I'm unaccustomedly proud of myself weight wise! 🤗

[JFDIYOLO]

I'm so pleased - 2 summers ago I hit my heaviest ever, 15.5 stone. I'd settled into a lovely but sedentary contract and got into breakfast pastry / meal deal / afternoon cake / big dinner / treat habit and finally made myself get on the scales. The shock ...

Lost a few pounds then lost heart. Fast forward to this July and felt I should pick it up again, then found I'd dropped a few more. Encouraged again!

Counting the loss since it began, I'm down two stone, a jeans size and a bra size - about 1.5 stone to go.

I sort of plateaued over the last month without much coming off, but my new jeans feel and look so nice that I feel it's real milestone achieved. And I'm seeing them as interim jeans, intending to be in another size down and my target weight of 12 stone before new year.

You are right to be pleased with yourself! It's not easy but has so many pay-offs. One of which is trying new jeans or in my case a new (to me) dress from Vinted - I haven't looked like this in years. I'm 70 next birthday so it's a new lease of life for me. I was 15st 3lbs and now 11st 10lbs. It's not so much about the weight for me as about the feel and look. More power to your elbow! Well done!

That's so great. Would you mind sharing how you managed it? I'm 15 stone and wondering which diet to follow.

@Barryana im assuming weight loss injections?

Thankyou 🤗

Absolutely no weight loss injections - I'm afraid of needles. Also, though all the best to those who've benefitted from them, I decided I needed to do the think - feel - behave - results- think etc cycle. Change how I think, influencing how I feel, driving new behaviour that gets the results I want that reinforces the thinking.

Think

I'm in my 60s, well past meno. A couple of years ago I was having stomach issues (nothing found, including endoscopy, much better these days). Dad died of liver cancer in his 60s, nanna died of stomach cancer in her 70s. A nasty bout of indigestion in July. The family history of gut problems plus the realisation my insides are in their 7th decade and may not be able to cope with the sheer amount and richness of food I used to pack away made me decide ... I HAVE to change my habits.

Then a slipped disc, frozen shoulders and gout also in my medical history made me think about the strain on my joints etc. I'm 5'8.

And the family tendency to varicose veins too.

So all those things together gave me a mental snapshot of becoming (should I live so long, touch wood) a tall and yes, obese, elderly woman, unable to get up off the floor, out of bath etc etc, having to be lifted and turned by overworked nurses ...

And a last thing there - two photos of me friends shared online early this summer ... 😲

All that went in - and I had a stern word with myself.

I did a plan. A very messy chart in my nice notebook (I won't share it as it's got a lot of identifiable stuff) with weight in stones and individual pounds down the left side, starting with the worst weight for encouragement, and weekly columns along the bottom.

Then goal setting - three pounds a week (which I have SO not achieved but hey), thinking in terms of one-week packages).

Then reward - each weekly weigh if I'd only lost one pound I put a gold sparkly star sticker next to the point on the chart, then joined each week up. It's a wobbly wobbly lurchy up and downy line - but the average is DOWN.

I also write down literally everything I eat in the notebook and yellow-highlight anything that isn't weight loss friendly. It's unmistakable - weeks where there's more yellow, there's no loss, or an increase. 🤷‍♀️It's entirely in my hands.

Feel

I feel accountability, control, responsibility. If I do this, that happens.

I'm proud of the results.

I'm excited and pleased by what I see and feel.

I like my new bras and jeans. (If you're doing this, get bra fitted and buy yourself some interim new bras - I bought a set of 3 very plain t shirts bras at £22 from M&S.

I have heart to continue to my goal..

Behave

It's a one way ticket - I've changed my thinking and behaviour, my habits.

So ... The actual eating.

First, I've stopped doing the things that derailed me. No more automatic pastry with cappuccino whenever I go to a cafe.

No more 'do you fancy ... ' and one of us nipping out to corner shop for chocolate biscuits or whatever.

No puddings - always fruit.

No big complicated heavy meals. Simplicity and freshness.

