hi thank you for allowing me to be part of the group I'm in need of a miracle to loos my weight I am 5 stone over weight have an underactive thyroid two mini strokes and on the change I am 56 years old and desperate to gain my confidence and self esteem I am a nurse so work 12 shifts at times have tried weight watchers slimming world had acupuncture soup diets and shake diets I have just enrolled in the gym so this may help my BMI is over 35 so am desperate now my dad died at 55 with heart problems and my granddad too so I feel I'm a ticking time bomb
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jennifernesbitt
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Have you had a good read of the Newbie Club info that Moreless posted on your first post?
All the nurses do a fantastic job, I don't eny you those 12 hour shifts
Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan we see this as a lifestyle change more than a diet I was amazed I could eat what I liked as long as I kept within the BMI Calculator calorie range and still lose weight
ohhh ill try and find it now trying to get to grips with it but up to now cant seem to get it ill keep scrolling down to the 12 week like you said thank you for your support
There are many of us on this Forum who have additional barriers to losing our weight - whether it's age, the side-effects of medication, thyroid problems, disability, illness.... it just means that we will have to put in that little more effort to counting calories and keeping an eye on portion sizes as we are likely to need less calories because of our inability to burn additional calories through huge amount of exercise....
I have a disability that I was born with (shortening of all four limbs as a result of the drug Thalidomide my mum took when pregnant with me). As a result my mobility is minimal - and was further reduced following a serious head on car crash in 2002 when I broke my ankle. I went on to have ny ankle joint fused and am still in constant pain with it.
I started my weight loss journey at 14 stone - 5 and a half years ago. I am just 4ft 9" tall and so was classed clinically obese.
I was 49 years old and had been trying to lose weight all of my life since the age of 9. My disability makes exercise difficult (I am very sedentary and use a wheelchair outside of the house).
The one thing that I realised very early on in my journey was that I was just eating FAR TOO MUCH! I was a short, middle aged, sedentary female and I was eating the same as 5ft 9" active man (my now husband!). No wonder I was piling on the weight!
I started my journey at the end of February 2012, and managed to lose 4.5 stone in 2 and a half years through calorie counting and logging/weighing all of my food.
I cannot stress enough how important this part of the weight loss journey is - beng able to recognise just how much we are eating and address that. It is not about cutting out any foods but about being able to make informed choices about the foods we eat Also about learning how to behave differently around food. Just because food is in front of us does not mean to say that we have to eat it! Being able to exercise control and moderate intake is paramount.
I re-gained some of the weight I lost, then lost it again and have now managed to more or less maintain for the past 6 months at around 10 stone. Still considered "over weight".
Ideally I would love to drop another stone to 9 stone and maintain there.
My weight loss journey has been long, but I am still learning new tips and tricks to help me along the way and what's more, still enjoying the challenge! I would say that my behaviour around food has changed massively - I have learned to respect food, to "break" it's control over me, and to be able to modify how I behave with food. Just because food is within sight doesn't mean I have to eat it! I don't see eating the way I do as meaning that I am missing out any more - in fact I am now able to enjoy my life and have regained the ability to do things that I struggled to do or even found impossible to do!
Here are a few of my past posts which I hope you will find helpful and inspiring. I won't try and tell you that my journey was easy - and you'll see that there were many blips along the way, but 5 years down the line, I feel about 20 years younger than I did when I was lugging around 4 stone more.
Please do pop back to the forums and share your journey with us - we are here for you, day and night and happy to share your success or support you when you need it.
Welcome Jennifer and yes, it can seem daunting to start with.
Fortunately it's not a miracle you need but just like any journey you need to take a number of small steps. Think of a small goal such as the first 5kg or 7lbs or getting into the next weight level. Perhaps think of a special treat you'll allow yourself when you get to that goal (not a food one ).
Don't worry about trying to change everything all in one go, which is pretty much impossible anyway, but concentrate on getting a few things right.
Keep posting if you have any questions, thoughts or feelings as there'll always be someone here to chat or help you along the way.
Let the fact that this is the day that you take control of the rest of your life be the start of your confidence and self esteem.
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.
we see this as a lifestyle change more than a diet 
I was amazed I could eat what I liked as long as I kept within the BMI Calculator calorie range and still lose weight 
How do I lose more than 10 stone?
This Time I'm Doing It.
I feel like a whale ! 
An extra special reason to stick with the programme 
What am I doing wrong?!
