Struggle: Hi everyone, I'm Becki. I've... - Weight Loss Support

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Struggle

Becki1503 profile image
Becki1503
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Hi everyone, I'm Becki.

I've signed up today because I need help. I'm struggling to keep my binge eating under control. I started my weight loss plan 4 weeks ago and haven't lost anything as I can't get myself under control.

I'm a new mum to a beautiful 3 month baby girl. She takes up most of my time so I either forget to eat or binge eat when I get the chance.

I have tried writing it all down but I tend to forget to often what I've had. I've tried doing apps to count my calories but they take so long to fill out that baby is awake by the time I'm half way through that I forget to fill the rest in.

I have started walking a bit more as I've been taking my little bean in the pram for some fresh air. However this isn't always possible as she is teething earlier than expected so is having lots of trouble with that and icky belly ect and don't want her projectile vomiting on poor strangers πŸ˜₯.

Anyway I'm feeling really defeated lately, as I feel like I'm loosing my bulge battle. I do suffer with anxiety and depression, more so depression and eating is my go to place. I'm not currently medicated and hope to stay that way for the moment but really need help with my comfort eating.

I am in the process of booking my wedding and would be devastated to be the fat mummy bride who can't take her daughter to the park and run around because I'm to exhausted from carrying to much extra weight. That and look like a hippo walking down the double wide aisle I'd have to arrange to fit down to the front.

Basically I need help. Sorry to have such a long message to you all but needed everything out there. Please guide me onto the right path guys I'm actually begging xx

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Becki1503
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moreless profile image
morelessAdministrator7 stone

Hi and welcome, Becki :)

There's no need to beg, we're all here to help. I think you're piling too much on yourself and are becoming overwhelmed. Having a tiny tot is hard work and you don't want to stress yourself any more. Try taking small manageable steps, that you can stick to.

Find out what your recommended calorie allowance is, then log onto the Daily Diary for some great meal plans. Many will already have been calorie counted for you, but don't become obsessive about counting. If you can change simple carbs for low GI carbs, especially sugary foods, then that's a great start. Increase your vegetables, to fill yourself up and try to steer clear of processed foods and low fat foods.

Get that under your belt and you'll be flying! :)

I'd like to invite you to join our Newbie Club, which we hope will be a good place for you to connect with members, who are also just starting out. If you just post a few words to introduce yourself and respond to others there, you'll soon break the ice. Here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You'll find all the information you need to navigate the forum in the header, so please take the time to read it carefully.

Wishing you all the best :)

Becki1503 profile image
Becki1503 in reply to moreless

I have made small changes like having sweetener instead of sugar graze pots instead of a bar of chocolate. I cook everything fresh for main family meal and prefer olive oil to all others. I just feel defeated because I'm doing these little changes and nothing seems to happening. I'm starting to feel like there must be something medically wrong with me as to why I'm the same weight as when I started. My family suffer from thyroid problems so now wondering if I should visit the doctor and check as I know I haven't got diabetes as I get checked yearly xx

moreless profile image
morelessAdministrator7 stone in reply to Becki1503

I believe that there is a family connection with hypothyroidism, so it wouldn't hurt to get checked out.

Have you checked your calorie range, as it is possible to be eating too much, or too little, of the right things? Log your menu plan onto the Daily diary, so that we can see if there's any way it could be tweaked.

Don't give up, or despair, as we will do all we can to help you.

Why not join today's weigh-in too, as they're a very supportive group and you will be made very welcome?

You can do this! :)

jennilou profile image
jennilouRestart Jan 2024

Hi Becki1503 my goodness you are putting yourself under pressure. First you have come to the right place for help, support and encouragement. Second you recognise what the problem is so thats the first step and to lose weight it starts with baby steps. It does help to write down everything you eat but dont worry if you cant when bubs is awake and needing you. When you feel hungry and cant do a proper meal at the time because of feeding or whatever, grab an apple or some fruit. Keep up the walking and again munch on some fruit or carrots/celery while you are out. Also good on you for not wanting to take the meds at the moment, shows you are thinking in a positive way. Sit down and plan your wedding and come here to get support to lose your weight for that special day. And more important stop putting pressure on yourself. You will do it so keep posting and look forward to reading about your journey:)xx

Ceals profile image
Ceals

You are in the right place for inspiration, motivation and support Becki1503

You have got lots of motivation and it is great that you are out walking. I’d your health visitor aware of the projectile vomit? Might need to check it out.

It is so important that you eat good food in order to be able to lose weight, processed food that is quick and easy to prepare is filled with all kinds of oils, sugars, sweeteners and these are not good for us.

I suggest you plan your meals a day ahead so that you know what you will be eating, and when and you will be able to bring your binge eating under control. I have four children and whilst they are now grown up,I do remember how much time a baby takes up.

