Big tummy but no baby

I too think a check-up before dieting/exercise would be a good idea. I had a friend with a similar "tummy" - in fact when I saw her I thought she looked a bit old to be pregnant! Her limbs, face etc. were not a bit chubby. It turned out she had a large ovarian cyst - one of the benign sort with teeth and hair in - yuk!

I turned vegan and lost 2 stone. It's a change in life style that is needed when the old tricks do not work anymore. I was amazed that i gained weight due to not eating enough. This caused my body to store all food that i did eat. Please make sure there isn't a medical condition that is causing the problem. Good luck.

Its definitely worth a check up with the doctor, even if from a 'just in case' standpoint. For myself I find if I cut back on carbs and eat more fish and vegetables I am able to reduce some weight and still eat fairly normally. As Mr C is not a big fish fan it often means cooking meat as well, but its not really difficult. The low carb thread on GN is full of advice and lots of support, so why not have a look at that? Bear in mind we are all different, you may need to experiment a bit. Have you considered whether there are danger points in your day? Its evening with me, I have a desire to snack on something sweet, a drink of cold water with lemon in it strangely seems to deal with it. No idea why. Dont worry too much. Size 14 isnt huge! Begin with your doctor and take things slowly, no need to make yourself miserable.

Do get checked out by your doctor.
I put on a lot of weight when I was unable to exercise and the answer was: just eat less. I do now - and it's working albeit slowly but that's better because the weight is staying off. I'm eating less processed food and more fresh stuff and my IBS symptoms have reduced too.
I have tried diets in the past but always put the weight back on - by slowly reducing food intake fingers crossed it will stay off.
Good luck

I look pregnant too, worse at the end of the day. Turns out I have gallstones apparently they don't always cause pain although min do

Something that might help is to write down absolutely everything you eat and drink in a 'food diary'. Often (and we're all guilty of it!) we are actually eating more than we think. It might help you to see where you could perhaps cut down? Just a thought. Good luck, anyway!

Good luck hildaj

Exercise that's designed for your 'problem' area will really help. I was nursing a bad back and something gynae and really feeling my age.....found a personal trainer who took all my details and listening to my woes. He designed a gentle set of exercises that has really reduced my tummy and hips and made me stronger and far less prone to back problems. Its been gentle and incremental and I cannot recommend it enough. Dieting has never worked for me.....but this and a few longer dog walks a week have removed my bulges and I've dropped two jean sizes!

No I haven't Chelsea, as I've never heard of it. I'll have a Google and see if they operate in my area. Thanks for the suggestion.

Right, I have begun. I've started this lunch time by having smaller portions. Instead of the dinner plate I usually have, I are off a smaller plate. I'm going to continue with this, and see how I get on. Wish me luck.

I know it is wishing you all the best .Don't be hard on yourself just do a bit at a time ?

Coolgran have you tried Actipatch for your Fibromyalgia,my daughter got a lot of reief while using it ,sadly the effect stopped working after around 6 months but at least she had that time where her pain was less

Hilda have you thought about joining the Cinnamon Trust so you walk other people's dogs while they are ill or in hospital?

Try going on a gluten free diet as well as low carbing.

Believe me it works.

Yes, my weight is around my middle.

The main difficulty started with steroid medication, I'd have eaten anything and still felt hungry. That put on over a stone weight.

Then my fibromyalgia began to flare more regularly and I am daily dealing with sore muscles, it's hard to think about hard exercise, gentle walking is the best I can do.

Another condition makes my insomnia even worse, so 3 or 4 hours of fragmented sleep is my norm. Apparently this encourages weight gain.

One of my current medications which cannot be changed, also encourages weight gain.

I'm now at two stone plus and dress as best I can.

Yep, I'm 68, not pregnant just fat !!

My OH went on low carb diet and I lost 2" from my waist, will always keep my carbs low now even though I don't need to lose weight (always had a fat tum)

you have my sympathy ,I've piled on weight round my middle since I hurt my leg before Christmas,despite watching what I eat like a hawk.My grandaughter even remarked on how little I've been eating as I rarely have an evening meal.The GP has now decided to send me for an MRI scan for my back and leg so maybe if thats better I'll get some exercise and the tummy will diminish ...at least thats what I'm hoping .I'm 63 so no chnace anyone would think I'm pregnant .Just fat!

Thank you for the kick I need to start a diet!!! My tummy is bigger than it's ever been, I'm a size 14 but not for much longer if I continue as I am. Since I retired, I have become much more sedentary, I really must take myself in hand and go for more walks. I used to walk the dog every day but she won't go anymore, she is 17 after all. I'm going to start giving myself smaller portions. Starting today!

I am surprised by what you say rest of my family ..did not want slimming world customised food. I have never belonged to Slimming World but I buy the magazine and I find the recipes the magazine includes entirely mainstream. They do 'healthy' versions of family favourites like currys, pasta dishes etc and use mainstream ingredients and I regularly cut out and use their recipes, even though I am not following, any weight loss programme. I do not think anyone in the family is aware that any particular recipe I use is from a slimming magazine because the recipes are just like all the other meals I prepare for the family.

I wonder whether your problem is, in fact, your families ordinary eating pattern. Is it high in fat, sugar and carbohydrate? What sort of meals are you eating and how big are the portions? This is not good for any of you and perhaps you need to start re-educating the eating patterns of all your family.

Sadly, it is a myth that exercise alone can reduce your weight. There have been a number of articles in the press in the last week reporting research into this. Regular exercise has many other health advantages, but weight loss, without a healthy balanced diet, is not one of them.

I would also ask whether you are now around the age of the menopause because a lot of women (including me) find that they start putting on weight in their mid-late 40s onwards and find it very hard to lose, even though the have had no problem before.

By the way, Slimming World now do a range of ready meals, sold through Iceland, would that help if you returned to their system?

Definitely get the tummy checked out by the GP then have a look at this
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss-guide/Pages/weight-loss-guide.aspx

after trying loads of diets I came back to calorie counting. The NHS Choices website gives you all you need to know about food values and nutrition based on latest eveidence. I used My Fitness Pal to record my food and it automatically counts the caloreis. I just found this method the most flexible as you can eat anything but count it. Good Luck.

Leesa are you on any medication? I know of three people with very large tummies who are on medication for depressive illnesses. As suggested up thread visit your GP.

I honestly found the 5:2 diet worked for me. At least you only have to worry about eating limited meals for 2 days a week. You can sit down with the rest of the family and have a tiny portion while they have normal ones. You will need to count calories twice a week though.

I've lost 3 stones and kept it off for a couple of years now. What surprises me is that I found that, after a while, I wanted to eat less, and was much more concious of how much I was actually eating and find it easy now to regulate my weight. I eat slower, savouring my food. As someone else said on another, similar Gransnet thread, "Nothing tastes as good as slim feels".

Lots of Slimming World Groups on Facebook, lots of help and encouragement.

It might be worth having a chat with your doctor if you think your tummy is large for a check up and advice. He/she might be able to refer you to slimming world for 12 weeks free (if your practise subscribes to the scheme). If not they may have local support from the practice nurse. I'm trying to stick to Slimmingworld but tummy always bigger when I eat bread or have fizzy drinks.

Look at our low carb thread