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

Thank you @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme. I have 5 children, youngest 2 at home. It’s dd2 who is getting married!

Zebracat ah! I completely didn't realise that! Somewhat glad it isn't your Teen DD getting married

Congratulations to you and your daughter @Zebracat. I think your goals are very realistic and achievable. In your shoes I would save up and buy something fabulous closer to the day (ask for advice over on the S&B thread - those ladies know their stuff).
@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme, love your pragmatic attitude, you're an inspiration!!!

@alphaechokiwi fabulous is very much in my mind. Have you seen Freepeople clothes?. The dresses are almost beachy, except for the price tags! I do not like formalwear. Apart from anything else, I have big wide feet and I cannot tolerate heels!

@Zebracat I just had a look - I can definitely see something from there dressed up with some nice jewellery and beautiful shoes....start saving

Hi everyone, I hope you're all ok!

@Zebracat that's amazing news about your daughter's wedding. I'm sure you will lose weight between now and then, but it seems wise to wait until closer to the time to choose what you'll wear.

I haven't posted in a few days - have been reading though! And I thought measuring weight loss by your pets is a brilliant idea. I'm considering buying a hamster as a cheat!

Unfortunately I've had a bit of a setback with my health. So that is quite stressful and a bit depressing. I'm sure in a few months I'll be fine, but it is taking a really long time to recover from COVID. I came home from work and had a McDonalds, because I was feeling so rubbish. I still think I made an active choice, and I ordered less food than I usually do. But still the next day was my weigh-in, and I'd regained most of the weight I'd lost the previous week. I weighed myself sneakily the next day, and I was back down to the exact same weight as the week before.

I'm trying to remind myself that what I'm trying is to find a way of eating that is healthy and sustainable. It's early days for me, and really my main goal at the moment is to make sure I'm thinking about what I eat, and I'm eating according to plan. But it is quite discouraging, to be honest.

Sorry to be so down! I am going to have a really nice bath after tea, and get into clean pyjamas and a clean bed, so that will be lovely!

Also @Zebracat I've just had a look at that website. Some of their dresses are amazing - you will be the coolest mother of the bride ever!

Hi @ScottishBeth - you seem to have a lot to deal with right now and I hope recovery speeds up for you. Don't let one McDonald's derail you. I certainly didn't get to 113kg by having an occasional McDonald's and I doubt that you did either. It's not the occasional stuff that matters. We're all in this for the long haul, meaning that we have to be able to sometimes have cake, or chocolate or McDonald's because that's life. It's all the other choices we make, every day that really matter over the many many months it's going to take us to reach our goals. So please don't beat yourself up about it. And that lb or so will melt away - you make mostly healthy choices, the odd McDonald's really won't matter.

Ahh thanks everyone.@ScottishBeth sorry you aren’t feeling great. It’s fine to have McDonald’s from time to time, and it’s fine to not lose weight every week. We none of us got fat from one Big Mac !. It sounds like you have done really well to stay mindful in difficult circs. Don’t beat yourself up,just enjoy it!.
I’ve had fillet steak and chips and really good cheese today and I relished every mouthful. I have eaten more than MFP suggests, but less than I would previously have had on a normal day, not a wedding anniversary. And it was lovely😁
I think I’m going to really enjoy looking for a dress for this wedding. Expecting a very long shortlist. But I shan’t buy anything before July.

Thanks @Zebracat and @alphaechokiwi I am feeling much chirpier today. My bath bomb last night had glitter, which was fun. And this morning I sat out in the garden with a cup of tea, and then have had a lovely, and very filling, breakfast. It is very difficult, but I'm just trying to focus on what I can do.

@zebracat that sounds like a lovely meal! And a excellent plan for getting your dress.

