Hello everyone, I hope this post reaches the right people. I've joined this site for some support with losing weight. Bit it background I've been trying to lose weight actively since March 2021, my weight when I started was 165kgs I'm also 6ft 4 so you can tell I'm a big guy. I originally started by doing couch to 5k which I completed and I signed up to hello fresh which, at the time, I thought was a good way of cooking healthy meals for me and my partner, since then I actually think hello fresh is bad value for money but that's for another forum.
So between March 2021 and now (May 2023) I've fluctuated between my starting weight 165kgs and 149kgs which was my lowest I've managed to get to. Currently I'm having a hard time I'll be honest, I had to complete couch to 5k for a 2nd time and am now running 30mins 3 times a week which I am proud of however my eating has gone haywire, I've completely lost all interest in cooking to the point where I actively avoid it at all costs, this is where I'm going wrong but I just don't know how to get myself out of this Funk I'm in, I've now gone way up to 167kgs so basically back to where I started 2 years ago, it's hard not to feel like giving up with numbers like that.
I have visited my GP doctors for guidance but they were pretty useless, telling me to start a food diary and then giving me an A4 print out of some very basic eating advice. I do practice 16/8 intermittent fasting 6 days a week and have done for over 5 years now but it's evenings and weekends where my eating suffers.
If anyone has any advice for me id be very grateful I'm at the point of despair with all of it to be honest.
Thank you
Written by
Gryffguy12
2023 May
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A very warm welcome. You’ve definitely found a good place for support in your weight loss journey.
It really does sound like you know how to do it, and that you can do it, it’s the sticking with it that’s a harder bit, like it is for others here. That’s where the peer support comes in, and we have a number of groups in this forum that offer that in bucket fulls, and are a way of staying accountable to yourself.
I’ve added a link at the bottom of this reply where you can access all the groups that are active.
I’m a lazy cook and the Daily Diary, where members post their food plans, really keeps me on my toes. People will share recipes on Springers Specials and we keep tabs on our weight on the Weekly Weigh-in.
I subscribed to Mindful chef AND Hello Fresh in the pandemic and it was a great way for my youngest daughter to learn some tasty recipes, and I kept all the recipes we liked which I use now without the subscriptions. But of course that doesn’t make me a willing chef, so I do often make double and freeze half for another day. It saves at least half the time in my kitchen 😂
You’ll also see people are on different types of eating plan, some checking calories, others using a low carbohydrates approach, or IF, like you, or a combination.
I do hope that you get some good support and inspiration here, and re-start on that downward journey quickly, and armed with useful tips on how to stay there.
So we have a galley kitchen so long and narrow with not a lot of storage space as far as cupboards however we do have a fairly big fridge freezer, as I said I've used things like hello fresh and gousto before but stopped using as I tend to find them bad value so I kept some of the recipe cards to use with my own ingredients but I think it's just getting me to actually start the cooking that's the hard bit once I'm doing it I just get on with it
My thought is when you don't enjoy cooking much, buy a Slowcooker or Crockpot Express and always buy and cook several portions and then freeze them for later in the month.
I do the same with veggies, when they are cheap I buy a lot and then cut and prepare them for the freezer. When I want to cook in the evening, I just open the freezer and take out every veggie, onions, garlic, ginger and herbs that I need in the amount that it needs and then cook my food.
I also precook (about 95 %) several kinds of dried beans and chickpeas in the pressure cooker every other month and also freeze them for later use.
When you like pizza or something out of the oven, prepare 2 bowls of for example lasagne or several pizza and freeze half.
I don't mind the cooking part but I really struggle with cleaning up after the cooking part. So when I do most things one day and then I only have the kitchen really messy one or two days every month.
Excellent advice regarding slow cooker and cooking extra portions for freezing. I have a very tiny kitchen and wouldn't be without my slow cooker. I think Gousto is similar to Hello Fresh, the latter has been, and is being, advertised on TV in the UK quite frequently. It's a company that provides meal kits. These kits provide all the ingredients and recipes cards, you just have to use the provided ingredients according to the instructions to make a meal. They are extremely expensive though, Gousto, for example, starts at £2.99 per portion (I just checked them out on the internet). That kind of money is not sustainable for most people.
Hello and welcome to the community here. It sounds as though you are quite right about getting started on the cooking that's the hardest part. I don't have the answer to that because I am brilliant at putting things off! I agree with HazelP17 though, a slow cooker is a real boon if you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen and it's great for batch cooking for the freezer. Hazel has given you some good tips there.
