my not so weight loss journey

[scottishlass1]

Hi im new to this I would love to loose 3 1/2 -4 stone. I have tried every slimming club, pills, drops and spent a fortune on hypnotherapy, I am considering a gastric band but I thought I would try this out before I go for surgery. I m tired all the time I only get out of my bed to go to work, if I have a day off I sit in my pjs all day. I have sore joints and back so need to do something now.

[Hidden]

Hi scottishlass,

Well, if you want some inspiration for the journey, read OlsBean's profile. Wow!

Anyhow, the NHSChoices live well lose weight pages has lots of excellent and free advice about everything you could realistically want to know about weight loss - nutrition, diets, exercise, etc and also a BMI calculator and a free 12 week plan. They're worth a read through or two.

And there's lots of advice and support on these blogs too from people who, in the main, are actually doing weight loss themselves. It's well worth spending some time reading around these too.

If you have any current medical issues, it is best to talk to your GP or practice nurse about how those issues may impinge upon any weight loss plan and any increase in exercise/activity and, of course, vice versa.

Good starting place is to have a basic plan and to have a target weight loss. Don't try to lose weight too fast - an average rate of 1 to 2 lbs a week, or up to 1 Kg (2.2 lb) a week is maximum.

You'll probably lose weight a bit faster than that at first, but you want to average out at that sort of maximum. And you'll have various blips and spurts for all sorts of reasons - it's all just part of the journey.

So, get on the weight-loss bus.

Good luck with your weight-loss journey.

[2Bhappy]

Hi scottishlass1

Here is my suggestion. Try out this NHS plan at least for a week. Prepare your meals (for the whole day) in the evening. I carry the dishes to my work place. E.g. boiled potato or brown rice with lots of vegetables (I buy the frozen ones, 35calories per 100 grams), bananas and yogurts etc. Those are the basis of my diet.

Good luck and keep posting

[Hidden in reply to 2Bhappy]

Good suggestion 2Bhappy. It's all in the planning!

[bodo10]

The 12 week plan is an eye opener for me. It's worth trying.

Good luck.

[BecBubble]

Hey there, I've been in the exact same position as you. I still am really. Dealing everyday with the struggle of food. Now I've seen first hand what a gastric band can do to people and I stand by the fact it is a no go area. My uncle used to be 30+ stone, he had a gastric band, then his stomach stapled, then his stomach removed. Guess what happened; he lost all the weight and piled it all back on. Its not the answer, if he can get around all those surgeries so that he can still eat normal food and be over weight then anyone can.

The problem is psychological, the pressure of thinking 'why is it so hard just to eat healthy', 'why don't I want to be healthy', sitting around in your pj's is the biggest depression inducing activity ever; so you eat.

I understand that you did hypnotherapy, but like you said. It's highly expensive and it just doesn't work.. It also relies on you believing that it works and once you stop believing or start doubting it then you stop being successful.

Have you ever thought about seeing a counsellor? To get to the route of your problems and see why you eat and sit around all day. Stop looking at yourself as a girl that is 'the lazy fat girl and should just get up off her ass and do something about it' because it truly isn't that easy. If it was there would be no depressed lonely fat people. Look at yourself as a person who needs help and your seeking that help from a counsellor.

The NHS is linked up with charities such as Mind. Now they can take up to 8 weeks to see people but they are free you just have to go to your doctor. If you don't want to wait that long you could look up a counsellor that specialises in eating disorders.

This is my last option after a long list of tried everything else, maybe by fixing the psychological route it'll fix the eating habits..

good luck in what ever you choose to do.

Bec xx

[Hidden in reply to BecBubble]

Hi scottishlass1 / BecBubble,

I'm a strong believer in getting to the root causes and challenging the habits that made you and keep you overweight.

If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of chucking out all those 'bad' foods and abandoning the 'bad' eating habits, then perhaps wean yourself off of them, one by one, until you feel you're sufficiently in control to start the 12 week plan.

The sort of thing you might do is to set yourself a day every week, say Wednesday, and on the first Wednesday, perhaps you ditch all the fried food and work out all the ways you could eat the food you used to eat fried cooked in other ways or with mininal oil / fat. The next Wednesday, perhaps chuck out sweet fizzy drinks and swap those for better alternatives.

It's worth reading through the NHSChoices pages about food swaps - but you don't necessarily have to swap everything in just one go.

One Wednesday, you could bring into control your eating routine, say three meals with well spaced healthy snacks in between.

Another one, perhaps portion size. Another on, slowing down your eating to give yourself a chance to notice that you're full.

And on, and on.

I mean, for heaven's sake, you didn't put all that weight on in one hit, so why not spread your efforts in losing over a few stages?

But also remember that there ARE reasons that underpinned why you got into those 'bad' habits. It may well be worth exploring where you think you got your ideas about eating and exercise/activity from.

And the plan is really not a "diet" as such, it a plan to re-train and re-educate you away from the 'bad' habits to better and healthier and much more helpful ones.

Good luck

[jayanthi]

I need to loose same amount as you! Try not having carbs at dinner time. Have a good lunch with carbs. But at night avoid. Weight just drops off. (easy to say..when I come back after work I feel so hungry and cannot keep my determination) But I have noticed a no carb meal at night works wonders

[Hidden in reply to jayanthi]

Sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try this - thanks!

[scottishlass1]

Oh thank you everyone for all your comments. I will be following the 12 week plan starting on Monday. I think what you said Doikosp about setting a date to cut out the bad food is a very good idea I will give that a go. Jayanthi I have dinner when i am off around 8pm as that is when my hubby comes in from work, but if i'm working I have dinner at 6.30. If I am on nightshift I will have my dinner about 2 in the morning. Becbubble I didn't know about going to a councellor thanks for that I will contact my GP.