Hi
I am desperate to lose weight.
I need to lose about 5 stone but I would be happy if I could just lose 2. Started exercising today but it was so hard! I don't know if I have enough willpower or motivation. I am hoping that this forum will help me get the motivation I need.
Hi Mama,
Exercise is obviously good for our health, but what we eat is far more influential regarding our weight. I've lost more than 2 stones without starving myself, so very little willpower has been needed.
I have almost completely eliminated sugar of any kind from my diet, which includes processed carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, fizzy pop and most fruit.
To make up for those lost sources of energy I eat much more fat ( butter, olive oil, the fat on meat- which I used to always cut off and throw away- olives, avocado, nuts and seeds. I eat a fair amount of full fat Greek yogurt and only use full fat milk!
To find out more, look at dietdoctor.com, cereal killers on YouTube, LCHF on a web search.
Hope this information helps and inspires you. Do a bit of exercise, but mostly eat real food!
Good luck, Imp.
Most of the above I have followed except dairy, and have lost 2 stone got rid of the sweet cravings and still hoping to lose another 2 stone information on L C H F diet and Paleo I have found very helpful where other diets leave you hungry, craving ,and miserable so search on the web lots of information, or books,I have built my exercise up and do the things you enjoy,walking, swimming,zumba,do different activities to stop boredom,take your time and build up, this is from a person who has always hated exercise it takes time but you will get there,best of luck buddymac
Hi there, 3rd day in and I'm still doing ok. I have over 5st to lose, and do find I have little or no energy. If I try stuff, I tend to get lower back pain. Reading your post has motivated me to little but often. Normally I'm at my desk all day, and don't move unless it's for post or the loo. Today I have set an alert, every hour, just to walk around to reception and back. It doesn't take long, but it's more than before. I'm sure, with time, I'll feel I can walk out at lunchtimes rather than sit at my desk - especially when the days get warmer. I also snack on cucumber/celery now - plus I try to drink water every hour (have an alert for that too). Thank you for your post 
Try for a couple of weeks to cut all carbonates and sugar .
Eat protein as much you need and vegetables ,no milk or yogurt.
Replace sugar with honey or stevia ,it works for me that struggle to loose weight 8 years now!!
Hi Big_Mama
I know how tough it is to get started. Every day I could give you a reason why I should not change my eating and drinking habits. Including the worst of all ‘I’ll start next Monday after a blow-out weekend’.
What worked for me was to write down all the reasons I wanted to lose weight and all the reasons why I didn’t want to change my weight. Sometimes the pleasure of eating is more than the pain of dieting.
I have thought through the consequences of not losing weight e.g. diabetes, reduced mobility, dying early, self-respect, confidence etc and have convinced myself that the pain of being fat is greater than the pain of losing weight.
Can you remember a time when you were at your ideal weight? Do you have a photograph from that time? If you do then put copies everywhere. Set yourself a goal that includes more than weight loss e.g. fitting an item of clothing or completing an event. What reward will you give yourself when you reach your goal?
Keep a daily journal of how you feel, what you ate and what did you do to move a bit closer to your goal. Make a daily meal plan and only buy what you need, ideally on-line so that you are not tempted to buy more when in a shop. If exercising is a pain just try to walk more than you normally do as a start.
Then live every day as it comes. If you have cravings look at you dream photo, read your goals. Tell yourself that being lighter will make you feel so much better. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day – give yourself a telling off if it leads to two bad days.
Most important is to post here as often as you can we are here to help and celebrate your weight loss. We believe YOU CAN DO IT!
Best wishes
steveph
Excellent advice I am 66 and still trying to get to my perfect weight and shape, I have recently reluctantly joined a local gym, Now this creates all sorts of doubts in any ones mind, how will I look, everyone will be fit, what if I cant do it, I will only look stupid, I am too fat! Also you will have lots of friends and relatives that will put you off even before you start.
Well I went anyway! and I recommend that anyone and everyone should try
it. It is not the athletic muscle bound upper fit place that you have in your mind you do not have to run flat out and impress everyone you can do as much or as little as you want ! The best part is once you have been and done something you get a feeling of wellbeing this helps with fatigue and lethargy and helps you return.
Notes- Join for at least a month paying by direct debit
Use the change of life style to improve your appearance
Tell yourself that you are only going to do what is comfortable
You will achieve something just by going
Just "GO" what have got to lose? Maybe some weight !?
Don't be put off by the induction it is how you learn to use the
equipment It is not a test of your fitness !
" Please try it I am sure it will help!"
PS-You will be surprised by all the shapes, sizes, age groups and different
abilities that you will be with!
A very good people watching place!
Hi big mama
Exercise is essential for health but always found although fit I couldn't lose weight. Since being critically ill ( not due to weight ) I have followed LCHF diet. I have lost approx 40kg. I count my carbs swapped white bread for whole grain, but only eat about once a wk, same with rice & past. I cut down on some fruit but do eat berries ie blueberries everyday with full fat Greek yoghurt. I eat lot of fish, cooked in foil bag with herbs etc, pulses, nuts & drink a lot of water.
