I think I can shame myself into losing weight so I've written a short blog post. I'm not seeking to promote myself or commericalise or anything else. That blog is "outing" myself as fat and doing something about it. If I keep it to myself, then I'll not take any action.
I hope to post on that journal every day. Here's my starter:
Yesterday morning, I weighed myself. This is not a totally unknown action - a morbid curiousity and a twisted attempt to justify not really trying to addresss my weight. I had developed an almost autonomic response to seeing my weight: oh, not so bad considering all that I eat, situation normal.
Yesterday was different. Yesterday, my weight passed a threshold. 120 kilos. There is no actual significance in that figure, I have no numerological beliefs and see base ten as an arbitrary quirk of evolution. But that number - 120 - that's a clear 40 kilos above where it should be. Put it another way: people clocking in at 80 kilos would have to add HALF THEIR BODY WEIGHT AGAIN to be as fat as me. Ouch.
I AM FAT.
I've been fat before. Infact, I've been fat my whole life. About eleven years ago, I peaked at more than 150 kg and worked really hard at losing the weight. I dropped over 40 kg in a little under six months by a combination of eating less and doing some exercise. Exercise at every opportunity, in fact. And then my wife had our second baby, quickly followed by Christmas excess and I stopped running and cycling and my eating gradually returned to "normal" (for me) levels. The first few months saw almost no change in weight as the muscle gave way to fatty tissue and this made it really easy for me to con myself that I wasn't going to get so big again. My basal metabolic rate (BMR) was around 3700 calories per day.
More than a decade on, I'm half way between my peak fat and very fat shapes and, for once, I'm sick of it. This journal, doubtless to be read by me, some robots and a very small number of people, is an attempt to keep myself honest. I'm not quite ready to go fully public with actual people I know (beyond my immediate family), but the psychological aspect of being seen to fail at weight loss will motivate me, powering my resolve.
OK, a few numbers and stats:
I'm male, mid forties, a little over feet tall (185 cm). Walking even moderately briskly makes me sweat on a cold day.
At yesterday's weigh-in, my scales had to heavy 120.7 kg (266 lbs).
My target weight is to drop below 80kg but I don't know how long it will take me. I shall have a target date set within two months (hold me to that, please).
My regime has to be realistic and sustainable. Last time around, I started with replacing snacks with chilis, reduced my breakfast and lunch sizes and eventually dropped snacks altogether. I did all of my day's eating in one sitting, having whatever as much of whatever I liked in a shortish period and that felt pretty good after a couple of weeks.
This time, I'm going to try something a little different to get me started.
Have "net zero" days at least a couple of times per month where I may only consume as many calories as I have actively burnt in deliberate exercise. BMR is not part of the equation
On all of the other days, eat only once per day and avoid bread (my downfall)
I only have coffee black sans sugar so that's no biggy, but I'm English and drink buckets of hot, strong, very sweet tea. From now on, it's only Darjeeling or Earl Grey as I perfer those au naturale
Weigh in every morning and lose weigh EVERY day. Whenever I fail, then I must eat less AND exercise more than I did the previous day.
Depending on work, I may try the "couch to 5k" programme. My god, that sounds like defeat already - "depending" and "may"?
--
Day 0.
I did no exercise (short of mowing a small lawn, taking about 30 minutes) but ate nothing. My tea and coffee were black with no sugar. I consumed no calories.
118.7 kg (262 lbs)
-2.0 kg
Big numbers in early days are really quite easy to achieve so I'll keep this momentum as long as I can. I'm going to try for another net zero day, today. I will doubltess cycle a small distance (under five miles as a round trip) to watch my son play football but I am not planning any more exercise today.
Written by
ade_
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Shaming yourself is maybe not the way forward. I believe in positive motivation rather than negative, so in my opinion you find more motivation in all the positive effects of being slim and fit rather than all the negative things you can say about being fat.
I know 40 kg is a lot of weight, but I really don't think starving yourself is going to do the trick. Well, it might make you lose weight quickly, but is it sustainable? Or is it going to pile back on as soon as you hit one of life's bumps?
