What triggered you into wanting change and actioning it?

[mentalblockhelp]

I desperately want to lose weight. I want to get trimmer and have more energy but I can't motivate myself into actually sticking to anything that would benefit me. I have two small children, I work, and I put too much pressure on myself to do things for the kids, or put everything into my work that some days I'm just lack of energy or motivation.
The mental load of the home takes its toll and I don't know what to do to help myself. I'm pre diabetic . Slight raise in cholesterol but still doesn't scare me to kick my butt to take my health seriously.
So I'd like to hear some stories of what worked for you to get your motivation going to help yourself and your health.
I do the family shop. I'm in charge of everything in the house it seems - my husband does plenty, but actually this is about me not him. Help

Easter two years ago was when I had my epiphany! Two things together triggered it. Firstly I'd made cakes for a family visit and my eldest DD refused them because she'd found sugar, especially sucrose made her eczema worse. At the time sugar formed a major part of my diet and I was plagued with eczema.
Secondly, we were all about to go out for the day, the weather had changed and was very warm. I discovered that all my summer tops were far too tight, and I looked like a sausage encased in breton stripes! I even bulged out of previously loose fitting tunics.
I gave up sugary snacks that day, increased the exercise I took and cut back on portion sizes.
I gradually lost a couple of stones and my eczema is a great deal better. I also have more energy and my joints ache less, so it's an improvement all round. It really only works if you're motivated and tell yourself you're doing it for you. I did find dieting and exercise much harder when I was working and had a young family, so I do sympathise.

For me it was the realisation that I was dreading our upcoming holiday rather than looking forward to it.

Not just for appearance purposes (although this was a big part too!)...but realising that I'd be feeling like crap abroad because my weight made it far more difficult for me to feel comfortable in anything above 20 degree heat.

The realisation that I was actually dreading such a lovely (and expensive!) family experience really put the boot up my arse.

My diabetes had been under control for years but then suddenly changed and that was my motivation. I've since lost nearly 4 stone but it's been slow progress and I could really do with shifting another 2. Metformin is another good motivator as it's like swallowing bleach to my poor stomach - I want to get off it for good.

Fed up with having to buy bigger clothes.
Worried about high blood pressure and increase in chance of developing diabetes.
Finally had headspace to focus on me.

Thank you.

I find the mental load of having small children hard to balance my life. Then the daily struggle of preparing food, shopping, especially when they have clubs, I feel like I'm making excuses. I'd like to be that person who wakes early to get ahead of the day. But the motivation isn't there. It's a vicious circle

Have you looked into having some Motivational Interviewing sessions? It sounds to me as though this may help you.

No I haven't - no idea why I haven't looked into this. I just found some podcasts on Spotify so will give this a try. Thanks for suggesting

I honestly just got sick of myself. I felt uncomfortable all the time, hated going out, buying clothes, being social. I had attempted to lose weight before but couldn’t commit to anything long term. So I decided to approach it all from a different perspective.

I lost 30kg (I have no idea what a ‘stone’ is but google says 4.724) and have kept it all off for 3 years and counting. I did not count calories. I reduced my starchy carb intake (not excessively), upped my protein and made sure the majority of my meals were low starch veg. I focused on 3x well balanced meals per day and all but eliminated snacking except on the odd occasion, maybe once or twice a week.
I started going on walks shortly after, starting at 30 minutes and working up slowly from there. Now I’m running and doing Pilates and yoga.

At the start I weighed myself once and took a waist measurement then I didn’t touch either for 6 months. I focused on how I felt, how much energy, my ability to physically do things I couldn’t previously.

The fact that you’re in charge of the food shop is an excellent position to be in.
Meals that facilitate weight loss do NOT have to be boring or complicated. It can be really fun to experiment with new recipes!

OP with the struggle to do shopping and food prep it works best for us when we do menu plan for week all meals then you could do supermarket delivery veg box etc so then don’t have to think about it the rest of the week. It’s so much easier.

We are doing the Fast 800 high protein and masses of salad and greens, low carb but the recipes have options to add for maintaining so rest of your family. They are so incredibly tasty but healthy. When we’ve adjusted to no white carbs or sugar energy levels seem to rise and we feel so much better. Good luck.

1. Huge health scare.

2. A colonoscopy that was sheer agony, even with sedation. The bigger you are, the more painful they are And I was 23 stone. I have to have them every 5 years. I vowed to be 13 stone lighter by the Next one (2 years to go and I am 12 stone, 5lb!, so 2st5 to go).

I got sick to death of how I looked as well, and the whole body positive movement, which was massive a few years ago really pissed me off. I was a size 24. I was so unhealthy. I looked like absolute shit. I couldn’t walk up stairs without feeling like I was dying. But all I heard was, “health at any weight!” And I just saw how fucking delusional it was.

Healthy eating: TTC. We wanted to have DC3 and we’ve been trying against the age odds. No happy ending, unfortunately, but the diet overhaul has turned everything upside down for me. Suddenly at the age of 40+ I am full of energy, my skin is glowing, my mood fantastic. I wake up rested. There’s no turning back to bad eating habits and wine every evening.