Eating a bit earlier so no going to bed on full stomach.

Waiting a bit before eating the fruit.

OK, here's the bit some may not approve:
Generally only one meal a day, for now.

1/4 plate protein (fish, chicken, egg, cheese, beans etc)

1/4 plate carbs (rice, pasta, bead, potatoes etc)

1/2 plate salad (as many different colours and flavours as I can add) or mixed veggies.

Then fruit for pud.

Loads of water.

Yes, I do still have olive oil and butter.

The occasional glass of red/rose wine.

The odd croissant ...

I stumble and indulge along the way, then get back on the straight road.

Because I WILL reach my target 12 stone before New Year.

I will NOT be overweight in 2026.

I WILL have a healthier, lighter, lither later life.

All best, everyone. It isn't easy but I find my note taking and record keeping very helpful.

I'm not on track for 3lbs this week - but that's ok. Tomorrow is another week.

Well done OP. You are an inspiration.

I'm on my own WL journey - like you I'm doing it the old fashioned way and not using WL drugs.

From my heaviest weight I'm down almost 4 stone. I still have another 3 to go to get me to the right BMI category. The loss has sort of stalled now to a tiny amount ie 2lbs per month.

I was finding it easier in the summer as I was naturally drinking lots of water in the heat whereas now I'm drinking milky coffee. Nearly everything I eat is healthy but I think some of my portions are too large now. I struggle with portion control around carbs and can eat a massive bowl of porridge, honey, nuts and banana which while good for me will actually have a large amount of calories.

I'm eating more protein that I used to and more veg and fruit. Again I found it easier to eat salads etc in the summer. Winter is making me crave stodgier stuff.

As long as I am not putting it back on then I guess there is a benefit to it having stalled ie skin getting time to catch up and still getting some wear out of my size 18's.

There is also a psychological adjustment to losing so much weight and being a 'normal' size again.

I do remember eating lots of ready meals and thinking even back then there was very little chewing to do ie there was very little actual solid matter. It was all sauce and grainy meat. I don't think I could go back to that now especially after being more aware of what goes into UPF and how addictive they deliberately make them.

So far I haven't really been exercising beyond walking the dog so I can add that to burn some calories. I hope to lose more over the winter but if I end up staying this weight till next spring/summer then i guess it is still an achievement.

The cravings for icecream, pastries, crisps has mostly gone and like you I am having to find other ways to deal with my poor mental health. I was definately using food to self soothe/numb myself. Starting therapy soon (on NHS) and on a high dose of antidepressants seems to be helping make stick to the straight and narrow.

My focus is on not only losing weight but also nourishing myself/healing myself and understanding myself more.

I do think the stalling and slowing is the most disheartening thing, especially on weeks when I KNOW I've been very careful and resisted temptations! That awwww ... feeling when the scale doesn't give me what I want and feel I deserve 🥺. But the 😁 when it says the right thing!!!

Yesterday I put the old jeans and now-baggy jeggings out to go. Took a snapshot, said thankyou for your service, goodbye old size forever. Old bras the same, last week. Brand new bra on today and the new jeans.

I'm holding on to the one way ticket / journey idea. Can never go back up to old size, because I'm not 'on a diet' (which carries with it the sense of 'and will come off it eventually'.)

I've changed what's going on under the bonnet (how I think and feel).

Which has caused a permanent change in behaviour.

Which will get the results I value.

It's not really a diet, more a lifestyle change and changing the way I think about food. I was 15st 3lbs last September and am now 11st 10lbs. I will be 70 next birthday. Here's what helps.
I use the NHS Weight Loss app to record what I've eaten. The value of this is that it makes you much more mindful about what you eat. And you can record your progress.

My other secret weapons include the Hairy Bikers' Hairy Dieters books. These are readily available secondhand and packed with good food ideas - proper food.

