I had a pill check up today and ended up in tears when the nurse weighed me. I was aware that I weigh 15 stone and my BMI is 30 ( I am 5"10), however she explained that I am overweight and at risk being on the pill. I think the tears came because I don't drink or smoke, I walk 3 miles each day for work and I don't eat junk food or takeaways. I think my issue with food is over eating and big portions. I am getting married in September this year and feel like this should be motivation enough to lose weight but it's just not happening. I would appreciate any input from anyone who has had a similar experience or ways to become motivated to sort myself out.
I do feel silly as it's all "common sense" or so the nurse told me but it just doesn't seem to be that easy for me.
Thanks
Written by
KatieBrideToBe
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Hey sorry to hear you are so upset, i spent many years on the pill whilst over weight with no problems, they have to cover their arse incase something does go wrong. A wedding is a wonderful way to motivate yourself, i started with the nhs 12 week plan coupled with the myfitnesspal app to track my calories, both are simple and easy to follow. Maybe read it through and see what you think? It may just be a case of tackling your portion control and stopping the binges. Find foods that fill up up so you are not tempted to eat between meals. I motivate myself by looking at old photos as i dont like how i look in them and by setting small goals to aim for, also i do a weekly weigh in and take photos that i keep in a scrapbook to show my progress. Also remind myself daily why i am doing this, everyone is different though so you will need to find what motivates you, could be a goal dress that you hang on the wall to keep you focused that you really want to fit into? worked really well for me in the first few months. Dont feel silly we are all on this site because we have "let ourselves go", a lot of supportive helpful people on here who understand. Wish you all the best with your goals
I love a good wedding 💐 ... Sorry you've had a rubbish day, but welcome to the forum!
Sometimes I think I need to be shocked into action, use this as a motivator .... Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan and MyFirnessPal, I was really surprised at how easy it is to follow and how skewed my own sense of portion control had become ... You will find lots of support and encouragement on here, good luck on your journey 🌸
Time is on your side do not fear! We are only a short post away for all your motivational needs. So you don't drink or smoke great news, you're already healthier than me. Okay so how are we going to get you to your desirable weight...through will power, perseverance and good old hard work.
1st thing you need to do is set yourself some goals. Maybe the size of your wedding dress, maybe you want to be able to complete a 5km run in a certain time maybe it's a specific weight? I don't know but come up with something and when you do stick a photo or a piece of paper to your bathroom mirror and fridge door or somewhere else where you will see it everyday.
You also walk 3 miles a day that's great but don't be content with this being your only exercise you have to get that heart rate up and get burning those calories. Could you get to a gym, could you get on the exercise bike, could you do a fitness DVD? Try adding some regular exercise to your weekly routine.
Now let's talk about food. So there is no junk food or takeaways - big tick, these are most definitely the enemy. You think you might be eating too much as a result of large portions. One remedy for this is to use smaller plates, simple but effective. Avoid going back for seconds, so only prepare what you are going to eat and be super strict about the types of food you are eating. Plenty of fibrous food, lean protein and a fist sized amount of complex, low GI carbohydrate with every meal. Aim to hit a calorie deficit every day of approximately 500kcal this will if you don't exercise result in you burning off 1lb of fat a week. I reckon with your walking and additional exercise you'll see bigger losses. If you feel the urge to snack between meals make sensible choices, eat fruit (in moderation), vegetables and nuts (also in moderation).
With some commitment and hard work you'll lose plenty of weight and your BMI will come down.
Thanks Stentatron. This is great advice, I have just read your post about metabolism too. I am so glad I found this forum and took the plunge to post something myself. The support is motivating and it's great to see the success people have had as well as the same feelings I have right now.
Change to smaller plates, it is surprising what a difference it makes. It's not common sense. before you make any changes write down every thing you eat for a week the sit down and have a good look at it. Just by doing this you may see changes that you can make. You have to be honest with yourself though.
Hi sorry to hear that you have been upset. I really feel for you. I wish I could be there to give you a big hug xoxo and tell you everything is going to be ok.
Now you have found this community we will help to keep you motivated and give you advise where we can to help you on your journey.
With every step you take you should feel proud
With every week you are here with us you will only get stronger
and with every journey it can feel like an up hill battle but believe in yourself and you will also find health and happiness and it does get easier.
