I'm just so fat, how and where do I start? Overwhelmed.

[Fantasisa]

I'm 18stones, it has crept on over the last five years. I was previously a fit an active person.

I just do not know where to start, my size is starting to limit my activities. I can't wear any of my nice clothes, my wedding ring doesn't fit anymore etc. But I am utterly overwhelmed and don't know where to start.

I want something sustainable - I don't like things like SW/WW as the meetings make me cringe and I don't find them motivational. But I need to change and I need to change now.

I have a very, very busy life working FT and caring for small DC (when the weight piled on) and an elderly relative. I could exercise before work but I'm just so damn tired all the time. I don't even know where to buy jogging bottoms that fit, my tummy is now an overhang which is uncomfortable.

Help please! Advice or motivational stories most welcome.

@alwaysgrey we didn’t put the weight on overnight so won’t lose it overnight either

New day tomorow. Reset. Make meal plans and drink lots of water to fill you up.

It’s not the end of the world. I still eat McDonald’s very occassionally.

I love th bbq burgers😊

With kids it’s hard to completely eliminate fast food.

I think the key with places like McDonald's is to check out the menu online and pick a couple of 'meals' that are lower calorie.

I am losing weight but still go and eat there but am very mindful that a bbq burger (which I used to eat regularly) is almost the same as a big tasty which surprised me. But if I have a mcchicken sandwich instead it's half the number of calories.

For me the weight loss is so long term that I need a day to day motivator. Too much sugar makes my moods awful so that’s my best motivator for keeping off it. Have a bank of reasons to eat well - not just the weight loss.

I'm on a weight loss journey myself - it's very slow but I did notice the change from a BMI from 29 to 30. I have lost 1.5kg since New year.
I do intermittantly log my food - I need to do that now as not only has it shown when I'm snacking but that I wasn't eating nearly enough protien, since I lift as well.

I also don't eat before 12.00 but if that works for you you must drink lots of water. I found I eat more in the evening so that is when I have tailored my eating interval.
Also I am filling my plate up with veg relative to carbs.

One thing I have noticed is with more protien and veg plus a 16:8 style of eating is I have less of a tendancy to snack. I don't ban carbs but ration them and seldom eat my ration - I might drink full fat coke once or twice a week. I often look at cakes and think about eating them but don't since I usually find them way too sweet.

Carbs and sugar cutting is a marathon though. Also think about calories in drinks. If I make a smoothie it's usually a meal replacement not a snack. Alcohol is also calorific so I have low-or non-alcoholic beer and cider as my weekday drinks.

Remember it is a marathon not a sprint.

And get photos of yourself in underwear taken now and in the same underwear in 3 month time. A visual recordd is a useful one.

I couldn't bear to have photos taken of me in my underwear and I don't want to look back in a few months (if I'm doing well) and criticise myself in my own mind.

I don't even like McDonald's very much at all so it was a complete waste. I will have to get more organised so that doesn't happen again or if it does I treat myself to something I am happy to spend the calories on.

It was porridge for breakfast again this morning.

Don’t you find that porridge for breakfasts makes you staving by mid morning, because of the spike and then crash in your blood sugar?

I can’t bear being that hungry, it’s eggs and veg for me.

I’m also with you on the underwear photos thing. The only full length mirror in my bedroom is inside a wardrobe door, so I don’t get caught unawares .

@IM0GEN I wear glasses so I can't really see myself accidentally in a mirror anyway

I'm alright on porridge, even having breakfast at all is a start for me. It is hard making the time for it but I am trying to get more organised. What veg do you have in the morning?

Fried tomatoes with fried or poached eggs or sausages , I used to have mushrooms but I’ve gone off them.

Baby plum toms, celery and cucumber if I have hard boiled eggs / cold ham.

Crispy kale and broccoli with chorizo and topped with a poached egg is my favourite but takes more time.

I’m trying to squeeze in the veg. Otherwise I end up with some combo of eggs/bacon/ sausages/ beans which is yummy but not very balanced .

These are all good to keep me full until a very late lunch / early dinner. I’m not very good at being hungry 😳

Ooh I forgot asparagus with a boiled egg .

There is definitely not time in my morning routine for any of that! It is a miracle that I have managed to squeeze in porridge before work this week.

I have been doing 5:2 as well as trying to make healthier food choices since October and have lost 2 stone. It has helped me on my non fast days because I now know that being peckish means I have to grab a biscuit, waiting an hour for lunch is nothing when you fast a full day.

As of yet I haven’t incorporated much exercise but my head is in a much better place and the sun is shining so I feel positive about that rather than intimidated.

You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet so start with food. If you go in all guns blazing with a super strict diet and exercising 5 days a week the effort will be too much and you risk failing. Read through the options and find abusy thread in weight loss chat and jump in.

When I’m pushed for time I have scrambled eggs made in the microwave and a couple of tomatoes. Quicker than making toast at home. Or I can do it I’m the microwave at work 🥚🥚

One of my autistic child has decided screaming at a high pitch every two minutes is the way to go. Consoled myself with some pringles but thankfully don’t have anything else remotely tasty in so I stopped at a handful of pringles.

@alwaysgrey - that sounds awful. I haven't had Pringles for years! I think they have got drugs sprinkled on them as they are so addictive.

@Handsoffmy I'm happy with porridge to be honest, it suits me and my tastebuds for that time of day.

The best diet or breakfast is completely down to the individual and what is healthy and sustainable for their likes. Porridge is a good choice.

Maybe, but op is just embarking on this journey. If too many changes are made it's unsustainable. Its proven that small little tweaks and habit changes over time result in keeping the healthy habits instead of changing everything, struggling, go back to old ways. For now op is happy with porridge which IS a good choice. Maybe in a few weeks it might get shaken up. Like overnight oats or with a preboiled egg. Or may stay the same and op works on lunch or snacks. Its a never ending journey. My lunch has evolved drastically since starting to be healthy for example. Little tweaks and adjustments. Its not all or nothing.

Dont aim for perfection, aim for better choices.