I joined a gym and do 3 roughly one-hour sessions a week, mostly weights. I walk when I can.
Brennan's 60 calories a slice bread is also very helpful.
My target was 1lb loss per week.
You will end up with a different point of view about food and as you rediscover your ribs and notice how your clothes feel, you'll feel successful and even more committed.
I second the advice to get a proper bra fitting. I went into Bravissimo in Glasgow wearing a 42c and came out wearing 36ff! Absolute game changer and very motivating.
So, you don't need anything very special or expensive. Make losing weight a priority, one that overrides other considerations, and you'll see it gradually melting away.
Good luck and stick to your guns.

Bra wise I've gone from 38DD to 36DD. And definitely feel the fit improvements with the new ones.
Two pairs of size 16 jeans - I am aiming at 14 by end of year 🤞

Can't help noticing my varicose veins look worse now my legs have less fat to hide them in, but my legs feel so much better re lither movement, chub rub reduction, less wobble.

The spare tyre and saddlebags are still very much present but since I've got from Obese to well down the Overweight category that will improve!

Well done it’s so good to achieve.
I am just shy of having lost 3stone this year with calorie counting and just tonight was sat at a concert feeling really pleased I was in a size 12 jeans. It’s a lovely feeling so enjoy it

When you've been doing it a while you can see the bigger picture - I've been with family this weekend so had treats and drinks and big breakfast - so what!

Previously I'd have said that's it, I've failed, I've ruined everything and might as well stop bothering.

Now it's ok, had a nice weekend, and next week back on track.

@JFDIYOLO
What a great achievement and I have enjoyed reading your posts
You are certainly doing fantastic on your one way ticket to great health and a sliimmer you.
Well done I applaud you xx

Well done OP!! X

Aw thank you!

What has helped is:

Little goals on the way to big ones. One pound off a week is fine. Achievable and not intimidating. And probably better for avoiding baggy skin than a faster loss.

Realistic goals for my age, height, sex. I don't want to be skinny, just healthy, nicely proportioned and well dressed.

Non-food rewards for success - bra fitting and new bras at new size, jeans in a size down.

Using the nice body lotion! Enjoying feeling the difference in shape and size as I put it on, especially legs.

I still get some food noise ('but but but I usually eat more than this, I used to have a pastry every morning with coffee, why no pudding only fruit waaaaaaahhhh') but I got used to shutting it up, making it quieter and duller by bringing up the mental pictures of me slimmer, fitter, faster, healthier instead.

A bit of gamification - most annoyingly my partner now weighs my ideal weight 🤔 so that's something to aim at.

Christmas is looming so I'm aiming at a balance of keeping the faith plus some treats and indulgences. I had a nasty bout of indigestion a few months ago and the memory of that has quite the effect of curbing my tendency since childhood to overeat.

My dad was the same, and his death from liver cancer at not much older than I am now weighs on my mind.

A lot of it is around habits. Getting used to different ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, so they become the norm instead of new, scary and weird.

I think it'll never be easy. I'll always WANT the treats, indulgences and big portions. But I'm more likely to just pass them by and choose differently now because I can see and feel the effects of the choices I've made so far.

I'm merely overweight now at 13 stone 4 and 5'8". I would like to be 12 stone, then see. Little by little.

How are you doing?

We've had a ghastly flu thing recently so everything up in the air, but one good thing is I just slipped down below 13 stone without realising it. Being in the 12 stone zone feels very good. Little by little.

You should feel so very proud of yourself @JFDIYOLO

Same boat as yourself here. I did have an active job , but in a freezing cold wet factory , and we would treat ourselves by bringing in chocolate and crisps, the drivers would bring us in cakes and sausage rolls and we would often send out for filled sodas - the weight piled on. And because it was warm scruffy clothes as we were covered in waterproofs , jogging bottoms and hoodies hid the waist expanding

I knew it was getting a serious problem when I was going out on a night mountain climb and I ended up having to buy a mans coat as the ladies weren't big enough to fit me and the layers required

Then right after Christmas I had an accident in work, pretty serious, I spent four months confined to the sofa or bed , and son's wedding was looming in the October. I took my sorry fat backside into SW, because I knew left to my own devises Id fall off the wagon and stay off

