What was your light bulb moment? I've been a real idiot and I've had my wake up call

[T1gerEye]

I've put on a lot of weight this year. An impressive 3 stone and I was a little overweight before I did that so today sees me looking at 14 stone something

The death of both my parents this year meant that for some reason I felt I could literally stuff my face with cake, Doritos and pizza. Oh and chocolate. Was eating as if sometime had told me it was calorie free

Anyway, I've had my wake up call. I got a good deal on a private blood test subscription service and thought I'd try it as just a one off as I was idly wondering what my vitamin D levels were. The fact other tests were offered too was a bonus - I didn't think too much about those. Until I got the results ..

Vitamin D low. Iron low. I have tipped myself (just) into high cholesterol. Again with the CRP test - too high. Globulin is over what it should be. On top of this, I frequently have acid reflux - which I've never had before - some back pain and I'm a bit out of breath if I walk too fast. My stomach is terrible. Just an apron of fat. I can only wear loose clothes but I kid myself they're stylish as I buy them from Hush. Nothing looks nice on me.

Amazing! what a fool I've been. I spoke to my doctor who isn't too concerned from a clinical point of view as my results are just a bit off kilter but I know this has been caused by me basically eating for England these past months. Maybe not the vitamin D - I dunno!

Anyway that's my wake up call. I have children - one still young at 12 - and I'm in my 40s. I'm hoping I've had enough of a shock to actually stick to something now

I've started the 800 calorie blood sugar thingy. I need some fairly speedy results to feel better but don't want to do any diet not nutritionally sound so this ticks the boxes for me. I'll do the 8 weeks (please god I stay the course!) and is like to see 2 stone off for Christmas which I know is achievable with dedication.

Anyone fancy chipping in? Joining me? With any diet. Or I'll just ramble to myself and see how it goes

Oh and what was your lightbulb moment?

I'll join. About 2 or 3 years ago I lost just under 2 stone. I've put a fair bit back on. I'm on holiday next week so am intending starting on 6th October. I need to lose about 10lb. I'm 59 , it gets harder as you get older. I dont want to be fat and unfit

I going well today. I weighed myself and I’m down two pounds. That feels amazing! I haven’t tried to loose weight for years and I’d forgotten how good it feels to set a goal and aim for it. Fasting this morning didn’t feel too difficult. I managed to hold out until 11:07.

My fridge is so full at the moment with good healthy food. I’m aiming for low carb foods.

Yesterday I mixed up cooked chicken, Philadelphia cheese, walnuts and chopped celery! Pretty nice!

I love this thread. Please can I join?

My lightbulb moment was three years ago when ex DH's 'mate' arsehole saw me at a petrol station then decided to announce to the pub later that evening how much weight I'd put on.

For context I am 5ft 6 and after DS2 and a nice bout of PND, I'd gone from a pre-pregnancy size 12 to a big 16. Probably 18 if I'm being honest with myself.

I was crushed. So embarrassed. And of course angry at this fucker (who has since apologised to ex DH but not me? ). So the next day, I joined slimming world. Hopped on the scales and weighed in at just over 14 stone. Over the next year I lost over three stone. I looked fucking amazing

Then of course I slowly took my foot off the gas, stopped going to SW meetings and casually turned into fat old me again.

DH and I split up in July this year. I reckon I was just over the 13 stone mark at this point. Turns out this was my second lightbulb moment, but one that actually feels like a life changing one this time.

I've joined the gym, stopped drinking and no longer eat like a hippo. I weighed in this morning at 11st 11, and I'm a comfy size 12. I've still got a way to go to get to where I want to be, but I've made a damn good start.

It seems like intermittent fasting is working for me. I'll have seedy toast with a heap of peanut butter for breakfast, with a Deliciously Ella oaty bar mid-morning (have you tired these things?! Delicious) before doing 90 mins in the gym. Then a huge lunch of something like chicken breast and veg, maybe a bag of crisps as they're my favourite thing in the world and I won't ever give them up. Then I don't eat again (bar a cup of tea in the evening) until breakfast the next day.

Basically I eat less and exercise more. And no booze unless it's a special occasion. It's been such a game changer for me.

