It starts here. Anyone care to join me?

[weightaminute]

Hello from a forum newbie, but a slimming oldie. I wonder how many of you will recognise my story?

I've been battling my weight since I was 12. It didn't really bother me that much in my teens. I preferred books to sport and was fairly sedentary. Leaving school at 16 I met the love of my life (and still happily married 20 years on), have a wonderful family and am what many would view as successful (although I consider myself fortunate in the breaks I have had).

It was in my mid-30's that I noticed a few aches and pains (I am now 43) and so joined a slimming club. Big step, but the prospect of our first cruise stirred me up into overcoming my self-conciousness of entering a female dominated club. However, the club was fab and welcoming and I lost 2-stone.

And I kept the weight off for a year or so, then as soon as the old (or what I consider 'normal') eating habits returned, back came the weight. And I have been fighting it ever since. I've half-heartedly rejoined the slimming club several times, done it for a few weeks and then fell off the wagon.

All I want to do is eat what 'normal' people eat and not put on weight! I guess that there isn't a 'normal' for everyone, only my 'normal', and that's something I have to accept.

So, what is my new 'normal'?

Well, the NHS slimming program looks eminently sensible; eat less, eat well, do more exercise. To be honest, I think I can get my head around that, but it's those little demons inside that get me.

Do they get you too?

You know the demons I mean. Fear of hunger. Fear of working hard to reduce calories for a week and then finding only a small amount of weight lost, or even worse, putting weight on. And do me, the worst demon of all, evenings!!!!!!

Evening is the time of day when all my best laid plans fall down. I'm fine until 6pm, then have a meal, and come 7pm those biscuits and a cup of tea look so good. And when the children are in bed, why not crack open some chocolate and a few biscuits with cheese? How do you overcome these demons?

My reasons for doing this are that the aches and pains are getting worse. I also want to be able to buy normal sized clothes, without looking towards the back of the hanger rail. And I want to be healthy for my family and to increase my chance of being around for a long as possible.

Okay, I've gone on enough. The scales have come in at 17st 8lb this morning, and so here we go. I think a realistic achievement would be 1lb per week.

So, let's see what happens!

[Jax15]

We are already here with you on you journey.

[fibronfedup]

Welcome to the group a great place for support and motivation. The 12 week plan is great i would highly recommend it. It allows you to adopt healthier eating habits that become the norm, we all have those inner demons that we all battle daily and having this forum to vent the good and the bad really helps. Break down your ultimate weight loss goal into smaller chunks, makes it much easier to deal with and less overwhelming. Overcoming old habits like nighttime nibbles is probably something we all have faced at some point, i found the key was to have healthier snacking options around and distraction. Find a distraction technique that helps you avoid snacking like sewing, card making, painting your nails, crosswords etc anything that keeps your hands busy and mind occupied really. Hope you find what works for you. All the best

[HRHGaby]

Welcome, I hope you find what you need in this community. Start by dowloading an app on your phone to keep track of calories (Fat Secret, My Fitness Pal...), it's a great aid! Good luck!

[O2BForeverfit]

Welcome to the site. Yep I can relate to all of what you've said. Stick with it. like you said you know what to do its just sticking to it. Keeping active and busy will help keep your hands out of the biscuit tin or the fridge, changing habits really helps. I've been told it takes six weeks to break old bad habits and doing it in small steps increases the chance of success. Look for triggers of your bad eating habits. You've already pick up on a couple the TV in the evening and eating and drinking once the kids are in bed. Changing your usual routine really helps. One of my triggers is stress I know I reach for treats when I'm stressed so dealing with what makes me stress has really helped. Focusing on the vision of you being fit and feeling better will help you along the way. You can do it !

[Hidden]

You might find the 5:2 works for you. I know you dread the hunger pangs, but to only suffer them two days a week ( and in fact you get very used to it after a while, and it doesn't bother you) is so much easier than calorie counting every day. If you are at work on your fasting days, it's even easier. Read up about it and read the success stories (Gingernut on this forum is full of useful tips) and give it a go! Good luck.

[weightaminute]

Thanks all. You're inspiring me already, as have many of the other posts on the forum.

Here's to the next 12-weeks!

[Anna999]

Hi and welcome to the forum, you are definitely not alone in your story, I have been a serial dieter for a long time, but stupidly never anything sensible, always ones that are expensive and so restrictive all I do is long for the day when I'm allowed a pizza and chocolate! So I also really recommend the NHS plan, it's realistic to maintain and aims to change those naughty eating habits for healthy ones. A calorie counting app is a good idea to keep you on track.

You have made a great start in recognising where you could make changes, maybe you could do your exercise in the evening once the kids are in bed? Keeps yourself busy. I tend to have a herbal/fruit tea and that stems off my cravings.

I wish you the best of luck with reaching your goals and am looking forward to hearing how you get on 🌸

[Rebecca12]

I feel nervous and excited about starting the 12 week course tomorrow. Like you, I worry the motivation will wain, but this plan seems sensible and achievable. I'm lucky, my husband is starting it with me and we hope the household will be more healthy overall as a result. I would love to start the couch to 5k, but I have split a disc in my back and I get back pain, so lower impact swimming and cycling will be the way to go. I enjoy walking my dog, so as long as I stick with the calorie intake I'd like to think I will see some good results, and return, like yourself, to a decent dress size! Wishing you all the best, and feeling hopeful from an overweight public health nurse (of all the professions!!!)

[weightaminute in reply to Rebecca12]

Thanks Rebecca. My wife is joining me too, so that should make it easier. Look forward to hearing how you get on too. Like you, I can't do the couch to 5k as I have achillies tendonitus which means running is out for me. But I can cycle, use the arm-bike at the gym and sometimes can use the rowing machine too (and of course the weights).

But I enjoy cycling, so have set myself the goal of cycling too and from the office. Okay, it's only a mile or so each way, but it's a start, and helps reduce the dreaded pollution of the last few days

[stresseater]

HI , I have the same problem in the evenings and find the only way to 'beat it' is to have something else in my hands that means I cannot eat at the same time!! IE knit, sew, do a crossword in between watching something on TV to keep me occupied. I know my problems are that eating in the evenings are my treat and I eat cos the naughties are in the house, for me its a habit. So I am NIT going to buy the choc and bisc to have in the house and try to keep my hands occupied to break my habit.....hope this helps

XX

[Ayung2]

Yes and I am another long term dieter,and am now 2.5 stones heavier than my first diet starting weight many years ago, so here's hoping this time !!😀

[weightaminute]

Thanks again to one and all. It does feel like we are in this together doesn't it? The way we talk about food is (I imagine) how cigarette smokers talk about giving up smoking. Shows how addictive certain foods can be. However, where it is different is that we still need to eat, and so it is more of a change in relationship with food?