Weight Loss - A Positive Post!

[fishman65]

Tbh GG life can get in the way of an ideal diet. We are put under pressure to 'have another slice of cake' etc by the best of intentions. Family, friends, work colleagues can recognise when maybe we really don't want that extra slice. And yet if we're having a bad day, we become our own worst enemy by accepting it and going in for a third.

Today for instance, my sister had come up to see Dad and brought fruit cake and a delicious looking chocolate one. I had a slice of each, but I'm using a dieting app that calculates the calorific value of your food items. It has a database and does all the maths for you. Then it shows how many calories you have left for each day. You can log exercise too which will show how much you're burning. Without the app I don't think I'd have kept it off. And you're right by saying its the keeping it off that's the biggest challenge. I'm constantly being put to the test on that score.

Keep going though GG, you've achieved a great deal already.

[glassgirlw]

I’m using one too, Fishman! I use MyFitnessPal. I would be lost without it. It lets me know exactly what I need to stay under each day so it’s a huge help for me.

I am a firm believer in allowing ourselves treats. I just make sure they fit within my caloric guidelines for the day! I think that’s a big reason I’ve stuck with this so long. I’m not denying myself any foods, just making much healthier choices, watching portions, and allowing the occasional treat.

[glassgirlw]

Haven’t updated in a couple weeks, started to get a little frustrated because the scale was JUST NOT MOVING. My brother and his soon to be fiancée were in town last weekend (they live in south Texas, about an 11 hour drive). They’re from the south - they love to eat (don’t we all, lol) and everything they cook has two sticks of butter and a scoop of lard (exaggerating, but not much haha). So that was tough to navigate. I don’t want to be rude, but also didn’t want to derail all the progress I’ve made so far. So I tasted everything but didn’t go full in like I might have a few months ago. That’s progress for me. I also had a bit of an epiphany moment. My family centers absolutely everything around food. Want to get the whole family together to visit and catch up? Great! Who is bringing what to eat? Family coming in from out of town? Great! Where all do we want to take them to eat? Thanksgiving is two months away, what’s on the menu? Is this where I get it from? The drive to focus on the next meal even though I’ve just finished eating? They say food is an addiction. I never really thought about it that way, but I can see that now. It’s a matter of breaking the addiction.

Sorry for any of the men that decide to read this, lol - but I discovered why my scale didn’t move last week - apparently it was a combo of last weekends food fest that I tried so hard to reign in, and the fact that it’s time for my monthly which makes me retain water like crazy. Scale finally moved this morning. Only a half pound away from being down 50 pounds. It was encouraging to see, and motivates me to keep going!

I haven’t introduced exercise yet because in the past I’ve struggled with associating elevated heart rates while exercising, to panic attacks. Then I get discouraged that I just can’t exercise. That’s my next hurdle to overcome, and it’s going to be a big one. It’s 63 degrees here this morning (what’s that, like 17 Celsius roughly? Horrible at math haha), and I think I may try to go take a little walk around the neighborhood. Don’t know how far I’ll get, but every bit will be more than I’ve done previously which should be a win!

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

[fishman65]

You're doing really well glassgirl. I can totally understand the socialising/food factor. So many aspects of human interaction involve eating. Virtually all cultures across the world use communal eating as a focal point, so when we're trying to lose weight it can be so difficult. Do we appear rude by refusing a kind host's offer of delicious food they've spent all day preparing? Do we take our own lower calorie items?

I think when we potentially eat more than we would like in such situations, we can compensate once in our own homes. That said, there are family members who want to chomp on high calorie stuff so temptation is there again. My personal stumbling block is late night/very early morning. The other night, after having a good day and keeping strictly to my dieting app, I came downstairs around 1am and ate 12 McVities chocolate digestive biscuits. That's about 900 calories. I would normally think 'well don't have them in the house to start with', but Mrs F and my daughter want them. So do I ban all high calorie food from the house? Much easier if I lived alone.

Weight loss is about 75% diet and 25% exercise I think. There are others on the site who have a much more detailed understanding of that statement though, I don't pretend to be an expert. Keep at it though and know you're not alone.

[WiredIncorrectly]

Congratulations! Diet and exercise can help so much with mental health.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Great news, glassgirl. Well done!