Take care

Lacm profile image
Lacm

Hi Becki

personal question, are you breastfeeding? I know when I was pregnant I felt really ravenous and thirsty all the time. I also felt tired.

Well done for getting out, actually exercise is proven to help with depression so win win.

don't give up you are doing so well, each day is a new day and just because things didn't go exactly as planned doesn't mean that you're not going to get there, you will.

Maybe try having some ready snacks for when you're really hungry in the fridge.

you're way ahead of me, I've just started with the diet but have been going to the gym every day, I walk for a mile on the treadmill and swim for ten lengths now I'm going to combine weight loss with the exercise and see what happens.

all the best

Lacm

Bikergrl profile image
Bikergrl

Hi Becky! I'm very new to the site too (a few minutes tops!) I'm in South Wales what about you? Maybe we can help each other? :)

I am huuugely overweight and very unhealthy. I'm not proud of it, I'm just being honest with you :)

I binge eat and always have. I suffer with a lot of the things you mention but find that bit a bit harder to talk about at the mo! :)

I find the best way I can control my binging is by binging on foods that don't contain as much fat as the food I would usually binge on, does that make sense??? So... if you eat bags and bags of crisps, muffins, chocolate, takeaways etc, swap them for binge eating something very low in fat, my one is turkey sandwiches, I use salt and pepper and even some fruity sauce in it and I use wholemeal bread, its tasty, my logic is it must be better for me than eating junk food/ fried food all night, IT IS IN NO WAY A HEALTHY EATING HABIT AND IM NOT SAYING BINGING IS RIGHT but we are human, we are not perfect and there are things we cant change over night so we do our best x

As far as turkey sandwiches go, you will find they are more filling than ALL the junk food you have ate and although they are tasty there is only so many turkey sandwiches you wanna eat! So your body starts to say 'Bah, I'm not that interested in that third sandwich after all, maybe I'll go have a bath instead' hehe sounds funny but its how It went for me and I lost 7 stone (about ten years ago now though). Another one was wholemeal toast with spread and marmite, yes too much bread is bad for you, yes marmite is very salty, but like I said in my diet, it was better than the takeaway and bar of chocolate and 2litres of cola etc. that I woulda had!

So there we go, hope it helps, try and think of a list of things low in fat you could happily munch on and get rid of as much temptation in your cupboards as you can :) Don't feel bad for over eating when you do binge on those things, feel proud you chose that low fat option to binge on and slowly introduce another change into your diet/lifestyle, before long you could see real results and feel happier in yourself :)

xvanillaskyx profile image
xvanillaskyx

Hi Becki πŸ‘‹ welcome to this wonderful forum, firstly congratulations on the birth of your baby girl πŸ’•πŸŽŠπŸŒΈ

I have a four month old (plus a toddler πŸ™ˆ) so I totally understand you when you say about your time being limited, it can be completely all consuming and being a first time mum it is a massive shock to the system, well it certainly was for me ☺️

There are a lot of things in your post that struck a chord with me and I also believe that you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself, I was guilty of this with my first, I’m sure it is completely natural but it does make you feel so incompetent at times when the reality is your more than likely doing an absolutely fabulous job with your daughter so much so that time for yourself is way down the list. She is one lucky girl.

However this time round with my second I have realised that you also need to be kind to yourself. I realised that my number one personal goal (after being a mum) was to want to lose weight. I have made this my mission and any down time I have I simply spend either, planning my meals for the week, doing the online shopping for it or reading & posting on this forum πŸ˜‚

I started by finding out my calorie range using the NHS BMI calculator, calorie counting using a free app, swapping any carbs to wholegrain and making sure I also weigh them. Hope this helps and am happy to share any other ideas.

Enjoy your baby girl, try to relax but most of all be kind to yourself πŸ€—

Lastmountain profile image
Lastmountain

Hi becky... it sounds like where i was 8 years ago!

I was a single mum of my beautiful daughter a size 12-14 before giving birth. After birth i shot up to a size 16 then before i knew it i was a size 20 for almost a yr! My depression kept me in the house most of the time so exercising was pretty non existent and to be fair on my daughter I just allowed for her stay at my mums and my siblings helped with her a lot when i couldnt.

Anyway, a year later i started to take the stairs rather then the lift, chopped fruits instead of potatoes for chips, got a part time job in a barto get a bit of money in and before i knew it i was able to maintain a size 14-16!

Fast forward 3 years, i met my soul mate had our fantastic son and depression came back all over again, i shot back up to a 20! We got married 2 months after having my son and honest truth is that i still cant bare looking at those photos!! (Despite it being some of my best memories)... anyway, i bought a bible, an insanity dvd and followed it religously *excuse the pun!*, started to listen in on this lady called hannah keely(she has GREAT tools you should totes check her out), eating more salads then chips, or both! Lol and drinking water and by the end of the 2 months i got down to a size 10-12!!!!!