According to the NHS BMI calculator, your daily calorie intake should be between 2187 and 2812 calories to lose 1-2 pounds a week. That is a sustainable rate and you will be normal weight before Christmas.
Thank you for your kind and wise words. Perhaps "shame" is too strong a word, but this is to help me combat bad habits like sneak-eating and reduce instances of "well, just once". I'm mentally strong, a moderately high achiever and confident. If I start feeling ill, I'll reassess, but based on my past semi-success, I'm going to give it a shot.
I liked your post, very interesting and informative. Well done for the original weight loss. By my calculations you're still 30kg to the good which is a great starting point.
Whilst your method of weight loss may not quite go along with everyone's idea on weight loss (I'll wait for someone to contradict me ), I think you may have a point, that initially the big numbers are easier to achieve and as you say, you're going to monitor yourself for signs of 'illness'.
PippiRuns has also made a valid point when she mentioned sustainability. A lot of people here aren't 'dieting' but carving out a healthy lifestyle... in which they are looking at ways of creating a sustainable way of life that will take them beyond the final goals of weight loss.
Perhaps after you've lost a certain amount or if you reach a point where only eating the equivalent of your additional exercise becomes onerous, then maybe give the NHS 12 week plan a once over and see what you think. I don't get any kick back from the NHS if you use it , it's just that it has helped me for the first time in such a long while.
Anyway, good luck to you as you sound very determined.
Btw: You could always switch to hex, in which case you'd already be at 78
I've regained the bulk of my weight in the last couple of years. Last year I became a kind of veggie - I eat fish and I'll only eat meat when someone has gone to the trouble of making it for me (about a dozen times, less and less frequent). I hoped this would help but I eat more sugar and bread now.
My expectation is that once the rapid weight loss slows, I move into a proven programme (such as the NHS 12 week plan). I'm hoping that will be around the 80-90kg mark.
Love the idea of changing my numerical base - that also means I'm twenty-something years old
Hi welcome to the forum and good luck with the weight loss. Its usually only necessary to weigh yourself weekly since your weight fluctuate on a daily basis. Someone on a previous post (sorry I can't remember their name) when George said he was going to weigh himself daily suggest to compare to the same day the week before. Have you looked on the NHS Choice living well website to see what your calorie intake should be based on your current weight, gender and level of exercise? For a sustained weight loss it is recommended to loose 1-2lb (0.5-1kg) per week, since anything more increases the chances of not keeping the weight off, especially if it has been done quickly. Someone from the administrators will be in contact welcoming you to the site-
Thank you. I have weighed myself weekly for years and found it easy to hide behind fluctuations and kid myself. I appreciate there can be huge variation in readings but I'm going to take the raw numbers each day and see how it goes.
Once the initial momentum of weight loss drops, I intent to settle into something more sensible. However, this first "hit" of weight loss is a strong driver for me. I want to get below 110 kg before the end of May and below 100kg around autumn. In my adult life, I've never been less than 95kg.
Hi if it has worked for you in the past then that is fine but it maybe be of iterest to look at the NHS 12 week weight loss plan for when you plan to be more sensible, since it gives useful tips and advice to help and sustain weight loss, looking at alcohol, snacks, exercise, portions, eating out etc. since it focuses not just on loosing weight but changing your lifestyle so you can keep the weight off
Thank you, I'll take a good look. I know that I need sustainable, every-day change to my patterns. Eating only once a day worked for me before and I actively preferred it because it is a good fit for me. I also need to get back to exercising.
You need to eat something. Your body will hang on to it's fat reserves as if your life depends on it. Besides that, this is about healthy weight loss, and eating nothing, even if only for a day, isn't healthy. It's not a sustainable way to lose weight. And without changing bad habits, as soon as you start to eat again, it may pile back on. Please think about it.
Indeed I do, but a day or two here and there will eat through some of those reserves and will offer me reassurance and encouragement. It's 99% about attitude and sporadic "mind of matter" events like yesterday tell me that I *can* and *will* lose this weight. My target weight - 80kg - would still put me in the "heavy drivers" classification at my local karting circuit. I'm realistic with punctuated determination to go above and beyond.
