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

Well done @Notthissticky and @alphaechokiwi. Under 30 BMI would thrill me.. I am 95.6 today,1.3 kilos down since Friday, so I guess I was holding onto water.
Feels good to get back into my routine. I’m swimming every day to make up for being away, trying to cut down on carbs, and to use those odd bits of time eg between getting home and making dinner ,or whatever, in activity. Seeing my house with fresh eyes having been away, and noticing the shabby bits, so I’m going to make a list and tackle them over the next few weeks. Started with my very weedy driveway. It’s all fat burned!

Yay fantastic milestone! Under 30 BMI - out of the obese category - is such a big achievement!

Zebracat thats most of the celebration week gain gone - well done for the determined raising of your activity level and return to healthy eating - great going!

oops meant to congratulate alphaechokiwi on getting her BMI under 30 obviously, not just write a random comment to nobody specific about what a great achievement that is!

@alphaechokiwi

I've lost 0.6kg this week. My DH had a big birthday so there was a 'day off' in there. More importantly, my BMI is now 29.8.

That's excellent news!

My weight loss has not gone as well as I'd like, but we've moved house and so there's been a lot of takeaways out of necessity. However I have still, after a brief blip, managed to lose a bit more weight and am now down to 14st 10lb.

I'm also more determined than before, new house has several full length mirrors (old house had a single tiny mirror), so I had a bit of a shock to see how I look now. It's been a long time since I've seen my whole body.

Right now I'd be happy to just be overweight instead of obese

@alphaechokiwi

I've lost 0.6kg this week. My DH had a big birthday so there was a 'day off' in there. More importantly, my BMI is now 29.8.

That's amazing!!! You must be so pleased!!! As a fellow 1.63m person, it's also reassuring to see it is possible My current "big goal" is to get below 90kg. After that it will be 82.3kg, which was my natural weight for years, but really I want to get, and stay, below 80kg/ BMI 30

Wow @Zebracat - that's a great loss. Sounds like you're in a good headspace for this now.
@MedusasBadHairDay - it's good to hear that you're back on track. I think that climbing back on the wagon is key to sustained weight loss.
Thank you @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme - it's arbitrary I know, but this particular milestone is important....and I'm delighted to have passed it.
@Notthissticky - thank you. And I'm sure you'll get there too. I'm aiming to lose 17kg more and get to 63kg. That will be a BMI of 23. Quite daunting because I've never been in the healthy BMI range....but I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing and hopefully get there....
Hope you all had a good weekend. Thanks everyone for your fantastic support.

@ScottishBeth - I hope you had a good week?

@alphaechokiwi, I have, thank you! I was 86.1 yesterday, which is a pleasing loss of 0.9kg on the week before. And it's the lowest I've been since I started trying to lose weight, so I'm pleased about that. I'm also slowly increasing my hours at work, which is going well. I'm so pleased to be getting some normality back in my life! Congratulations on your loss! It must be nice to have reached a big milestone!

Well done @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme on a year of being so consistent! That is amazing

@Notthissticky congratulations on reaching your milestone as well!

@Zebracat well done on your loss. And am so glad the wedding was lovely. And it sounds like you had a lovely time!

@MedusasBadHairDay - nice to see you!

@MedusasBadHairDay You can only keep going, what's done is done 😊 I did just want to suggest ready meals from COOK for when you're pressed for time. They're not cheap, but not as expensive as takeaway and they're super tasty and healthy. I think they taste just like home made food.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme I'm not sure I'd congratulated you on your amazing loss and your year of being healthy. You are an inspiration to us all.

@ScottishBeth well done on that milestone!!!

I've lost 1.8kg/ 4lbs this week! I'm averaging 2200 kcal a day and I'm pretty hungry. I guess I'll get more used to it over time. I am also breastfeeding, although not exclusively, which I think explains how I'm losing on this many kcal

My insight has been that I am not denying myself anything other people do get to eat. After all, if they did eat unlimited they'd be my size too...

Well done @Notthissticky - that's a great loss. Would looking at your simple carbohydrate intake help with your hunger pangs?