So far as the size of the kitchen is concerned, sorry but I am going to give you a swift kick in the pants here. I live on a canal boat so my kitchen really is a galley. I just measured it, it's 5ft 6in wide and 7ft 4in long - the kitchen that is, not the boat, that's 50ft long. There isn't much storage space but I have a split level oven and hob, a tabletop freezer (fitted into what used to be a cupboard - thus reducing cupboard space) and an under-counter fridge freezer, which has two separate doors. The tabletop freezer runs off mains electric - we have a shoreline to connect us to mains as we are moored in a marina - and the under-counter fridge freezer runs off the boat's internal 12v electrical system so we can use it when cruising. Despite the miniscule size of the kitchen I have cooked a 3 course Christmas dinner for 4 people, I make roasts every Sunday except in very hot weather, I batch make Christmas puddings and cakes every year for myself and as gifts for friends, a large batch of sausage rolls and mince pies for the festive season, and a whole host of other meals on a regular basis. Size doesn't faze me and I have cooked meals for several people in much smaller spaces. It's just a case of being a bit organised and making the best use of the space available. Think of it as a challenge you can get on top of.
I wish you well on your weight loss journey and hope it all goes well for you. We are here to offer support to each other so enjoy using this site and you will soon be where you want to be. Best wishes.
I confess I was worried about being a bit too blunt so thank you for taking it so well. Despite its size, it's actually the nicest kitchen I've ever had, well designed and built by one of the best boat builders in the business. I am currently heating up some roast beef from the freezer, making mini roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and veg. Don't be despondent, you can overcome any challenge and we can help. All the best to you.
Hello Gryffguy and welcome to Weight Loss Support.
Talking is key to the journey that you are on. Being able to share in achievements and goals as well as tips and advice is a major component to success. When you share your successes and read of others successes you can feel good about your progress and generate motivation to go further. You can do all of that here with a lot of friendly and helpful people, all on the same path that you are on.
Don't be disheartened about the funk that you are in right now because you have done your 0 to 5k twice, you are running 90 minutes a week and you have lost the weight previously and can do it again. It may feel bad to be back where you started two years ago, however, you have still made a lot of progress. Just imagine where you could be had you not started two years ago? This is not starting again, but continuing where you left off.
Welcome to the community and the continuation of your journey.
Thank you for saying that, you're right, since I posted this this morning I'm already looking at it as more of a 'speedbump' rather than a 'wall' which is a step in the right direction!
I wonder if you have not been eating enough and your body is refusing to let go of the weight as a result. In famine mode. The other thing to consider is a thyroid issue. If your doctor has taken bloods for this it might be worth posting them on thyroid uk forum. Unfortunately the UK has the widest range of normality for thyroid issues in the world and so you are less likely to be diagnosed in UK than anywhere else. It might also be worth taking a look at the overeaters anonymous website to see if you relate to being addicted to food in anyway and maybe seeking some support there. Giving up wont help as much as I understand you feel you might want to but maybe a rethink will help.
The thought bad crossed my mind about me maybe not eating enough so I might re think my fasting, I did have blood tests not too long ago at my doctors but apparently all good no thyroid issue. Just from posting this and seeing all the friendly responses has already given me motivation to not give up and give it another go
Reading your post I would almost see this as a punishment. Congrats for actually doing so much but no wonder you are getting sick of the regime . Keep it simple - 3 meals , no snacks and I do my best to close the kitchen by 7pm so nothing after that. Group exercise is good . A walking group where you chat as you walk . I am cutting down on running . Done my 10k crazy dashes in less than 1.30 but my feet were shedded and it gets to endurance so I will merrily cycle , swim and go mad to Zumba music . Slow cooker - fantastic but a salad takes 5 mins , soup in a pan can boil away and a chicken is thrown in the oven with all veg . Batch cook to make ready meals , omelettes- 5 mins .As the weather has been warm who wants to cook ?
Ozempic works if you can stand the nausea. I could not. Lost weight because it shuts down your desire to weight. The nausea started at the level 1 mg. I’m going back to .50 mg myself
Hello and welcome to the forum, well done on the coach to 5k and for coming here where I am sure you will find lots of help and inspiration.
I know what you mean about losing interest in cooking as I usually love cooking but completely lost interest last year and piled the weight back on. I think it was because a lot of recipes I liked the look of were high in sugars, carbs etc and so I felt like I couldn't eat anything exciting or different.
We invested in a multi cooker, which is great if you are limited on space, not my excuse, I just have an issue with anything on my kitchen work tops. 🤣 Anyway the multi cooker does, air frying, pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing and several other cooking modes and it's very quick and easy and there's hardly any washing up. That helped as when I didn't feel like cooking I knew it would be quicker than ordering a take away.
I also started to look at recipes I really liked he look of and adapting them to fit in with my plan, I searched the web for low carb and low sugar, initially, but after a while I got better at knowing what worked and what I enjoyed. I began to see it as a challenge trying to find quick, easy, tasty recipes that fitted in with my plan. I started to enjoy cooking again and have found some amazing recipes that have become favourites.
Like others have said batch cooking and freezing is a great idea and saves time and money and means you always have something on stand by.
