Big hello!

I've been lurking about on the community board over the last few days and I thought I would say hi to all you nice people (and thanks for being inspiring!)

I've always been a 'big girl' but after years of resigning myself to being overweight due to medication and a mood disorder (that really drove my emotional eating) I've tried to be honest with myself. I found the NHS 12 week plan, and for the first time in years I've felt positive and hopeful about reaching a healthy weight. At 17st, I have little energy, my knees are sore and my IBS flares up weekly. I'd like to reach 10st. Does anyone have any advice for someone starting out on the plan? How do you find counting calories?

Good luck to all of you here, and I hope to spend more time talking with you soon xx

[Hidden]

Hello tannadine,

I am in week 3 and the best advice I can offer is forward planning. It really helps me stay on track if I know exactly what I am eating every day. Calorie counting can be a pain so I made a list of the foods I eat most often stuck inside a kitchen door with the calorie count next to it for easy reference. When I feel peckish, I have a cup of tea or coffee and this is usually enough to prevent an attack of the nibbles. Hope this helps, good luck

Ps. 3 weeks ago I had very painful knees, now half a stone later I can come downstairs using just one bannister instead of my usual 2! So keep with it ??

[meggy24653]

you want to get down to the same weight as me! hi im Meg im 16 years old and 14 stone i get really out of breath as im asthmatic and weight can be a big contributing factor to it i use a calorie counter on the internet literally called calorie counter! its the first one that came up on Google and it's also a community page so you get lots of support . I've always been "big" as well and all my friends are like 8-9 stone and call them selves fat anyway i got rejected by the NHS for a dietitian because with a history of morbid obesity and having a high BMI as a child some how doesn't meet the "criteria" so i decided to do it behind their back instead and i found this! everyone is super nice and always wishes you luck so good luck and we'll all do it together

[eechristmas]

I couldn't keep up with calorie counting, but I track my food on weight watchers, so it's very similar. I know a lot of people swear by the app my fitness pal. It does have quite a good library of foods that you can search and use to track your calories. Otherwise just checking food labels and recording what you eat is fine, but time consuming.

If you're 17 stone and you're cutting down your calories quite a bit I think you'll find the weight drops off very quickly to start. The best advice I can give is not to get disappointed when it starts to slow down or even seem to stop. You're going to have to stick with it for far longer than 12 weeks to get to 10st, but the 12 week program is meant to give you the right know-how to keep on going.

[eechristmas]

Oh, and weigh all your food, even the milk in your tea or coffee. Everything counts! You'll soon be amazed at the amount of calories you've been consuming without even realising it, and that will help you figure out what you can easily cut down on or cut out.

[Beardy in reply to eechristmas]

yeah my instant coffee things with white powder for milk in them are 63 calories a cup i used to have about 5 a day of them

[Hidden]

Thank you for getting back to me guys! It's really heartening to know you're in the same boat with others - and thanks for the tips!

I'm trying out My Fitness Pal. Thanks Meg and eeChristmas - I will keep a wee eye on posts by you to see how you're getting on x

[bunblebeaz]

Hi tannadine,

First of all well done for choosing to do something about your weight.

With food it definitely helps to pre plan what you want to eat. Reduce your portion sizes in general, up your veggie count and try not to fill most of your plate with carbs.

You'll probably need to adjust to the new diet and food intake. To help with any cravings, keep a healthy snack with you such as a small pack of raisins, or carrot celery peppers etc chopped up. Drinking water also helps as most of the times when feeling hungry we are actually thirsty.

I record everything i eat on an A5 sheet every day. Get calories off the packaging and for anything else without the information , just google it, there are several resources online that will help you with this. You can refer back to it then for your most common foods.

Although you say you have trouble with exercise you should try to do a little each day, it really will help shift the weight and improve your fitness. Start by raising your general activity levels, walk the shorter distances you would usually drive, boogie to the housework, take a walk at dinner time during work etc. You could try lower impact activities such as swimming and aqua aerobics. The Couch to 5K programme is pretty flexible, and there's plenty of people here that are following the programme. You could hop over to the c25k forum as well if you have any questions.

Good luck on your journey

[kismit]

Hi Tannadine,

Glad to have you with us. I only been on here for a few days and have found every one so friendly, helpful and suportiv.

as Iv been told let willpower be with you. xx