DIET FAILED AGAIN thread 4 - Everyone is welcome to join our very supportive and friendly group without any judgement. Do come and join us

I had a knee injury last year and despite physio it’s still really problematic. I can brisk walk for about 30 minutes but then I have to stop because the pain starts to set in.

I tried a 45 minute walk yesterday and when I got home I was so sore that I had to take some ibuprofen and lie down with one hot water bottle under my knee and another one on top of my knee.

My injury is mainly muscular but it also caused a mid placement of my knee cap. It’s nothing that requires surgery but it ms still quite problematic from day to day. I do have physio exercises but they don’t seem to be doing much. I was told it could take a very long time before any drastic improvement is seen 😢

One thing I would say about running, it is brutal on your body. Any anomaly or minor ailment (such as I have one leg slightly longer than the other, and a bunion) is exacerbated 100-fold when you run endurance distances. I only started in 2018 and I’ve gone through the honeymoon period and am now in the ‘everything hurts’ period and unless you’re extremely lucky you will develop some sort of niggle that can become an actual, performance stopping injury. Hip flexors are mine, caused by my wonky leg and the fact that my feet aren’t a pair…. Then you have to eat right, stretch, get physio, get proper shoes…. I don’t want to retire from running yet but I really need to start taking better care of myself if I want to continue endurance running because I don’t think my body will take it. Oh, and annoyingly, I don’t think it actually makes me any skinnier either- I was sold a lie! I am gradually making the switch over to weighted workouts but they are not conducive to good running as my muscles ache so much afterwards, so I tend to combine walking with hiit and run on my ‘off days’ . Oddly, my knee hurts when I walk but not when I run. I’m climbing snowdon in September and I think I’ll need a knee strap to manage it.

I slept well last night, and slept in til 7.15! Lush! I was planning a little run this morning so I will pop out for that after my coffee, and it’s actually sunny here today which is lovely so I am feeling good. Food sorted, workouts sorted…

have a good day all

@Ledochas I tend to bloat when I ovulate now, like really poochy tight uncomfortable stomach. Then when I’m actually due on and that lasts a few days. Once my period arrives I will debloat, sometimes getting up several times in the night to go for a wee. I’ve never actually tracked it exactly, but that does seem to be a pattern for me.

@MyTruthIsOut
I spent 14 months rehabbing from two prolapsed discs...I'd run through the pain thinking it was ligament aches,so I feel your pain !
I was offered intensive physio or surgery...I'm a doctor and know a lot of my hip and back pain might be neurological pathways needing un wiring...not necessarily due to pathological disease.
And only about 30% get relief from surgery...so I did the physio..bore was it boring and slow and long ...but it worked...it was huge commitment and also re education for me that actually I can run again but things hurt and that doesn't necessarily mean stop doing the exercise...
Stick with your physio...do the exercises as much as you can...it works eventually.

Sounds like you guys are doing so well with all the exercise.

I managed to undo 1 of my 2 pound gains and went to M&S today to spend some of my birthday money.

I'm sorry for the pity party that is about to follow but I figure we are all here for the lows as well as the highs.

You were not kidding about the mirrors. And the lights. Unforgiving is the nicest word that I could find to describe them.

My shopping treat turned into confronting myself with the untold damage I have inflicted on my own body. The harsh reality of the permanent harm I have done to my skin is quite frankly depressing. Only a small portion of the stretch marks across my stomach can be attributed to pregnancy.

And now as the weight is going off any hope of an actual flat stomach at the end was well and truly destroyed by the sight my the wrinkly sagging mess that is the overhang at the bottom of my belly. Realistically even if I do reach my target of losing another 4 stone the only way that I'm getting a normal shape around my waist will be surgically.

I'm just so angry at myself for letting it get this bad and daunted by the massive amount of work that still needs to be done to get myself to a healthy weight that I just want to curl up into a ball and cry. So I am in bed in the dark pretending this isn't happening and kidding myself that I'm just curvy like J-lo.

@effiesgoldwig 💐 I second poorpaws. Those mirrors are awful, the lighting is harsh, and we never stand a foot from someone and scrutinise their entire body, semi undressed- except ourselves. I don’t know of any women who don’t have any stretchmarks. If they are red and angry now, they WILL fade to little white crinkles and almost disappear. We could write essays about the bits of our bodies we despise and the guilt we feel that we ‘ruined’ ourselves, but this only serves to make us feel more unhappy and leads to a cycle of self hatred, comfort eating and misery. You are doing AMAZING things for your body by losing weight and more importantly, by showing up for yourself every day.

