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

Welcome @UpOnDown - good luck with achieving your goals. It's a long slog when you have a lot to lose and I've found the support on this thread has been invaluable especially when I've had a few wobbles. I hope we can provide the same to you.
@Zebracat - is the wedding this week? I hope you have a wonderful time with all your loved ones around you.

Welcome UpOnDown !

On the NHS BMI calculator you can switch from cm to feet and inches and from kg to stone and pounds which can be useful. I use the NHS calculator even though I'm not in the UK, out of habit. I think perhaps different sites might even give very slightly different recommend weight ranges, but not so much it matters.

Welcome SnowyMouse too!

Welcome @SnowyMouse - I hope this thread will be able to provide some support to you if you need it.

So went on the scales and I've lost another 2lbs. 17 stone 6lbs now. Don't know how as I've barely done any walking the past week and ate more, or maybe I didn't eat as much as I thought. Didn't have any takeaways this time though. But yes, happy with that!

Actually I have changed one thing, not sure if it's that. But I like to drink coffee. About 4 cups a day (2 regular and 2 decaf) with a bit milk. But I've switched to skimmed milk and sweetener. So I'm wondering if that made a difference

@BippityBoppity87 you've had a great run in the last few weeks. Well done!

@BippityBoppity87, very good news for you.. I think you realise the value of small and sustainable changes, which leads to losing the weight and keeping it off. Well done you..
The wedding is this weekend. Also inherited teens 18th. There’s a lot going on. Which maybe why my lunch was a packet of egg sandwiches and 2 iced buns. Drank water though.love an iced bun!

Thank you @alphaechokiwi and @Zebracat. I was taking some selfies today and I can do any angle now without having to worry about hiding a double chin 😂 it's gone! Thank god. Well, a tiny bit left, but hardly noticeable

I love an egg sandwich, going to have an egg salad for my dinner actually

That's amazing @BippityBoppity87 !

Mmm, ice buns!

BippityBoppity87 well done! Whatever it is you've changed, its working! Your mindset may have changed too (it sounds like it) which may mean you're making small healthy choices without even noticing. It all adds up.

Zebracat I hope everything goes smoothly this weekend and that you can enjoy it all! Are you somehow finding time to celebrate your inherited teen's 18th too this weekend, or is she content to do that next weekend?

It'll be a year on Wednesday since I started this weightloss "project" (as I see it for some reason) and I was hoping to hit the healthy BMI category by the year mark but I won't quite manage. For the sake of symmetry it would have been satisfying but of course its all arbitrary, especially whether it takes 52 weeks or 54 or 55...

I had a BMI of 41 a year ago, and 25.5 today, so I can't really complain, although I've been really putting the effort in for the last three weeks hoping to hit a BMI of 29.9 still, long term thinking is key and arbitrary dates meaningless (I keep reminding myself ).

71.1 kg this morning - ten down from the start of this thread, which is something also something arbitrary and actually fairly meaningless but oh well

I cycled to school with my youngest this morning - its only just over three miles but pretty hilly, and obviously 6 miles for me as I had to cycle home. I'll have to do it again in three and a half hours to fetch him. My older kids cycled with friends at his age but there's nobody my youngest's age in our village - lots a couple of years younger, lots a couple of years older, and I don't want him doing it totally alone (he's 10) as some of the route is very isolated, nobody would find him for hours if he fell off at some points. He usually catches the bus. I wonder why I can walk 16 hilly miles or swim non stop for an hour without feeling tired but cycling 6 miles is completely exhausting...

I was trying to hit a BMI of 24.9 obviously, typo...

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme - all those milestones! You are truly an inspiration to me. I'm sure you must be very proud of everything you have achieved in the last 12 months. It must be lovely to reflect on such positive achievements. We'll have a virtual party for you when you hit 29.5

Happy cycling!

24.9 cursed with clumsy fingers

Looking forward to my reduced fat potato salad tonight.

12 miles of hill cycling. I am in awe. i can’t manage more than 5 minutes on a bike without feeling I have asthma(I don’t) or falling off.I swam and walked today., but I’ve been living on fat and sugar because of Teens birthday celebs, which have lasted 2 days, went for a meal out tonight and we had her close friends round yesterday. So that’s done. Now for the wedding. I honestly am struggling with this, turns out lockdown quite suited me, apart from the closure of swimming pools.

Oh yes reduced fat potato salad, mmm

mmmmm - potato salad. I actually made some full fat potato salad for dinner last night sorry not sorry
@zebracat if you can't relax a bit this week, when can you? It's full of special events...just enjoy them. Next week you can get back to all this stuff.

I'm not stalking you, I promise, but I saw your dress and kimono on the Monty Don thread, and I think you will look great.

I must say I don't eat any reduced fat or diet foods - full fat milk on my porridge (which I've gone back to eating as my first meal of the day most lunchtimes), full fat Greek yogurt if I eat yogurt - a couple of times a week usually. Its sugar and wheat I'm avoiding but I avoid sweetners too; rather real sugar occasionally than sweetner. I am going for eating regular food but just less (two meals per day). I had regular potato salad on Monday when I took my residents on an outing and we went for lunch in a "beach bar" at the lake (sadly we're hundreds of miles from the sea - I'd rather the real thing there too!).

We're all doing this so differently, but if it's working there's no right or wrong!

Zebracat glad you got to celebrate with your inherited teen and her birthday wasn't overshadowed by the wedding - that's a lot of celebration!

I agree with alphaechokiwi that you've far too much going on this week to prioritise weight loss and should just try to enjoy it!

I know what you mean though about secretly preferring the fact not socialising was the default during lockdown! I have a very sociable "people" focussed job with chatty colleagues and residents and find that and my household are actually pretty much enough - not sure I'd be keen on full on wedding and big birthday celebrations, especially both in one week, either!

I only have the reduced fat version because it fits, calorie wise.

@SnowyMouse - absolutely no criticism or judgement here. You go for whatever works for you... Personally, I prefer to have less of the regular stuff, but that's only me. The important thing is making whatever sustainable change works for you.

It's just I find it hard to eat half a pack of something, no willpower!

@SnowyMouse . So sorry if my nonsense made you feel bad. That really isnt what we do here. I’ve had another shocking day of fat and sugar, a thousand calories over my very generous MFP allowance, , Idont think it would take many days like this to get me to type2 diabetes and very low calorie diets. So , I might be asking which brand next week when reality bites!
@alphaechokiwi, Thank you, I’m feeling ok about my clothes now, had a very successful hair appointment today which helped. Stalk away, love that Monty thread.
@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme. Thanks. Me and Dh are taking a few days for us, afterwards and it’s that which has kept me going!

SnowyMouse you go with the liw fat version if its what works for you! Sorry, I really didn't intend to criticise, just to say we don't have to eat "diet foods" to lose weight if we prefer not to. I'm sorry for sounding hectoring!