Nearly There

[PedallingMinstrel]

I started my weight loss journey mid May when I recorded my weight as 14 stone 13 lb. I have been gradually putting weight on for many years partly due to drinking lots of beer in pubs where I often play and sing. (Free beer is part of my payment. )

Obviously COVID-19 has stopped me working now. Like many others I began to treat myself every night at the beginning of the first lockdown with wine, snacks and chocolate and that took its toll. The weight kept creeping on. It was getting to a point where I couldn’t stand to sing in pubs and would sit down to perform.

I was becoming lethargic not wanting to do anything, feeling tired all the time. I struggled to get out of my chair. I was on amlodopine for high blood pressure, statins for high cholesterol and had been told that my blood sugar levels were dangerously high. I have Osteoarthritis and following a cycling accident. I had a hip replacement operation and stopped doing any exercise. At sixty six years old I thought my weight gain was due to my age and my body was slowing down. I didn’t think I would be able to do anything about it.

Since joining the weight loss support group on Health Unlocked I have been following a low carb diet but including fats. I have stopped drinking beer and limit myself to wine or shots in moderation. More recently I have been limiting myself to two meals a day. If I feel hungry I keep busy and drink water. I have had to work to get my weight down currently I weigh 12 stone 3 lb.

I’ve started cycling again and put a lot of time in on my bike to raise my metabolism, build muscle and burn calories. I am fitter, I don’t need a nap in the afternoons as I used to. I no longer take medication for my blood pressure. I have stopped taking statins for high cholesterol and I’ve been told the last time my blood was checked that my blood sugar level was now in a healthy range. My BMI is now 24.3 so I still need to lose a little more weight and then hope to join the maintainers group. Health Unlooked and all the members of the forum have been a massive support to me and I can’t thank them enough. The administrators, hosts and members have been a massive help. There are so many inspiring stories. Everyone is so caring and supportive and no one says anything in judgement of anyone else. I have been directed to and found out a lot of information through the site and like to think I’ve made some friends as well. Thank you so much. Good luck everyone in your weight loss journey is Best wishes Jeff.

Starting weight 14.13

Target weight 11.13

Weight last week 12.4

Weight this week 12.3

Weight lost this week 1 lb

Total weight lost

2 Stone 10 lbs

Good luck everybody have a great day !

[Lytham 3 stone]

A true inspiration, hat's off to ya mate! x

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Lytham]

Thanks LythamI discovered my mistake today ! I had been writing comments about people’s progress but nothing was happening. I realised what I’ve been doing wrong today I’ve been writing replies to people and responses then moving on to another one but forgetting to press the blue box that says reply !! Doh !!

Have a good day

Best wishes

Jeff

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

Lol ! x

"ALL HAIL THE WOBBLERS!"

[Tank_EG Maintainer 7 stone]

Hi Jeff,

great to see you are making such progress and proving age should not limit us.

I think it is amazing you are back on your bike after a hip replacement 👍

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Tank_EG]

Thanks Pete you are doing really well yourself !

[Sewnknit Restart April 2024]

Fantastic!

And what a brilliant attitude!

x

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Sewnknit]

Thank you Sewknit

[N-o-r-d-i Maintainer 64kg]

Got goosebumps reading your story, so happy for you!

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to N-o-r-d-i]

Thank you I'm having chips tomorrow ( joking ) 😂

[Progressoverperfect Restart June 2024]

Thank you for such a lovely post😊 i wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments regarding the support and encouragement of the forum. It really has been a life changer for me, like yourself, I was furloughed at end of March and immediately went into holiday mode and my alcohol intake increased significantly, as did my eating all things bad for me , mainly due to boredom.

Following a phone discussion with my GP, I discovered the NHS 12 Week plan and the forum, I also restarted the C25K Programme.

Whilst using this forum I have discovered other eating habits and have researched other healthy eating plans and have been following LCHF with liberal carb intake ( I couldn't go full keto), I have significantly reduced my alcohol and have lost 1st 9.75lb.

I am happier, healthier and a much nicer person to be around as my mood has improved too!!

