I made a decision today that I must get back to healthy eating and more exercise in order to lose two stone. A recent operation has stopped me doing any meaningful exercise and although my lovely friends and family have been brilliant in supporting me, the cakes and treats they've been bringing me have resulted in a bit of a weight gain. Plus, I've lost my mojo a bit and need to get back to feeling more positive about myself. This is my first step!
I can now do some gentle exercise so maybe walking a bit further each day and maybe increasing the pace a little (it's been a snails pace for the last few weeks - can't remember the last time I got out of breath). The eating will need a bit of discipline, I fear. Just need some tasty recipes to get started and more discipline with portion sizes as I'm sure I've been eating enough calories as someone who is on Strictly - hence the weight gain! How does everyone else manage to limit their portion sizes?
Written by
trainbuff
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I started my journey here to lose weight and be as fit as I could for my 50th (2012).
I’ve used many ways throughout my (almost 8 years) journey to keep things interesting and to learn what works best for me - I am very short (4ft 8"), 57 years old and don't move very much on account of my disability (I use a wheelchair outside of the house). Going through the menopause too at present. Not too much going in my favour, apart from having a love of cooking and plenty of time in which to plan and prepare healthy meals.
One thing that has remained constant throughout is logging everything I eat and weighing out portions. If I have ever stopped doing that for any length of time, the weight starts to creep up again. I really don't have an option to "guess" with this, as I am short, sedentary and "older" - my maintenance calories are around 1,300 and to lose weight 1,200.
I have used 5:2 "fasting" successfully and done a few rounds of the 8 week Blood Sugar Diet.
I now mostly try to avoid/limit refined carbs - so rice, pasta and bread. I eat them occasionally (about once/twice a week, always small portions - 50g dry weight, always wholewheat and ALWAYS measured).
I bulk out my meals with lots of vegetables - eat about 4-7 portions a day (home made soup or a salad for lunch, lots of veggies with dinner).
Through choice, I eat just two meals a day, that's been for the past 2+ years. I eat lunch and dinner. I try to keep my eating to between 12 noon and 6pm. Outside of those times, I do drink tea and coffee and plenty of water. That's a way that works for me, and I'm happy with this arrangement - not eating breakfast won't work for everyone though. I used to LOVE breakfast and could never have imagined a few years ago that I'd skip it!
I don't view exercise as a way to earn additional calories to eat - I use it as a way to remain flexible and independent. It's important not to be reliant on exercise to lose weight as firstly it only accounts for about 20% of weight loss (80% is achieved through food intake) and also if you injure yourself or are unable to exercise for any period of time, you suddenly have to reign back on the amount you are consuming.
I do a stretch and bounce seated routine around 4-7 times a week which lasts around an hour.
I try to do cardio exercise as often as possible, but because of my disability, it's quite a challenge. For that I walk and run (HIIT) on a special treadmill called an Alter G which is able to support a percentage of my body weight as I walk and run - currently I exercise at 80% of my body weight. I do this for 30 minutes every other week. I'd love to do it weekly, but I need assistance to get into the machine and can only get this support fortnightly.
I don't deny myself anything in terms of food - however, I have changed over the course of my weight loss to eat much more mindfully - considering "Do I really want to eat this?" ahead of eating food that is particularly calorific or not very healthy. Even leaving food that I'm not enjoying - never heard of in my "previous life"!
If I want to east a slice cake - I've worked out the calories beforehand and if I chose to have a slice then it DEFINITELY has to be worth it! If making cake, I slice and freeze any remaining cake in packs of two so that myself and my husband can enjoy it on other days rather than knowing it's there and needing to be consumed to stop it going off.
I have reduced the number of times I eat out as it's impossible for me to stay within my low (1100 calorie) limit by eating out regularly - even if I choose wisely. But to be honest, I am very happy cooking my own meals and eating those, as I know precisely what's in them - and I love, love LOVE my vegetables. I hardly ever get a takeaway (perhaps 1/2 times a year - usually at others instigation when I am visiting friends). I used to resent these things, but I now accept and embrace them. I no longer view this as a tortuous journey but more a new way of life.
I view my way of eating as keeping myself as healthy as I can in order to minimise the risk of developing middle aged illnesses (diabetes, stroke, heart attack...)
I don't judge my success by what others achieve - I just try to do the best that I can for myself and in a way that works well for me.
It does help that I have an extremely supportive husband who's always been happy to eat the same as I do (meals and quantities) - even though he doesn't need to lose weight. He has lots of little "extras" to make up!
I have just kept on going.... as it's what works for me.
Thanks, that's really helpful. I'm hopeful that I might be given the go ahead to start gentle exercise again within the next couple of weeks and then be able to increase it over time. I know that will make me feel a whole lot better. My exercise has always been walking and gardening, neither of which I've been able to do this year to any great extent but I'd like to start to increase both. My other exercise has been dance and I know that this will be a longer term objective but hopefully I can improve and get back to some classes within the next three months as the benefits of being with other people rather than just marooned at home are immense and will be a great motivator for me.
I've never done the 5:2 but I have got a copy of the Fast 800 recipe book. I think the first job for me today is to organise my shopping list around some of the recipes in there and see where that takes me. Onwards and upwards.
I love gardening too - great to be able to see the results of ones endeavours too, rather than just seeing it as a calorie earning exercise
I can imagine that dancing is a real mood lifter and not being able to do something that you clearly love must be extremely frustrating and sad trainbuff .
But part of the journey for me has been to find things that I AM able to do and equally enjoy.
A bit like food... I loved eating out often - but now I have to put that against my desire to lose weight. I stopped going out to eat, but I concentrated instead on another passion - my love of cooking. This has been quite an important skill in my weight loss journey and I have loved finding healthy recipes and adapting them, trying new foods and different cooking methods.
Being frustrated by not being able to do something that you previously loved doing can become the focus of your thoughts. But perhaps it's good to let that go for now and focus on what you can do without injuring or damaging yourself.
Mind you, it's easy for me to say all these things - for me, the weight loss has enabled me to do all sorts of things that I was NEVER able to do before - I used my disability as an excuse, but actually it was my weight!
Hello and welcome to the Weight Loss Forum trainbuff😊
Portion size is key in my opinion, also not snacking. Obviously WHAT you eat is important too. Maybe this would help healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...
Like all habits we try to change, practice makes perfect. Stick with us and you’ll soon see things going the right way. Nothing beats joining in with forum events and activities for motivation, especially the Daily Diary and the Group Weigh-in’s. Have a look at the Whats Happening Chat Thread for a full list
Portion size? that is a bit technical. I find that if I do not eat after 14:00 I do not have to worry about it!
Weight loss is not all about motivation and masochism - if you "slim smart" it is not so hard!
Many of us here find that what works is a combination of The Low Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet (see the forum here on Health Unlocked) and Not Snacking All Day AKA Intermittent Fasting (IF). See:
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Calorie confusion
Finally weighed in!