88.7kg this morning. A smaller loss than the past few weeks but that's the way of things. I've had a inflamed swollen painful knee this week, an unpleasant reminder of my constant state of pain before I started losing weight. I've had to hobble up and down the stairs, and it's a shocking reminder that I used to do that all the time (I live in a 4 storey v narrow townhouse). I never really linked it to my weight...It seems so obvious to me now. Thankfully my knee is getting better. I take such joy in skipping lightly up and down the stairs these days, I've felt frustrated being back to the hobbling.
And I'm incredibly excited about swimming tomorrow (at the lido). It will hopefully help my knee as well as my mind!
@ScottishBeth - I'm glad you feel a bit better. Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Hi everyone 🙋‍♀️
Can I please join you?
I need to lose 40kg and follow an anti inflammatory eating plan. I’m gluten and dairy intolerant. I have been struggling with my weight, depression, anxiety, edema, migraines and general aches and pains for a long time.
I started trying to be more mindful about eating a couple of weeks ago. On Monday I weighed myself (start weight 100.7kg) tomorrow will be my first weigh in.
I’ve been sticking to anti inflammatory all week, set meals and not my usual snacking all day. I’ve also been taking wellwoman original everyday. My edema is already starting to reduce which is great.
I’m 39 and only 5’3” - so really need to lose a lot of weight.
I’m hoping joining you guys will keep me patient and realistic - done with yo-yo ing!!
Have a lovely Sunday 😊

Welcome Rainbowsleepysloth and well done on your great start! I've lost 40kg since July and others on here have lost lots too - it's very achievable, but as you say being realistic and patient is key!

ScottishBeth its so tough trying to make good choices when you feel rubbish, I'm glad you're feeling a bit better, or at least more cheerful. The weight gain from the McDonald's might only be temporary water retention due to the salt content, if your other food choices were good ,- no harm done I'd say, marathon not a sprint and all that! I had a take away pizza yesterday - it was planned and we only get take away once per month, but the scales show almost a full kg gain this morning compared to yesterday! For me I think its as much the carb content as the calories, as I only ate beetroot and two boiled eggs (that sounds weird written down!) for lunch and nothing else except the pizza all day - it'll go again!

Zebracat your anniversary food sounds lovely and very conscious too - you sound really in control!

alphaechokiwi well done on the continued movement in the right direction! Sorry your knee is playing up again.

I saw 79.1 on the scales yesterday morning, which is a small loss, but back up to 80.0 this morning due to the pizza I mentioned, so I think it counts as staying the same (79.9 last week)

The weather is finally improving here - very glad to see the back of winter (hopefully!). Happy Sunday everyone 🌞

Good Morning everyone.
98.7 this morning, so that’s a loss and I’m very happy with it.
I was so active yesterday,a long walk, 3 hours gardening and then did some Just dance with the teen. Good Lord, thatwas hard. Really made her laugh though, she said it’s not designed for people with dyspraxia. I think I need to practice in secret when she’s out and then impress her with my moves!
@alphaechokiwi, so sorry about your knee. If you don’t recall an injury, do please get it checked out. There’s a thing called septic arthritis. Don’t google it.

Welcome @Rainbowsleepysloth - well done on your first week. Getting started can be mentally tough.
@Zebracat and @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme well done on your losses.
thank you for your concern @zebracat. I think I probably pinged my knee cycling....I get this swelling and pain occasionally in both knees, but not at the same time ( if that makes sense). I've been to various GPs and had physio before but never really had a satisfactory diagnosis. On one memorable occasion I ended up in A&E in the worst agony of my life, but they just said it was fluid, causing swelling, causing compression of the nerves. It's a much more acute thing than the general knee pain I've had for ages which I now know is weight related. Anyhow, it seems to be getting better, which is a relief. Keeping my fingers crossed that swimming tomorrow will help...

@alphaechokiwi that must be so frustrating about your knee. I hope it continues to get better. And apart from this injury, it sounds like losing weight has been wonderful for you! It reminded me of this thread (www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/4180109-can-anyone-who-has-lost-weight-tell-me-the-brilliant-side-effects) which I've read through a couple of times. Also I hope you enjoy your swim tomorrow, but please if it irritates your knee, stop! Hopefully it will help, as you say. And we'll done on the weight loss!

