I’m a pear ? the sequel!

I think I’ve had an eating disorder for most of my life: was never thin enough. Wish I’d had the knowledge about diet and exercise then that I have now. I’m enjoying food more than I’ve ever done in my life before. I wish I could get more exercise though.

I am glad to weigh myself every day, I have been static the whole week, every day almost the same bar an ounce or so, then a week on, this morning, I have actually lost almost a pound. Just the boost I need.

Good morning everyone?. Wow,a hint of blue sky instead of rain,not sure how long it will last though! I hope things are less stressful Cocopops and all going well with your sons house search,a complicated process at the best of times!
Well done on losing a pound crafty one, a brilliant achievement. Hi Maybe70 and Astral ,I hope the week has gone well. I think we certainly all show brilliantly how different approaches suit different people and what a complex business it is. Your comment about never feeling thin enough hit a note with me. I look back over many decades. In my younger years I felt overweight although in retrospect I looked perfectly slim. I think I always wanted to be waif like, something I dont think my body is physically capable of. I know however that I feel physically better and more confident when I'm slimmer. That never seems motivation enough to stop the yo yo though! Weight is such a massively complex social, physical and psychological issue. It's certainly not as simple as eat less move more. Well it may be in short term but it's the long term that complex.!
I have lost 2 and a half pounds. It's a great relief as it has taken me safely under the stone mark.
Like both of you Maybe70 and Astral I was on a specific regime pre lockdown and over a stone had dropped off. It was very limited but medically recommended for diabetics. It was 8 weeks of 800 calories, in reality virtually no sugar. Alongside a few very popular diet ideas at moment very low carb. This also seems to be favoured by many diabetics. I must admit I felt fantastic,even on a 12 hour shift. I wasnt hungry, full of energy and pain in joints and inflammation disappeared. I vowed never to go back. Then lockdown and psychology started to play it's part. Food is about comfort as well as nourishment. Despite the many advantages of losing it the weight went back on. A good friend who was also doing a low carb diet at the beginning of the year found it successful although laborious. I remember her saying quite plaintively, sometimes I just want something nice! Certainly at the moment I think the need to be kind to ourselves and enjoy what we can in life has never been stronger. Unfortunately the need for as normal a BMI as possible has never been more urgent!
So I have just tried to balance what's best for me. I'm often not hungry until late morning so I have brunch which I ensure high fibre/protein. If I feel hungry I have a teaspoon of peanut butter or a few nuts. My main meal is something I really enjoy or fancy. It's a combination of meals I have previously frozen which are usually healthier anyway. It can also be something quite high calorie. One meal this week was a pork chop accompanied by mushrooms and garlic which were cooked in butter with a large jacket potato. Divine. However no bread,biscuits, cakes or snacks. I must admit in past when following a more formal plan I have sometimes fancied something forbidden. I have spent the day trying to fill up on healthy snacks and relented and had it anyway! Maybe this way as I know I can eat what I fancy,but have to limit it to one meal and no additional treats will work.!
I hope the skip is satisfyingly full Whiff?. Have a brilliant week everyone ?

We woke this morning to the sight of the most beautiful rainbow! What a boost that was! Did you get that Dorset?

After a strange week (again!) of feeling fine one minute and pretty low the next I weighed this morning and to my great surprise I have lost 0.6 of a pound.
Again I feel guilty as I have given in to temptation a couple of times - hubby found a shop that sells boxes of assorted broken biscuits. You pays your money, you takes your chance but in this assortment (and let's face it, who cares if they're a bit wonky or broken) there were really scrummy ones, so what's a girl supposed to do!
I know - I can hear you all shouting!!!

Seriously though, I think we have to be kind to ourselves especially when some of us are facing hard times of restrictions and now that Christmas is approaching it will be hard for most of us not to be able to do what we had planned.
Onwards and downwards fellow strugglers but please don't get stressed over it - everything in moderation and the occasional blip is not the end of the world!