I try to plan and prep my meals in advance and although I try not to eat in the evenings, always have snacks on hand that are healthy just in case I need something.
By your posting on here you've got the willing to push on even if you have doubts. It's hard sometimes to have to re-do work maybe you already felt you did, but there will always be ups and downs so don't lose hope! Plus, the fact you already dropped your weight once means you can do it again.
I'm sure you know but it's all about the calorie deficit. Thinking about your nutrients is one thing, portion size is another and choosing the right foods to keep you feeling full as well are all stuff that can help.
I live in accommodation without a cooker so I make all my meals with a microwave, kettle, toaster and air fryer (and a halogen oven which is a godsend, but it's weaker than a normal oven) however I'm also not a good cook and I don't have a ton of free time so if anything takes more than 25 minutes to cook I'm done with it.
First thing that helps me if my diet's starting to slump is to not buy the stuff I will overindulge in (I can eat chocolate until the end of time, I bought a whole chocolate cheesecake for just myself the other week as a treat and ate it in 3 days. Bad move!). If it's not in my cupboard or fridge, I can't eat it, simple as. And I'm too lazy to go shopping outwith my normal time. It takes that first bit of wrangling for me to walk past it and tell myself No in the aisle but once I'm home that's the hard part done.
If you want to reduce calories you either have to trim excess from your diet, substitute ingredients for similar ones of lesser calorie content or reduce your portion sizes, or a bit of all. Of course feeling hungry makes it harder to resist snacking later so you might have to do this more gradually until you get used to it to be able to sustain it longer term. Getting smaller plates to eat off could help with portion size, since big plates look emptier even though they have a lot on them. Swapping white bread/rice/pasta for wholegrain is better nutrient wise but actually might have more calories on paper, but it's still okay to do. Trying to keep the flavours you like but maybe getting them from less calorie-dense foods is a good thing to try.
Exercise is fantastic. When I calorie track I input my core meals and then I only earn space for a dessert in the total count if I do exercise. Sometimes I'm too lazy and just take the hit, but it's nice to feel you've earned your treats. I'm bad at motivating myself so I use sport as exercise on weekday evenings, which has a double bonus that I can't eat too much in the evening or I'll feel queasy since the sport is just after dinnertime, plus then I'm too busy to think about eating. A hobby to distract your mind in an evening if you find you're prone to it might help you out with that as well. As long as it's something you enjoy, that's all you need, and same goes for the exercise. I've suggested it to someone else before but if you're a runner then I'd recommend Parkrun. It's free to take part, it's a 5k and you can walk the whole thing if you want, and they do it in quite a lot of areas. They time you so you can track your progress or ignore it if you want, all done by volunteers. It adds some social to the exercise if that sounds like your thing.
As for recipes, I sometimes take a Tesco catalogue and cut the recipes out of it for inspiration. I have a Pinch of Nom cookbook (not that I can cook most of the stuff in it) for a few ideas, but most of my 'cooking' is just putting meat or fish in the halogen oven for 25 minutes then putting some packet cous cous in a bowl and pouring hot water on it, or boiling frozen veg in a mug of water for 5 minutes in the microwave, microwaving some pasta and banging it in a bowl. And like someone else said, cooking bulk then freezing is easy pickings if you dedicate an hour or so for a few days' worth of food. Eggs are handy to have since omelettes only take fifteen minutes and you can also make them in the microwave in even less time (though they don't look as pretty) and scrambled eggs make for a decent breakfast. In a cup in the microwave they take 2 minutes. You can find recipes all over, though they might not all fit your cooking situation.
People shun snacking but it might also help to have some healthier snacking foods to hand just in case you do get peckish. I get the Graze BBQ packs of sweetcorn and chickpeas? to munch on, or some gluten free pretzels, and I have a box of mixed nuts/raisins. Yeah they're carbs but they're better than chocolate or biscuits. Fruit is obviously good, figs look gross but they're sweet and are a decent snack if you have a sweet tooth.
Weight loss can be done in a lot of different ways, but ultimately the best way to do it is however you can sustain it whilst also showing some results. Cutting out a ton of food instantly might work for some or it might take some working up to it. Some might choose to cut carbs, for example, whereas some may choose to target just fats, or some may target all of it. Being in a calorie deficit is all you really need, and you sound like you've got good ideas already.
Hope this helps somewhat and you find some other good stuff on here to help!
Hi Screen77, thanks for your support and welcome to our communtity. You don't mention if you're still losing weight or you have reached your goal. Either way I'm sure that you'll find something in our pinned posts which interests you. As well as the Daily Diary where we can swap ideas for healthy meals, the Weekly Weigh in where we can record our progress, we also have a Maintainers Club where we can chat about our experiences.
Just click on the link below and scroll down until you find something that you fancy,
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.
6lb on!!! So close to giving up. 
Help needed
I need some help
I feel like a whale ! 