That's a massive achievement to be very proud of. Are you more alone in doing this or have you got some family & friends cheerleaders? So much of this battle must be mental and having some support or just positive feedback is something of a motivator I would imagine?

I know what you mean about exercise as this has been an issue for me too. It's not just the amped up feeling of the time exercising but the onset of soreness the next day. Overreacting to the physical nature of anxiety has always been the worst part for me. I don't have HA traits, so one battle less with physical symptoms, but it's just hating how it always feels.

I've moved forward a lot with this over the years but it's still a daily presence to varying degrees of intensity and bad days are still difficult. I was in CBT at one stage, when I was much worse, and my therapist had me doing short runs to challenge my feelings. She had me run, stop and think about how I felt. Notice how it's unpleasant but I'm not in any danger. Repeat the next day or so. Watch how it gets less as I more automatically let my breathing adjust.

Later I would often have a quick run with my dog and did the same. Although I had less say in the matter as he was giving me the 'I want to run' look on his face. Good job he's only small

Something I know is a problem I still need to work on is exercise as an activity. I did get a free gym pass off a bloke at a mental health group once so went for a week. I managed it so it proved something again. I only did cardio though and didn't tackle the next day muscular pain as much. I can't afford gym membership so didn't continue and didn't follow it up at home (where the big panic first happened when exercising). I did carry on doing a lot of walking though.

The mind is a frustrating thing. Structured exercise is still a wall to breakthrough. But I have done things that must count as close comparisons to the weight training I used to do before all this. I know being outside helps me (mentally) see it less as exercise. So I've been doing heavy garden work sawing & chopping logs up, carrying a couple of 30-40lb sacks half a mile at a time several days a week (collecting firewood for an old man when Covid started and the coal deliveries dried up), digging holes & trenches, fencing, etc.

This has helped me lose around 25lbs over the last 2 years or so. I've put half a stone back on when I lapsed with my routines and lost it again. Added muscle from heavy work and with eating better I'm in good shape now. I think I've a long way to go cardio wise but my build is better than ever from just hard work and keeping good protein levels.

I've done it the slow way after being diagnosed with Hypertension. Small changes to diet then adjust again as progress stalled out. I wasn't big to start with but about 4 inches or so over the recommended waist size for men according to the NHS. I've knocked off almost 6 inches now.

I would reach for sugary foods too. I think you need them less as you get used to less sugar content. I now find some things to sweet and stodgy. I still like a bit of chocolate though. Most of my sugar comes from fruit and milk. It's certainly not a clean diet, hence it's been a slow thing, but it has got me to a better more controlled place. Now I'm eating 5-7 portions of fruit & veg (mostly veg) daily I've found I'm getting results again. I can remember thinking how on earth can I get 5 a day not long ago. But it's surprising how you can and I get 4+ in one evening meal alone most days.

What you have achieved is much greater and I'm sure you can continue. You've done one of the hardest elements in getting going. The results are clearly very good. You will probably see it slow down and this is where not getting demoralised is important. The scales become less important and your body composition, waste size, etc takes the lead. I'm still overweight on BMI (despite being under NHS waist size guidelines and almost at the exact height-to-waist ratio which is more accurate than BMI) but I've added must be a stone in muscle so it's healthy, fat burning weight. Don't be afraid to add some muscle and the scales going up. Muscle will mean more water too but everything else will still be coming down and it will only improve your metabolism.

Sorry for the big post. I've been meaning to post something like this in one of the good news type threads. I noticed you saying some things I've found or still struggle with so thought it's another person you know is in a similiar boat with the anxiety side. I wanted to say to you: it's mental, it's irrational and maybe worry less about formal exercise if other activities can give you the calorie loss and other positives of exercise. Moving more really does add up but results can take longer. If you can't run, you can walk. If walking is hard going at first just build up and keep at it. Carry that shopping slightly farther, make the bag heavier. People don't realise how hard housework is until they get scrubbing on their hands & knees. It's all progressive in nature and gets us closer to our goals.

Fishman is right, diet is very important as I'm sure you know. Changing to healthier alternatives does start to show as I'm finding. Exercise alone won't cut it unless you are running marathons daily. So it's a bit of both. But if one is stressing you out see if you can step up to larger goals with smaller changes. This has helped me.

Good luck, you can do it!