You are an intelligent man and know yourself and your body. We are all different and finding a weight loss solution that suits you is key. A minor word of caution, try to take time to establish healthy habits that will be sustainable long term. Your aim isn't just to lose weight but keep the weight off 😊
Here are a few suggestions to help you on your journey 😊
The first place to look is at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), read the Welcome Newbie thread first and move through to the challenges, where we hope you'll find at least one that will appeal to you ☺ (Please note if you are using the new HU App these facilities aren't available yet so you may prefer to use the full website version)
Move down to the Topics, to find a variety of threads, collated into specific topics for ease of access and we ask that you also 'file' your own threads, so that others won't miss your important news ☺
Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as many people have had success with it. Also use the BMI checker to find your target calories, it's important to eat enough. This was a major turning point for me, realising I could eat anything I wanted as long as the calories are accounted for ☺
Don't forget to take your starting measurements and a 'before' picture, as they can be very motivating on days that the scales refuse to co-operate ☺
The forum also have group weigh-ins every day if you wish to take part. The posts can always be found in the Events section on the 'home' page ☺
You'll notice a grey box next to people's names, these are achievement badges, and as a new member you may have a 'Newbie' badge. If you have any questions or would like a Newbie badge please just ask ☺
We've found that to get the best out of this community, we need to be active on the forum, as it's where we exchange information, get motivation and inspiration and make friends. We hope that you'll join us here, regularly, too ☺
Hi Anna, thank you. First of all, what a brilliant, positive and helpful community. I had a quiet read of a few posts before joining and sort of knew what to expect, but you are all so generous with your words and advise.
The "Before" picture is a really good idea. I'm also going to get a tape measure for and record belly and thigh circumferences.
Hi, welcome! I agree you can lose weight quite quickly but you do need it to be sustainable this time. I have lost 5 1/2 stone since September but my weight loss has slowed a bit now. I am fine with that though because I am not hungry and I know I am can eat like this forever. I know if I eat like I used to I put on weight (I did this over Christmas and on a recent holiday) so I know I can't just do this temporarily or it will be back. Losing some weight fast will make you feel better about yourself but please don't starve, I don't believe that will help long term. I do wish you luck and I shall follow your progress! 🤞
Ella, that's an incredible achievement, well done you. When I had a similar weight loss in a comparable time period, I "let myself go" gradually by telling myself "you won't have time to exercise with a new baby" and "I can eat a bit of cake of Christmas".
Starving won't be close to every day - just the odd spurt to remind myself that will power can conquer so much. Long term, I want to return to my "one meal a day" because I felt SO good on that and it was compatible with a social life.
The sneak-eating thing (buying and eating food because, well, I have the opportunity) is my weakness. I've got 8 Dutch Pancakes in the boot of the car I was going to eat after dropping my son at school yesterday - that was before I weighed myself...
Hi, I don't eat snacks apart from fruit, I try even to keep fruit to part of a meal as a way of training my body to only expect food 3 times a day. I agree with you about bread - carbs were my downfall so now it is rare for me to eat bread, rice, pasta. On holiday I ate loads of them - put 5lb on in a week. Lots of people lose weight successfully by counting calories and eating all food groups. I find counting calories makes me obsess about food plus I was hungry by eating bits of all food groups. Now by not eating refined carbs I know I am eating less calories and I am losing weight so I don't count them. Just shows everyone is different!
I have to be quite absolute early on. I enjoy fruit and could happily mucn through a couple of apples and half a dozen kiwis as a snack. And then when you add in bananas, pineapples...
Aside from secret purchases and the bread, I eat well. My wife is an excellent cook and almost everything is made from scratch - fresh food - and is delicious. Portion control is difficult. It's easier for me to avoid food altogether than eat a little, hence why one meal a day works pretty well for me.
Top tip: When I went to Florida with the family and did the whole theme parks thing, I ate like an American on vacation and, due to the amount of trekking about, constant walking and long days, didn't put on any weight. Can't say I had that with any other holidays.