SW advocate what you are going ( not the one meal a day mind) but half the plate veg , as much protein as you need and then the space left - carbs

Slowly the weight came off, 1lb here, 1/2lb there, some weeks it might have been as high as 2 pounds , but I kept at it and I went to the wedding in a size 14 dress ( from an 18 ) and I dance and socialised and was in the photos

That was my goal - size 14. But I liked being smaller again so I set my next target, hit that, then set another - which I have never met - I wanted 8st 10, my body has decided 9st 4 - give or take a few pounds - I might get below one week and will be back at 9 4 the following

Ive spent the past near on 2 years maintaining, this will be my second Christmas

As a target member I no longer pay and. I go along every week - its me time, it keeps me determined to not put it back on again , it keeps me focussed

I now wear size 8 jeans and trouser and 10 or 12 tops - depending on cut and just last month I finally threw out the 14's - finally believing I mostly have this nailed

Sure I have mad moments , when the white bread and butter disappears down my throat at the rate of knots and I can inhale a packet of biscuits without it even registering , but I just draw a line and start again with the next meal

I was never happy fat. I stayed home and declined invites because I knew I looked a mess. With the weight loss my confidence grew and I started to make the most of what I have. Got my hair cut to a style that suited me, keep on top of eyebrows and started to wear a bit of make up when going out. Now I love the ritual of getting ready to go out - opening the wardrobe and finding that everything fits

I am pretty much like you in that I do usually only eat one meal a day , but that's because Im at work at 5:30am till 10 am, then I go walk for an hour, then come home and enjoy a coffee, and I may not realise Im hungry till 3pm at which time Im walking the dog and then getting the dinner on so I think sod it - and hold off

If I feel really hungry Ill take some cold chicken or ham, pot of cottage cheese and some fruit - something that will fill me without ruining me for my dinner

Ive been on this "journey " for 3 years now and it is tough. Most days Im ok, but then I get times when I think can I ever not be on a diet ? before I switch the mindset to this is healthy eating, how you should be eating

Im glad I woke up tbh, I was becoming a prisoner to my weight . Now Im so much lighter, getting the exercise in is a lot easier. I exercise for "mental health " I feel so mush better on the days I get out there

Ive booked my McMillan Mighty Hike for next year and Im looking forward to not getting stuck in stiles and needing being pushed and shoved through

@suki1964 thankyou and congratulations 👏👍👏 !

I think it comes down to acknowledging the current situation, opening our eyes and saying actually this is where I am now.

Then looking at how we feel about that, whether it's what we want, if we're genuinely, honestly happy about it.

Then thinking ahead to later life (I think age can come into play) and considering are we content for this to be us in ten twenty whatever years?

Considering real world consequences for our health, mobility, general wellbeing and happiness, relationship, family life, sex life, how we feel about appearance in and out of clothes, can we run for a bus, carry baby, toddler, teens, support Mum & Dad, function well in work / business etc etc etc.

Thinking about previous, current or (given our weight) likely future health implications. Impact on us, family, the NHS ...

We have responsibility. We're really not here long and I regret the 15 years or so I spent becoming and being large, heavy, clumsy, stiff. I used to go to the gym, weight training, do aerobics - if anyone members those! I don't know when it all changed - but thinking of the timing, it's surely peri and menopause related, which coincided with my redundancy.

Losing weight later isn't necessarily harder but I have to accept this body and this skin doesn't look like it did in my 20s and thirties. There's loose skin, crepiness and so on, and that's fine because this body more or less works and I'm ever more pleased with the results in the mirror when I'm dressed.

So buy the nice body lotion and hair conditioner and skincare and perfume.

Get the bra fitting and some new ones.

Buy the interim size jeans ( I got two nice M&S pairs from a charity shop).

Notice each each little change and a lb down is an achievement - I'm finding making a graph, keeping a diary and awarding myself little sparkly gold stars all over it really help (maybe I am actually six ...)