I’d like to join in too please :)

My lightbulb moment was having a missed miscarriage in June and while waiting for the genetic testing I did lots of googling and saw the statistics for miscarriage and obesity which terrified me (it turned out to be chromosomal in the end, but the lightbulb moment about my weight had happened!). I put on three stone since having my son in Dec 2016 and was tipping the scales at nearly 15 stone! I went on the fast800 diet for a month and lost two stone and have been doing the 16:8 diet since then.

My weight has plateaued at 13 stone for the past few weeks as I’ve been not really watching what I eat too much in my 8 hour eating window. Although my BMI is now ‘overweight’ instead of ‘obese’ I would still like to lose another two stone, and this thread has inspired me to do the fast800 diet again for at least two weeks to kick start things off. I found combining it with the 16:8 diet made sticking up it quite easy as I completely cut out breakfast so that left me with 400 calories for lunch and dinner.

Thanks for this thread OP :)

This thread is great for a reboot..Thanks everyone for posting.
Like, I have done this before and I know I can do it again, but, I need to find some motivation, some drive, some focus, some purpose!!
I think the light bulb moment bit also makes us to consider various positives that weight loss can bring.

I am planning to keep to 16:8 too. I can easily skip dinner, but I get very hungry mid morning.. And end up with a headache if I don't eat then.

Lots of Water and salt they say are key to keep off headaches.. Need to up that. I used to mix a tiny bit of miso paste and a cup of warm water.. That was my version of miso soup

Today, I have had a Purition shake with almond milk and 1 coffee so far.

I might have to stick to shakes for the first week or so I think, to break bad eating patterns. And settle in to low carb, then, I will eat real food.

My moment case this summer when I got thrush under my boobs because I am now that big.

I've just had a shock this morning, I've downloaded my fitness pal and put in my favourite food from Greggs, it was 460 cal. I won't be eating those again... for a long time.

I want to be 2 stone lighter for Christmas. I'be joined a gym, and will be watching my calories!

Welcome to everyone just joining!

WW send me regular offers NiceLegs but I just don't have the time to go to a meeting at the moment. Our coach is lovely and very inspiring, I still follow her on FB but can't be bothered wasting an hour of my precious child-free time to stand in a queue for a bit.....

I'm the only vege one here too @T1gerEye (although DTS1 is immensely fussy which doesn't help!). DP had the minestrone soup with some extra bacon in it and didn't moan too much so I'll count that as a win

800 calories is very low. You risk feeling weak and hungry all the time.

Hi, I'd love to join too. I'm so sorry to read of your m/c @samosauros and for your marriage breakup @littlevoicer.

I struggle on the Fast 800 as it's so restrictive in front of the teens who don't need ideas about restricting calories so drastically! So I am on the low carb diet but watching the calories so I don't go overboard.

The lightbulb moment was a recent shopping trip. Gorgeous clothes that all either different fit or looked dreadful due to the fat. I'm a real apple shape which I think is the worst for finding nice clothes.

This thread resonated as I'm also in my 40s and find weight loss so hard as I lack motivation to keep it up beyond a few days.

Also meant to mention that when I did the Over 40s check, I was overweight and they want me back in 3 months to see if I've lost weight. Yikes!!

Samosaurus, sorry to hear about your mc. Hope you have taken the time to recover, mentally and physically.

There may be a high correlation between mc and obesity, but, it may not be the cause always.
I had 2 mcs in 2018 and I felt so terribly guilty for being overweight, by 2 stone and convinced myself that it was the cause. We never found what the real cause was.

After the first mc, I used the guilt in a positive way and lost a stone; low carb and exercise, and became really fit.. Then, the 2nd mc happened.. I was gutted. I got on to a downward spiral thereafter and gave up on TTC and pretty much everything in a way. Had a slipped disc soon after, to add to the agony!

An year on, I am only beginning to pick up myself again.

Good luck with your weight loss journey

My lightbulb moment was seeing a photograph of myself from holiday, where I looked absolutely awful, my hair was really lank, my skin an awful colour (plus bad acne), and there was no denying I was obese (and not just a bit chubby). I finally weighed myself, and I was over 13 stone (I'm under 5ft so I looked and felt huge).

