oh dear!

[garden-angel]

Well today , at the age of 49 , I finally bought a set of scales! I've always been quite active, a 35yr horse rider, dog walker and general out doors type, but over the last 6 yrs I've lost my horse to cancer and generally become less active ( oh and I lost an ovary too!) so now when i look in the mirror I see a big tum, back fat and it makes me sad ...so now I need to do something about it! I'm mostly sad because a) I clean for Ageuk a couple days a week for a couple of hours and also do p/t gardening ....so I don't have much extra energy to do more exercise, in fact I struggle constantly with tiredness ...but from tomorrow I'm determined that I'm going to make some changes.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello garden-angel and welcome.

The good news is that exercise only plays a very minor part in weight loss, so you will be able to make good progress while you recover your strength and energy.

Take your time finding your way around the forum then get involved as much as possible for maximum benefit.

Good luck

[Joanney69]

Hi and welcome, garden-angel garden-angel you're in good company here 😊

Amongst other things, the realisation that I turn 50 next year, & hate the way I look is what brought me here (quite by accident!)

The support and encouragement is amazing - so many knowledgeable people, always someone to offer advice, or an ear to listen if you want a rant when things are not going well, or to cheer you on when you're on a roll 🍥 😊

Use the forum as much as you can, it helps a lot

Good luck with your weight loss journey, hope to see you around 😊

[Pineapple27]

Hi @garden-angel and welcome! You will find this a great supportive environment to lose that weight.

I too was 49 years old when I started my weight loss 6 years ago, I had 4.5 stone to lose.

I have a disability that I was born with (shortening of all four limbs as a result of the drug Thalidomide my mum took when pregnant with me). As a result my mobility is minimal - and was further reduced following a serious head on car crash in 2002 when I broke my ankle. I went on to have my ankle joint fused and am still in constant pain with it.

I started my weight loss journey at 14 stone - 5 and a half years ago. I am just 4ft 9" tall and so was classed clinically obese.

I was 49 years old and had been trying to lose weight all of my life since the age of 9. My disability makes exercise difficult (I am very sedentary and use a wheelchair outside of the house).

The one thing that I realised very early on in my journey was that I was just eating FAR TOO MUCH! I was a short, middle aged, sedentary female and I was eating the same as 5ft 9" active man (my now husband!). No wonder I was piling on the weight!

I started my journey at the end of February 2012, and managed to lose 4.5 stone in 2 and a half years through calorie counting and logging/weighing all of my food. That works out at 130 weeks, so on average my weight loss was less than half a pound a week - of course some weeks I lost more, others I gained... but I am trying to impress upon you the importance of just keeping on going, even though the weight may not come off as quickly as you would like it to.

I cannot stress enough how important this part of the weight loss journey is - being able to recognise just how much we are eating and address that. It is not about cutting out any foods but about being able to make informed choices about the foods we eat Also about learning how to behave differently around food. Just because food is in front of us does not mean to say that we have to eat it! Being able to exercise control and moderate intake is paramount.

I re-gained some of the weight I lost, then lost it again and have now managed to more or less maintain for the past 6 months at around 10 stone. Still considered "over weight".

Ideally I would love to drop another stone to 9 stone and maintain there.

The other great news is that it is entirely possible to lose weight without moving! Of course though, there are lots of advantages to moving a bit more - but it doesn't have to be as formal as going to a gym or out for a five mile run. A good session of house work, mowing the lawn (when the weather permits!) or even a cooking session will all burn calories and have the advantage of making you feel much better emotionally too! It's good to find something that you LIKE doing, that is enjoyable and that you are likely to sustain on a regular basis.

My weight loss journey has been long, but I am still learning new tips and tricks to help me along the way and what's more, still enjoying the challenge! I would say that my behaviour around food has changed massively - I have learned to respect food, to "break" it's control over me, and to be able to modify how I behave with food. Just because food is within sight doesn't mean I have to eat it! I don't see eating the way I do as meaning that I am missing out any more - in fact I am now able to enjoy my life and have regained the ability to do things that I struggled to do or even found impossible to do!


Here are a few of my past posts which I hope you will find helpful and inspiring. I won't try and tell you that my journey was easy - and you'll see that there were many blips along the way, but 5 years down the line, I feel about 20 years younger than I did when I was lugging around 4 stone more.

