General weight loss chat - pros/ cons

[Kittycatx]

Hi,

Has anyone else lost a large amount of weight but are struggling with the last few stone? Or found compliments from everyone really uncomfortable!

I've lost just over 5 stone. I'm 5ft 3 and have been fluctuating between 11.7 to 11 stone the last two months just due to lack of motivation and constantly thinking about food.

I've completely changed my eating habits, I now eat a lot of vegetables and healthier items but I'm just really struggling sticking to 1200/1300 calories now, whereas I was easily managing to stick to 1200 absolutely fine for almost a year.

Part I'm struggling with is my mindset, although quite often I'm not actually hungry, it's the battle in my head. I constantly think about food, and actually want to eat even though I don't actually need to.

I look at every meal since being on lower calories and think... Is that enough food? Will I actually be filled up?! Even though they're probably a normal portion for someone who hasn't struggled with obesity.

So much has improved for me, when I reached 16.2 when I'd first wake up in the morning my joints would hurt when I first stood up and went downstairs, I didn't even realise it was due to my weight but when I reached about 14 stone all the joint pain stopped. My skins improved and I actually enjoy walking now. Probably the best part of it is Ive been called fat a lot of times in my life by so many people and this has stopped, people treat me like a normal person again now I'm about a UK 14 (hope to be an 8/10)

Everyone keeps complimenting me, but I find it really uncomfortable because I don't really see all the difference they do, people say they don't recognise me and then I become the topic of conversation and it's really embarrassing just because it's daily.. a few have made jokes about my previous size and said they can say that now I'm not that big anymore.

I'm really looking forward to the day I can finally say I beat obesity! think I'm about 3 months off that.

Not exactly a general question or advice.. just wanted to know everyone's experience and hopefully someone has advice on how to stop obsessing over food.

Starting weight 16.2
Current 11.0
Goal weight 9 stone

Thanks,

I cannot relate or answer your question but just wanted to say WOW that’s unreal. I wish I had your motivation even up until this point you’ve done amazing and great that you’ve lost 5 bloody stone before hitting your first hurdle ! You should be proud 💗

I get it. I’ve lost more than 4 stone over the last year or so, but would like to lose a bit more. I’ve really struggled with motivation for the past few months. My solution has been to not fight that, but just take it a bit easier for a couple of months by increasing my calorie allowance. That’s worked really well. I’m still losing, albeit slowly, and it’s giving me a chance to work out what life after my diet might look like. I’m now at a point where I’m ready to start restricting calories again.

Re. the “compliments”, I’m not surprised that you’re not enjoying those if people are drawing attention to the fact that you used to be bigger ☹️ It’s hardly a nice compliment if it reminds you of how you used to feel. Anyone who knows anything about how hard it is to be a bit bigger wouldn’t say those kind of things.

For what it’s worth, you’ve done really well losing all that weight. If you give yourself a bit of a break (e.g. increase your calories by 200 for a few weeks and increase it further if you’re not gaining), you may get some of your enthusiasm back!

Awh thanks both of you, and four stone weight loss is amazing...

I was doing some DIY and needed a sandbag and the weight of the bag was 20kg.. and I could barely lift it recently and thinking wow I was struggling everyday to lift that excess each day.. now I'm not far off two sandbags haha so whenever you feel a bit demotivated it's really helpful to pick up something the same weight and realise how far you came!

I found it a lot easier than I ever have before oddly @NotSoSlimShady8 I wasn't good at cooking and I used hellofresh and just had two meals a day which were both around 600 calories, until I learnt to cook myself (and the offers ran out lol) and it helped me enjoy vegetables!

@CrimsonAlligator thank you I'm going to do this and maybe just increase my movement a bit more to counteract the additional calories!.. yeah the compliments aren't just a simple "wow you look well".. I've been the topic of conversation asked what I used to weigh in a group situation too which I didn't answer 😳

I think because I carry a my weight in my mid I still look big there in the mirror so can't imagine myself being slim ever so it's really demotivating! I feel so much more confident now though cos clothes fit better but still wear baggy-ish tops so nobody can see the stomach jiggle I have 😂

Hi @Kittycatx, quick answer from me, but I'd enjoy a longer chat at some point!

I've lost 5.5 stone. It took pretty much a year. It leaves me just above the overweight/obese BMI boundary.

I'm uncomfortable with the compliments- I'm not really vain, it's more about my health. I'm much much healthier and that's what matters.

I'm not a better person than I was 5 stone ago. I wasn't lazy and greedy then, and virtuous now.

Some things went well and I was able to lose some weight.

Now my priority is never putting it on again, and possibly losing more. I have potential to lose another 3 stone, but it wouldn't be realistic. Another 7lbs puts me at overweight. That's my next goal. After that, we'll see.