A huge welcome to our newbies - please stay with us, we are a great team and we all encourage each other through the good and not so good times

Good morning everyone, I’m pleased to report another two and a half pounds off this week which takes me to 10% of body weight lost. (I’ve still got a long way to go) I’m so proud of the achievement but know that the hardest part will be keeping it off! I’ve yo-yo dieted all of my life! Being encouraged by all of you lovely ladies is so helpful so thank you for your support.

Congrats to craftyone, Dorset and fourormore on your losses. I'm the same weight again. At least I know I can maintain its just not at the weight I want. Well today is the start of of a new week. Will keep going. At least this week once my leg felt better could do my exercises.

Had a good workout yesterday chasing my grandson about . Also my son in law put my bench into the garage and moved some things where I wanted them . Finally the garage is organised as I want it. My grandson is funny when I ask him if he wants a snack he says yog fruit. Which is my easiyo yogurt and fruit in this case blueberries and plum with a bit of sugar stewed and blended to a puree . He loves it. He is very serious when putting it into his bowl and loves swirling the puree into the yogurt. I let him choose where he wants to sit. And it's always at the table. The one puree he won't eat is just apple . He loves an apple but not as puree. But he does have it at times as I mix the apple with different fruits.

It was great fun throwing things into the skip. Also the large bookcase in the garage once I pulled it on its side and removed the loose shelves. The screwed in shelves came out with a few hammer blows and a hit on the bottom the whole thing fell to bits. That was very satisfying. Just waiting for my son in law to bring their things and I can get it picked up.

Have a good week everyone.

Sarahmob congrats to you as well.

Four or more I haven't seen broken biscuits for years! Getting good ones was like winning the lottery

Hi NanKate, I really need to lose weight. I am about 5 stones overweight.
I am a full time wheelchair user, with MS. I can neither stand nor walk, so it is difficult.

I used to run a WW class and lost almost 7 stones! I was fit and well back then (28 years ago).

My carers have to roll me in bed and I pull on the bed rails to help, but I know I am heavy for them.

I started cutting out my nightly chox 2 days ago.

|I`ll use this forum to get encouragement, if you don't mind. I cant get weighed, but will let my carers tell me I am lighter to move!

\Hoping for the best for everyone else here too.

xxx

Hi fourormor. The rainbow sounds lovely. We have a sunny morning in West Yorkshire.

Put the biscuits out of reach and carry on trying!

Thankyou for the welcome.

xxxx

Hi Sarahmob. I am also a life long yo yo dieter. I did keep almost 7 stones of in my 40s.......I`m not 68 and wheelchair bound, so it is harder than ever.

But I'm not beaten yet!

Have a good week xx

boodymom67 if you can't get weighed. Ask your carer to take your measurements. Not just your bust,waist and hips. But top of arms and thighs. I wish I had measured my arms and thighs . My sister in law has MS luckily not in a wheelchair yet. Her MS nurse put her in touch with a physio and she does some exercises . Can you any exercises in your wheelchair? Speak to your MS nurse she may be able to help with some gentle ones.

Don't know if you can do your own cooking or rely on some to cook for you. What helped me was identifying which where the foods I could not control. Mine were chocolate, cake, hard cheese , ice cream and biscuits. So I would not have them in the house for a long time. I buy hard cheese now but buy 400g cheddar and cut it into 8 and freeze it. And only use I piece for a lasagne which lasted me 6 dinners. Only biscuits I have are rich tea fingers but only buy them once every 2 months. I love baking but give it away. I swapped sausages and meat mince for Quorn lower calories and just as tasty. I eat more fruit and veg in the last 3.5 years that ever.

Your MS nurse should be able to put you in touch with a dietation . Also the MS society should be able to help you .

Reading all the postings from page one might give you ideas.

