I did not even know this site existed but since finding out about it, I have read some very encouraging reports. So here's hoping for lots of encouragement and support!
My name is Andy, I'm 50 years of age, female and desperate to lose weight. In the past few years I have gained around 4 stone and I feel so low and unmotivated and the thought of even trying to start a diet, feels me with dread! Why? I guess so many attempts - loose a stone here and there, even 3 stone a couple of years ago and then I loose all willpower and the weight starts to creep back on. But, for my health and general wellbeing, something has to change.
I saw my GP last week, whose advice was to buy a smaller plate and take up running or rowing! I have purchased smaller plates the thought of running fills me with fear for my knees and hips but I did get my bike out at the weekend. Off to Bushy Park we went and within a few minutes my saddle had lodged itself into a vertical position and we had to return, amongst great laughter and 'Oh mum, only you'. My bike is now 'in the process of being booked in for a service' - so lets get the motivation back on track. I have done weight watchers for years and know it inside out and back to front and in fact, my GP did say that the NHS do recommend WW - again a few days in full of great hope and promises always seems to fall by the wayside. What shall I do?????
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andyjanetaylor
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Welcome! I know that's daunting but you can do this. Use the NHS 12 week programme and try not to think of it as a diet but more of a change in life-style. I am on my 3rd week and have simply cut out junk food and snacking, started eating much healthier foods including lots of no/low cal veg and made myself move around more. I have lost about 12 lbs so far but still have a long way to go as I need to lose about 6 stone. There are lots of success stories amongst the online group and everyone is really supportive so start the programme and share your thoughts, fears and successes with us as you go You've got nothing to lose but weight!
That is absolutely amazing - well done you. Thank you so much for your response. I will certainly look at the success stories for motivation and will certainly stay on this site - the response has been amazing and very heart warming. Thank you
Hi there, welcome. I have only been here just over a week and find the support online really helpful. To track my calories I use myfitnesspal which is great also tracks your exercise.
For me this time I have not gone out and purchased specific foods etc, I am keeping with the family diet and watching the calories and I find this helpful as I am not 'different'. Portion control. myfitnesspal has been ideal for me to see what I am consuming, I had an 'off' day and recorded what I had eaten and it was shocking to see such high figures, normally I would have said to myself this is a bad day and try and think it never happened, but this time I was able to see exactly what I was doing and seeing it in writing wasn't nice.
I have also reduced calories to 1800 for the first few weeks I did not want to put it down so low that I failed and then would feel miserable, so I am doing it gradually and gradually building in some exercise, by exercise for me it is walking, at the moment. On my first weigh in I lost 2llb (I weigh in on a Monday) which I was really happy with, it took me 10 years to put this all on, so this time I am not looking for a quick dramatic fix I am doing it slowly. I have lost before on WW but when I reached my goal I just went back to what I thought was normal eating, whereas this time doing it slowly it is making it more of a way of life rather than thinking I am on a diet.
I too am female, 53, 5'4" and started at 13 stone 13lbs, I have 4stone 12lb to get me to within my healthy weight range, I have lost 2lb. I also have a made up two jars one with 68 beads in (I need to lose 68 pounds) and when I lose I am transferring the beads into the empty jar, I like something visual.
I also went to my GP, she was great gave me a full health check and I am just on the edge of tipping across to the diabetes threats and cholesterol, I want to avoid, so this has also motivated me. She also sent me to the hospital to check my heart and all is fine, so it is now upto me to reduce the weight my poor bones and body are carrying and get into a healthier zone.
Even replying to your post is helpful for me, so thank you for posting and good luck with your journey.
Your response is absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for your writing. This rings so many bells with me and you are doing it the correct way which is by doing what is right for you. I agree that perhaps 'shock dieting' as I call it, reducing everything so dramatically and changing your lifestyle immediately causes pressure whereby doing it slowly and carefully enables you to stay in control and see the results. I love the idea of the jar and will certainly be starting this.
I wish you lots of luck and once again thank you very much.
Hi Andy, welcome to this group. I have also done all sorts of diet. Lost a lot of weight and put it back and more after. What I am doing now is to cut sugar to the best of my ability (a lot of hidden sugar) and follow the advice of the NHS weight loss guide/program. It is working for me. I find it interesting because I am learning a lot. I did not realise that a lot of my previous healthy meals were in fact catastrophically unhealthy. Also I would comfort eat, or boredom eat, or just because it was there. I am doing Cto5K, and find that I have regained my energy and am much more active. It is the new "me" and I love it. I really enjoy every minute of my life. All that because I decided, like you, to do something about it. So, congratulation, you are in the right place.
Also Andy, if you do running, download Cto5K from ITunes and follow this program. The advices are good and if you are careful you will not hurt yourself. Have a few prestart of 10 / 20 / 30 /..... seconds jogging before starting week 1 just to get your legs used to it.
And another thing: play music while you do your housework and dance to it.
Thank you for your reply. Funnily enough, my place of work have asked me to do 'Pretty Mudder' this year for cancer research and I have agreed and signed up. If like other charity events I have done, I walk, well so be it, at least I am doing it but thanks to your and everyones advice, lets hope I can go a little quicker! Many thanks
Welcome, I hope you find what you need in this community. You'll find many motivational posts here! Start by dowloading an app on your phone to keep track of calories (Fat Secret, My Fitness Pal...), it's a great aid! Good luck!