I had 3 babies, 2 of them 10lb heifers, and one of those decided to spend his entire 8.5 months gestation lay on his side resting his dear little head on my low lying placenta, meaning just when I’d reached peak exhaustion of two kids and heavily pregnant, the third one took leave to destroy what was left of my stomach and needed surgical removal to boot. Now, I’d love to waffle on about ‘tiger stripes’ and gaze fondly at him thanking him, but secretly, I’m devastated. My entire abdomen is destroyed. No amount of sit ups and crunches will ever resolve that. But- diet and exercise does and will improve it, as does investing in a decent pair of Spanx and a full length mirror you can get a decent distance away from on the landing.

please don’t let this derail your fantastic weight loss journey, or spoil your birthday.

Oh! And once I’d lost a bit of weight it became abundantly clear that I had diastatis recti and doing the very gentle physio for that (from YouTube) made a tremendous difference to my waist and overall shape. Most women who have had babies have it to some degree and there are lots of videos online how to identify if you have it. It can definitely contribute to that feeling of ‘my stomach is destroyed’ and definitely adds to that feeling of ‘all my weight goes on my tummy’ because every time you so much as drink a pint of water, the muscles can’t hold you in and your belly ‘pooches’ out. I recommend having a look for that as well.

Good morning all!!

I just have a quick question please as I’m confused about my weight loss.

I have been changing my diet and calorie counting for the last 3 weeks (1200 calories a day) and for the first two weeks I lost 2lb each week and was so happy.

However, I’ve weighed myself this morning (a week after my last weight) and I haven’t lost anything 😢 I weigh exactly the same as last Thursday even though I’ve stuck to my changes in diet.

I’m feeling really deflated after such a good start.

Is it normal for this to happen??

Thanks for the moral support @thenewaveragebear1983 and @poorpaws I've woken a bit more cheerful this morning and that extra pound has gone again so I'm back on track. Looking on the bright side I did manage to get 2 pairs of jeggings and a top two sizes down (22 down to 18) and I tried a pair of actual denim jeans on and they fitted I just didn't like them. Fresh start today and renewed enthusiasm.

@MyTruthIsOut yes it's normal for your weight to fluctuate over the course of a month particularly if you are due on as you can retain water etc. it should show as a loss over the course of a month even if it doesn't show straight away.

My period is due tomorrow so maybe that’s it?

Thank you for your advice 👍

@effiesgoldwig . Don’t be sad. Things will definitely get better. Try some swimming and some yoga, both are great for toning up. My belly area is grim - 4 big babies and lots of yo-yoing. But swimming regularly made a huge difference. I haven’t been for 3 weeks and it really shows. And of course, all the health benefits of weight loss, are most important. And if you’d gone to M&S at 18 stone, if you’d dared, it all would have looked worse and those 22s would have been tight. I’m wearing a fitted knitted linen dress today, size 18 and it looks fabulous, because there’s room for my belly and it just skims everything. You should be so proud of yourself.
@MyTruthIsOut ah yes the dreaded Shark week. I made myself look a fool on MFP for asking what it was. Don’t be disheartened, you may lose more than usual next week.

@effiesgoldwig i just read your update, 2 dress sizes is amazing - I hope you feel lovely in your new clothes

it’s Friday, I break up for annual leave today, AND Hmrc have finally taken me off BR tax so I have a whopper paycheque! What a great day.

diet wise? Well… I’m still slogging away but tbh I’m in holiday mode and I’ve made my peace with the fact I’m going away in the rain and my diet will not be exactly en pointe For the week. Meh 🤷‍♀️ (is this what they mean about ‘fuck it, I’m 40’ ???? 😂)

In other news, someone recommended I take magnesium and oh boy, I am sure it must be coincidence but yesterday after taking it once, I had no twitchy legs in the evening and my mood definitely ‘lifted’ and this morning I woke up NOT feeling like I’d slept in a crumpled heap on the floor. 🤔 interesting…..

I’m going to run this morning. I’m due on and sometimes that helps get things moving. Like posters above, I feel very bloated at this totm, and just have a general ‘heaviness’ about me. Even my fingers get a bit swollen and puffy.

enjoy your Friday, people, whatever she may bring….

