New to here

[Pianokeys]

Hi, I’m new to this forum and glad to have found it. I’m looking for tips to keep up with making changes to my lifestyle, when the results are so slow to show. Since Christmas Eve I’ve been jogging around the local park area 3 times a week, started yoga and thought I was eating ok, but this must be the problem area because when I try clothes on in the shops, I’m still an 18 and can only fit certain outfits that hide my tummy, bottom and thighs. I still look pregnant even though my twins have just had their 18th birthday. I’d really love to go to a high street clothes store and be able to choose anything I want and know that it’ll fit fine. Rarely does this happen and it gets me down. I start to berate myself for being fat and I feel ashamed. I also know this is not a healthy outlook but I fall into this thinking easily when I’m looking for new clothes. So now I’m drinking more water, joining this group and eating a chicken salad for lunch. When will I see the results from these changes?

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome to the Weight Loss Forum Pianokeys 😊

Well done for the changes you have already made, it will have made a difference but maybe not one that you can see. For weight loss, food choices and quantity is more important than exercise I’m afraid. Are you following the NHS 12 Week plan? Calories are key, you can check your own personal calorie target using the BMI checker. Food quality is also important, including some good healthy fat, please see the Daily Diary for more help with food choices.

We've found active forum participation to be key to success, especially with our weigh-ins and Daily Diary. Follow this link to our chat thread and a list of all the activities we run. healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

If you haven’t already, then please read the Welcome post here which has lots of useful information about all the things we have on offer healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

For your own privacy and safety online we suggest that you lock your posts by selecting ‘members of my community’ when you write a new post. Please read our security post here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... especially as your post isn’t locked

Best wishes

Indigo 😊

[Pineapple27]

Slowly, slowly is the way to do it Pianokeys !! The great think is that you are still going, having started to make changes on Christmas Eve - keeping the momentum is a BIG part of losing weight, as too many people get bored or fed up without seeing huge weight loss in just a few weeks.

It took me 130 weeks (2.5 years) to lose 4.5 stone. That was on average less than half a pound a week. But of course, some weeks I lost more, some weeks I gained.... but - I just kept on going!

Diet is 80% of weight loss and exercise the other 20% so it's key to keep track of how much you are eating. I know this, as I am unable to exercise because of disability.

When I started my weight loss over 7 years ago (aged 49), 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 - over 7 years ago. I am just 4ft 8” tall and so was classed clinically obese.

I 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...

[Pianokeys 4lbs in reply to Pineapple27]

Thanks, this helps a lot. I’ve taken more control of my diet this week. I thought I was eating healthily but I think I need to up it a level and be stricter about the cake/biscuits which I’m swapping for fruit. Your comments are inspiring me to keep going. Thanks.

[Pineapple27 in reply to Pianokeys]

Glad that you found my post helpful.

[bikegrrrl 1lb]

Hello and welcome, Pianokeys !

I have found this forum a great source of help and advice.

I have lost two stone and two pounds over a period of six-and-a-half months, through planning and calorie-counting my meals, with the advice and guidance available here, which IndigoBlue61 has pointed you towards. Now the site is helping me maintain my goal weight - it's early days yet, a couple of months, but so far, so good!

I am quite active daily, but you can't out-exercise a bad diet! I have been shocked to find out the calorie count of some of the foods I took for granted, and I eat a lot more healthily now while still very much enjoying my food.

I participate faithfully in the Daily Diary and a weekly weigh-in. I also chip in to various other topics, I have learned a lot.

Participation is the key, I am so glad I took control of my eating.

[Pianokeys 4lbs]

Thanks, I’m going to give the daily diary a go, and get a realistic picture of my food intake. I used to do the My Fitness app years ago, somight try that again. I thought I was eating healthily but I realise I must reassess and take control.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Pianokeys]

Good plan Pianokeys 😊. I always thought I ate healthily but it was snacks and portion size that were my downfall

Have a good read and just ask if you have any questions