Slowly gained weight over the last few years and need to lose it

[Evie899]

I’m feeling quite down about my weight. Probably since the pandemic I’ve been slowly gaining weight. I’m about 5’3 and stayed at around 8.5 stone easily during my 20s without much effort. I am now mid 30s. I weighed myself recently and now I’m 10.5 stone. I’m shocked at how much I’ve gained. My wedding is next summer too so it’s bad timing.

I just changed my clothes around for winter and most of my jeans don’t fit me. The ones that do are very tight. It’s affecting my confidence and I want to do something about it and stop going around in tracksuit bottoms at weekends.

My bad habits are snacking on sugary things, ordering takeaways when I can’t be bothered to cook and I live with my sister who is always bringing cakes and chocolate home so that doesn’t help. But I really need to make a change.

I’ve bought barbells and a treadmill second hand from a local site. Also my sister has an exercise bike so I need to start some sort of exercise plan. I walk a lot already so that helps. I’ve already lost about half a stone (I used to be over 11) but I need to work on my motivation.

Does anyone have any advice? I feel disappointed in myself :(

The exact same thing has happened to me…. .. I tried to embrace my weight gain as I thought it could be perimenopause related (I’m in my mid 40’s) but it’s got to the point now where it’s making me not like how I look.

Ive joined a gym and am making a conscious effort to cut out sugary snacks which are my easy go to. If you have those bits of exercise equipment put together a plan to maybe spend an hour 3/4 days a week on top of your walking.

My fitness pal is a free app where you can calorie count and offset your exercise which is you use more calories than you eat, you should start to see some weight reduction.

Good luck

I was like that is July. I just started calorie counting. I find if my meals are carefully planned and high protein, lower on the carb front, it is easier to be rigid. I have almost the same lunch every day, my breakfast is the same every day, and I cook from Pinch of Nom books for dinner. I plan in snacks when I know I'll want them. I don't eat much in the way of ultra processed food and I cut out sweeteners totally and it turned out they were having a huge impact on my appetite. I also make sure I get a decent night's sleep as tiredness makes me want to eat.
Remember you can't out train a bad diet. All the exercise in the world won't undo what you put in your mouth. If you already walk a lot, then you will burn surprisingly few calories doing this activity as you are used to it. What you eat is far more important when it comes to weight loss. Tell your sister to stop being a feeder, she should be supporting you.

Motivation? Surely your wedding day is motivation enough?

I was the same as yourself, the weight had snuck on and at 5'2 and 11 plus stone it wasnt looking good. My motivation was my sons wedding. In April I walked into SW with the aim to drop a dress size, come his wedding in September - I was down 2 sizes and wasnt squeezed in

For me, I just cant do it alone, I need accountability, I need the weigh ins, I need the support as I have none in every day life. I need to step on those scales and have it recorded and have that record to look at whenever im faltering

Dont get me wrong, Im not a stupid or lazy person. I know how to do it alone, just for me I find it way too easy to listen to my own excuses. The knowing I have weigh in, where I cant lie and hide , means I do keep on the straight and narrow - mostly, and those days I dont, well Im reminded that I can still make a difference with my next meal

The past year I worked in a coffee shop, I had cake about be all day, as well as hot food. Right now Im back as a cook on a deli counter - cooking everything that I love - sausages rolls, jambons, danish, scones, tarts - pastry galore - and not a bite do I take, I couldn't do that left to my own devices.

Thats what works for me. The going to group every week , the accountability , the support I get and the support I give others

I used to eat stuff just like you and I was fat, a size 16 when size 10 is right for my height/frame. What I did was stop eating ultra processed foods, like the cakes etc your sister is bringing you, like the takeaways. It's fairly easy to do as it's not about calorie counting or reducing carbs, just Do Not Eat processed food. You can have cake or pizza or whatever if you make it yourself from scratch. I lost 3 stone doing this in about a year, and at least 30m moderate exercise a day (brisk walking, housework, gardening).

My wedding day is a big motivation but I mean on a smaller scale. For example, when I get home in the evening it’s easier in that moment to sit on the sofa, watch tv and have some snacks or a takeaway. It’s little habits like that I want to break.

I went through a bereavement earlier this year and my sister thinks she’s helping and cheering me up by buying these sweet treats. But I will have a chat with her and ask her not to.

I like the idea of having the same thing for breakfast and lunch and then cooking a healthy meal for dinner. I think the predictability of that plan will help me stick to healthy eating. I will have a look at the Pinch of Nom books.

Hi , how about intermittent fasting 16:8 , that will help with the late night grazing

Batch cook. Spend a morning over the weekend prepping for the week so that when you come home, dinner is ready waiting, just needs to be reheated - this time of year the slow cooker comes into its own. Prep pasta sauces and freeze . Have fast food in the house - eggs are fast. I use a lot of frozen veg now so that I can just grab what I need and there is no prep involved and no waste. I also buy frozen berries. just tip out what I need on top of my oats and yoghurt the night before and breakfast is ready in the morning

Also having something to occupy the hands in the evening helps. I like to crochet , cant be eating if the hands are busy

As the PP said, batch cooking. When I'm busy the only way I'll have healthy food rather than an unhealthy takeaway is if the healthy food is more convenient... I make a chilli or chicken curry and some soup every week (low fat mince for the chilli, and lots of veg added to all) Very easy to grab from the fridge after a long day at work.

I also try and keep busy to avoid snacking, but if I really want to snack I find microwavable pop corn feels enough of a treat but is actually quite low calorie. However the best way for me to lose interest in snacking is by focusing on eating enough protein and enough fibre during the day, then I find it much easier to turn down (and I have a major sweet tooth)