The Primark changing room mirrors are so confronting that I've mentally stored them to use as a stick if I really need to kick start the weight loss. Sounds like the M&S ones would do the job too!
I'm 17'5 this week, so slightly down again. I seem to be yo-yoing between super healthy eating and fuck it, so need to channel a bit more of the former as I know if I can hit the 16s again that'll be a huge motivator.

Hi everyone....enjoy the holiday @thenewaveragebear1983
I am struggling a bit this weekend fod wise - some of boredom, some of more boredom..am at work all weekend, did not have a good week food or alcohol wise last week so weight is hovered around 72kg...but it is long run day tomorrow and i go on holiday 5 weeks today so that is all incentive to keep at it.
I have just eaten a dull ham salad, no dressing, had an apple and a satsuma and several coffees....
trying to feel enthused for chicken salad for dinner and no alcohol....
the weigh no loss is ok, i havent gained any and i did go out for dinner and eat slow cooked belly pork last night....
@effiesgoldwig ...2 dress sizes and proper denim sounds a great achievement

Thanks @Theredjellybean .

Weather is hit and miss, and I’ve been eating a lot of rubbish- chips, ice cream, wine…. I’m going to rein it in after today now we have been shopping, it doesn’t actually make me feel nice and I just feel really full and stuffed.

I’ve lost another 1.5 lbs this week so I’m happy with that.

Im now feeling full of dread as my fiends all want to go out for a meal tomorrow night, my dad wants to take me out for a meal on Wednesday and my mum wants to take me out for a meal on Friday 🙁

I‘be done so well over the last three weeks, sticking to my healthy eating, doing my exercises and adhering to my calorie allowances etc and I’ve been so happy with my weight loss….and I really, really don’t want to go out for meals three nights out of five.

I don’t know how I’m going to get out of it 😢

@MyTruthIsOut I’ve been there, and it is Crappy when you’re feeling on it, I never fully trust myself yet I can get back in the zone afterwards either. Can you make any of these lunches rather than evening meals? Lunch always seems like there are lighter/smaller options on menus, no alcohol, and it seems less obvious if you had eg. Soup or salad than on an evening? Or Could you suggest to your mum or dad that you cook instead?

if I was going out with my friends I’d be ruthless and say I’m not drinking/having Chips/dessert etc- I make a joke of it now, but basically I can’t afford to have to burn off calories for a weds night meal out- and it really shouldn’t affect their enjoyment if you don’t drink or eat dessert, especially if it’s a big group.
If you can get the menus in advance they may have calories on them, you can at least be forwarned and plan ahead. And drive, so no drinking!

I don’t drink alcohol anyway - I’m always the boring and sober one in the group 😂

I downloaded the menu of the place we are eating at (an Indian restaurant) and there aren’t any details about how many calories are in the meals - so that plan went out the window 😂

My three friends all know that I’m doing my dieting but they’re doing Slimmers World which doesn’t focus on calories (I think) and is more about how many “sins” they are allowed a day. I get the impression that they think my calorie counting is a bit ridiculous so I imagine I will be on the receiving end of some passive aggressive jokey comments about it 😬

Im just going to stick to one portion and make it heavily rice based as I doubt there are many calories in rice 🤷‍♀️

My parents are divorced and although I can probably get out of the one with my mom, the one with my dad will be impossible. He’s been away for a while so he’s having a family get together and he’s putting on a big meal for everyone etc so I’m just going to have to suck that one up.

I don’t know why I feel embarrassed about people knowing I calorie-count…..sometimes I feel like most people look down on it and it’s easy for them to make jokes (usually slightly nasty ones) about something when they’ve never had to do it themselves.

you Could go for something tomato based like a Balti or Rogan Josh rather than creamy/coconut based? Although Personally if it was Indian, I’d order 2 starters rather than a main- something dry/tandoori and maybe something else (ours does a tikka stuffed pepper starter, it’s delicious) - share a rice but only have a spoonful, and ask for salad. It’s the naan breads and extras that will be crazy calories, if you can avoid those you’ll be fine.

Good morning everyone. Well done @poorpaws , it really feels like you’ve made a breakthrough. I am 95.8 today, so almost a kilo down from last week. I stopped the sweet stuff and started little walks and some gentle gardening too. Im giving myself a big pat on the back. If I can be reliably under 94 kilos by the end of August, I will be pleased. But 93 would be be better.

SW 13:1
CW 12:9

So that’s another 2 pounds lost this week. Happy with that. I tried on a few summer clothes over the weekend and can feel the difference, especially over my bust.

@Catcatcatcatcat . Brilliant, well done, such a good start.