Counting calories helped me a lot last time around, but I totally get the obsessing over food and fear that will hurt me now. This time, I'm going for just fresh veg (mostly greens) and salad with eggs and quorn when needed. I like steamed brocolli and I reckon that even I could fill up on that without needing to count the calories. Obviously, variety is healthy but fresh vegetables are cheap and mostly quite tasty. I prefer savoury to sweet so that's a big advantage.
Keeping off the carbs - it's easier now that summer is close. Mashed potato is replaced with salad. Bread will be the hardest part so I'm just keeping away from the temptation.
Just out of curiosity don't you find that your energy levels tend to flag as the day goes on if you only have 1 meal aday? If I did that I would be at very high risk of snacking afterwards, even if I had already eating my daily allowance. Also I would have problems in eating 1400 calories in one sitting and ensuring it is a healthy meal. Obviously eating a large pizza is quite easy in one sitting but its not healthy to eat every dayand I doubt it would keep me full for the whole day. I work 12.5hrs days and still manage to fit in 3 meals- breakfast before I go, my main meal at work and a late tea when I get back home which is small and quick.
I suppose it just reinforces that there is no single right way of loosing and maintaining weight loss! Good luck
Within a couple of weeks, no, absolutely not. In fact, quite the opposite. Following a meal, your body diverts some energy into processing food (post lunch dip it was called when I was at university) and I do feel relaxed (lethargic?) after eating. A little (and I mean little) hunger keeps me sharp and eager.
You are bang on though - people need to find what works for them. One meal is good for me because, aside from finding it comfortable, it permits me to enjoy a proper meal with my family (almost always fresh, home-made, decent food) and helps me avoid the junk that I'd eat at lunchtimes (pies, supermarket sandwiches, etc).
Having it at lunch time would mean eating junk hunched over a keyboard and not sitting down with my family. As my children are of school age, we have our evening meal around 18:00 or so, plenty of time for it to settle before I go to bed around five hours later.
Your approach sounds very interesting, although not one I could undertake. It will be fascinating to follow your progress so I hope you'll keep posting.
Hi and welcome. You've done it before, so you know what works for you, but that sounds a very strict regime! Not for the fainthearted. Good luck, hope it all goes well for you.
I find diet easier than exercise, although I need both. I'm older now so the exercise regime I got into last time around won't be anywhere near as demanding:
Exercise bike for close to 1000 calories or 5 mile run in the morning before work, 1-2 hour walk every day and more exercise bike at night.
I made the exercise less tedious by playing xbox whilst riding
This time, it's going to be walking, cycling, badminton and, later on, I may give Couch to 5k a try. I despise gyms - inane music, too-hot changing rooms, feeling of inferiority - so I won't try that as it will be too likely to derail me.
Agree on gyms, I play tennis (find it much easier to chase after balls than just running), though at my grand old age of 63 it's not going to be anywhere near as strenuous as your routine. Kids used to play badminton to a good level, it's very energetic! Just mind your ankles and knees with all that fast changing of direction.
Hi Ade, its great you are motivated to loose weight, but please do not be too hard on yourself, I feel by not eating that is not a healthy approach, start off with little food swaps, sweetner for sugar, frylight for oil etc., go for a walk and slowly build your exercise. You got to make realistic changes otherwise I find that giving up is easier!!! Set targets maybe for every month, then see how your body changes and you can set a final goal. I hope you reach your ideal weight soon, please take all the support on here to keep you going and good luck :).
I need better discipline than that, I'm afraid. I ate only fresh fruit and steamed veg today with the tiniest bit of Norfolk mustard and I'm quite full and satisfied.
I am going to lose quite a bit whilst I've got the momentum before settling into a lifestyle change - something sustainable every day.
5x kiwi fruit, 2x apples, 1x slice of white bread with butter, huge plate of steamed green veg (brocolli, cabbage, french beans) and a spoon of trifle - estimated calories: 1500
I've set myself some long-term goals but I intend to be settled into a normal, sustainable pattern by 14th May (target weight 110.9kg) and to have reached my long-term goal around November 2018. So around 1.5 years to lose a little over 40kg. But I have daily targets now... Tomorrow's is 116.2 kg.