Good luck you can do it, it is hard but don't give up just because you slip up, as we all do or beat yourself up, just go straight back on to it.
We all here for you xx
Don't look too far ahead; have a glass of water and then plan your next meal .....sensible portions of meat, fish & vegetables, very small dessert or fruit. After that maybe drink more water or calming teas, vegetable soups - then plan the next healthy meal and so on. Just one day at a time. One foot in front of the other - and you will get there!
You can lose weight just by managing your eating. Exercising makes it easier but you don't have to punish yourself at the gym. You can just go for a walk 5 mins out and 5 mins back initially, with a test walk every week or so, to measure your progress till you get up to an hour at a time. I have lost 5 stone and am hovering half a stone up from my ideal goal at the moment. Things that helped: Write down what you are eating, preferably with kcal, so that you can review what you've done. This allows you to repeat your successful weeks and change your behaviour from your unsuccessful ones. And accept that there will be weeks where it doesn't work, that is the difference between a successful dieter and one who stops and starts. The successful one keeps going when there is no weight loss. For food: thinking about what you can have rather than what you can't really helps. Try adding one extra fruit or veg helping to every plate of food you have. So, for example, if you were having steak, baked potato and peas, add a big salad, or some carrots. Get the diet salad dressings and go for the lowest kcal ones or make your own with lemon juice, Basalmic etc. Veg soups are fantastic for boosting your veg intake. And if you start a meal with a veg soup, then the main course, with an extra veg, plus a fruity pud, even if it is just fruit canned in juice with the juice thrown away, topped with some plain yog. You will have had 3 courses for lunch or dinner and should feel full. It is worth going for low fat dairy like yogurt, quark, spready cheeses. Although, if like me, you prefer the taste of the full fat cheeses like cheddar, just have a smaller portion. I find Camembert, Brie and feta are good value kcal wise. Get the lowest fat meats you can. So take the skin off your chicken, cut the visible fat off bacon etc. Again, it is worth having smaller amounts of the best stuff. Look for whole grain cereals: Porridge oats, puffed wheat, shredded wheat. All the rest have added sugar. Fish is a great standby, if you like it because it is low in kcal compared to meat. If you buy ready cooked meats for sandwiches, again, go for the lower fat ones. I always go for sliced bread or portion controlled ones like thins, rolls, crumpets, wraps, etc. I freeze them so I always have a big choice of breads. I also pile up the fruit bowl although I try to have a different fruit every time I dip in. So to my usual Apple, easy peel orange and banana per day, I add whatever is cheap. So eaten special offer grapes, nectarines and blueberries this week. Fruit is often sweet enough to keep me out of the cake/biscuit tin and away from the chocolate stash. Good luck, you are starting a fantastic journey of transformation and it can be fun and interesting not just difficult. Hope your first weigh in is good news. See you on the site.
Hi Big_mama it's sounds like you are on the right track, by making the decision to change your body by exercising, I know how you are feeling because at the beginning of the year I needed to lose 4 stone, fortunately I've stuck at it & have now lost a stone. The way I've done it is with advice on here😊 by cutting down on carbs in particular bread and potatoes. I too exercise by walking and going on my stepper, I'm also starting Pilates. There's a lot of lovely helpful people on here, who give free advice 😃 keep going, as soon as you lose some weight that will encourage you to carry on.
Slow weight loss is better than losing too much too soon.
Good luck 😊 X
I have loved the support and motivation that I have received from fellow weight watchers on this forum.
Trying to lose weight on your own is, for me, almost impossible.
With the encouragement I have received from joining this forum, I have now hit my first milestone and lost my first stone!
When I first joined this forum I stated that I need to lose about 5 stone but would be happy to lose 2 stone. Well, now that I have lost the 1st stone, I feel even more determined to keep going until I lose the 5 that I need to lose!
Thank you to everyone who has shared their weight loss tips with me and to everyone who has spurred me along to lose the weight.
Good luck to you all in reaching your own personal goals.
Hi, I completely understand what you're going through. I have became ill in 2014 and have been on Steroids for more than a year and a half and am still taking inhaled Steroids but I was already full figured and heavy before that. Although I do exercise maybe a few times a month, it is definitely not often enough. It can be hard due to my health issues but the health issues and now being home all day has made it even harder to be more active. - - Like you, I too, need someone to be supportive and inspire me and help me.
Maybe, we can encourage and inspire each other? That's a thought. I just joined a few minutes ago and maybe we can both encourage one another to try to do it at least twice a week and then build up to three times a week! - - Yeah, sure, I know, it is going to be real hard because we are in the same boat sort of speak but we can try.
By the way, is 5 stone, the same as 5 pounds?
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