Welcome to the group, its a daunting task combating weight, but truly worth it. Download the nhs 12 week plan its a great place to start and has lots of great tips, you can fit it around your schedule so it fits in with your lifestyle. I tend not to think of this as a diet more a healthy lifestyle change, diets always seem more temporary and i want it to last for life. Good for you getting out and being more active, typical that the bike would choose then to break, a great low impact exercise is walking, and with the lovely weather we have at the mo, its a great excuse to get out and about. Wish you all the best
Thank you so much. I have downloaded the 12 week plan and am interested in how people break down their calorie intake each day. Would also be great to have some examples of what people eat throughout a day. Thank you.
Not a problem, everybody is different really. I tend to have a yogurt for breakfast when working ro wholemeal toast or cereal on days off. I tend to be a snacker so have found healthier snacks to have over the day especially when working, like clementines, bananas, or a mix of dried fruit and nuts to pick at. If im out for lunch i usually grab a 6 inch subway usually about 300 cals, all my drinks are low cal or no calorie drinks, flavoured sparkling water being one of my faves. Dinners consist of something like noodles (maggi packet noodles plain are about 58cal for 60grams) cous cous or cauliflower rice with either fish or chicken with vegetables cooked however suits the meal really, and mostly a side salad as it keeps the meal low cal and portions smaller as the salad takes up at least a third of a plate. Best thing i can say is trial and error with different foods to find new meals that you like. An app like myfitnesspal has been a great toll to help me count calories and stay on track
I did Slimming World for just over a year lost 2st then just started bouncing up and down 1/2st then stayed there at 2. Didn't like the group humiliation if you gained. It didn't motivate me at all, in fact though I laughed it off at the time inside I was crying my eyes out. The public embarassment was depressing for me and no prizes for guessing what I do to comfort myself, that led to stress that I'd be getting humiliated again the following week.... I'm doing the NHS choices 12 week programme this time, only on day 3 but actually enjoying it at the mo. Even the exercise bit, got myself 10mt workout DVDs and have managed 10 mts each day so far, not too bad for a non exerciser
Thank you for your response. That's fantastic that you've started exercise and even though you are on day 3 only it makes me realise I CAN DO THIS. All great motivation, thank you.
I think reading what you've written it's obvious that Weight Watchers does NOT work, at least not for you, you've done it for years and know it inside out yet you're still overweight. I know what you'll be thinking and that's that WW enabled you to lose weight and it was then your own fault then that you put the weight back on but I would argue against that and it's because of this, that most commercial programs are so very successful as businesses, they have the perfect business model.
You can be the most successful dieter in the whole wide world, we read about it all the time, on the web, on reality TV shows etc, people that can lose 1/2 stone and more in a week, but lots of them fail to maintain it, having said that I am not sure how you would measure success because to be successful I guess you need to maintain to the day you pop of this mortal coil.
The point is, that everyone really needs to get their heads around that any changes you make need to form the foundation of changes for the rest of your life. That statement kind of washes over lots of us, because we hear it a lot but you kind of need to pause and really think about it. You need to find something that works for you personally, but more importantly is sustainable. Otherwise it's pointless to be brutally honest.
Personally I would say make some small but critical changes at first, don't try to do too much too quickly, cut your portion size down a little, eat a little less sugar and find an activity you enjoy and really really want to do. The NHS 12 week plan is great starting point and it's FREE - nhs.uk/livewell/weight-loss...
I have just walked in from work and yours was the first message I have read. Thank you so much for responding what you say makes a great deal of sense. I think you are absolutely right, it's about making small manageable changes in every aspect of your life and hopefully as the changes start to happen the next step of motivation will just kick in. Thank you
These are my top tips for small changes to your diet all of which are easily achievable and won't make you feel like you are on a diet - they are long term changes for life
- swapping from semi skimmed milk to skimmed milk
- 1 calorie olive oil spray instead of glugs of oil
- zero fat yoghurt - I use this to make cheese sauce, instead of mayonnaise or cream, with fruit for breakfast
- wholemeal bread and pasta
- just balsamic vinegar on salads (no oily dressings)
- only allowing myself chocolate or wine on any day, never both
- the occasional day of fasting when I feel stuck or want to re-motivate myself
- only eat food I really like, don't waste calories on things that you don't really want to eat
- reach for fruit to snack on first
- extra light laughing cow triangles are really filling and tasty
-trying to be more active; not necessarily exercise although this helps but also I park my car at the furthest spot in the car park, I take the stairs instead of the lift, I cook everything from scratch instead of collapsing on the sofa and getting a ready meal
These work for me but everyone is different so maybe try some of these and see if any work for you.
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I know that's daunting but you can do this. Use the NHS 12 week programme and try not to think of it as a diet but more of a change in life-style. I am on my 3rd week and have simply cut out junk food and snacking, started eating much healthier foods including lots of no/low cal veg and made myself move around more. I have lost about 12 lbs so far 
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