HI Ade Well I.m impressed already with what you have eaten in a day ^ love the fact you are writing it down item by item, it is strict and early day's yet, but I am reading a book about a chap who lost 18 st in just under a year from 28st to 12 half st but ended up with the problem of loose skin hanging (sounded horrendous) he did it with a restricted diet and walking exercise, losing 6st first doing it on his own. then going private and having a sleeve operation to reduce the size of his girth. Bit excessive but so very pleased with the well-deserved outcome at the end of all that.
Thank you. I think, for me, a routine to encourage discipline will make a big difference. Saturday won't be easy as I'll be at a conference all day with food laid on. I hope it's all horrid
A little fluctuation in weight today. I'm not overly concerned, I know this is a trap of daily weigh-ins and expect it to average out before the end of the week.
Before: 120.7 kg
Yesterday: 116.5 kg
Today: 116.7 kg
Day's GAIN: 0.2 kg
Total loss: 4.0 kg
Yesterday's exercise:
None
Yesterday's food intake:
Lentil and tomato bake thing with a mashed potato top, almost complete tin of baked beans, steamed green veg, "posh" pot noodle type thing, apple, half a pickled beetroot.
Total calories: Hard to guess - 2000?
So, today I need to perform some kind of exercise - maybe go for a walk later - and reduce my calories.
Yesterday didn't go well. I ate pretty much the same (swapping the pot noodle for a slice of bread and butter). End result? No change. Today's going to become a fasting day.
Before: 120.7 kg
Yesterday: 116.7 kg
Today: 116.7 kg
Day's GAIN: 0.0 kg
Total loss: 4.0 kg
Yesterday's exercise:
None
Yesterday's food intake:
Lentil and tomato bake thing with a mashed potato top, steamed green veg, 3x pickled beetroot, apple, banana, tin of tuna, slice of bread and butter. Total calories estimated at 2000.
I overate yesterday - had food "just because" and not out of need or hunger. Still, there was a bit of weight loss, so I'll take that
Today I'm off to a conference with lunch provided. I hope it's disgusting...
Before: 120.7 kg
Yesterday: 115.9 kg
Today: 115.8 kg
Day's loss: 0.1 kg
Total loss: 4.9 kg
Yesterday's exercise:
None
Yesterday's food intake:
Many grapes (15+), 1x kiwi, 3 slices of white bread toast (no butter), large stir-fry (fresh veg but packet sauce), wholemeal noodles (large portion) pot of custard rice pudding.
Really fell off the wagon yesterday: dutch pancakes, pizza, croissants... Well in excess of 3000 calories - estimating 3500. Going to have a fast day today.
Fast day went well. I had a kiwi and some grapes (maybe 30-40 over the course of the day) and 200ml of Bailey's. I'm still about a kilo off rolling target but I hope to make that up over the coming week.
Home-made veg curry with cous-cous; steamed veg; 2 biscuits; salted popcorn; 1 slice of white bread (buttered); 2 falafels; 2 cups of tea with milk and sugar
Haven't posted for a few days but still been logging everything. My weight loss has stalled - stuck (for only four days) at 113.9kg.
Still, I have enough numbers to start calculating my BMR. Unsurprisingly, it looks like around 2000 calories is consumed each day as my BMR. That fits with my age, height, weight and general inactivity.
Total consumption of 1600-1800 calories sees around 0.1kg loss daily. If I keep below 1300 calories, then around 0.3 to 0.4kg loss is sustainable, at least based on my numbers so far...
So, I'm quite happy although 2.8kg behind my "stretch" target loss.
Next week will be tough - I'm on a business trip abroad and will probably have limited ability to measure my intake or weight. Then again, maybe I'll be out and about more and actually move around a bit under my own steam.
