Time to shift this excess

I'm 53 and 5ft3in and l have joined this group to get some motivation and much needed support,l gave up smoking in August after smoking for over 30 years, l compensated cigarettes with anything sugary and now l have gained 1 1/2 st and lm not happy !!!!

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Joanne51,

Welcome to the Weight Loss NHS forum. Firstly - Congratulations on having given up smoking, that is brilliant!

Have you seen our Welcome Newbie post yet? It's worth a read, as it will help you see what's in the forum, and things people have suggested etc - and it's in the Pinned posts area - right-hand-side of the homepage. Many of us are following the NHS 12 week plan, and I think it's really good - in terms of being a sensible and easy to follow set of principles for healthy weight loss. So do have a look and see what you think.

There are lots of things going on in the forum - you could join us for the Monday group weigh-in sessions if you like the idea of a weekly weigh-in with a friendly supportive group of people. There are other Challenges going on, so check out the Pinned posts for those, and just join in with anything you like the look of.

We have weight loss badges, as an optional extra - they start at 7lb or 5kg depending on your preference, and we also have 'Newbie' badges, so do consider those options, and if you do want to claim a badge, then ask either myself or moreless and we will be happy to sort that out for you.

Wishing you an excellent week. Good luck with your goals.

Lowcal

[wa2un7 Maintainer]

Congratulations on quitting cigarettes. I know just how hard that is as I too did it after a lifetime (50 years). I know what you mean about reaching for the sugar. I did find a solution though it's not one I'm proud of! As a former teacher, I loathed chewing gum having had many a skirt obtain a gum decoration in the classroom ( thank goodness for science teachers who knew the secret of removing it fast!). However to my shame I resorted to sugar free gum which was a big help in resisting the goodies. Nevertheless it did the trick and I did not put on more than a couple of pounds. Good luck with finding a solution which works for you.