I've put on 60lbs in two years!!!

[LikeEmeraldeyes]

You've read that right. Sixty pounds!

No pregnancies. I'm mid thirties so possibly age not age related.

I just despair. I don't even kinow what advice 'm seeking

Do you work standard hours? What do you do in the evenings? What do you eat and drink in a typical day? How much alcohol do you drink?

Don’t despair!

What do you think the root cause is?

Lots of people put on a lot of weight during lockdown. Comfort eating, less exercise, more booze. I think you need to be realistic with yourself and honest about what you've been consuming and how much movement you're doing and go from there. It's hard, I put on maybe 20lb between 2018 and 2021.

Don’t despair! It is really easy to gain weight for most of us.

My top tip is to tell yourself this is now a project, something to get stuck into. Make a note of your weight and tummy size or whatever, pull out your favourite jeans you want to fit in and hang them near your weighing scales. Expect it to take till October to lose it all. 7 lbs a month. Work out what food item has caused the weight gain (for me it was mainly a new breadmaker and salted butter). Start cutting down and cutting out. Reduce amount of rubbish food you are eating and start increasing your veg.

I just lost 14 lbs in 7 weeks without exercise by upping veg and excluding alcohol and bread. I am in my 50s.

It doesn’t have to be hellish if you have the attitude it’s a project like stripping back a room and redecorating. You do it in stages. And forgive yourself!

Oh I feel your pain, it sucks when the weight just so slowly creeps on until BAM it's staring you in the face.

That's what happened to me anyway, and I started to work on losing it on 1st March 2021, so close to two years ago. I've lost 53 pounds, by:

• cutting out alcohol at home, it had really crept up during lockdown
• only eating lunch and tea
• no snacks, no breakfast

That's it really; I don't madly restrict myself or count calories, I would never have lasted with that type of WeightWatchers approach, I had tried that plenty times before.

It is genuinely true what people say, a lifestyle change.

60 x 3500 / 104 is about 2000 excess calories a week or a little under 300 excess calories a day. A slice of cake, a drink, three large bananas, a thick slice of toast last thing at night.

It's never QUITE that simple as our body often alters our metabolism eg we eat less we burn less because FAMINE IS COMING AND WILL KILL US ALL etc. But it's rare that we can't look at our lives and spot that chunk of well buttered toast!

Has life been particularly stressful of late?

Anyway, it is possible to shift it. Not easy or we'd all be super models, but entirely possible.

I am currently doing 12 weeks of Slimming World as right now it seems paying a fiver a week to be weighed provides that extra straw of motivation for, "no, you have one dear but I'll be fine with a coffee". Of course long term will be the clincher - no more 'cake every day', just once a week like a sensible person!

I have lost 45lb in the past and luckily have much less to shift now, but with a family history of Type II, I don't want to let things go too far.

I have done similar OP and just started trying to shift it in January. I'm also mid 30s.

I started putting my food into myfitness pal and this helped me to reduce how many calories I have in a day. Everyone is different and some can manage with just two meals a day but I would be miserable doing that. I have a small breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper and 1 snack a day. I manage to stay around 1200 calories a day with this and I am content. I'm not hungry or craving anything because if I want chocolate, I choose a low calorie one and thats my snack.

I also ditched the scales this time which is helping.
I'm doing this for about 6 weeks now and have had a few people mention that I have lost weight.
The dress that was tight around my stomach on christmas day was loose when I wore it on Friday.
My face is also a lot less fat in photos than it was on christmas day.

Someone asked if life has been stressful. Truthfully it's hideously stressful currently. SEN child who doesn't cope well in school, long working hours, financial worries, student husband.

I really do need to make a lifestyle change. I think I've been relying on food for energy. It seems like such a daunting amount

I’ve put on 20lbs in 6 months so can sympathise. I’ve been intermittent fasting and loosely following slimming world (ie I cook meals the “SW way” and sort of count syns) since January and have already lost 7lbs of it. I find it easy to cut out breakfast as then I naturally don’t get hungry until about 12-1pm and I eat a filling lunch and dinner. Snacks are low fat yoghurts, fruit and lean meat/boiled eggs. I also do a brisk walk for an hour every day.

Its not easy but the key is to take control now before you put on even more. I always fluctuate from summer to winter but when my size 12/14 clothes start getting tight after Christmas I know it’s time to get back on it.