Fast forward 3 years, had another baby boi and went from size 10-12 to 16-18!

No more depression but in a state as my next anniversary is in april and as our 5 anniversary i want us to renew our vowels so of course PICTURES!! I want to look like the bride i didnt give myself the chance to be. So here i am! This time round my zeal isn't as forceful as it once was... possibly age related lol but i have nil consistancy when it comes to healthy habits! So im on here as another tool to see if i can have a kind of accountabilty with someone to help me stay on track.. this is my second week on here now and i think i may have cracked the code to binging!

1. Juicing fave fruit and veg dont forget the ginger!

2. Rice cakes! Plenty of it

3. Lower fat cheese

4. Home cook your favourite foods so you control calorie content to n xtent

5. Fantastic things on pin interest to inspire you with foods, projects and exercises

Sorry for the essay! Lol, just that i saw your post and totaly know what you're going through

Lastmountain profile image
Lastmountain

Oh yh.... one more thing! Completely forgot!

If you're bottle feeding your bubba... how about making yourself a deli mix too, so for example whilst cooling the bottle for her in the jug, as you do. mix yourself a couple tins of tuna mayo(i feel obliged to say low fat lol) or last nights roast chicken with salad and keep in a container so whenever you're hungry or peckish you go for what ever deli you've made before and scoop it into a pitta bread and maybe try keep small bottles of water around the house?

Jrt1 profile image
Jrt1

Dear Becky,

All of the above advice is brilliant. It's been a while since I was a new mum but spending time with my newborn grandson last year bought it all back-its a wonderful but life changing and physically and emotionally exhausting time. So I echo the above advice-well done on your motivation to be healthier but also be gentle with yourself.

I started here this week to- weight loss can be a bit of a roller coaster when you are sticking to a plan you feel great but on those occasions when for whatever reason you eat everything in sight it's so demoralising.

So- every one had to follow their own path but alongside the above advice here are some things that have helped me.

Small changes can make a difference-switching to spray oil for cooking, using reduced fat cheese etc. Every little helps!

I found always having a little less than intended helps-one slice of toast instead of two, a few less potatoes. If I'm out with my daughter and on occasions some friends we will share a dessert or cake. If this isn't an option go for a slightly smaller or healthier one than your initial choice.Again little things add up.

I expect time is short! Online grocery shopping may help. It's also good as there's less chance of buying impulse foods that take your fancy and are less healthy. The time not spent trawling round the supermarket could be spent doing something nice maybe a mother and baby gentle exercise group?

I find slow cookers are wonderful as filling and healthy meals can be popped in first thing in the morning and don't need any more attention. It's the perfect time of year for lovely warming casseroles which are so easy to cook so that they are healthier. It's also good to make more than you need so you can freeze a few portions and have your own healthy ready meals on hand on days when can't cook.

Finally I have found the only way to resist temptation is not to have it in the house. There may be days when I can virtuously weigh out 50g of ice cream or have one chocolate biscuit but I also know that if I'm tired or stressed there's a good chance the whole tub will disappears! If it's not there you can't eat it!

Good luck and be kind to yourself!

Really sympathise with the binge eating and depression/food links - really struggling too. Lots of good advice above. Thanks

Bevoly profile image
Bevoly

Have you tried keeping healthy snacks nearby like pre cut veg, baby tomatoes and fruits..nibble as much as you can between healthy meals..and are you drinking 2 litres of water a day? When I focus on eating healthy snacks and drink the water I'm too full to binge..it's when I don't bother or make excuses I binge. I know the answer but it's so hard to stick to it... I'm similar been struggling since Summer to continue but keep trying and one day you will get there..tomorrow is another day so look forward and good luck. I give any change a good 12 weeks of consistency before i give in or pause...behaviour change is evidenced to work for a good number of people after 12 weeks so don't give up trying 😊

Becki1503 profile image
Becki1503

Thanks for everyone's advice.

Currently I know my calorie intake as I'm going through the help to slim at the doctors so get weighed there. I've gone from white to best of both to now being on wholemeal ( this was done while pregnant and just carried on with it.

I drink pints of no added sugar squash and/or water throughout the day as well as having my normal coffees.

My fridge is like a rainbow all the time anyway as I love fruit and veg so could never live without it.

Over the last few weeks I've started portion controlling my plates (the lady at help2slim showed me nifty ways of measuring without having to use scales all the while )

I am breastfeeding and using formula ( I couldn't produce enough milk so had no choice with formula top ups)

I've tried smoothie but loathe them. I call the evil in a cup haha. Sorry I'm just a fussy eater when it comes to textures hense why I detest nuts of all kinds.

Anyway this week I have decided to minus a day of wheat so only bread every other day. Let's see if this works eh.

Thanks for all the support today has been a good day!! Wedding officially booked. I will be a size 14 to 16 for my wedding !! Haha.

Xxxx

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