Life in the fat lane: I have joked that... - Weight Loss Support

Weight Loss Support

114,537 members60,871 posts

Life in the fat lane

Froglet profile image
4 Replies

I have joked that my partner, who has managed to lose 3 stone in 2 years without particularly trying, must have been injecting his lard into me while I sleep. He wasn't impressed with this. And tbh, he is blameless.

I've steadily been at the roughly the same weight for a few years, but it's overweight. My trousers don't fit. My shirts fit at the chest, but not at the waist and hips. I've pushed the pretty summer blouses to the back of the cupboard because their puffy sleeves cut into my flabby arms.

It's time to do something.

But I'm addicted ... double-choc chip cookies with a mug of coffee, watching 'Pointless' straight after work with crisps 'n' dip, nibbling at the biscuits and cakes that people bring into work. Fruit just doesn't interest me, not even as a juice anymore.

Exercise hurts more than it used to. You'll never find me running anywhere - and never will. It's just not my thing. I'd rather walk fast to get somewhere, even if it does make my hip-bursitis flare up.

I don't think that the BMI chart's target of losing 5 stone is reasonable. But if I can lose at least one, over the next 12 months, I'll be a happier bunny.

Written by
Froglet profile image
Froglet
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
4 Replies
missworld profile image
missworld

I started this week and am building in my favourite things crisps and choc. I m at my worst in the evening so am being good all day and saving calories up for a night when am sitting watching the tv a packet of wotsits and a milky ay is enough to keep those cravings at bay.

Good luck u can do it x

Hi Froglet,

I've got some bad news for you. Your 'monkey mind' is having you over something shocking!

What 'monkey mind' (it's kind of the diametric opposite to your conscience) will always do is avoid changing the status quo and try to keep you wallowing in your comfort zone, however unhelpful, or harmful or unhealthy that might be for you.

There are a number of mechanisms that cause overweight people to become more and more overweight. Because you're overweight, it's an effort to move around and be active, so that slows you down and makes you increasingly inactive and more overweight.

Because you are used to eating the 'wrong' things you carry on eating the wrong things; because you're overweight your body feels it needs more and more food to maintain that additiional mass; because you eat too much your body expects too much food; because you're overweight your body has changed the way it produces the hormones that regulate feelings of hunger and satiation and that regulate functions such as fat burning; and on and on and on.

You're right - it IS time to do something, because doing nothing is almost certainly going to leave you getting more and more overweight.

So, you know your BMI - that's a good starting point. Now decide how much weight you want/need to lose and understand the reasons you want to that as well - 'fit into my old jeans', 'able to run around with the kids', whatever it is for you.

Go to the NHS live well lose weight pages and read up about it all, especially the free 12 week plan. It's all very good advice and totally free.

Set yourself some milestones - mini-goals. I weigh myself in kgs but set milestones of things like 15, 14, 13 stone, or 250 lbs, 200 lbs or BMI 31, 30, 29 etc. You choose whatever presses your buttons, but it's good to have some things to tick off as you go.

Plan to lose about 1 to 2 lbs on average a week - maximum about 1 kg (2.2 lbs). Though people often lose weight a bit faster than that in the first week or two.

You'll have your 'blips' and your 'spurts' and maybe even a plateau or two. Don't let any of that put you off your long term goals.

Read around these blogs and find out how it all works. They're mainly by people who are actually currently losing weight.

It's a re-training process, a life-style change, a strategy for leaving 'bad' eating and exercise/habits behind and swapping them for better ones. After a while your 'new' eating and exercise/activity habits will be just as familiar to you as the ones you left behind.

Make a commitment to your self, your body and your ongoing health and wellbeing and get on the weight loss bus.

And I'll make one promise to you. If you stick to it and do lose the weight, then by the time you get down to a BMI of say under 25, you will feel, in so many ways, so vastly and unbelievably better, that you will never want to return to the weight you're currently at and you will truly feel like a completely different person.

Do follow the advice you'll find on the NHS pages about nutrition, about rate of weight loss, etc.,etc.

If you have an underlying medical condition then check with your GP or practice nurse how that might impinge upon your weight loss efforts and vice versa.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

By the way when I started this in January, my BMI was only a tad lower than yours is now.

Good luck with your weight loss journey.

eechristmas profile image
eechristmas

I think you're aiming too low for your overall goal for the year. Yes, keep goals small and manageable, but rather than looking at the time as a deadline, just think about the first 5 lbs, then the next 5, then the next 5, and don't give yourself a deadline at all. 5 stone is not impossible.

The hardest thing will be to break your junk addiction. I haven't managed it yet (Easter proved that), but I've cut own significantly on the snacking and things that have helped are: not having anything easily at hand in the house, telling coworkers that I'm trying to lose weight so they either bring fewer treats into the office or hide them from me (sometimes just knowing that I've told them I'm trying to lose weight is enough to deter me from indulging if there is something at work), and being completely honest with myself and my partner about what I'm eating. Hiding was my enemy; I would shamefully eat in secret and hide the evidence, but being honest with myself has been an enormous tool to stop those cravings in their tracks.

Secondly, never say never when it comes to exercise. You say you'll never be caught running, that it does nothing for you. I would have said the same thing quite recently, but I downloaded an app on my phone that sets it within a story and has made it interesting for me, and now I'm out jogging every other day! Even if it's not running, I strongly urge you to try out lots of different activities: sports, gardening, etc. Even doing DIY projects around the house like painting is a good workout. If you just make the effort to spend less time sitting on the couch or at the computer and more time DOING things you'll find you have more energy and lose weight faster.

Good luck! Joining a site like this really is the first step on a long journey. I hope you'll stick around for a long time to come :)

AnnaOO7 profile image
AnnaOO7

Hi Froglet ... This is quite an old thread now and I would be interested to learn how you are going on your weight loss journey. I am soon to start a new one! Am having my second child in a few weeks so looking forward to jumping back on the exercise band wagon and losing the weight I have gained. Albeit in the grand scheme of things not much I must admit.

Did you start your journey and how is it going? Have you managed to decrease your chocolate and crisps addiction? .... would love to know how you did it if you have!

I also agree with eechristmas comments above about trying lots of different things for exercise options. Just doing one thing can get old and sets you on a path for failure. I like to mix my exercise up a bit by participating in things like Boot Camps, classes at the gym and meeting friends for walks / jogs. Starting out on the running journey can seem depressing and daunting (I am not lover of the run but I do do it). Start out by running one power pole, walking the next, then run / walk, soon you will find yourself running more than walking. In regards to your hip bursitis I presume this has an effect on how you cope with exercising also. I had bursitis in my elbow and I tried this natural product the OSMO Patch osmopatch.co.uk/ which really helped. You put it on when you sleep and it draws out fluid from the bursa. You might find something like this can really help get you on the right path to feeling great and getting you out there exercising pain free everyday.

Anyway would love to hear how you are going with your weightloss and goals. It is always interesting to learn how people are going months down the track.

Wish me luck on my mission :)

You may also like...

belly fat - what's the answer?

man\\" to lose his belly fat - he's been eating \\"healthily\\" for approx. 6 months - losing some...

Fat loss for blood pressure

thought at 127/something. Now I have lost nearly four stone and it is 108/70 (having walked 3km)......

Fat middle-aged guy - joining to try and get some motivational support!

change my diet for the long term to try and lose the 4 stone I need to shed to get back to a...

Fat Shamed By Doctor

Calorie counting or low fat?