Spellbound

[MCincognito53]

Hi folks. Lovely to join this group. Started a healthy eating diet and would love to loose 4 stones.

Any advice would be great.

[elliebath Maintainer]

Hi there. You've come to the right place to help you on your weightloss journey. Everyone on here is friendly and supportive and is either working towards, or maintaining, a weight loss. .The site is run by TeamAdmin who are all volunteers , and one if them will respond to you soon with tips on how to use the sight. Welcome aboard.😊

[MCincognito53 in reply to elliebath]

Hi, pleased to know you.

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello MCincognito53

Welcome to the Weight Loss Forum, the friendliest and chattiest support group around. The best advice I can give is to make sure you have enough to eat, check your target calorie range on the NHS BMI checker

As a peer to peer support group nothing beats joining in, reading posts and replying to others. Our group Weigh-in and the Daily Diary are probably the best places to start.

If you haven’t already then please read the Pinned Posts here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Please read it carefully so you can find all the information you need to find your way around.

Best wishes in your weight loss journey

Indigo 😊

[MCincognito53 in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks for the information.

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to MCincognito53]

You’re very welcome 😊

[Barcud 48kg]

Welcome, you've come to a great place for support, join in, be involved, like most things the more you put in the more you'll get out. Planning is key to staying on track, the daily diary is great for this and joining one of the weigh in days to record your weight every week.

I wish you every success on your journey and I look forward to seeing you around the forum.

[S11m]

Hi, MCincognito53 , welcome.

If you "slim smart" weight loss is not so hard! It is not all about motivation and masochism.

Some 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:

Newbies IF FAQ:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

The Fasting and Furious Forum, here on Health Unlocked:

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[MCincognito53 in reply to S11m]

Thank you, I have to do some website research and get familiar with what is needed.

[Pineapple27]

So firstly, welcome MCincognito53 ....

I started my journey here to lose weight and be as fit as I could for my 50th (2012). I had 4 and a half stone to lose.

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.

I hope this helps.

[MCincognito53]

Dear Pineapple, thank you for taking the time to guide me.

I do have a very healthy diet and cook most things from scratch, but first of all I need to know how much I should eat.

I went to slimming world in 2016 and lost 2 stones. Once I stopped going I put all back on again.

So, I need to learn how to put it off and keep it off.

I’m taking advice from other people emailing me and taking that on board.

I thank you.

[san_ray70 Maintainer in reply to MCincognito53]

If you make a goal with S.W. you can stay with them and not have to keep paying if you keep within three pounds either way. That is what a lot of people seem to do, before I joined I was skeptical, but it is working so far. I will carry on for the next 12 weeks and then I will see how I am. Since I joined I am enjoying the meals I cook, my husband is encouraging but will not eat S.W. meals. He still buys biscuits and chocolate, sometimes I have a bit, but try to maintain. I have found there are temptations everywhere, clubs parties, you just have to care about yourself, I am a lot healthier so I will keep trying.