Please do pop back to the forums and share your journey with us - we are here for you, day and night and happy to share your success or support you when you need it.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[garden-angel in reply to Pineapple27]

Wow ...I now feel utterly ashamed at my whinge about weight loss ...you truly are an inspiration to others! Some would say I've got nothing to worry about , I'm 5.5ft , weigh 66kg and I feel I do eat fairly healthily , I'm one of those lucky folks who've been the same weight for years ...but suddenly i'm getting out of shape and I'm not sure where to start ..is it exercise or less food? I, like you ,I think that I possibly do have a far bigger portion on my plate than I need , but also , if I get hungry I get shaky and weak , so I tend to snack on stuff (biscuits are the fav as i take them with me on my cleaning jobs and sneak one in if i feel a little needy :-)) so for me there's defo a "mental" safety net in my head should I feel a bit low on sugar. I seem to have a mental wall on the exercise front as well .....I already do two manual jobs , I never seem to be supple - especially after a couple of hours gardening - the next day I feel crippled with back and joint pain ...I've been gardening for years , you'd almost think I'd got no muscle memory ..I suppose I should see my GP to start with , but I'm also a military wife and as such we move around a bit ...which means you never get the same GP twice, and they always seem less than interested . But I'm determined that I'm going to lose a few pounds at least ..starting today with a weigh-in this morning and an attempt to stay under 1400 calories ....calorie counting is something totally new and alien to me , but i've downloaded a calorie checker so that I can try and make some sense of it all.

I really enjoyed reading your posts, something to look back over when I lose a bit of momentum. Thanks for sharing xx

[Pineapple27 in reply to garden-angel]

garden-angel A pleasure! I'm glad it helped.

Forget about any more exercise for now, and give 100% to logging what you eat and staying within calories. If you can do that for 7/7 you will be astonished at the result.

I also have a post that I can share with you (if you like) about the change that has to happen in your mental attitude towards changing your attitude towards food and consumption of it. It's written from a personal perspective. I have often heard people say in the past that weight loss eventually worked for them "when something clicked" in their brain. I now understand this!

So here's a suggestion. Instead of biscuits to snack on, try taking a few nuts - ideally brazils, walnuts. These contain protein and will boost your energy and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Biscuits (full of sugar) will provide an immediate sugar rush - BUT it will wear off rapidly and THAT is why you feel weak and shaky.

Sugar is also an inflammatory, so it really won't help your pain in joints if you consume too much of it.

Losing weight will significantly help with your pain. It won't get rid of it entirely, but it will definitely make a huge difference.

[elliebath Maintainer in reply to Pineapple27]

Your story continues to inspire new people, Pineapple, so please don't stop repeating it x

[Maurpc 7lbs in reply to Pineapple27]

Wow, so inspiring.

I’m 61 and I’ve been overweight pretty well all my adult life and been on so many diets and attended so many weight loss groups I’ve lost count. They work temporarily and then I stop going and go back to all my bad food habits.

I’ve come to realise that I need to break my food obsession, not helped by my mum telling me I was going to be fat like her and shouldn’t eat, which led to secretive bingeing. I don’t blame her, I now realise she had an unhealthy food relationship too.

I’ve only been doing this 12 week plan and a mindfulness approach to eating for three days and so far it’s going great. I know I will have lapses and hiccups along the way but I’m finding that I’m enjoying the control I can exert.

At diet clubs, I diet because I want to fit in and please the leader, it’s time to do this to please me and make me proud of myself.

Sorry this is such a long post but I’ve got 61 yrs of angst to get off my chest. Lol.

[Pineapple27 in reply to Maurpc]

So I'm going to share my post now Maurpc as I think you will definitely relate to it. One about modifying behaviour around food and the other about eating habits.....

Modifying behaviour

I share this post from time to time. Hope that you (and other members) might enjoy reading it. I know not everything might be relevant to you....

If you want this to work for the longer term, you need to think about it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. That lifestyle change will need to happen a bit at a time and will involve many things : changing your behaviour around food, portion control, emotional eating triggers, increasing your activity levels, trying new foods, making healthy food swaps, etc.

Commitment to diet/lifestyle change and resistance to temptation doesn't just happen! It has to be worked at.

The only way I have succeeded this time is to change how I approach food and eating it. I have learned to resist temptation! BUT please believe that this has taken a LOT of hard work and practice!

It's about "normalising" or "modifying" behaviour around food... and I think that with enough "practice" it becomes more and more easy until you get to the point where a behaviour is modified to the point of it becoming the only way!

I am sure that even some people who are not over weight do sometimes over indulge - but the fact is they don't do it very often!

Those of us who are over weight have been used to "treating" ourselves, eating portions that are too large, eating the things that we know are calorific because we can!

It's been a combination of changing all of those aspects of how I behave around food that has meant I have been successful this time.

I have developed a respect for the food I eat. Not everyone has the ability to eat as well as we in the western world eat. We should not abuse the privilege!

I rarely eat "on the hoof" any more, I rarely eat between meals. I take time to sit at a table and present my meals nicely. I take a moment or two to really look at my plate of food before I pick up my knife and fork.

