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

That's not bad @FatCatThinCat, especially with med changes. I'm on a few myself and I understand how it can be bit more challenging trying to loose weight when taking some of them. Especially ones with its main side effect of weight gain 😖 Doesn't help. Hope next week is better for you

I know I said I wouldn't go on the scale again for at least a week, but I couldn't help myself. Still the same. Not really sure what I was expecting haha, like a sudden 7lbs weight loss or something stupid. But that's it, I've put them away and won't look at them until this time next week

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. I'm away to get my second covid jab at 2pm, hopefully don't feel too rough!

Well after thinking I wouldn't be able to weigh myself for a while I was weighed in hospital today and have lost 1.5lbs / 0.7kg so will take that 😊

@MamaNewtNewt wonderful. I lost weight while immobile in hospital so I know it can happen. Partly because the standard food was so bad that I ate entirely from the Asian vegetarian menu, which was delicious and much healthier. Hope you are keeping your spirits up

Hope you feel better soon @MamaNewtNewt That's amazing! Is it the food? I know it can sometimes be a bit shit lol and put you off eating as much. But that's a very good effort

The food isn't too bad but I don't have much of an appetite really. To be fair there's an ok amount of options for vegetarians but not across all the meals so if I wasn't having an omelette for lunch I was having one for tea and now I feel sick at the thought of one.

This is my menu from today and doesn't differ much day to day.

Breakfast - 1 slice of toast (can't always finish it)
Lunch - small bowl of soup (the soups are totally delicious!) and a bread roll and ice cream while it has been hot.
Tea - salad or DH brings me something (e.g quorn sandwich, or pitta bread and dips. )

@Zebracat - no one has told me about an Asian vegetarian menu!! I'm gonna enquire about that tomorrow.

@MamaNewtNewt - that's good news at least and I hope you'll be getting home soon.
I've stayed the same this week at 83kg. I would have liked to have lost, but not going to worry about it ... fingers crossed for next week. Happy Sunday everyone

@MamaNewtNewt glad you are doing ok and hope you will be home before too long STS here this week. Was hoping to lose but meals haven’t been great tbh. Aim to be better next week

Well done on staying the same you guys, sometimes that's a good result to take us into the next week.

@Zebracat Im so glad you mentioned the Asian menu to me - I just asked to look at this (and turns out there's another specific vegetarian menu with loads more options too) and am now having curry for my tea This is really going to help me with my evening meals and will save DH from having to bring me food over - thanks so much!!!

@Zebracat, that's such a great tip re hospital food!

Glad I could help. Not weighed today. Forgot, which is not good, usually a slippery slope situation. I weighed yesterday and had gained another 1.1 kilo, so now 96.4. I had a stinking cold and couldn’t do anything, so I know why, but should have put less calories in to compensate. I am better now and back on track. I will swim tomorrow. Irritating to have to lose those hard won 2.2 kilos again though. Grr

Happy

Oops. My tablet is playing up.

Happy birthday for the other day @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

@MamaNewtNewt glad to hear from you, and that you're doing ok. It's good you've got some sleep too. I work in a hospital and I always think that must be so difficult.

I weighed myself yesterday and was 88kg, which is a gain of 0.3kg. I was a bit disappointed, but I've just looked at my food diary for the week and there were a lot of little treats, so that explains that!

@ScottishBeth. Just how I feel. We have to own it, so even though I have gained 2 weeks running, I have kept my food diary and I know where I went wrong. So it is fair that I am fat.

@Zebracat my curry was delicious. So glad I got a yummy, filling tea as I'm meant to be having my second op tomorrow so no good for a while now!

The food diaries sound like a good idea I guess it helps to understand the areas to work on. Good luck next week everyone.

Just posting for accountability but I seem to have undone all my good work and now back up to 104 kgs despite swimming and walking (or perhaps because of swimming and walking increasing my appetite!) Really need to keep up my exercise but keep the food intake down.

Fingers crossed I can get some of that off this week.

Just come in to do a little celebratory dance, lost my first stone! Admittedly it's taken since March, but still, it's progress. Given I've been stress eating lately that's pretty good.

@Zebracat yes, I'm the same. I think it's about a month since I've really lost anything. But when I look back I can see why.

@Rebuildingconfidence sorry to hear that! It is so hard, this! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

@MedusasBadHairDay well done!

@MamaNewtNewt yes, writing it down helps see what's going on. I don't bother with weighing everything though. Also

@Rebuildingconfidence. You have not undone all your good work. We may not have lost masses of weight, and regained some, but we have learnt so much. You will never go back to the mindless eating and denial and paralysis that got us all over 100 kilos in the first place. I lost and regained the same 5-10 kilos about 4 times, and realised then that I’d be at a healthy weight if it had all stayed off. But because I was tracking on MFP , I could also see that the gains happened when I didn’t track, and that there was a trigger for the tracking to stop. swimming and walking is really good, I bet you are fitter and healthier than when you were 104 kilos before. You may just need to plan around the activity. I find that a banana, or a bowl of soup are really filling and quick, but sometimes I have a snack size Mars bar instead. But if I do that everyday, it shows on the scales.
You just need to think that you are a work in progress, finding what works for you, and getting better all the time. We are brave, we are strong, we can do this!

Had a bad couple of days due to social stuff and it seems to have triggered a need to snack. Already had one biscuit this morning and want to inhale the rest of the packet 😞

@Readytostartagain - I'm sorry you're struggling today. It's so hard sometimes to get back to plan after social events. I find the 'delay not deny' strategy works for me. I tell myself that I'll eat the biscuits/ chocolate / crisps at the weekend. Mostly (although certainly not always) that's enough to be able to overcome the urge to eat everything in sight. I hope you can find something that works for you today. It can be utter torture when the snacks are calling.

Thanks @alphaechokiwi it’s not been a great day but think I need to draw a line now. I need to change my mindset where eating is treating myself where actually making time for exercising more and eating healthily would be true self care.

Hope everyone else is having a better week

Following.
Last week was so stressful, I don't even know how I managed to keep it up without binge eating. Maybe all the emotional eating thing finally leaves me alone.. or so I wish. This feeling of undoing all your hard work is just UGH. Anyways, good to know I survived the stress. Not so sure about this week though, I'm doing a Smartshow 3D video for a new grocery store which means taking pics of tasty food and working with them later. Wish me luck, ladies!

@Zebracat thank you so much for the kind words which have really lifted me this morning! I was going to give up checking the thread because I am so down about my weight but I will continue, so thank you very much for that.

@Rebuildingconfidence. Please don’t give upon the thread.we are the same vintage, and seem to have the same struggles. You seriously need to find ways to measure progress other than the scale. I’m aiming to swim 4 times a week, which is only possible because I don’t work. The weeks when I achieve it feel good, and when I don’t , so far it’s been for good reasons. You have started regular exercise, that is something to feel so proud of. Sit down and write down all the small and big changes you have made,your steps towards health, and then write 10 more things you could do, and introduce them,1 at a time. I think it takes 30 repetitions to cement a habit( most of my statistics are entirely fictitious, but I think that comes from somewhere),

Hey everyone. So I haven't lost anything this week. I suppose I should be thankful that I haven't gained either! It's really weird how this is working. I don't know, is 3lbs every 2 weeks good weight loss? Is this normal?

I have an appointment with my gp in a couple of weeks, not sure whether to discuss it with him, then seeing the nurse a couple of days later. Will ask to go on their scale to see if it's accurate! It probably is I'm I'm just clutching at straws 😂 but id just like to double check

Hope you're all having a nice weekend