Horrified with myself...

[Iamclearlyamug]

I know I've been gaining weight over the last year, I'm not stupid.

I knew that clothes that fitted me last year now don't fit, I knew that I couldn't run 5k any more, I knew I was eating way more than I should be. Refused to weigh myself as I was afraid of the answer and just didn't want to face it.

But for some reason I just swept it aside and pretended it wasn't happening. Until now. I'm waking in the night with terrible heartburn and acid reflux - googled it and read that it can be made worse by being overweight.

So I weighed myself. I AM 14 STONE 2LB 😭😭 I've never weighed that much before in my life, I'm 5'6 and a full 3 stone overweight. 18 months ago I weighed 10st 9 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

How has it come to this 😥😥 please give me some encouragement, a hand hold or something - it's 2am and I'm in tears, and can't sleep because of the hideous burning in my throat from acid reflux 😟

It can creep up on you very easily. Don't beat yourself up, it is fixable. For the heartburn, short term Nexium which you can buy over the counter is very good.

I hope you managed to get some sleep.

This is fixable, I would start with a plan of how you are going to loose the weight and where you are getting support from. I would also see your GP to see if they can help with the current issues.

I would recommend getting some real life support and decluttering the crap, high calorie foods in the kitchen and join a challenge thread on here.

No you have admitted you have an issue you can fix it, it is no doubt going to be a long hard journey as there is so much temptation around and this isn’t an easy time of year to say no to comfort food. But Christmas is 8 weeks away so maybe set yourself a mini challenge to loose a bit before then? I’m on a Christmas challenge and most of us are hoping to loose a pound a week before then. I’m not going to do the usual thing of eating Christmas foods as soon as they hit the shops, I’m really limiting that to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and New Years Eve.

In April 2021 I was exactly where you are now. 14 stone 7lbs, 5 foot 6, heartburn after almost anything I ate and aching knees when I walked upstairs.

It took me a whole year (I'm post menopause so it certainly didn't fall off) but in April this year I weighed 11 stone 7lbs which had been my target. I was happy to be a size 14 although I've lost a few more pounds now and I waver between 11st 3 and 11st 5. I'm somewhere between a 12-14 clothes wise.

I started off doing Slimfast shakes for 2 months just so that I didn't have to think about two meals a day and it got me back into dieting 'mode' then I downloaded My Fitness Pal and started counting calories. I didn't want to restrict one part of my diet I needed to know I could still eat anything I wanted even if it would need to be a much smaller portion than before. My weight dropped off slowly, a pound or two a week but I just kept weighing myself and working towards the next half stone down and when I reached that then the next one. I had to say no to a lot of stuff I wanted to say yes to, but it always felt worthwhile when I weighed myself and the scales had gone down. And now I rarely get heartburn and I no longer have achy knees which is the best bit!

I'm in a similar situation PP, menopausal and since lockdown it's really crepted on, WFH not so much incidental walking, lots of stress =lots of comfort eating.
I've just joined a thread on here called fuck I'm so lardy- it called out to me!! Come and join us!
@ louisamayalcott - that's bloomin amazing, I need some of your will power congratulations!

I really feel for you, it's so easy to put weight on and hard to get it off. The self loathing is real! I'm hating myself for gaining but please don't beat yourself up, it's life, it happens.

Just remind yourself it IS fixable, today is a new day! You can do it.

OP, I'm just about to start the - honestly I know I need to do more, but anything else seems to be beyond me at the moment! I think there's a free week's trial you can sign up for, might be worth a thought?

I need to lose 50lb and it is daunting!! 18 months ago I was in a much better place, today I cannot see the wood for the trees and am just not sure where to start - at least if I do the 'easy steps' I'll feel like I've accomplished something...

@LouisaMayAlcott I'm going to look at the Slimfast shakes too - I only actually like the chocolate ones but yes, if I have those it might give me a bit of headspace to focus on the other things I need to think about!

Apologies OP, I don't think my video link explained what it was for! It's the Body Coach Get Back on It Challenge - disclaimer, I haven't started it yet, but I'm hoping it will help me get my exercise mojo back

I do feel for you and hope you feel better soon. Sometimes though it depends on your point of view. I have been dieting for around four months now and it has gradually worked. I took the plunge a couple of months ago, after dieting for two months and found myself to be 15 1/2 stone! Tears followed.

this morning I am 14 stone 3 Ibs the same as you. I am five foot six. So to me this weight, though of course not ideal and I am well aware I have at least two to three stone more to lose, was something to celebrate. I have been losing around 2 Ibs a week which hopefully will be sustainable.

this is a good thread, stay on it, no one will tell you what to do and you will get good advice and support.

I was where you are nearly 2 years ago 5' 6.5" and 14 stone 9lbs. I decided on 1800 calories a day and kept to that for pretty much 9 months and lost the bulk of it - about 2 stone 10lbs and since then I have lost another 7lbs or so. It wasn't a quick loss and no drastic dieting but it was easier to stick to 1800 calories a day so I didn't feel deprived of anything.