Welcome @Rainbowsleepysloth Glad you have joined us! That sounds like a brilliant start. What is an anti-inflammatory eating plan? And that's fab that your oedema is starting to reduce already.

Thanks @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme you are right. I think because I'm very early into trying to lose weight I don't have the experience to know that these gains are inevitable, and it's the long term that's important. I hope you enjoyed the pizza! And you're right, the odd kg in that situation isn't a problem.

Congratulations on the weight loss @Zebracat, and what a brilliant day! How are you feeling after all that today?

I read Rangan Chatterjee's Feel Great Lose Weight this week. In parts it's a bit weird. But on the whole I really like it. He is really focussed on not shaming people for being overweight, which is really good, talking about how society is set up to encourage us to eat really badly. And has a lot of practical strategies that he suggests to help lost weight in a sustainable way. So the last two mornings I've sat in the garden with my cup of tea before breakfast (which should help me sleep better - less likely to crave sugary snacks), and I'm thinking about incorporating other things in.

I'm so excited about things beginning to open up tomorrow! Some friends are coming over for lunch in the garden next weekend. I'm going to make a rocky road. I make it every Easter and it's amazing, but very high calorie. So I've contacted some neighbours and going to give them some, so I can make it and have a bit, but then not be tempted to eat loads of it!

Forgot to welcome@Rainbowsleepysloth. It’s good here!. Glad to hear you sounding more hopeful @ScottishBeth. I feel ok today, now I’ve walked the dogs. I was so stiff and sore 1st thing, but I slept great and that can be a problem for me, like you. There are so many good things about weight loss. I just said I was going to sit down for 30 minutes before lunch, but the living room was a hairy mess(animals), so I cleaned it instead! And that is a good thing. But especiallyknee pain and gastric upsets. I used to get an attack of diverticulitis about every 3 weeks, but I haven’t had one since January. I used to feel annoyed when people suggested that myweight was impacting my health, but I also used to deny that money mattered when I was spending £10.00 a day on cigarettes, andI never ever felt short of breath...

Welcome @Rainbowsleepysloth and sorry I’ve not been posting had an attack of diverticulitis as well as some relationship issues and been feeling like hiding away. Haven’t really been following my plan but had STS this morning which I’ll take and start afresh.

Sorry things haven't been great @Stuckanddesperate. I hope they are starting to improve? What is STS?

Thanks @ScottishBeth. Sorry STS is stayed the same

@Stuckanddesperate well you've been going at this a long time (I had a quick look at your first post)! And with not having the best time of it recently that's an achievement in itself. Glad you have posted

First weigh in this morning, down to 98.6kg so delighted with that!
Hi @UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme 40kg and counting is an amazing achievement, and since July is quick - probably not felt that way of course 🤦‍♀️
Hi @alphaechokiwi - thank you 😊 I hope your knee is improving. So deflating being in pain 😓
Hi @ScottishBeth anti inflammatory is just cutting out gluten and dairy (not just, it’s obviously very restrictive but needs must) The book you’re reading sounds interesting- will have to look it out and a cup of tea in the garden is always a positive 😂
Hi @Zebracat sounds like you had a great day yesterday. I’m easing myself very gently into the exercise gig - I used to love it but I forget that I can’t do the things I used to without feeling dead afterwards 😂
Hi @Stuckanddesperate I know what you mean about hiding away when life gets overwhelming. I hope things are looking a little brighter for you.

Well done @Rainbowsleepysloth , that's a good start for you.
@Stuckanddesperate, you've had a rough time...well done for not hiding away and stepping on the scales. A STS is a very acceptable result I think...

@Rainbowsleepysloth.woohoo, under a hundred on the 1st week, that is such a good start. Well done you.

Thanks @alphaechokiwi and @Zebracat it do feel a lot happier being below 100!! I still have a long way to go but a great start 😁