Oh, and I ran my first 10k a couple of weeks ago😊😊

Thanks again for posting , the very best of luck on the rest of your journey 👍

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Progressoverperfect]

That's brilliant Siggie ! Thank you for your kind words 😀

[springersrule Moderator 76kg]

You are so right about the support etc on this site. I'm sure i wouldnt have made the food changes i have if it werent for being on here. Also the boost to my self worth and confidence is mind boggling.

Congratulations on your achievements so far, especially the bike riding. Keep doing what you are doing and you'll be at your goal in no time xx

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to springersrule]

Thank you springersrule for your support and encouragement and good luck to you on your journey too ! 😀

[springersrule Moderator 76kg in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

Thank you xx

[lea57-49r Maintainer 3st 7lbs]

Brilliant progress. Lovely to hear that you no longer need to take blood pressure medication and statins and that your blood sugar is normal. It isn’t our age that is important, it’s how we are living our life and the quality of our life. The changes you have made have transformed your life both now and in the future. Enjoy!

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to lea57-49r]

Thanks Lea for your encouragement and good luck with your journey and a happier and healthier life 😀

[lea57-49r Maintainer 3st 7lbs in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

Thank you.

[Bronbron]

Thank you for sharing your story Jeff think quite a lot of your earlier feeling resonate with how I'm feeling just now- however its giving me hope that I to can turn it all around and give myself a happier healthier me. Well done you !!

[lea57-49r Maintainer 3st 7lbs in reply to Bronbron]

Yes you too can do the same and turn your life around. Best wishes.

[Bronbron in reply to lea57-49r]

Thany you 💕

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Bronbron]

I think it's small steps and small changes which work for you. Then as you become comfortable tweak it again. Taking out carbs and alchohol has probably had the biggest impact on my weight loss especially at first. Good luckmBronbron 😀

[Hidden]

Wow, excellent 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.

I am struggling a little ( now into week 3 of LCHF eating ) Just thinking about cheese, butter cream etc makes me queasy, not sure if I’ve been too generous in my portions 🥴

Any tips you can share please 😇

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hidden , when I began LCHEALTHYFAT, I was amazed at the amount of butter cream,Greek yogurt etc I was buying. I've always loved butter but never "been allowed" to indulge in it. After about 3/4 weeks I was feeling full before the end of the meal, leaving food on the plate. It was as if my body was saying ,stop! I'm full.

Now I buy half the amount of healthy fats. I've always eaten lots of different veggies cooked in butter or dressed with FF mayo. I'm not hungry, don't usually have a problem with snacking and am losing weight, slowly but surely.

My advice is that you don't have to fill up on the healthy fats because you're already full. Eat more veggies cooked in butter, together with meat/fish whatever you eat. If you're hungry have a coffee with a couple of teaspoons of cream, a little goes a long way. Don't be afraid of not eating enough, the time has come to listen to your body and cut down just a little.

I'm convinced that during LCHF the healthy fats sort of find their own level and we don't over eat. Trust yourself as long as you keep the carbs low your body knows best.

Have you had a look at the meals on the LCHF forum?

healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet

Good luck 🍀

[Hidden in reply to TheTabbyCat]

Thank you Tabby Cat for some excellent advice

I have never taken milk/cream in coffee, and I’ve found most mornings not hungry till midday. I’ve scrolled through posts and have started a recipe book to try delicious new things. I also have the blood sugar diet recipe book that I use, but not restrict to 800 cals a day.

I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for years, and always limited fats using low/light products, my brain is yet to catch up the new healthy way to eat !

My plan for lockdown is to improve my cooking skills and certainly stick with LCHF/ Awful Toad way of eating.

😇

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Hidden]

You won't go far wrong if you follow TheAwfulToad 's plan.It's "designed" for those starting out with LCHF, The only reason I'm not following it at the mo is because I have a lot of things going on, so I wouldn't be able to follow it strictly and that wouldn't be a fair trial.

I would suggest that you go for it 100% give the plan a go for a couple of weeks. Trust TAT but most of all trust your body.

[Hidden in reply to TheTabbyCat]

Thank you Tabby Cat 😇

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Hidden]

You're very welcome.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Hidden]

Hidden : this is supposed to happen, and you're supposed to respond by eating less fat Are you following my starter guide? I did address this scenario in there somewhere. Maybe I need to make it a bit more prominent. As TheTabbyCat said, the key here is to let your appetite make the decisions. This can be quite confusing if you've followed very prescriptive rule-based diets in the past!

