Totally new here but not to dieting. Have loved reading your posts. I have a lot of weight to lose, this time I have Xenical / Orlistat from my GP and have some old Slimming World books (is it ok to say that?) which I'm using for recipe inspiration as well as the 12 week plan of course.
Q: I have a bad back and knees and poor sleep but I'm sure losing even half of my extra weight will help loads. Has anyone else's health benefitted in this way with part / all of their weight lost?
My main struggles are with snacking in the afternoons and evenings when I'm most hungry. I can only eat so much fruit ...! Planning ahead seems like great advice for this though - making some healthy snacks and keeping naughty things out of the cupboard So will try my best to do this.
Well that's the plan - hope that I can stick with the 12 weeks and see a good weight loss by then!
Hi Buell8able, welcome and good luck for your journey. Don't have experience with Xenical, or with relief of bad back and knees, but I can offer some snacking ideas to help you get started: low calorie hot chocolate sachets, sugar free or low sugar ice lollies, popcorn (make your own or buy in small bags), homemade flapjacks using grated apple and sultanas instead of syrup and sugar, rice cakes with peanut butter, a good range of herbal teas (I quite like liquorice tea as it's naturally sweet), good dark chocolate (preferably in mini portions ready to fend off chocolate cravings in the evening), also re fruit try freezing grapes and melon chunks, then they take longer to suck/munch through. I find it's crucial to carry healthy snacks if I'm out all day, especially if I've got a long commute home at the end of the day and am tempted to eat something extra. My best days so far have been ones where I successfully planned my snacks throughout the day! But we're all different - hope that gives you some ideas to get started and find what works for you
Thanks so much for your lovely reply and encouragement. You seem to have the munchies sorted - Loooove the flapjacks idea, love dark choc too and find it quite filling for some reason so will get some for sure. I have lots of fruity teas at the back of a shelf so will dive into them Liquorice sounds good so will find some! Have lots of Twinings and a couple of Tea Pigs which were a pressie). Frozen fruit would be really refreshing in this muggy weather especially. Adding ALL your tips to the plan x
I would like to share something back, but all I have experimented with so far are these two:
* Kale Crisps: shredded fresh kale (wet-chop in a blender, or with scissors!) with just a few sprays of butter FryLight, then sprinkle with a little salt (and sweetener if you like the Chinese seaweed flavour) - and dry in a dehydrator or in the oven until dry and crispy - yum!
* 'Haribo'-style gummy sweets: very low calorie, very cute, made with sugar free squash, veggie gelatine and fat free yogurt - I don't have the recipe to hand right now but I will look it out later and post in here.
Sounds like your days can get pretty busy so thanks so much for sharing your great ideas, they are helping already. Had an ok day yesterday but today theses snack ideas will really keep me sane I hope that your healthy living journey is going really well ...
Have a Fab day, Buell8abe xx
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Amazing - thanks so much for sharing ideas back! I have tried making the kale crisps twice now, as someone else on here suggested them too. I find you have to remove the stalks as these seem to stay juicy (I do them in the oven). Do you actually have a dehydrator? I bought some dehydrated apple slices and they were delicious. Amazing that something can be prepared so simply like that. Glad my suggestions were a help. By the way my flapjacks are so nice I keep them in the freezer. I take one out each day to defrost to make sure I just have one and don't come back for more. I try to see the freezer as an out of bounds zone! Not sure it works for everyone though - we each find our own ways! Have an excellent day
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Hi Ruth_canal_runner,
I agree Re the stalks, I use home-grown kale and my stalks are very woody too - the leaf part is much better! Forgot to say that sprinkling paprika with the salt is also very tasty. I guess many herbs/spices would be good. Yes, I do have a small round dehydrator. I like that it dries things gently so that the nutrients are largely preserved, and that it leaves my oven free while it works.
Your flapjacks are a must-try then. Have just bought more oats so will try these today! Will have to keep mine in the freezer too - another really great idea, Thank You!
Buell8abe xxxx
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P.S. Here's the 'Healthy Haribo' recipe:
These Haribo-style jelly sweets are *very* low calorie
You can make these in silicone sweet mould trays - heart shaped ones are particularly cute but any shape will taste good!
Ingredients:
300ml Concentrated fruit squash - no added sugar type (any flavour)
2 x 12g Veggie gelatine sachets
175g Pot of Muller Light Yoghurt
Method:
* Make up 300ml of really strong (at least 50% cordial, maybe more depending on taste) fruit squash in a jug.
* In a separate jug/mug add the gelatine to 260ml of boiling water (always add gelatine to liquid, not the other way around). Mix and make sure all the gelatine dissolves (add a touch more boiling water if needed).
* Pour the Muller Light into a bowl.