It's up to you. You know it is possible.......don't you ?
I really hope from the bottom of my heart that you find "it" as "it" exists you just have to find "it" mind over matter.
Anything is possible hun x
Hi It does seem as tho you are doing a lot of good things already but one thing that occurred to me is that you may need to change / add to your activity in order to see some results. Walking is great but it may not give the results that you're looking for. Weight training is supposed to be great for fat burning and higher intensity activity such as spin may also make a difference. I lost 5 stone a couple of years ago (and put it all back on which is why I am here!) and became a real gym bunny but my weight and fitness tended to plateau if I did the same activities all the time. The trainers said that I should surprise my body by doing different things and that high intensity short work outs were more effective than longer low intensity activity for fat burning. I am not an expert but this worked for me. May be worth checking it out and trying something different/ extra. All the best, Mags
Hi Katie, sorry to hear you had a bad day yesterday, but I can really relate to this as I had to have my pill changed about 6 months ago as my weight has crept up and up over the last few years. I'm 5'10" also but now I'm 16st and this meant I was at risk of the various side effects that could occur, although I had no problems with either pill. But like someone else mentioned, they have to make sure people aren't at risk of any complications.
Like you, this has given me a kick up the bum to do something about it, and I have 2 weddings to go to this summer, so I want to look good for these. It's great that your diet already sounds quite healthy, and I agree with what everyone else has said about ways to reduce your portions. Maybe you could weigh your food out for a week or so if you have kitchen scales (or you can get them cheap off amazon). It sounds tedious but for me it was a real eye opener at how much I was eating before. I once weighed a 'normal' portion of porridge for me and realised some days I was eating nearly 100gs of the stuff, over 3 times the recommended portion size on the box! I did the same with meat and potatoes and was really shocked at how much extra I was eating. I don't weigh veg but I try to bulk these on my plate now to make it look like a bigger portion. I also found slowing down my eating pace and taking the time to try and enjoy every bite has helped too. Drinking a glass of water before each meal also does wonders for filling you up.
As for the exercise, I'd definitely try upping the amount and intensity. if you enjoy walking maybe try and incorporate some hills if you can on a weekend, or add an extra 10 minutes a day at a slightly faster pace. I can't afford the gym right now but I've found loads of videos on Youtube that are brilliant for cardio, HITT workouts and body strength exercises. Some of Jillian Michael's workouts are on there for free and they are brilliant. Find whatever works for you but do something you'll enjoy and feel good about afterwards (though it may not feel like it during!). You have the right attitude and motivation so you can do this, wish you all the best and keep us posted on how you do.
Hey Katie, I know exactly how you feel I went to the doctors to get some more pills after having the usual check up before she issued them, I was told that I would not be allowed to have any more of the pill after the final lot as my weight was too high to be on them! Being absolutely petrified of needles and hospitals, I felt that the pill was my best use of contraception and felt so upset and angry with myself.
I asked her about my weight and she simply told me I had to stop snacking and eat healthy! This made me feel helpless as I never snack and believed I have a healthy diet already.
Due to other health matters, I have now been diagnosed with PCOS. I have been to see my Gyno and she has put me on the YASMIN pill as this is the pill best suited for my weight at the time I weighed 16stone 2. Maybe talk to your GP about this?
Do not stress over it and this plan is really good! So far in two weeks I have lost 6 lbs and that's without any exercise! You will be able to do it!
I think the key is not depriving yourself of anything. Make sure that if you want a biscuit have a biscuit as long as its counted and within your allowance.
I had a take away and went out for dinner last week and still managed to loose it can be done!
I'm someone else who thinks I eat healthily because I didn't eat fried food and did lots of home cooking but once I started writing it down I realised where I was going wrong. I find following a plan much more helpful than "just eat healthily" be it slimming world, the NHS plan or even 5:2 as they all help educate you about the type of food you eat. Good luck!
Thanks everyone, I weighed out my porridge this morning (35g) and just like Rio2007 said I have actually been eating enough for about 3 people. I couldn't believe how little 35g looked compared to what I normally tip into my bowl. Big lesson!!! But I wasn't hungry until lunch time so I guess it's enough. Thank you all for the advice and experiences you have been through yourselves.
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