Thanks! I really don't know much about nutrition, what are simple carbohydrates? How might substituting something else for them help?

TBH, I think it's likely to be parenting 2 under 3 and BF as much as anything. I am exhausted

Hi @Notthissticky - simple carbohydrates are things like white bread, pasta, white rice. When eaten, your body can very quickly digest them and you will feel hungry again sooner. I don't think low carb is advised when you are breastfeeding, but I have found that calorie for calorie, I'm fuller for longer if I swap cereal / bread / pasta for foods that keep me fuller for longer. There's something called the GI index of foods which you might find helpful to research. Here's a useful link

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-is-the-glycaemic-index-gi/

But that being said, you are doing very well as you are, and I remember craving carbs when I was breastfeeding, so don't feel that you need to change anything. Do whatever is sustainable for you right now.

MedusasBadHairDay you're still going in the right direction despite a difficult phase - that's more important than big losses when everything is easy! Keeping going and getting back after blips is key - this is long term. Well done!

ScottishBeth you too - a big loss and so much going on, but the increasing work hours sounds positive too, although obviously a big adjustment and tiring.

Notthissticky I agree with alphaechokiwi that I find really cutting right down on anything containing refined sugar or flour helps loads. Bread and pasta and pizza and anything containing refined, processed sugar makes me feel much more hungry a couple of hours later and also the next day than eating the same or even fewer calories in unrefined carbohydrates like vegetables, fruit, potatoes or other unprocessed foods. In fact I'm hungrier a couple of hours after eating bread or cake than if I'd eaten nothing at all... I also bloat and retain water, so weigh more next day even if I haven't really eaten enough to have stored surplus as fat, but that goes after 24 hours.

I also agree though that you have to experiment and find out what works best both for your metabolism but almost more importantly psychologically (knowing that you aren't going to eat bread/ biscuits whenever you want as long as they fit into your calories might make you give up, in which case obviously it's better to eat them within your calorie allowance).

So I've only lost a 1lb since last Wednesday 😑 not impressed with that. Think I'm going to stick to mainly salads with some protein as that worked a couple of weeks ago with a bit more weight loss. Got a bit complacent over the weekend and had a few drinks, garlic bread, carbonara. God knows what else, just carbs galore lol. So going to nip that in the bud

Well done everyone for your losses. I’ve only lost 1lb this week we’ve been isolating and the kids have been hit by a sickness bug, the boredom and stress has had me snacking.

Tomorrow is my last day at work before the holidays, I’m a bit worried because I just know I’ll be inundated with chocolates, biscuits and alcohol (early years teacher) while it’s so lovely of the parents I have no willpower if that stuff is in the house. I also have a staff meal out tomorrow and possibly two more meals out during the week. I roughly know what the healthier options will be but I also know the food tastes better when you eat out because they use loads of oil, butter and salt!
Anyway I’m going to try my best to be good and I think the chocolates and biscuits I get might have to be dished out to others or given to the food bank. I feel really guilty about it but I will scoff the lot otherwise!

Food bank is a wonderful idea @PinotAndPlaydough.
Very interested in the carb discussion. I think I need to work harder on that. Although the more immediate problem is that I’ve had loads of snacks today, I have a weakness for red liquorice, and found a shop with different brands. Couldn’t resist a taste test!

I've lost 10lbs, which hits the 5% loss for me in 4 weeks.

@SnowyMouse - well done on your loss.
@PinotAndPlaydough - 1lb is still a loss and an admirable one at that under those circumstances. I think a foodbank would be an excellent idea for the chocolate although I don't know that they accept alcohol. You could keep that for 'regifting' I suppose.
@BippityBoppity87 - I find that often big losses are followed by a smaller one, so perhaps that's what has happened with you?

I'm struggling with snacking in the evening at the moment. It's a habit I thought I'd broken. I'm going to try and do better this evening, I know the urge fades when I don't snack and eventually goes away. It's just such an unnecessary and unhealthy habit and even if I wasn't overweight it is something I would want to stop.