Almost daily I say to hubbie "Aren't we lucky to be able to enjoy such lovely food". I really mean that too, I am not saying it for anyones benefit but his and mine. We should never take for granted having easy access to delicious food stuffs and our ability and love of cooking!

If you log your food - keep track of how many calories some of those "treats" contain, after a while they kind of stay in your head (medium egg = 70 cals, slice of white bread 100 cals, meringue nest 57 cals, 30g (matchbox size) of cheddar, 122 cals)

I do have sweet treats, but I buy my own choice, so things like 2 finger Kitkat, single finger Twix, Club biscuit... these are all around 100 calories. I keep them in a tin and I can have one whenever I want to, but I limit it to no more than one a day and usually with my afternoon cup of tea. That's not to say I eat one on a daily basis (usually about 2-3 times a week). They are always logged into my diary.

If you don't keep a log of what you are eating and the calories foods contain, then it's a bit like trying to travel from one place to another without a map! You might get there eventually BUT it's likely to take you much longer than if you planned the route and used a map PLUS you might take a few wrong turnings and end up going back on yourself!

I have also learned not to plan each trip out of the house to include food. Once upon a time, I'd have included lunch with a trip into town, coffee and cake with a visit to the garden centre.

I now plan or even prepare a meal BEFORE I go out (usually a salad) so that I know exactly what I can eat as soon as I walk into the door... and don't turn to "what I fancy" (usually high calorie carbs that don't keep you full for very long...)

Make a list of the reasons WHY you want to lose weight. Keep it somewhere safe (stuck to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door?) and look at it from time to time, especially when you are raiding the kitchen for treats!

I always ask myself before eating something really calorific "Do I really want to eat this thing more than I want to lose weight this week?". It's called "mindful eating" - being aware of why you are considering eating - real hunger? Boredom? Temptation? Feeling fed up?

Have a glass of water, wait 5 minutes and consider whether you still want the food. Once it's been snaffled down, it's too late and you may end up feeling cross and angry with yourself....

....and that feeling (guilt, failure) lasts for a long time, much longer than the temporary enjoyment of whatever treat you ate....

Oh, and I always remind myself how good the feeling is of seeing a loss on the scales at my weekly weigh in! That wonderful feeling lasts for days! Don't forget how that feels - you need to remind yourself of that feeling next time temptation strikes!

[garden-angel in reply to Pineapple27]

I've had a look at some of the food/ exercise apps and I've come across nutra-check or something like that ...im amazed ..for somebody of 49 who has never counted a calorie in my life ..im just stunned by the info on food that there is ..im only doing the free trial atm but I'm logging my daily food intake ..but where is put down 1 cup of tea with milk and a sugar ..ive just learned that I can be specific and put Earl Grey tea in (which is what I drink) and it's a few calories less than your average builders tea - who knew 😁 so I'm having good fun seeing what is on my usual daily intake ..and there's a few bad boys in there that I need to tackle ( biscuits crisps etc) and I'm taking on board what you've said about sugar ..i know I need to sort this instant energy vs slow release and I'm the worst for gulping down loads of Lucozade sport drink ..i think I need to look at the sugar content in that- which I haven't dared to get- I need to scare myself off It! Calories in vs calories burnt is such a new concept but I'm really embracing the challenge ...and your inspiring posts are just boosting me no end ..so thanks xx

[Pineapple27 in reply to Maurpc]

Eating habits

In order to maintain weight loss, we have to re-learn some of our past bad behaviours or habits with food. So for example:

Garden Centre trip = cake and coffee

Cinema = Pick n' mix / nachos / popcorn / fizzy drink

Evening in front of the TV = bar of chocolate / bag of crisps

Birthday = non-stop eating for three days!

You get the idea. I know that for me, I have changed a lot of what had become "normal" for me. I have also learned not to plan each trip out of the house to include food. Once upon a time, I'd have included lunch with a trip into town, coffee and cake with a visit to the garden centre.

I now plan or even prepare a meal BEFORE I go out (usually a salad) so that I know exactly what I can eat as soon as I walk into the door... and don't turn to "what I fancy" (usually high calorie carbs that don't keep you full for very long...)

Make a list of the reasons WHY you want to lose weight. Keep it somewhere safe (stuck to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door?) and look at it from time to time, especially when you are raiding the kitchen for treats!

Finally.... alcohol. In my opinion, it's "empty" calories (no nutritional benefit) plus lowers your resolve to stay away from more alcohol or foods that you shouldn't eat. Perhaps try and limit how much you consume and stick to having it only at weekends? I know this may seem that you are being "punished" for trying to lose weight, but we have to try and change a lot if we want this to work for us.

[Hidden]

Welcome to this wonderful forum garden-angel. Wishing you well on your journey.😊

[garden-angel in reply to Hidden]

thank you ...hopefully it's the begging of a journey to make me feel more well.