Desperate and scared

[fatandfurious2022]

Hi all, I have struggled with my weight my whole life, all the women in my family are overweight and many obese. I have tried every diet and lots of pills, but food is my comfort and I always put everything I lose, and more, back on.

I am now pushing 40 and stepped on the scales to see 25 stone and I wanted to die, I knew I'd put weight on but Jesus Christ!

I've started calorie counting but I'm scared that I am going to fail again so I am here asking for tips and support to help me keep going.

Thank you in advance

5lbs off this week. Should give me the momentum to keep going. I've taken advice and am not going crazy and am letting myself have a treat for Mother's Day. Thanks for everyone's support and suggestions

I know some people absolutely dismiss it, but you might find that Slimming World works for you. If you follow properly it builds dairy (so a cheese allowance) and fibre into your eating, there are a lots of free foods (protein and veg) and then you have an allowance of "syns" to use on extras. I was almost as heavy as you and have lost 3 stone since the start of the year, including having had a couple of blowout weekends. I'm finding that as I lose the weight my appetite is reducing. It's not for everyone but it might be worth investigating.

Have you seen the Jason Manford weight loss group on FB? It’s really helpful and friendly. You’re not alone.

@fatandfurious2022

5lbs off this week. Should give me the momentum to keep going. I've taken advice and am not going crazy and am letting myself have a treat for Mother's Day. Thanks for everyone's support and suggestions

That's brilliant!

DB lost 14 stone over 2 years. He had to stop eating bread and all wheat based products like pasta/noodles etc as they triggered his over eating. Be kind to yourself, consider attending a support group.

If you are an all or nothing person then embrace that in your mindset. But you need to ensure your diet is nutritionally balanced. I have been losing 2lb a week.

I ate my usual food initially but cut out snacks while I planned my approach. I lost a few lbs this way.

Get rid of snacks at home apart from boring ones: apples, ryvita, lightest philadelphia. That way you won't be tempted. Create a weight loss chart. Consult NHS Weight Loss programme - it tells you your BMI and how much of a deficit to aim for. Your goal is a weight goal and a BMI goal. Log everything in an calorie tracking app.

If you have the budget consider something like Gousto. Or the Gousto cookbook online is great. All the meals show calorie and fat content. As you lose weight opt for lower saturated fat content and lower sugar ones.

A typical day for me

• porridge oats, fruit, nuts, zero fat yoghurt, milk (can be made into smoothie).
• home made wrap with black beans, low fat cheese, salad
• apple, orange, banana, philadelphia and peppers, boiled egg, slice of toast and egg/beans- depending on level of activity
• wholesome dinner like brown rice, potatoes, lentils, beans with chicken, fish, beef, pork, and greens, so a homemade curry, beef or lentil cottage pie, cassoulet type thing. Lots of recipes on Gousto cookbook for this. Alwaya have at least one filling meal like this a day. Lentils and beans are incredibly filling and can be very tasty.

I have always wavered but have been eating like this for a month now and it works. I will post a few simple recipe links if I can.

Here is the free gousto cook book - you do not need a subscription to use these.

www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/

Well I just wanted to update to keep myself going really. Manage to lose 1.5 stone so far, still a long way to go but I'm feeling motivated. Thanks to all who gave me advice, it really helped to spur me on.

Well done op! Be kind to yourself x

That’s fantastic! What changes have you made?

I reduced my calorie intake drastically, then cut alcohol right down. I have more recently bought and started using saxenda which is really helping. It makes me not want to eat so I am eating consciously and choosing things with the best nutrition rather than whatever is easy. I easily eat 7/8 portions of veg a day and track everything, even treats, on my fitness pal so I am informed in the hope this will change my relationship with food.