Hello

[Kfrogg14]

Just joined - hitting 50 in jan - need to lose approx 6 stones - so overwhelming I don’t know where to start - I have tried every diet going on the last 20 years!!!

[Tiggerr]

Welcome Kfrogg14

Firstly, you've come to the right place to get the support we all need, that helps us stay strong when things aren't necessarily going to plan.

Don't be concerned about the overall destination but break your journey into small trips, such as 7lbs at a time and think of a reward (non food related) that you can give yourself each time you reach one of these mini goals.

[Pineapple27]

Hi and welcome Kfrogg14

In my opinion (I started my weight loss journey aged 49) it's about being honest about what you are eating, how much you are eating - and how much your body needs to fuel your everyday activities.

Once I did this, I had a HUGE shock, and the rest fell into place.

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 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 my ankle joint fused and am still in constant pain with it.

I 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.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Pineapple27]

Pineaplle27, I've only been here a week or so but you always write such good sense. Thank you

[Pineapple27 in reply to BridgeGirl]

Awww BridgeGirl that's such a lovely compliment!

I guess that as my weight loss journey has been over 5 years plus, I have learnt a lot (although still learning new things each day!)

My primary objective when I joined the site was to keep myself on track, but also I want others to learn that whatever barriers we face, whatever problems we have - weight loss is still possible with enough determination!

It can also make such a HUGE difference to our health, our ability to function, how we feel emotionally, mobility, etc.....

I will carry on sharing my experiences!

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome to the NHS weight Loss Forum Kfrogg14 😀

You are not alone in feeling overwhelmed and disheartened, I have tried every diet going over the years but this time it’s working, and more to the point, the weight seems to be staying off (with effort) What is different is I am eating a generous plan, and I have this forum for support. 😀

I'd like to invite you to join our Newbie Club, which we hope will be a good place for you to connect with members, who are also just starting out. If you just post a few words to introduce yourself and respond to others there, you'll soon break the ice. Here's the link

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You'll find all the information you need to navigate the forum in the header and a link to the 12 week plan, so please take the time to read it carefully.

Wishing you all the best

Anna

[Hidden]

You will find so much support here that it is easy to stay on track and be motivated. You are not in this alone.