I've just found this site via the NHS weightloss programme, so hello!
I have been trying to lose weight for a few years with varying success, but having now reached menopause I think I have a real battle on my hands, which I am determined to finally win.
I have been desperately holding on to the belief that I am a size 14 but the inability to get into most of my wardrobe tells a different story - and the BMI checker confirms that I have around 15kg to shift.
I am fairly active so food really is the issue for me - I have a very sweet tooth and have got into bad snacking habits so and advice for some good alternative snacks would be great to get me through the first couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading
Michelle
Written by
MichelleB25
1kg
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Hello, I'm a newbie also & even though this is my second day on here, everyone has been lovely & show a lot of support in each of our weight loss journeys.
Good luck & I look forward to reading about all your achievements 👍🏻😀
It remains a mystery to me how I could squeeze into some clothes without popping at the seams or cutting off my circulation but there's only so far we can kid ourselves
You'll get an introduction to the forum from one of the Admin team shortly, so take your time having a look around. Getting actively involved with the forum is a real boost for many of us and keeps us focused - I hope it does the same for you.
Re snacks, over time I've built up my meals and aim to get my calories into them, so I'm not snacking. When I started, I kept a packet of choccie biscuits in the fridge and had one with a cuppa most days, but then at some point they stopped appearing on my shopping list without any great decision on my part. I also went for oatcakes and cheese, but I now have them as part of a meal. I always counted them in my calorie allowance.
Give some thought to how you're currently eating and I'm sure you'll see where to start with making changes. One little change builds on another. A lot of us find the 12 week plan a really helpful guide so it's certainly worth a look.
Good luck
Welcome to this wonderful forum MichelleB25. Wishing you well on your journey. 😊
There are plenty of people here who are proof that the menopause does not mean that weight gain is inevitable, and I hope those size 14 clothes will spur you on to achieve your goals.
By way of a welcome, we have put together a Newbie pack with all the information you will need to find your way around the Forum and to get you started. Spend a few minutes to read through all the information as it is important to help you enjoy the best things the Forum has to offer. The link is here.
Hi MichelleB25 and welcome! You will find this a great supportive environment to lose that weight.
When I started my weight loss 6 years ago, I had 4.5 stone to lose.
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 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 (55 years old now) 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. That works out at 130 weeks, so on average my weight loss was less than half a pound a week - of course some weeks I lost more, others I gained... but I am trying to impress upon you the importance of just keeping on going, even though the weight may not come off as quickly as you would like it to.
I cannot stress enough how important this part of the weight loss journey is - being 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.
The other great news is that it is entirely possible to lose weight without moving! Of course though, there are lots of advantages to moving a bit more - but it doesn't have to be as formal as going to a gym or out for a five mile run. A good session of house work, mowing the lawn (when the weather permits!) or even a cooking session will all burn calories and have the advantage of making you feel much better emotionally too! It's good to find something that you LIKE doing, that is enjoyable and that you are likely to sustain on a regular basis.
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.
Gosh, that is so inspiring - thank you for sharing.
You're right of course, so much is to do with relationships with food and I've got to accept that my relationship is pretty disfunctional! I love the comment that you feel 20 years younger so I will try and keep that in mind when I'm struggling.
At the moment I am all keyed up to get going and just hope the enthusiam doesn't wane too quickly.
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