Exercise: my Dad’s deteriorating health. He has diabetes, well managed but still. Neuropathy, affected eyesight, wounds and lesions on feet that take months to heal, diabetes-related dementia. He’s brought all these on himself. If being prediabetic is not a motivation enough for you, I honestly don’t know what is, it’s a devastating disease and fully preventable.

Weight loss has been a recent thing for me, I’ve been fit and healthy, just getting quite round. Technically I’ve never been overweight but I’m very small so I didn’t carry the extra 10 kilos well. Losing weight was very easy because I’ve already had the good habits in place, so the only thing I’ve changed was counting calories.

I’ve got two young children so I exercise when they have their sports or after they’ve gone to bed.

Yes - I don't have any excuse at all. I could wake up early and walk, I could exercise when the kids go to bed. I came out of being prediabetic to a healthy HBAC few years ago within 3 months because we wanted another baby.
You are right - my parents both have/had diabetes, I need to pull myself together!

My turning point was a break away where my knees were killing me from walking, I was on strong painkillers. My fat clothes were becoming tight and I was so unhappy from my size.

I took the meds route via a private WL clinic, 6months later I'm 2st lighter and feeling much healthier. I love the gym and eat healthier, smaller portions. I'm finishing the meds now and carrying on my own.

Been unhappy with my weight for ages and fed up of buying cheap frumpy clothes (don't want to spend loads of money on clothes a bigger size).

Final straw was last weekend. I have sciatica which is getting worse and tried to do some stretches to alleviate the pain. I couldn't do the stretches comfortably, in part due to my belly getting in the way. Decided to start a diet the next day. Been on low cal, low carb, high protein since Monday and have lost 1/2 stone already.

The penny finally dropped for me one afternoon pushing my almost 2 year old daughter home playgroup one afternoon with my belly hanging over my size 16 jeans. I was suddenly fed up of it and being out of breath walking upstairs. I was a few months off 40 when she was born and I wanted to be around for her and be able to play with her.

I’d heard of the couch to 5k and downloaded it when I got home and went out that very night to start it. I also joined slimming world. Fast forward 10 years I still run 2-3 times a week, I’ve run a marathon and lost and kept off 2 and a half stones (not been to slimming world for 8 years now).

you have to be ready to want to lose the weight for yourself.

Disability sharpened my mind. I can't afford to be any more hampered in life than I already am by being disabled.

Also I associate being at my heaviest with being at my unhappiest. I'm not at that level of unhappiness right now, so it must change or else drag me back down.

I hope that your dream came true! We started TTC for number 3 after I turned 42 and unfortunately it was too late, although I had my two other kids after 35 so quite late.

Diabetes is a horrible, horrible thing. My Dad used to be fit and very active, he was a competitive ballroom dancer for over 20 years. It was a slippery slope when he started moving less, eating more and quit his dancing. He can hardly walk now.

If you did it once you can do it again 💪

@CortieTat yes - I fell pregnant (I was mid thirties) and now have a 3 year old!

Sorry about your dad but yes when I see parents just stop moving and eating terribly it makes me sad. And I'm doing it to myself.

I feel very motivated today. Thank you all for your replies. I'll take it one day at a time, im determined for myself.

I joined a slimming club. But they get a lot of hate on here.

I saw my reflection one day and was shocked at how big I'd got. I found my local slimming group and joined that evening. I liked the social aspect, my Tuesday evenings were my get away time, cup of tea and a chat with people, and support for my healthy eating goals.

It worked for me. I lost weight and kept it off.

Congratulations! I'm very good at getting pregnant (and I think the healthy lifestyle helps a lot!) but none of them sticks over 12 weeks. The miscarriage rate rises rapidly after 42 and I'm no exception.

Do it for yourself, one day at a time. Fingers crossed <3

Another small thing I wanted to add. As I said, I do not carry any excess weight well, I am only 161 cm tall on a good day 😁

So I had chafing inner tights. Ouch and I could not wear what I wanted. I googled after solutions and found chub rub shorts. I thought no way I'm wearing this on Midsommar overcooking my lady bits in some nasty polyester shit. Now when I don't need them we have -6 over here at the end of April 😅

@CortieTat I'm sorry to hear about the miscarriages.
I wear shorts under dresses! But that's more comfort for me like when I need to walk up the stairs and people are behind me ha!

I'm much older than you - in my 50s - but was in my late 30s when the pounds started to go on. I have to say - start now, it's so much easier!

I just got sick of it, I was aching, snoring, nothing fitted and I finally got on the scales and saw I was 3 stone overweight. More importantly than the weight I think was my level of fitness. I was turning into a little old lady.

I stopped eating so much crap, was honest about what I was eating and snacking, signed up to a gym for 3 sessions a week, started doing pilates once a week, went on longer dog walks rather than taking short cuts.

That was a year ago and I've lost a stone (so some still to go) feel much fitter and bendier, and it hasn't been that hard to be honest.

I've started walking in the morning now the it's lighter.

I’ve needed to lose weight for years and now in my mid 40s I feel terrible all the time but still couldn’t get motivated. I’ve recently injured my knee (after a previous injury to the other leg and the pain of dragging my huge body around and being terrified of continuing in this state with no mobility due to not being able to put weight on either knee is motivating me to eat more sensibly. I can’t stand on the scales at the moment but feel like I’ve lost a few pounds. Need to lose a lot more!!

I just don't like how I look or feel being overweight