Hello Ade, I'm impressed with your results so far, your good intentions are still to the fore considering your business trips it appears to be still at the forefronIin your mind, which as you say isn't easy. Just wish you would state in stones/pounds instead of kilos which take me a while to work out (if at all) I am the old school you see). I weigh 18st 10lbs and at 5ft7ins is not good, I have yo-yo dieted the best part of my life so far, but at 79 next Saturday and disabled now, can only do armchair exercises and love gardening and pottering in my greenhouse on one of my good day's, even managing to paint the garden shed and summerhouse sitting down to do it, I am determined to use it and not lose it and try my very best to keep active. At one time in my mid 20's I managed to loose 6st which felt fantastic, took 1 year eating mainly the same food eat day which was corn beef and tomatoes (I smoked in those day's which really helped) as I would replace a cigarette for a meal, cycle every day to and from my office/job full time and walk in my lunch hours as well as run the home and cook for the family. I've rambled on enough Ade, back to today I am eating:-Brekky 1 oz porridge with Frozen fruits of the forest and tsp Monika honey, Greek yogurt 1tblps.
Lunch: 2 poached eggs on seeded wholemeal bread.
Dinner: Lamb mince (cooled and fat skimmed off) and lots of vegs,
reduced sugar jelly and greek yogurt, a handful of grapes black
weight loss the first-fortnight zilch, last week 4lb WOOPY WOO !
a good incentive to keep up with my menu.
good luck to you Ade and please keep posting, you are my inspiration as are the other lovely people on the forum xx
Thank you for your generous words of support. Your diet looks great - healthy and delicious. I became a "first dan"* vegetarian a little over a year ago and that has helped me avoid some easy, fatty foods.
Very best of luck,
Ade
*nothing with knees, unless someone has gone to the trouble of making it for me. Second dan drops fish from the diet. Tenth dan is full-on vegan where you don't eat anything that could be considered food. I'll stick with 1st dan...
I week on, I'm still the same weight, - 113.9kg - although this is slightly better than expected following a work trip to Belgium (land of beers, waffles and chocolate). Amazingly, I dodged most of those foods, but the breakfast at the hotel tempted me into eating far too much bread, a major weakness of mine. They had nothing else I fancied - no eggs or fresh fruit. I had only three beers and did do a fair bit of walking (ten miles or so) around the beautiful city of Antwerp in the evening. I'll be back there in nearly three weeks' time so I want to drop below another 3kg by then to be on track for under 100kg by my birthday in August.
9.3 kg lost so far, down to 111.4kg. Apart from a couple of long walks, i've essentially done no exercise in years, so it is long past time I changed that aspect of my life:
I've started the Couch to 5k today, so let's see how that goes. I hate running so this is treadmill in front of the TV. When I lost a lot of weight years ago, exercise was very much part of my regime, including an hour or more on the exercise bike whilst playing xbox games. Making exercise less of a chore is important to me. I'll try to fit in some badminton and tennis when I can too, but the treadmill can be 20 minutes of every day.
So, day one is exactly as couch to 5k prescribes, followed by 20 minutes of gentle walk as a slow down, mainly because Historic Monaco motor racing on Channel 4 was on and I wanted to watch it to the end. 630 calories recorded on the machine but I'll knock about 20% off because I think they always flatter.
I try to turn the displeasure of exercise into a positive - after putting that effort in, I don't want to squander it on any old food. It makes not snacking that bit easier.
A danger I know I will face is over doing it and then being famished later in the day and stuffing 3000 calories. I'll keep an eye out.
In other news, counting those calories means my alcohol consumption has dropped to near zero. I previously would enjoy a whisky at home two or three times a week, but it was a very generous home portion, probably four units or even more. I think I've had maybe eight units of alcohol since I first posted here, including two beers when working in Belgium.
Good: still going strong, lost 12.1kg in 50 days - down to 108.6kg now (I was there 4 days ago but had some social activities that saw me gain about 1.5kg...). I am tracking to reach my target weight - drop below 80kg - by November next year.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
), I think you may have a point, that initially the big numbers are easier to achieve and as you say, you're going to monitor yourself for signs of 'illness'.
, it's just that it has helped me for the first time in such a long while.
Newbie
All seems abit over powering and not knowing where to start.
Hello all 
Not lost any weight for nearly two months