* With a tablespoon, put two (2) spoonfuls of the gelatine liquid in the fruit squash and one (1) spoonful of the gelatine liquid in Muller Light: continue to divide the gelatine like this (2:1 ratio). It should divide up roughly 10 tablespoons in the squash and 5 tables spoons in the Muller Light.
* Give the squash and the Muller and good stir to make sure the gelatine is thoroughly mixed (if using the same spoon mix the squash first otherwise you'll get Yoghurt in the juice).
* Pour the squash into the mold to half-fill each module. About 1/2 cm in each one. Unless you have a few mold trays you'll probably have some left over. Any leftover you can pour in a flat base dish or ice-cube tray.
* Put these squash (molds) in the freezer and allow to set. It shouldn't take too long. Check to make sure it doesn't freeze.
* Once set (or at least the top jelly skin has set), remove from the freezer.
* Now give the Muller another thorough mix and with a teaspoon (alternatives: syringe or icing bag) spoon about 1/4cm of Muller in each jelly mold.
* Put the molds in the fridge and leave until completely set.
Hi & welcome. I too have a lot to lose and so far I have lost 3 stones. I feel much better for it both mentally and physically. Having so much to lose just seemed impossible and I just kept putting it off and putting on more weight and getting less fit.
I started out walking 20 mins a day and cutting back a lot. I weaned myself off evening snacking and looked at my portion sizes.
I have tried Orlistat in the past, I found it mostly made me avoid fatty food due to the side effects. It certainly helped me in the initial stages. That was about 13 years ago and I piled all the weight on that I lost plus about another 4 stones. I cut out so much that when I started eating properly again the weight just piled on, so I would advise against completely banning anything.
I have a scoliosis and sometimes my back pain can be bad. The walking was a struggle for a while and I had to walk through the pain (I knew it was safe for me to do this). I do feel my back has benefitted from me getting fitter.
Good luck with your journey, as soon as you see those scales going down you know you have made the right decision
Thanks for your great comments. You're so determined, and very inspiring. Well done for your fantastic weight loss so far.
I know what it's like to 'feel the pain and do it anyway'. I overdid the gym and that's what knocked out (me! and) my last weight-loss attempt. So this time will be losing maybe half of the weight first before attempting anything too strenuous, but am also walking at the moment. I think that, for me anyway, some kind of regular exercise as well as eating for health rather than for the 'quick fix' is what will ultimately help to keep the weight off. That is if I can get the weight off! Fingers crossed ... and Thank You again xx
I lost 3 stone last year and really felt the benefit....i have arthritis in my knees and hips and had used it as an excuse for not exercising for years.....i started with just an exercise dvd progressed to treadmill, pilates and a you shape fitness on x box which has boxing, dancing, yoga ect... Unfortunately i was taken ill needing surgery and recovery and found myself boredom eating so have only just started again xxx
I would love to lose 3 stone - well done!!!! If you did it once you can do it again It's great to hear that you've had the health benefits and that losing weight really can make a difference.
I hadn't thought of a DVD for exercise this time - although I do have some Callanetics DVDs which are great core and strengthening exercises. Very hard but also fun and challenging to do. Dancing sounds like fun too (with the curtains closed perhaps) - will have a look for some or ask my daughter if she has any. Thank you very much for the great tip!
I hope that you're fully recovered from your Op and can enjoy taking on this 12 week challenge thang. Good Luck and I really hope that the weight loss helps your knees and hips again xx
Buell8abe, sounds like you a made a giant step in the right direction... getting started! I am struggling to get started again for the millionth time and you seem to have the right attitude. I am loving your positive attitude! as for exercise, I also find it beneficial to try to swim a day or two in the week if possible. it is easier for me as I have all you have, the bad back, knees and I have a bad foot which makes it difficult to walk. I never thought of calesthinics tho, that is a great idea. I am sure I can at least stretch and as for dancing, as long as I am alone, I love it! I have a dance game for my gaming system that makes it so much fun. I have not brought it out in a while so I am going to do so as soon as I am alone! ( I would hate to put my husband through the pain of watching me try to dance.. lol). the idea for dark chocolate as a snack is a good one. I have found that if I am still hungry after dinner or whatever, if I have the tiniest piece of chocolate, it satisfies me and I am all good then. I also get these snack packs they have at the store which contain a little cheese, nuts and apple slices which I find to curb my hunger until it is meal time. I read once that you should never snack between meals but I think that is just crazy! If I did not snack, I would eat like a horse! any way, good luck, chin up and great job! oh and as far as the meds go, I was on meds before and did well but when they quit prescribing them, I went back to my old way of eating so they are helpful but I relied on the medicine far too much. this is just my personal thought.
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Planning ahead seems like great advice for this though - making some healthy snacks and keeping naughty things out of the cupboard 
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