Mutual support thread for those currently losing or working towards losing a lot of weight

[UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme]

This is a mutual support thread for anyone who wants (and needs) to lose a lot of weight, is mid way through losing a lot of weight, or is nearing the end of a big weight loss and wants to continue to support and be supported as maintenance approaches.

The previous thread has been massively helpful to regular posters, as we share both our losses and our plateau or gains, congratulate or console, and talk about what works for us while understanding that different things work for different people, and we are all different ages, all have different families/ households/ people to plan around, different commitments, different working lives and different health conditions which partly determine our approaches.

We are all on this journey together - this thread is for us to encourage one another, post updates, chat about what we're doing, how we're doing, share stories and thoughts and sometimes wander slightly off topic if we want, but everyone posting should be somewhere along the journey towards escaping high BMI obesity.

The previous thread was started by someone who no longer posts and initially asked how to lose 9 stone - it developed into a support thread for people with varying amounts left to lose but all of whom started out with at least 5 or 6 stone + / 30 or 35 kg + to lose, very roughly...

No links to selling sites or unsolicited "helpful" lectures please - mutual support from existing and new posters all actually living this big weight loss now, or just starting out, welcome!

Previous thread here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/3894410-i-need-to-lose-9st-help

@triceratopsmama well done on not bingeing! Fantastic start

@tibni having takeaway and managing it as part of your weight loss is really good. I'm having takeaway tomorrow and hoping to do the same. Going to really consider my quantities, but once we've got it I'm going to enjoy it!

@GoodbyeToCare it can be discouraging in the beginning. I'm weighing myself weekly and the first week that I didn't have a decent loss I was gutted. I feel like as time goes on you (and I) will recognise these as the normal fluctuations. It will all even out and if you've been eating healthy food it might help to try and focus on that!

@MamaNewtNewt Welcome! I think you will fit right in Sounds like you've got a really good approach. There are several people here who have already lost significant amounts of weight, so it can be done! Focusing on sustainable changes to food and lifestyle are what will lead to genuine improvements in health!

@ScottishBeth thank you! Today is going well too, I had an awful headache during the night and this morning, sugar withdrawal I'm sure, I'm drinking loads of water, I never usually drink any.

Off out for a walk now and I'm having chicken stir fry with cauliflower rice for dinner. I've ordered a new scales too, picking it up tomorrow.

@MamaNewtNewt I know how you feel, I haven't told anyone but Dh that I'm trying to lose weight, I've said it so many times before I just can't tell them. Hopefully for both of us they will see soon enough!!
It sounds like you're off to a flying start, it's great to have support here from people who really understand.

Hello all. I would like to join this chat if that's ok?

I'm 5 foot 7 with a weight of 18 stone 4, 33 years old.

I'm following the SW diet as I find it easy to follow and stick to.

First session with a Personal Trainer tomorrow as I know my weakness is sticking to exercise and lacking motivation.

I really want to be able to take up horse riding again and I am just miserable with my weight and lack of fitness.

Hello to all the new people.esp @Stellaris22, you have got yourself well organised.
I’m having a good week,so pleased my swimming pool has opened, although like @alphaechokiwi , I have a knee issue now, but I’m ignoring it, I need these swims. I’ve been losing weight very slowly since January, which was fine and sustainable, but then I had a family wedding in July sprung upon me, and I just don’t want to be trussed up and fat for that. But my daily weigh ins are showing a good loss for this week, and I’m hopeful that I can kick on a bit now.

Hello everyone

My husband weighed himself this morning and he's six foot something and a size "large" and he's still 13 kg lighter than me at 5 ft 4.

Good reminder that I need to do this!

@stellaris22 I would love to horse ride too.

There are many things I would love to do but I need to lose weight first. Getting to 99kg is my first goal.

Had my first PT session this morning and I'm really glad I found such a lovely PT. Gym stuff is a brand new world to me and it was great to have someone to guide me. Committed to two sessions a week as I really, drastically need to increase my fitness. Getting out of breath walking up hills is annoying now!

Welcome everyone. Loads of new people joining, wishing everyone the best of luck with your goals.
@Zebracat I'm really sorry to hear that your knee is bothering you. I hope you enjoy swimming....

Thanks for the welcome everyone - and welcome to my fellow new joiners!

I did my 4th Couch To 5K run today and I am repeating week 1 as I don't feel ready to move up and I don't want to lose momentum by it getting too hard too soon. I have found it a bit of a struggle when the sun comes out as I overheat really easily and get migraines but am sticking it out.

Food-wise I am doing pretty well, we did have a takeaway last night as I had a last min work meeting, but it wasn't too lardy relatively speaking (halloumi and salad in a bread roll and fries) but I managed to resist the full sugar coke I would have normally had with this takeaway.

@Zebracat I'd not thought about swimming pools being open again, might have to try to incorporate a swim into my exercise routine, good luck with the swimming and I hope your knee eases.

@Rebuildingconfidence i'm in a similar position, I'm 5' 5", my DH is 6' 3" and he weight 25kg less than me we'll have to shout out when we get to the point where we weight less than our DH

@Stellaris22 well done on the PT sessions, I'd like to do something similar eventually but right now I'm hiding out and exercising in my back garden.

