Help

I'm very obese don't know where to start get quite breathless these days just walking but realise this has got to stop so what / where do I begin?

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Good morning Hidden and welcome. You will find yourself in good company here: we're all in the same boat, some have rowed a little further and some have a fair way to go but we're all going in the same direction

Where to begin? Here are mys suggestions.

1. Don't diet. My guess is that you've tried this route in the past but it hasn't done the job. That's how diets are, just a short term fix. Think in terms of developing a healthy eating lifestyle that you can maintain and enjoy for life.

2. Many of us have found the NHS 12 week plan gave us a good start. If you follow this, it's essential you use a calorie range specific to you, not the generic 1400/1900 you will see as this is likely to be too low for you. Not eating enough is probably the commonest reason people give up so please don't be tempted to do so

3. Join in with this forum as much as you can, daily if possible. You could start right now by joining the Sunday Super Slimmers weigh-in here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... We're very friendly and the only thing we ask is that you reply to others and share the support around as we all appreciate it.

To help you find your way around, we've put together this welcome pack healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Please take your time reading it so you will see all that's on offer here.

We ask you to read these notes on privacy and security online, especially as you have left your post unlocked.

Looking forward to seeing you around.

Could you let us know how you found this forum?

[annejones57]

Welcome ,to the forum!

This is an amazing place which will support and encourage you to eat well and lose weight.

Good luck!

[Realthing Visitor]

Ooh never heard of Tibetan tea! 🙂

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Realthing]

I've just deleted this as I thought it was suspicious, coming from someone who had just joined - potential spammer

[Realthing Visitor in reply to BridgeGirl]

Ok thanks for tip 👍🏻

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Realthing]

No harm in googling, but that approach is sometimes a lead in to personal sites etc

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome 😊

[bikegrrrl 1lb]

Hi Hidden and look forward to seeing more of you on the forum! It's great support.

[IvanTheHorrible Maintainer]

It might seem like an uphill struggle (literally) at this point, but you've already taken the first step by deciding to do something!

Completely agree with @BridgeGirl that "dieting" will not help you. It doesn't help anyone. You basically need to do this backwards: learn how to eat as if you were maintaining a healthy weight, and then make the adjustments necessary to lose a bit. Once you achieve the former, the latter will come much more easily to you.

I'm not a big fan of the "12 week plan" because it's unnecessarily complicated, but it's as good a place to start as any. The short version is neatly summarized by Michael Pollan:

- Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

The "not too much" bit is actually superfluous, because once you start eating proper food, your appetite rapidly corrects itself.

If you want to get a bit more specific, start by buying his book ("In defence of food"), which explains why the modern diet seems perversely tuned to put people into exactly the position you find yourself in. IMO, it helps to get the "philosophy of food" nailed down before you can really grok the practicalities.

If you want one positive action that you can do today: go through your cupboards and throw out any breakfast cereals, biscuits, snacks, pot noodles, desserts, sugary drinks, sliced white bread, tinned sauces, and anything that says "low fat!" (or any similar health-related pronouncement). Resolve never to buy them again. To replace them, you'll need to buy vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy - that is, things that don't come in plastic packets, or with suspiciously-attractive pictures printed on the front and the contents carefully hidden behind four layers of cardboard. Treat yourself to some nice recipe books. Jamie Oliver's stuff is unfussy, healthy, and tasty, but other celebrity chefs are available

There's a little more to it than that, but that single action will prevent things getting worse.

By the way: no need to join a gym - not yet. A daily walk will be a good start for now. Getting out of breath while walking puts your VO2max at around 15ml/kg/min, which is not to be taken lightly: your cardiovascular system is in a seriously damaged state, and you need to fix it gently.

[Gofitgirl]

Welcome, Hidden. Spend some time looking at the links our Admin has sent you and also have a browse on the website. You will find loads of little gems to keep you motivated and on track during your new healthy eating journey. Have a good week 👍