I cut down on junk food, stopped binge eating at night when I was bored, stopped drinking, and tried to walk an extra mile or two (or more) when I got the chance. I think the biggest difference was changing jobs from sitting at a checkout in a super market, to cleaning (which I now look at as being paid to excercise).

That was about three years ago, I've now weighed 9 stone for the last two. I feel so much better for it.

Still trying to get another stone or two off, but I've gotten lazy and have been lacking motivation lately. My portion sizes are still much smaller than they were, so I'm not gaining, but I know I should be eating much healthier foods than I am. My goal was never to be skinny, it was to be fit and healthy, which to me is more important, so I still have work to do.

I've never been to anything like weight watchers, or a gym (because I'm introverted and prefer having a go on the outdoor gym equipment in the local park, when there's nobody about), though I'd forgotten I used to swim once a week, for the first year after the lightbulb moment, at least 40 laps of the pool every Sunday.

@F33lguilty thank you for your kind words x
@houseRefurb so sorry to hear you had two m/c they can really knock you for 6:( I’m glad you are beginning to pick yourself up now. The consultant I saw told me that a healthy fetus will survive famine, fire and flood! In my case it was T21, and it really helped to know the cause. I hope you have some peace of mind now too. Sounds like you had a terrible year. We are ttc again, but not holding out too much hope and trying to get over feeling guilty that my son is likely to be an only :( Anyway focussing on weight loss and getting healthy is keeping me from getting too obsessive about ttc! It’s nice to have found this thread :) x

WW send me regular offers NiceLegs but I just don't have the time to go to a meeting at the moment. Our coach is lovely and very inspiring, I still follow her on FB but can't be bothered wasting an hour of my precious child-free time to stand in a queue for a bit.....

I understand completely @RubySlippers77 My life is mercifully peaceful right now and I have a blissful amount of free time

Do keep following on Facebook though. The WW method is sensible (in the main) and there are lots of recipes - if you're a dab hand in the kitchen (unlike me)

Those of you who have tried slim fast, what approach have you taken? Do you make the milk shakes with cows milk or nut milk? It sounds pretty good.

Op I stood on the scales and found out I was just a shade under 16 stone on 1 January this year. I have followed the fast 800 diet and I'm now bang on 12 stone. It's been easy. I was just being disgusting. I want to loose another 2 stone but I'm now a size 12 instead of pushing an 18. You can do it. And if you slip up just get back on it.

I know I’m fat. My lowest point was when the doctor assumed I was pregnant. But the more weight I lose the looser my skin gets and the worse I look. It’s discouraging and makes weight loss seem pointless when you make the effort and just look worse. I’m tempted to actually gain weight just to make my skin taut again.

stupidboyman you must be really tall to be a size 12 at 12 stone! I’m 5’7 and 11 stone but I’m a size 16 😔

@SilverChime if you're 5 ft 7 and 11 stone, you're categorically not fat. You may be over where you'd like to be but you're not fat.

@FrontRowSeat are slim fast lower in sugar these days? They used to be really high in the stuff. I've got some Fast 800 stuff which I'm just adding a scoop of to yogurt and that's pretty good. I'd certainly look at slim fast if it's come on a bit since the days of the sickly chocolate, strawberry and banana flavours

Relatively decent start to my food day

200g Greek yogurt
Raspberries & chopped pear
Scoop of protein powder

Cathedral City lighter cheddar mini cheese portion for a snack as won't get lunch until later on

So about 358 calories so far

Silverchime not necessarily, height is one variable but there's also the ratio of fat to muscle which makes a huge difference to what measurements people of the same weight can have. Also massively depends where you shop, a size 12 in m&s isn't the same as a size 12 in h&m, not to mention a size 12 over the pond is a different thing altogether!

I drink the ready made slimfast, I'm having a cafe latte one right now. It's 21.6 carbs per 325ml serving of which 12.8 sugars (5.3 fat, 4.9 fibre, 15 protein). If you want the per 100ml it's 6.6carbs of which 3.9 sugars.
Is that high sugar? They are sweet, some flavours sweeter than others.

Yay! Day 1 done. Easier than I thought it was going to be. Busy time with work helped to not graze
Over cals, but carbs at decent limit, 1050 calls , 55g carbs
45 mins of walking.
Happy with that
Will aim to do better tomorrow