Probably the best part of it is Ive been called fat a lot of times in my life by so many people and this has stopped, people treat me like a normal person again now I'm about a UK 14 (hope to be an 8/10)

Aw, that's awful that you were subjected to that. BUT - hold onto that feeling! Use it as a kind of mantra when you are feeling like reaching for the biscuits. You could look on it as you've beat the bullies and showed them that you are stronger than they thought - you've lost all that weight which is amazing.

The difficult part once you reach target is keeping it off and maintaining - everyone will tell you that. So you need to keep motivated by remembering all the ways in which your life is now better.

You're doing so well, keep at it and don't jeopardise all your hard work now by giving up - it's so easy to think "oh I've lost the weight now" and go back to the way you were eating before.

Keeping it off is a life change and it's forever - never forget that. Chances are once you're at target you will be able to find a happy balance and have some extra snack etc - you can test yourself until you find what you can actually eat without gaining or losing any more. But it is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Personally I find looking at unflattering photos of myself motivating and also remembering how low I felt when I had an overweight bmi - not necessarily aesthetically, although I didn't like my double chins either - but mentally. I had no energy, lethargic all the time, found it hard to get out of bed & climbing the stairs and just generally felt a bit depressed. I am so much happier now.

And as for the compliments embarrassing you - it's just because you're not used to it. Just fake it til you make it - smile and say thank you even if you feel shy - and before you know it you actually will like it when someone pays you a compliment.

I've lost 4 stone since new year and I am (just) inside a healthy bmi for the first time since my teens ( I'm 37 now). I would like to lose a little more but most concerned with not regaining.

Pros:
I feel so much better and have more energy
Personal care like toenails is so much easier
I actually like the compliments on the whole! It can be uncomfortable but it reminds me how much I have achieved.

Cons:
Needing new clothes constantly
Loose skin and stretch marks on my belly, looks really quite wrinkly. Won't be wearing a bikini anytime soon, bit I wouldn't have anyway at the size I was.

@Kittycatx that’s brilliant. Can I ask how you stuck to it so religiously ? Or was it literally just Will power?
I want nothing more than to look how I did a few years ago (4 stone lighter) but despite wanting to I can’t stick to anything because of bloody carb cravings.
im awful with priorities , I don’t eat too bad or too often it’s just always carb heavy , cheese and big portions that I crave (e.g, pasta bake fit for a family of 4) and once I’m craving it - my goals go to shit.
I have ‘started again’ so many times and done the whole ‘this is it now, I’m not gonna stop’ probably 20 times this year already. #depressed 😩
did you exercise ?
sorry for the interview but i am in awe of how you have lived my dream ? 😂

Are you me OP? Same height and start weight, and I'm stuck between 10st9 and 10st12 at the moment. Bloody hard work so congrats.

I've had a couple of bad weeks with food - more frequent treats than usual and general snacking but I'm still not going up which I think is a positive. Ultimately I think I need to move more and listen to my body on fuel needs but until I have some surgery, things like swimming and some work outs just aren't possible. I think I want to work on toning next.

I'm not looking to lose much more - I'd like to be in the healthy BMI range but I'm already slimmer than I ever have been (size 10), and I think much more and I'll look too slim.

@NotSoSlimShady8 yeah course - if you do want to and with family meals you can just use the smallest size of the grater for cheese and it'll pile much higher but you can use half the cheese for pasta bakes etc... Also swap out loads of the meat for veg... Using sauces like ketjap Manis to disguise veg (learnt that from hello fresh) and using swaps.. so check calories of everything... I have one coconut milk in my cupboard that's 800 calories a tiny and one that's 280 a tin.. swap high calories mayo for low calorie.. low fat cheese.... Etc..

1. ate two 600 cal meals a day lunch and dinner

2. had loads of vegetables so swapped out half the meat in a meal so say I made a Bolognese or something I'd use much more veg like peppers, tomatoes, carrots etc to bulk it out

3. just didn't give up... Thought I only need to do this once more in my life and then just maintain

4. this really helped keep me motivated - I realised I didn't deserve to carry around the extra weight! Lifting something up which is say 20kg and it's really heavy and then I realised I was carrying 2x that and a bit extra on myself everyday, lugging that around the house, or out to the shops and all the time.. that has really kept be going for a year!

@FlyingGoose 4 stone is amazing and must be so nice to be in the healthy range! That's my goal.. it's not just to look better I really want to be fitter and as healthy as I can be!

Have you tried a derma roller for your loose skin? I've been using one and dry brushing since I first started losing weight and it's really helped my skin...saw some woman on YouTube have amazing results so I looked into it

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ChG8aSvEU6A&t=462s

Thanks, I haven't tried that! I will give it a go and report back!

Congratulations girl this is amazing!! But one thing that helped me chip away at the stubborn bits of fat I had left was a weighted hula hoop xx

i Saw them everywhere so I ended up getting one in the end and now I know why so many people was using them
I had one from Amazon however the quality wasn’t great so I looked around and found this website Healthyhulahoop xx
been using for a few months now and it works amazing it’s worth the price and it came pretty fast xx
well done again xx