What you should find - during your weightloss phase especially - is that your meals start to look very ordinary indeed, minus the starches. A casual observer would certainly not see meals swimming in grease. You'll still be eating full-fat versions of everything, but relatively little of them. Most of your meals should be veg.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you AT,

I have printed off your plan and do use it. I think I’ve been too generous with fats, I’ve been so used to restricting them and and so feeling the effects of freedom 🥴

Husband has noticed I do not always eat everything on my plate ( like before 😂😂 ) and I was enjoying the plan, but obviously got ratio wrong.

I’m not a big fan of meat/poultry ( hence major carb intake ) but have used your meal suggestions as a basis for our dinner plan for the next week.

Looking forward to learning more 😇

[TheAwfulToad Visitor in reply to Hidden]

We had a bit of a debate a while back in the LCHF forum, along the lines of "can you eat too much fat?". My position was, yes you can ... for about a week. And then you'll get mightily sick of it!

[Torkyfinlay]

Fantastic

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Torkyfinlay]

Thank you

[Bee-bop Maintainer 2st 7lbs]

That's fantastic JeffDavies! So many positive changes that have happened there as a result of your weight loss and you are so near your target weight too 👍

I loved my beers too 😂

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Bee-bop]

Thanks Bee-boo I will have another beer one day but when I feel I am in control and have joined the maintainers 👍🏽

[Bee-bop Maintainer 2st 7lbs in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

I hear ya Jeff 🙂 I have yet to feel I want one which is weird as I used to love cask beer 🤔 having worked in a bar, I also used to get to taste and recommend beers to customers so it is like a whole new me !

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Bee-bop]

Well if you're watching your weight that can only be a good thing 👍

[Bee-bop Maintainer 2st 7lbs in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

Yep 🙂

[gman1961 Restart April 2024]

Great post Jeff,

Inspirational, thanks for sharing nice to hear about your journey .

Gary

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to gman1961]

Thanks Gary I think you’re making good progress too 👍🏽

[Pulsar28 7lbs]

Well Done that is a great weight loss

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Pulsar28]

Thank you Pulsar28

[lovefabric Maintainer 3lbs]

That is fantastic! Well done! 😊

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to lovefabric]

Thank you lovefabric

[mudgiebananas 3lbs]

Fantastic, a wonderful inspiration Jeff,I hope I can pick up your good vibes to do the same,God bless xx

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to mudgiebananas]

If you want to mudgiebananas you will !!

it’s up to you and it’s for you and your benefit

Good luck

Best wishes

Jeff

[Maisie48 7lbs]

Just brilliant Jeff!!

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Maisie48]

Ah thanks Maisie 😀

[Vale57]

How fantastic is that 👏Getting paid in beer never helps🙄. You will be able to dance while you sing once lock down is over! 🚀Very well done. X

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Vale57]

Well yes I used to do that before I became Blobby !! 😂

[Vale57 in reply to PedallingMinstrel]

I am sure you will be boogying back before too long! 💃

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Vale57]

I hope so Vale57 I am really missing it thank you

[Hidden]

Great Post, just what I needed this morning. Feel motivated now to improve health and weight ready for next year when we can all party again!

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Hidden]

Good for you connect1 you are doing it for you !!

and will feel so much better for it. You’ll have lots more energy I feel so much better

Best wishes

Jeff

[Ongarroad]

Enormous congratulations you have inspired me to press the ho button and be more focused, it is so easy to ignore the fat piling on, so I'm going to follow your great example and progress downwards.

I'm 67 so you have proven it's not age related, well done.👍

[PedallingMinstrel Restart April 2024 in reply to Ongarroad]

Brilliant I started gently first with the bike short rides, on the flat and then built it up. Cutting out carbs wasnt that bad I just eat lots of vegetables mainly green instead. Good luck with it I do wish you well

Jeff

[TheTabbyCat Administrator 16kg in reply to Ongarroad]

Welcome back Ongarroad it's good to see you're getting back on track. I see that you enjoyed the Easter Challenge and was wondering if you'd like to join the Autumn Challenge.

Lytham would love to have you back.

healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to TheTabbyCat]

Too right ! Hope to see you there Ongarroad ! x