I am starting, yet again, on a new diet. My weight started to go on almost 16 years ago after losing my husband and I just can't shift it. I have tried so many diets, I am, in fact, paid up to March with a slimming club but decided to try counting calories again, it's so much easier now information is on packaging
I want to lose 5.5 to 6 stone and am so surprised at the amount of calories I can have, not sure I will be able to eat that many but am going to try grazing instead of 3 meals a day. I started on Saturday 23 December and weigh 15st 10lb so have a long journey but hopefully will get there
I have mobility issues....arthritis, but also nerve damage, so apart from the pain I have also lost my balance, using two legs and a stick I still 'dance' off to the wrong direction so trying to exercise will be interesting
Hoping I get the support and advice that will help me and of course, friends
Have a lovely day everyone
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OliveOyl
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Welcome OliveOyl it’s lovely to have you join us on this fantastic forum 🤗
Counting calories is really working for me and if you’ve already found your personal calorie range from the NHS BMI Calculator it’s quite surprising how many you can have isn’t it!?
I find that it really helps to make a note of everything I eat and drink as they do add up over the course of a day, I also weigh my portions of meat & definitely carbs as these are the worst offenders 😊
A really helpful tip I was given when I first joined was to start at the higher end of the calorie range given on the calculator as you can always go down but it’s hard to go back up!
Merry Christmas 🎄
Hi and welcome OliveOyl
Sorry to hear you have increased in weight since losing your husband and your mobility issues
I love the NHS 12 week plan as it is not exactly a diet but a healthy way of eating for life which helps us to lose weight
Thank you xvanillaskyx and Cracker10. When I checked out my BMI, as I said, I was surprised, I really thought I would be eating 1000 - 1200 calories
Like you xvanillaskyx, I make a note of everything I eat and drink, weighing everything and I also write a couple of days menu in advance so I know exactly what I am doing. I bought a pack of exercise books for that purpose because as you said, the calories really mount up
Cracker10, I will try the newbie link you have provided, thank you
I've only been doing this a couple of days but hope to be slim again one day. My target is by my 70th birthday, which gives me just under two years. I have a thyroid problem (under-active), so that, combined with my age may make my weight loss slower, giving myself nearly two years is a reasonable target I think
I have also recently been diagnosed with a thyroid problem so you are not alone there and agree our age and thyroid can make our weight loss slower I think your timescale is a good one
We have a Daily Diary thread where you can add your food intake - all info is in the Newbie link I gave you
look forward to seeing you post on the forum and joining in
Hello and welcome, OliveOyl , you sound really positive and organised and you've given yourself a very reasonable timescale.
I was surprised, too, at the amount of calories I could have, and I've enjoyed trying some new recipes and foods. My thinking is, I won't stick to something if it's all misery
I'm sure you'll enjoy joining in this forum and will get plenty of ideas and encouragement from others like you, finding their way to healthy eating. Good luck!
Welcome to this wonderful forum OliveOyl . So sorry you have struggled with your weight since the loss of your husband. I was 15st 12 when I started the NHS 12 Week Healthy Eating Plan in June and have lost 1st 8lbs. I also want to lose 6 stone. I too have an under active thyroid and arthritis in my knees, hands and feet although just the knees that were causing me problems. I actually had a bath last night for the first time in years due to losing some weight I managed to get in and out of it without to much trouble from my knees so great non scale victory🛀. I have also used the BMI calculator and eat between the middle to upper range of my allowance. I am a grazer so this works for me. Dont worry too much about excercise, loads on here are losing who aren't able to do any due to health issues. This is a fabulous supportive community and you will truly enjoy being a part of it. It has turned my life around. Wishing you well on your journey.😊
Thank you Kazzi56 for your welcome, I will take some time later to explore this site on the laptop.
Congratulations on your great weight loss and having a bath for the first time in years!
Have a lovely day
Thank you. I am 61 and have been a member of every slimming club out there for 35+ years with limited success and when I joined here I was the heaviest I have ever been. Calorie counting and making healthy choices works and for the first time I have found a plan that I can maintain no matter how long it takes. Keep active on the forum as the support is key to success.😊
I am a vegetarian marymanc and have several cookery books that I look at occassionally just to make vegetables more exciting. I have been a veggie for 63 years, eating the veg, yorkshires etc and leaving everything else so have a lot of ideas hidden away in my brain
With some of the weight loss plans I have tried I never had to weigh vegetables but now I do, it seems strange to do that but I'll get used to it
Looking forward to getting on the scales for the first time next week
I've never been a calorie counter (and it shows) but I've found it a really good discipline and quite enlightening It might be worth looking at the recipes on here, and adding some of your own. I also found some that I enjoyed on the British Heart Foundation website - I don't have a heart problem, fortunately, but I like the fact they have the nutritional breakdown without me having to do it.
I'm not a vegetarian but do have plenty of meat/fish free days which usually involve eggs or soup, which I love, particularly in winter. Sometimes they're just using up whatever's in the fridge but I have some nice recipes too.
If you join in one of the weekly weigh-ins, you'll soon find you're part of a supportive group, as you will generally on here
Hello Olive! Thanks for your post I found quite inspiring. Have you tried music. Over the last 4 days I have been cooking for Christmas. I am also on my own, and I stand in the kitchen and sing and sort of dance while working. I have eaten loads over Christmas, but I I have lost a pound in weight. I intend to continue with this in the New Year. Here's hoping.
Hello Chris, yes, music plays a big part in my life, I always have the radio on. I used to dance all round my kitchen, I still sort of dance, the top half dances anyway.
When I lose my balance I say I'm dancing, sounds better than some words that could be used. I have kept my sense of humour too
I've always been a positive person, there's not much that gets me down
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Take a break from my weight loss journey
Back again! 
Liquid meals do it for me
Yay :) the lbs are coming off again
Confused