Oh yum yum to takeaways and boo to lighter husbands. I am currently 18 kilos heavier, which is better than 26; but still crap.I have cooked for tonight, Aubergine lasagna which will go down like a cup of cold sick with our carnivorous offspring. I don’t care, they can get themselves something, I am having trouble with my gout medication, which makes it really important that I don’t eat too much meat. Trying not to moan about them but I am 61 and so so ready for my nest to empty.i

Aubergine lasagne sounds yum but I'm a vegetarian. We went for quorn and veg chilli with baked sweet potatoes. Hope the gout improves and it sounds like your children are old enough to sort food themselves if needed. It's not until you move out that you fully appreciate just how awesome it was having your parents make your meals for you.

Aubergine lasagne does sound fab (another veggie)
I had a tiny lightbulb moment, dinner was jacket potato and salad and I'd decided to have a slice of wholemeal bread with it. Ate the huge potato and salad, was going to reach for the bread when I realised I was satisfied and didn't need the bread. Listening and recognising my feelings related to food is something new to me

@MamaNewtNewt how are you finding the couch to 5k? I think I'm going to try it.

I've been doing really well with food, I had been mindlessly snacking and binging all day every day for months.

I had porridge with hazelnut milk for breakfast,
a banana
2 boiled eggs and 1 slice of brown soda bread for lunch
Peppered steak with 1 scoop of mashed potato for dinner
2 small oranges afterwards

I'm going for a walk this morning after playschool drop off with one of the other mothers.

I'm amazed I don't feel hungry. I really feel like this is my time. I'm so sick of being fat.

Welcome MamaNewtNewt and Stellaris22 - sounds as though you're both off to a good start.

zebracat sorry your knee is playing up. I'm very jealous of the open swimming pools - no swimming options here at all atm. I'm thinking it might just be swimming lakes this year, it's not even certain that the open air pools will open here this year They traditionally open on May bank holiday each year; will have to wait and see. At least we have official swimming lakes, but its much to cold for lake swimming atm!

triceratopsmama great attitude! You'll do it!

tibni well done on managing to listen to your body and recognise that you didn't need the bread - that's such a massive, important new habit.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme thank you! I really feel like it's possible this time. This is a great place for support and encouragement😊

Didn't weigh myself at all over the Easter holidays, I'd been consistently losing before and hadn't eaten badly in that time, but it turns out I haven't lost anything (haven't gained either thankfully). Bit frustrating, but I guess that's how it goes sometimes.

Some good news though, I've found an exercise video that I can follow along with without injuring my joints, and it's quite fun. Though I've discovered I have absolutely no coordination 😂

Thanks @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme and everyone for the lovely support here.

I'm not telling friends or family because I'm hoping I can lose some weight before I see them again so it's great to have this thread.

It seems quite common not to tell friends and family. I’m in awe of that, I’m such a blurter. But I have kept it fairly low key , because the teen is underweight, and the 20 something is overweight, and I’m not wanting to mess with their minds. Also, when I lost weight a few years ago, some friends who I would have predicted would be supportive, were the opposite, and did actively try to sabotage my efforts.

Been suffering from a knee injury which has caused a flare up if my joint condition and been eating everything in sight 😞 need to get my head in the right place again- anyone have any tips for dealing with self destructive eating?

@Stuckanddesperate I have lots of experience of self destructive eating, I know how hard it is. I turn to food to get me through every difficulty and challenge.

My only tips would be: don't buy the stuff you don't want to eat. It's impossible to resist when it's right there. If you have to actually go to a shop for it it's easier to tell yourself no. Also, try eating healthier things if you are craving the comfort of food. Carrots, cucumber, bag of salad leaves, tin of chickpeas. I sometimes find the act of chewing can bring some comfort and stave off the desire to eat unhealthy food.

Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks @Rebuildingconfidence I’m just so stupid as I know my health issues would be improved by losing weight but when they are bad I still react by over eating. I will try again tomorrow

@Stuckanddesperate I am the same. It's frustrating but tomorrow will be better I hope

🤞we can do this

Stuckanddesperate sorry to hear about your knee and the domino effect it's triggered. I'm absolutely also guilty of self destructive eating, pretty much all my life I suspect. I am not doing it atm and haven't for months and months, but then life is (touch wood) not unusually stressful atm and I don't have any big triggers. Apart from avoiding triggers (which is out of your control when its a knee injury and illness) my tips would be two fold:

1. do something else in a location away from food. When you feel like eating go and run a bath and take a book, your music playing device and lock yourself in the bathroom, have a long bath with nice smellies and condition your hair,apply body lotion, take care of yourself instead of harming yourself with excess junk food. If, of course, you like baths and can do that at your trigger moment. Alternatively obviously pick something else - video call a friend or family member if there's someone who usually lifts your mood, and talk about them rather than concentrating on your troubles ( video so they'd notice if you were eating a whole pack of biscuits during the call ), do a craft you enjoy which uses your hands, get out of the house if you can - if your knee prevents you going for a walk you could even go for a drive and visit someone - even if they get out the biscuits its better to eat a few biscuits socially than binge alone - you eat less and psychologically its a totally different thing and less likely to spiral out of control!

2. remind yourself it's not all or nothing! You do not need to write days off! Even if you just ate 3/4 of a family size bar of chocolate/ bag of crisps or whatever, the logic that you might as well finish it all now and start again tomorrow is utter nonsense! Every extra mouthful of junk is a decision - you can throw the last few mouthfuls in the bin and you will have saved yourself those empty calories, that sugar inflammation, those saturated fats etc.

There's actually something immensely powerful and freeing about stopping half way through an illicit secret biscuit and chucking the uneaten half in the bin and knowing you can do that - try it!