Keep going

[kchops]

Hello

I have read lots of the posts on this site and I feel for you all if you struggle to loose wieght.

I thought I would tell you about myself and I am sure it will reflect on many of you.

I am a serial reoffender I first used this four years or so ago and I did the NHS 12 week plan and lost 1.5 stone and thought I would mantain that weight. Well I must have taken my eye off the ball as over the last few years I have gone to seed a bit. About four weeks ago I weighed myself and thought enough is enough I better start taking more care of myself.

I am 5'6 weighed 15 stone 5 pounds and my BMI 34.5 which makes me officially a little FB, as I do not intend checking out of life any time soon I thought I will have to make some life style changes. I like cooking and I think that is part of the problem as I also like eating my portion control is rubbish. I am reasonbly active I wear a fitbit and manage 10000 steps at least 3 times a week. I look at the recipes on the change 4 life site and I have many stored on my pc from last time most are for four people I live alone so I make the recipe as is and put three in the freezer for another time, I drink black coffee and I try to calorie count and stick to 1900 or less a day. But the one thing I have noticed this time around is that I am finding it much more difficult to loose weight, in the last four weeks I have lost about 7 pounds which I agree is going in the right direction but I have to work at it. I am thinking now of joining a local gym to see if I can make a dent in it that way. My advise to all of you who are finding it difficult or wavering slighty you have done the hard part by acknowledging you need to change so once started down the rocky road you must never give up.

[June1965]

kchops

Can I just say this was a god send to me this morning! I am currently in a devil and the deep blue sea.....situation and it’s great (wrong words) to know I am not alone 😉 I’m struggling also and can not get out of a rut.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to June1965]

Good morning June1965

I'm sorry you're struggling. The support is always here but you have to be, too, so I suggest you give yourself a few minutes each day to call in here, read and join in chats - encouraging others can give you a great boost.

Why not head over to the Sunday Super Slimmers weigh in? Please read the opening post as that will explain all. It's a very supportive team, and all we ask is that you give some support, too. Here's the link healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

Good morning kchops and welcome back to the forum

I'm wondering about your calorie level of 1900. That is just a generic figure for a man and, if you think about it, it doesn't make sense that the same figure would suit you and someone who starts at 25 stone and someone starting at 12 stone. Best to get your calorie range from the NHS BMI calculator and eat well up into the suggested range. nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-we...

A good way to start back here would be joining the Sunday Super Slimmers weigh in team. You'll get to know a very supportive bunch of people who will appreciate your support, too. Here's the link. If you read the opening post, it will explain all healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

You'll find a list of all the forum activities here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

..... and this post will help you find your way around healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

We also ask that you read this information about internet privacy and security healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

I see your post isn't locked. This means that it, and any replies, can be shared around the Internet without your knowledge or consent (see the Twitter and Facebook logos below your post). Often that won't matter to you but sometimes people discuss personal stuff or accidentally disclose something that might identify them so we think it's a good extra level of security to lock your posts.

Wishing you all the best and I hope you become an active and supportive member of the forum 😊

[kchops in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you for the reply, I have been reading the posts for a while but have not replied were today I thought I would. I do read the infomation on the NHS site and use some of the tools like the BMI calculator I am 69 3⁄4 and do not want to do anything silly so I have been to my doctors and had a full mot ecg, blood test, etc I have to go to the doctors next week and from then on I might join a gym with the idea of burning calories without doing any damage to my body. When I travelled this route before using the NHS 12 week plan I would loose approx 3 pounds a week now I am finding it much different it does not seem to matter how hard I try it does not work like it used to.

But I will take your advise and checkin more often.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to kchops]

I will give you a couple more things to read, as you've mentioned your age. It may be that you need to consider a different approach rather than calorie counting/12 week plan.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

phcuk.org/wp-content/upload...

I would definitely suggest joining a weigh in on a day of your choice

[kchops in reply to BridgeGirl]

BridgeGirl

Thank you so much for the information you sent, initially I read through both leaflets and some of it is starting to make sense. It seems to go against everything that I have been doing to date, and I think you have answered a question that I have not understood for a long time. I like walking my daughter got me into it years ago as a way of staying fit and control my weight, when I go for a walk it can be between 5 and 15 miles I have walked up to 30 miles in one go when I looked at the stats from my fitbit I am using 8 or 9 calories a minute when I have done a fair few miles in week I have often noticed that I have not lost any weight but my body shape changes because some of my clothes fit better especially my shirts so I am now going to have a read of information and perhaps a complete rethink od what I am doing.

Once again many thanks.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to kchops]

That's great. Take your time and think through your options so this is the last time you're in this position

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

A whole bunch of unfair things happen to us as we get older. One of the worst is that we lose muscle mass, which doesn't just mean we lose strength and coordination, it means our bodies have less storage space for energy derived from food: weak or small muscles are less capable of storing glycogen. The upshot of that is that dietary starches are more likely to end up as subcutaneous fat or (worse) as visceral fat. Young people can get away with eating more-or-less anything and keep looking ... young, but older bodies are a lot less forgiving!

Being a good cook is actually a plus: it means you're in a good position to change the way you eat (rather than how much you eat - you'll find that bit takes care of itself when you get the content right). You might have to re-invent your recipe repertoire, but I assume you'll find that enjoyable and challenging.

What sort of things are you eating at the moment? Some simple tweaks might help a lot.

If you do decide to join a gym, get one of the trainers to show you how to use free weights safely (that's dumbbells and barbells as opposed to machines), and some whole-body exercises. These compound movements are excellent for maintaining/building muscles, which is what you need right now. Exercise doesn't cause weight loss directly, but it can enhance the positive results of a good diet.