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.

I almost always have porridge with chopped (uncooked) apple for breakfast. Five stone down, somewhere between one and two more to go. Have been very stuck lately and it's been very hard work to even stay the same, never mind make progress. Hanging in there, and trusting it will start moving again eventually. I need to step awaaaaay from the Easter choc that's everywhere...

Based purely on personal experience, I agree about it being common for carers / parents of children win additional needs, to find it very hard to take care of themselves - which often then turns into carrying extra weight. I'm a single parent, DC has SEN, and I work during school hours. Fitting in exercise is really, really hard. I'm the kind of person who's never enjoyed sport, but to my shock over the last year I've come to love running. It gives me quiet headspace I just never get otherwise. I am very slow, I get very red, and I am doing well if I make time to go twice a week. But I'm still going and it helps me.

I know what you mean about not wanting to take more photos - I had years of "before" shots But when I started all this I took front view and side view in leggings and t shirt and I do find it encouraging to look at them compared to 1 year, and almost 2 years on. I also take measurements roughly once a month, but it's whatever will encourage you, rather than make you feel worse.

to everyone taking it one day at a time.

What I do needs to be sustainable, I don’t want to eat vegetables in the morning and I enjoy porridge. I probably won’t want to eat porridge every day for the rest of my life but for now it is better than a latte and croissant from a cafe at 11am.

I want to learn what other people like/what works for them and build a bank of ideas. I’m watching the DC at their gymnastics class at the moment and my tummy is rumbling. I’ve had a pot of fruit salad but that hasn’t done much, I might need to think of teas I can bring with me in future as when
I am hungry I cannot make good choices.

Thanks for understanding what I meant op!

Packs of precooked chicken breast I quite like, boiled eggs, banana, yoghurts, baby bel lights. At that time of the afternoon fruit wouldn't be enough, I would eat waay too many nuts, so something high protein to tide me over until dinner is my go to. Each to their own, hope you get some more inspiration that suits you

I think cold chicken would be good, something that is actually satisfying. I like eggs but not cold ones, flashbacks of being on a school bus with someone who had warm egg mayo sandwiches!

Sorry I haven't read the whole thread but I'd start by thinking about what aspect of your diet is causing the weight gain... for me I eat lots of veg but I love butter too much I sometimes negate my good work.

I think diet plays a bigger role than exercise, however I would say finding an exercise you like eg a fitness class like Zumba or yoga does wonders for mental health and can give you a real boost (once the initial feelings of embarrassment go) I also find I WANT to eat healthier when I've exercised.

I have a Fitbit which is really helping me track daily activity, I've gained a lot of baby weight and I'm trying to do 10,000 steps a day to re-build my fitness... would something like this help you? - it also tracks your weight, heart rate etc

I have porridge readybrek with berries for breakfast as I need something easy and quick.

I do find I am more hungry than if I had eggs/bacon etc but I simply don't have time unless it's a weekend. What I do to counter that is to have a couple of ryvitas with a low calorie cheese spread mid morning. Again quick to eat on the go at work but enough to settle my hunger pangs till lunch.

I'm 18 stone too. It's so daunting think about loosing all that weight.

:(

Have a decent, reasonably healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, but don't snack. Or graze and have lots of nibbly type snacks over the day instead of your main meal, but not both. You could try cutting your regular portion size by a quarter, swap healthy for unhealthy things, have chicken and veg or salad without any chips or potatoes, low fat options where possible etc. Drink plenty of water. Find ways to fit exercise into your daily routine, go for a walk or jog around the block on your work breaks if you can, stick on some music and have a dance around the kitchen while your cooking, etc. Try to find a type of exercise you enjoy, to do in the mornings. An excercise bike or skipping while you watch a boxeset or listen to music or an audiobook, going for a walk with a mate or whatever. Leave earlier and walk to work, or walk to a further away bus or train stop, or park further away than you usually would. Look online for cheap comfy clothes and shoes to exercise in.

@handsoffmysweets - definitely. I crack open the sugary treats the way other people crack open a bottle of wine after a hard day.

@FuckASilverLining, stay and chat weight with me here. You don’t need to do anything, I promise!

Yes, tonight I have organised some paperwork (lots more of that to do) anything to break the hand to mouth cycle!

I know it's so much less satisfying but every time you feel the urge to eat in the evenings after your main meal could you make a cup of tea and snack on a pack of grapes or similar ... at least that simulates eating a packet of something...?

Personal thoughts on that is it's the world we live in today. Everything is instant. With a click we have same day delivery. We get a little annoyed if a page wont load. We want to talk to someone, we send a message. Same goes for food. what we want to eat brings us immediate satisfaction, it is the after effects we don't like. When losing weight it can take a long time to start to feel or see the benefits and we want them NOW. When starting a new exercise programme, it hurts and its hard and not very rewarding. It can take months to get to a point to actively want to exercise and get those feel good endorphins instead of feeling like you can't do it. ( all 'yous' are generic). Essentially a long winded way to explain delayed gratification.