

Yes op! I love being unexpectedly early like that. Such a luxury, sitting by the tracks with nowhere to go.

Inspired by this thread, I have just sorted my wardrobe and found a huge black bag’s worth to charity. Loads more for storage. I’m trying a capsule wardrobe this season (get me ). Trying to remove the ‘stress’ (first world problem) out of choosing an outfit every day.

We are off on a plane to see my dad today. Very excited and planning lots of fresh air and walks by the sea. Will try to do some yoga too. Also catching up with family. Can’t wait.

Hope everyone else has nice weekends planned?

Ah lovely af ! Big cup of mint tea and something good to read and that sounds perfect.

Managed another ‘run’ yesterday, though week 4 of couch to 5k feels pretty frustrating when this time 3 years ago I was happily doing 10 miles over hilly ground. However. Any running is better than no running.

Will try and get some Pilates in today.

Day three of low carb. Just spent an hour sorting Lego.. shoot me now

Hold on tight camel !

If it’s any consolation I just moved the sofa to hoover and found 3 odd socks, some building blocks, about a tablespoon full of dried up rice, and half a dried-out and fossilised buttery English muffin (how does the radius of chaos extend so far beyond the highchair for heavens sake?!?)

First train: Cancelled
Replacement train: Packed with wanker commuter men
Second train: Severely delayed/where is it??
Replacement train: The doors don't open 🙄
Replacement train round 2: so far so good...

Hope all your days are slightly more successful than mine! Keeping my spirits up though and actually haven't been too tempted by the wide array of station fast food.

Tried out a yoga class today but I'm not sure it was for me. I felt quite sick when I came out and I think it may have been partly because we spent so much time bending over and also partly due to the heavy smell of incense. Also, everyone else there was really flexible while I was at least three stones heavier and as flexible as a plank of wood. The instructor was lovely though and her directions were very clear.

Well done for giving it a go apples! Incense really makes me feel poorly too, so it might have been that. It's trial and error sometimes to find things that work for you, but definitely always worth giving things a go.

apples ‘yoga’ covers a wide range of practises - this is an interesting listen www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07flbst

Anyway, it means if one class doesn’t suit you it’s well worth trying another as they differ widely. Insence doesn’t sound great with deep breathing and exertion to me!!