May I join you? I'm a lifelong yo-yo dieter - which given that I'm in my mid-60s and I went on my first diet at age 9 is getting on for 60 years of ups and downs. Over the decades I've weighed over 15 stone (when my kids were little, and again after they left home) and under 9 stone when dieting and exercise have been at their peak. In the last 10 years or so the swings have been less, between about 10 stone and 13 stone. I'm only 5' 4" so if I want to maintain a healthy weight I should be no heavier than 10 stone.
I weighed myself just after New Year and I was 11st 2lb. I've behaved myself food-wise since then, and this morning I was 10 st 12. I'd like to lose the 12lb to get down to 10st, but more importantly I want to develop healthier habits to try to get off this endless yo-yo. I'd be quite happy to take a year to shed the extra if by the end of it I have eating and exercise habits I can maintain long term.
I've cut my hours at work this month with a view to retiring the year after next, and I'm looking to increase the amount of exercise I do. I don't drive so an easy win for me is to walk a couple of extra bus stops whenever I go anywhere. I've also started swimming which I hope I can keep up regularly. Food-wise, I know what I have to do. I have to stop buying and eating biscuits, cakes and sweets. I have no off-button with them, so if I buy, say, a 4-pack of Mars bars, I eat them all. Ditto a large pack of chocolate digestives, or a box of mince pies, or a family pack of Skittles, you get the idea. I need some accountability to stop myself doing that! I could also do with a slight decrease in portion size, but that's not the main factor for me. What I'd love in the long term - but I don't know if it's possible - is to be able to eat sugary sweet treats occasionally and in moderation.
But for now it's off the sweets and cakes, and onto healthy, nourishing meals and a bit more moving around.