I will still be under the urge to overeat, I think. But that nasty indigestion attack taught me a lesson. I was at a party last night and while before I'd have pigged out on the cheese and crisps and mince pies, I just lightly snacked and did one glass of wine and enjoyed.

Well, tomorrow is another week. I dipped below 13 stone for the first time in years this weekend so if I can casually drop 1-3 lbs this week I'm happy.

All best everyone going through this, whatever your age, stage or motivations. You've got this.

Well done. I am 18 1/2 lbs down since the beginning of November but I do have a lot to lose. I love the idea of a one way ticket!

Wow, you are me now! I’m 54, 5ft 8 and am tipping the scales at 15st 7lb, my heaviest weight. I’ve been in denial for a while - I swear must have reverse body dysmorphia because when I look in a mirror I don’t think I look that big! But I had to buy a size 18 dress for a wedding in October and the photos were shocking and I knew I had to do something finally. I’ve now started logging everything I eat because I eat fairly well but I just eat far too much. Well done on your loss and thanks so much for the inspiration!

What you said really resonates too @suki1964. I am not happy fat. I have been turning down invites, including a Xmas party last week where I knew there would be dancing because I couldn’t bear the idea of heaving my huge self along to the music and ending up a red-faced, out-of-breath sweaty mess. 😢

Climbing blinking out of Christmas and I took a deep breath and got on the scales.

Three pounds up, which isn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. We did do some good walks over the period, too.

But the psychological effect of being back over 13 stone when I'd last week broke through to 12/12, my lightest in a long time was ... 🥺

I know I won't now reach my 12 stone / size 14 goal by new year.

My tendency to indulge and overeat will never leave me, I think.

Taking control with how I think, feel and behave

I do have something now I didn't have a couple of years ago - the knowledge I've lost 35+ pounds through taking control and planning and being mindful.

In addition to the new jeans and bras I also have a gorgeous long skirt (size 16) in chocolate brown fine corduroy with a sprinkling of bronze sequins, and a fitted teal chenille cardigan.

I'm using my own mix of body cream and baby oil shook up in a pot till it's a thick mousse - gorgeous.

I look and feel so much nicer dressed and undressed than I did early summer!

So it's the weekend now. Here's a new week all freshly lined up. I have a freezer full of lots of different veggies. I'm going back to my half a plate of veggies, quarter plate of carbs, quarter plate of protein and some fruit. I tend to eat a bit earlier in the day - dinner ready for House of Games rather than starting to cook afterwards, so I've digested better when we go to bed.

New goal: 3 lbs down and back below 13 stone by next weekend. That'll do. 2026 is another year.

How are you getting on?

🤗👏👏👏

You are doing fantastic

This is Christmas 3 whilst going to SW

And the first year Ive not had a gain - I stayed the same

It takes a while - for me two long years - but Ive eventually accepted that unless I watch what is going into my mouth - Im going to get fat again - and I really and truly dont want to

This house looking like Charlies Chocolate Factory - and yes I admit they are nice - but while there is a part of me wants to face palm them, Im beginning to flush away the opened boxes and the unopened are heading to a food bank on Monday. No point taking them to work , all that does is shift when I eat them

Keeping the weight off takes more work then getting it off. I haven't had a miserable boring christmas , Ive had choccies and crisps and cheese and pate and two roast dinners, but Ive only eaten to my fill. And Ive learned - still learning - not to over do it

Its not easy to realise that I cant eat to what is advertised as perfectly acceptable means , that I need to eat a healthy balanced diet with the odd wee "treat" And not of all realising that food is not a treat

Well done! I had my last mince pies yesterday then binned the rest of the pot of double cream - in the past I might just have mindlessly eaten it with a spoon. I won't be buying more.

I didn't overdo it, I feel fine - whereas before I've been capable of eating myself into real physical discomfort. I actually feel hungry!

I'm saying that was the winter feast, the celebration that we've made it through another winter with enough food and we're on the climb back up to the light.