New member

[Gourmet]

Hi, retired a couple of years ago - now looking forward to becoming healthier and physically fitter by improving diet and increasing exercise. Any tips welcome. I have had a double hip replacement and arthritis in knees and ankles. So, a few challenges. Have a good day everyone.

[Misslovely]

Good morning Gourmet

This is a good bunch of people and very friendly. Theres plenty of support here and no judgement!

I find it helpful to write in the Daily Diary post my meal plan for the day ahead so it helps me be a little more accountable & others can point out where you can add better healthier calories!

I also post in the weigh in post on a sunday (theres a different weigh in post everyday - just choose one and stick to that day the same day each week) theres no judgement if we put on or maintain either so no wagging fingers like i have found in some so called support groups ive attended before now! 🙄

Wishing you well and every success - you can do it ! ❤️

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Hello Gourmet and welcome to the weight loss forum.

With that name, we'll be hoping for some great recipes from you

Weight loss is far more dependent on what we eat than on exercise, so there's no reason you shouldn't make good progress. If you're using the NHS 12 week plan, you need to get your own calorie target from the NHS BMI calculator, as the 1400/1900 figures you'll see are generic and likely to suit very few of us.

To help you navigate the forum, we’ve put all the information you’ll need in a Newbie pack. Spend a few minutes reading this as it gives a full picture of the support and information available. Here's the link healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

We ask that you also read this important information about internet privacy and security, especially as you've left your post unlocked healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

Wishing you all the best and hoping to see you around the forum

By the way, it would be interesting to know how you found your way to this forum

[Gourmet in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you for your message. I found this site from the NHS website Weight loss page. Looking forward to getting more organized and finally dealing with this.

[Gourmet in reply to Gourmet]

Thank you!

[Gourmet in reply to Gourmet]

Thank you!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Gourmet]

I hope you've found your way around now

[Brightfeather Maintainer Healthy BMI]

Welcome gourmet. Would second what misslovely said. Have a lovely day😊

[Pineapple27]

Hi there Gourmet and welcome! You will find this a great supportive environment to lose that weight.

When I started my weight loss over 6 years ago, I had 4.5 stone to lose. I lost most of my weigh using a website: weightlossresources.co.uk (which I still use to this day!) but I enjoy the support and posts on here alongside using the other site.

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 8” 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. 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 6 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...

[Gourmet]

Thank you for sharing your history, I appreciate this and your encouragement. I have just come back to the site after many months in an effort to start again and reading your post, and the others, has been very encouraging. Thank you. I'm now just going to weigh myself and post the results!! The first step. See you later!