New person saying hello

[Ellypage]

Hi everyone. I'm a new member and feeling very overwhelmed at the moment. I am female, 63, retired and extremely overweight. I just want to get back into some sort of control with my eating. I have a few health problems at the moment where my mobility is effected but try and swim for 40 minutes 4 times a week. It will take me some time to master the site as I am not used to talking about my weight as I'm so ashamed of myself. I feel inspired by all the posts I have read so far with your honesty and looking forward to getting to know you all.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Elly

I can fully understand how difficult this is for you, as I can remember how difficult it was for me when I joined. However, you have total anonymity here, you're amongst people who are in the same boat and this is an extremely friendly and non-judgemental community

Take a look at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), or in the drop down on the 'Posts' page (it says 'arrange by'). Read the Welcome Newbie thread, then move through to the challenges, where we hope you'll find at least one that will appeal to you.

Move down to the Topics, to find a variety of threads, collated into specific topics for ease of access and we ask that you also 'file' your own threads, so that others won't miss your important news.

Take a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as a lot of people have been successful with it, making sure to enter your details into the BMI calculator, to get a calorie allowance tailored to your personal requirements. Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate.

We run a weigh-in every day of the week and you'd be very welcome to join one of them. The threads can always be found in the Events section, to the right of the HOME page, bottom on a mobile.

We also run a Daily Diary, where we share our meal and exercise plans for the day. It's a great place to get ideas and to keep us focused. The link can also be found in Events.

Be aware, that the HU app doesn't give you access to all of our important features, so we advise that you use the full website page.

We've found that to get the best out of this community, we need to be active on the forum, as it's where we exchange information, get motivation and inspiration and make friends. We hope that you'll join us here, regularly, too.

It's only left for me to wish you well on your journey

[JiminyCricket 7lbs]

Welcome! Hats off to you for making the hardest step and joining in the first place.

I'm not brave enough to tell anyone my weight except on here, you are definitely not alone in that! But being honest here is really important to me and its made such a difference to have a safe & non-judgemental place to do that. Are you going to follow a specific diet? I found the NHS 12 week plan really helped me get going and retrain my bad habits, whilst still having nothing off limits.

Best of luck

[Ellypage in reply to JiminyCricket]

Thanks so much for kind and supporting post. Where do I find the e NHS12 week diet? I Will weigh on Monday at my pool and then post weekly how my week has gone. Wish me luck and please keep posting.

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to Ellypage]

Hi and Welcome.

I have also found the 12-week plan to be a good place to start. You can find it here: nhs.uk/livewell/loseweight/...

Glad you've come and good luck.

[JiminyCricket 7lbs in reply to Ellypage]

On a computer its a link on the right hand side of the page, but you could probably google it and it will come up - its basically calorie counting plus exercise. If you do it, make sure you also use the NHS BMI checker. This gives you a calorie range to eat between - if you eat at the lower end of the scale you should lose 1-2 lbs a week without feeling hungry.

I am wishing you all the luck in the world, but also bucket loads of determination and motivation as they might be handy too!!

[Caroline62 6 stone in reply to Ellypage]

You are not on your own. We are all in the same boat. Trying to eat healthy and feel better. I don't say on a diet I say getting into shape and healthy eating and there is no time slot slow and steady is our motto.

[MsMorocco]

Hi Ellypage,

I was also ashamed of my weight (first and foremeost to myself) but then I plucked up courage and weighed myself and even announced it here. It's tough but once you've done it and decided to do something about it, it's easier!

All the best (I envy you being able to go swiming, I have no pool near me and I really don't have time to go to a decent one - it's the one form of exercise I love.)

See you on the forum

[Ellypage in reply to MsMorocco]

Thanks for your kind and supporting post bless you. I to love swimming so I'm glad I can still do it. I'm going to weigh on Monday and report back to forum weekly. Do you recommend the NHS 12 week or do you do something else. So many out there and have failed so many times. Not this time I hope. Good luck to us both on our journey and keep posting.

[MsMorocco in reply to Ellypage]

I don't do the NHS 12 wk diet but one based on a book by a French nutritionist (Jean-Michel Cohen). Admittedly I am very stict wth myself (hope it will last, it's only been a couple of weeks so far, but basically it's very few carbohydrates, protein (of course) and - what saves me - loads and loads of vegetables, O% fat yogurt and fruit. I've already lost a lot of weight doing this, but then over 2 years slid back into bad habits (pasta, wine (I live in Italy...), cheese...) and now I have to start all over again, so I know I can do it.

See you on the forum and best of luck!