Introduction to New, Healthier Lifestyle.

[johncs2018]

On Tuesday 4 December 2018, I joined up with a health and lifestyle group which is run by by local GP in her surgery and at my initial weigh-in, I was 114.6kg with a BMI of 39.6 which takes me very close to being morbidly obese.

That is something which I hope to address and so, my initial goal will be to lose 5.8kg as per the NHS's recommendations of losing at least 5% of my current body weight. If I can manage that, I will then be down to 108.8kg. Since I have only just started this programme, I have no idea of how long it will take for me to get there. However, I do know that I am already heading in the right direction just by beginning this process, and I look forward to see what lies ahead.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

Well done for deciding to take the plunge!

Frankly, I'd set your sights a bit higher (or lower, I suppose). If you get your diet right there's absolutely no reason you can't be in the normal weight range within a year or so. Remember, you're in this for the long haul, so the timescale is irrelevant: as long as you're eating proper food, the weight will fall off with very little effort on your part. Conversely, there's absolutely no point in busting a gut to lose a few kilos by "dieting" if you then go back to "eating normally" and end up putting it all back on again.

I have a sneaking suspicion the mainstream programmes set such mediocre targets because that's the best they're likely to achieve.

It would be worth listing out what you eat at the moment in the Daily Diary. Maintaining a bodyweight at your level demands a perfect storm of dietary slip-ups, which means you can achieve a pretty dramatic result with some fairly modest adjustments to the way you eat.

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello johncs2018 and a very warm welcome to the Weight Loss Forum 😊

Well done for taking the first step to healthier fitter you 😊

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[S11m]

Hi, johncs2018 , Welcome.

I am taller than you, but I was heavier, with a BMI of about 35.

It will take me nine months to get down to BMI 28.

Are you intending to count calories or just eat less?

Do you eat out regularly or mostly at home?

As TheAwfulToad wrote: modest adjustments could give considerable long-term benefit.

What works for me is just cutting down on carbohydrates (bread, cereals, sugar, puddings, potatoes) and eating little or nothing in the evenings.

[johncs2018 3kg in reply to S11m]

My initial plan to just to cut out all of the rubbish which consisted of things like big bags of crisps, large bars of chocolate and the Irn Bru (which is Scotland's most popular fizzy drink). Another thing which I would do regularly is to buy packs of things like Scotch Pies, Cornish pasties and bridies where you get two of them in a single pack and then just scoff the lot of them in a oner, without even bothering to heat them up.

However, my Mum has given me a few idea for healthier food which I can eat and when I am at my Mum's, I have no problems with sticking with. However, the fact that I live alone means that when I get home again, I generally can't be bothered, hence all of those unhealthy snacks. I have tried counting all of my calories before in the past by using an app such as MyfitnessPal but that just felt too much of a chore after a while with having to do that all the time, so I am generally just trying to live as healthily as I can now with a view to possibly counting my calories at certain times if I need to because they may well be times whilst I am eating as healthy as I can, when I am actually taking in too few calories and in those scenarios, counting those calories is a good way of keeping that in check.

I will add that, that I very rarely eat out and never have takeaways, so everything that I have done wrong until now, has been entirely down to poor normal eating habits which I am now trying to fix.

[Hidden]

Do you like cooking, John? Have you tried cooking all your meals? You might find you really enjoy it. I know you are on your own, so was I for 10 years, and in that time I always cooked for four (most recipe books give recipes for four) and I would freeze three portions. Or sometimes just eat the same two days running, which I don’t mind. If you get that set up, you actually only have to cook every few days, and have your own freezer meals the other days. My advice would be to treat yourself to one of the Hairy Dieters cookbooks. Easy to follow, all calorie counted for you, no weird ingredients, basic family meals, very yummy, sorted!

[johncs2018 3kg in reply to Hidden]

I have never been a fan of having to cook for myself, but I do realise that this might be something which I will probably need to get into at some point. What I do know that is that there is a local health organisation in my area and the health and lifestyle group in my GP surgery has given me a recipe book from that organisation which I am having a look at. Furthermore, this same organisation also runs a cooking club which I know, could get me more interested in cooking since I would be doing that with a group of other people. That is something which I will probably look into joining at some point in time. For now though, it is still very early days for me which means that I am still in the process of doing my research into what is actually out there, and that could take a while.

Having said that though, I do think that the idea of bulk cooking and then storing what I'm not using just now in the freezer is a very good idea and I have watched many TV programmes which help various individual people and families to live a more healthy lifestyle, where that is quite an important part of that process.

[Hidden in reply to johncs2018]

Good luck! You have made a very positive start! 👍

[Hidden]

Well done for taking the first step, good luck!

[Hidden]

Hardest bit is admitting you want to change so well done!

Best of luck to you!

[BerlinBetty Visitor]

Good for you! It doesn't matter if it takes a long time, provided you are heading in the Right Direction. You are in Good Company on this Forum. Onwards and Downwards, so to speak! BB