Thanks @alphaechokiwi

Sorry you're struggling with snacking, I hope you resist, I know it's difficult.

@alphaechokiwi Probably more than likely

It's been so hot today I've been completely put off from food, so haven't eaten yet. I do plan to! And was so busy at the beach, I just grabbed a coffee and spent most of my time in the sea. Will have chicken/bacon with root mash and a side salad. Plus I have developed a cold 🤧 which isn't helping matters

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme and @alphaechokiwi I'm sold!!! I had a tuna salad for lunch yesterday (leaves, tuna, sweetcorn, feta and cherry tomatoes, no dressing as I don't like it) instead of my usual 2 generous slices of bread. I really wasn't that hungry (did also have an eat natural bar, but I often do) at dinner time. I had half a pizza, which would normally leave me hungry in the evening, but I wasn't. Also far less hungry this morning and still after breakfast. I had 200kcal less than usual yesterday but felt less hungry; the percentage protein was much higher and carbs lower. I am amazed!!! I'd be really interested in meal suggestions for low carb, as I have eaten sandwiches for lunch forever

Notthissticky great that you were less hungry!

I definitely don't do low carb, just low refined/ processed carbs. I am actually pretty sure the human body needs carbohydrates, but that they are best coming from unprocessed foods like potatoes and vegetables. I don't limit those (obviously I don't eat huge piles of potatoes because they're fairly high calories especially as they're only delicious when oil or butter are involved somehow 😋 but I don't avoid them like I do bread, pasta and sugar).

Lunch is the only meal I do just for myself (my kids are old enough to get their own lunches and I deliberately encourage them to as part of encouraging independence, I cook dinner unless I'm working a late or night, in which case I have to cook dinner at work and the kids take it in turns at home).

When I was a bit more motivated to cook in colder weather I'd have a heap of steamed or pan fried vegetables for lunch with steamed fish or two fried eggs, if I was home at lunch time. Recently I have salad (a nice lettuce - not iceberg as I read how bad for Guinea pigs it is and it put me right off - cucumber, tomatoes, maybe radishes or ruccola if I have it) with tinned fish or a couple of boiled eggs. Or porridge, which I am completely addicted to - with just a banana or sometimes a plain Greek yogurt mixed in for the protein if I'm really hungry.

I make myself porridge for lunch at work or eat before I go (shifts) so I never take a packed lunch or buy lunch.

I don't cook special low carb evening meals but eat whatever I'm cooking for the family/ residents at work, and in both cases the meal plan is a collaboration between the residents of the relevant house so not really up to me, though I subtly stear away from multiple pasta/ pizza/ pastry/ bread based dinners in the same week as far as possible... Everyone in both houses eats a startling amount of bread anyway and nobody needs refined carbs three meals per day!

95.1 today, so .5 kilo down. ButI am still snacking, know I should be doing better. Yesterday I ate loads of crisps, and I don’t usually touch them, altho it was hot, so maybe I needed the salt?
I would like to show some discipline and lose a kilo over the next 2 weeks. We then have a weekend away. I guess I’m fed up that I got under 95 kilos at the end of May, and yet here I am still teetering between 95 and 96 in mid July.

Hi @Zebracat - I'm sorry you're feeling frustrated. And at least it's a loss, which is a positive. I totally empathise with you about the snacking
I've struggled hugely with evening time snacking this week. It's been very stressful and I felt defeated by it all. So I've had a good think and decided to aim to stay the same weight over the next 3 weeks which includes 2 weeks holidays. Then when I get back, I'll aim to tackle my last 16kg between August and Christmas. That's about 3kg per month which is do-able I think.
I'm going on holiday in a hugely better position than this time last year. I am just going to enjoy that achievement and hopefully maintain it. I've got some reading material for the tent in the evenings Why we eat (too much) and Gillian Riley's Ditching Diets. The Van Tulleken brothers have a really interesting podcast about food and obesity which I'll give a listen to as well. Hopefully I'll be refreshed and motivated when I get back and ready to tackle my remaining kilos.
A massive well done to everyone this week.