[glassgirlw]

Thanks, Terry - I appreciate the post! It sounds like you’re doing really well with yours as well! You’re right, every little thing we change can definitely add up. I read an article somewhere that said something about being 75% diet and 25% exercise. I figure that’s probably pretty close to accurate because so far, I haven’t introduced any true exercise - other than walking around the shops or doing some light gardening! I have a desk job, although I’m up moving around quite a bit through the day. My watch normally says somewhere between 3.000 and 5.000 steps a day, depending on how much I’ve had to wander around the warehouse at work looking for things lol.

I have noticed that if I’m outside, my brain doesn’t register walking as “exercise” exactly. Unless I’m trying to walk my three dogs at one time (German shepherds, quite large lol) and that’s more of a comedy of errors than anything - leashes getting twisted and tangled, me yelling at them to quit biting your sisters ear, etc. Pretty amusing for those watching it all happen I think haha. And a couple weeks ago I was able to purge several big trash bags of clothes that have become too big for me, and carted those bags down to the car to haul off to the local goodwill (I think you may call them charity shops over there?). That sure felt like a workout in and of itself lol! Mowing the lawn is another one I can do, although my yard is quite hilly so I do find myself “assessing” how I’m feeling after that, and it takes me a bit longer to mentally recover from that per say. But it is all mental, and most definitely irrational. I figure the more I do those things and prove to myself I’m fine, and the more weight I lose so I feel better physically, well it can only get better, right??

I am fortunate to have family and friends cheering me on, both in “real” life and in the online forum of the calorie tracker I use. It’s nice to have others going through the same struggles, and it’s inspirational to see those that have been on this journey and have since hit their goal weights - sometimes losing even more than I myself need to lose. It proves to me that it can be done, and I really want to be that success story someday!! I have struggled with my weight since high school, a little over 20 years ago now.

Keep plugging along on your journey, and you too fish!

[glassgirlw]

It’s been about a month since my first post, I’m up to 55 lbs lost. Yesterday was my 11 year wedding anniversary so we did go out to dinner last night and I had a bit of a splurge meal lol. Tried not to go crazy, I had a cocktail and a sandwich, and we split a dessert. I figure one celebration meal won’t derail my entire progress. I think we have to do those things every now and again, since this diet change has to be something sustainable for life (for me anyway). But, back on track today and just have to keep going! We have an outdoor shopping center here, and the weather is beautiful. I think I’ll pop over there today and walk around.

Much of my joint pain has improved dramatically since losing some weight, but I still have persistent ankle pain (broke my ankle as a young child, I think that contributes to it) that bothers me if I walk too far. Hoping that continues to improve as the weight comes off!

Hope everything is going well for you all! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

[Catkins]

That sounds really good, and yes definitely a treat now and again is a good idea.

Your ankle pain could be related to the brake, I know that I jumped over a wall as a teenager and my foot went down a rabbit hole and I tore a lot of tendons in my foot/ankle. I still get a bit of discomfort from it now and again. Would some physiotherapy help I wonder?

[WiredIncorrectly]

Hey all! Wasn’t real sure where to post this so I went with Misc.

I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for years. So many years. I’ll lose weight, then gain it again when I go back to old habits, etc. Ongoing since I was in high school 20+ years ago. I decided in May that I’d had enough and set out to make a lifestyle change rather than a diet change. As of this mornings weigh in I’ve lost 46.8 pounds. So happy. Now to keep going with it and not fall back into my old ways!!! I have a very, very long way to go. At minimum I want to lose another 140 or so pounds - I’m massively overweight for my 5’5” height But I feel like this is a really good start. So many improvements in my daily health I can already see - I’m not winded climbing stairs, my resting (and even walking) heart rate has lowered by 10 Bpm or more, my ankle and knee joint pain are less noticeable, I sleep better at night and have more energy at work. Next week it’s supposed to be highs in the 70’s around here so I’m hoping to start introducing some nightly walks if I can motivate myself.

Just wanted to share because changing your diet really does have a positive effect on physical and even mental health!!

Well done glassgirlw. I love mentality where you said "It's a lifestyle change". You've lost almost 4 stone (sorry I don't work with lbs ha ha), which is bloody fantastic!

I may join you on the night walks. I need to do some regular walking.

Keep going girl! You got this.