I have a neurological problem which effects my limbs and I have seizures. Started when I was 29. Now 62. I know losing the weight has helped me. Everyone has to fine their own way to lose weight. It took me decades to do something about my weight. I was 59 before I realised it's a marathon and not a sprint.

I found help and support here. You will to. I wish you well.

Hi Whiff, thankyou for your kind reply and suggestions...many of which I can do...Thanks xx

Hello Boodymum you are very welcome. Excellent advice from Whiff.

My advice to you is not to give up. It is so easy to have a few bad days and just throw in the towel, but we don’t do that here. We start afresh. Find a healthy eating plan that suits you, maybe but reading what others do here.

The online NHS diet plan helped me by calorie counting and whenI got to the weight I wanted I then reduced the amount I ate. Portion control is so important IMO.

Tell us of your triumphs and more importantly when things go wrong because you will always find someone here who understands and who will support you.

A bit like alcoholics we must take one day at a time.

Now I need to ‘fess up. It was my 49 Wedding Anniversary on Friday and I have overeaten for 3 days. I can already feel my waistband feeling tight, so I will join you in cutting back and losing weight.

Onwards and downwards. ?

Happy anniversary for Friday. 49 years that deserved a treat. Hope you had a wonderful day.

Boodymom67 glad I could help. I know how much help NanKate and the gang have helped me and not just with weight.

Whiff that’s a great tip to portion and then freeze cheese, I’ll definitely take that one on board.

Bloody mum: I so understand how you feel. I’d been yo-yo dieting for 50 years. Every New Year I think to myself ‘another New Year and I’m still on the never ending diet’. And when I do pile on the pounds it’s as if it’s another person doing it and I then feel surprised when my clothes don’t fit. I have a house full of clothes from size 8 to 18 and daren’t throw them away in case I need them again. Late night munchies are my downfall as I am a night person. Wake up and feel peckish. I made a milky drink with slippery elm last night and that kept any hunger at bay. I’d bought it when my dog had a bad tummy and it was recommended so I thought I’d use it up. A friend whose husband was in a wheelchair put him on a high protein diet which worked but I’m not sure how good such diets are for you. It did work, though.

Boodymum: so sorry....the iPad changed it and I didn’t check....

I didn’t realise you could freeze cheese in chunks: thought it had to be grated. I’ll try that. I have a large’ish upright freezer but a really small fridge and I struggle to find room for fresh food. Can’t understand why. Dimension wise it compares favourably to more roomy fridges but the space inside is tiny. The opposite of a tardis.

relieved that predictive text let me write tardis...was expecting it to change it to something else embarrassing.....

Hello friends.
Congratulations to all those who have done well and to Dorset for managing to limit herself to only 1 tsp. of peanut butter! I am like Whiff and can't buy some foods otherwise I'd pig out and peanut butter is one of my downfalls. I'd eat half the jar easily.
I managed to maintain the weight at 130lbs .
Last week I signed up for a webinar given by a dietician which was related to suffers of osteoarthritis so as you would expect she mentioned losing weight.
Here's what she said for your interest:-
1.The WHO prefer the waist to hip measurement to BMI nowadays.
Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. The desirable ratio is <0.82
2. An extra 1lb of weight equals 4-6 times pressure on your joints.
3. Forget the blanket rule of drinking 2 litres of fluid per day. Aim to drink 50 mls per kg of your weight instead.
4. Eat within 2 hrs. of getting up.
5. Sulforaphane in cruciferous veggies slows down the destruction of cartiledge in your joints so eat sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and kale.
6. Anti-inflammatory foods are tomatoes, strawberries, blue berries, oranges, cherries, olive oil and greens
7. If you take a calcium supplement, take no more than 500mg at a time. the recommended dose here is 1200mg daily.
8. Vitamin D3 slows down knee arthritis.
9. I asked her about intermittent fasting because I do the 16: way of eating and she said, "If it works for you keep on with it".
9. The usual advice to eat lots of different colours of veg and fruit, get lots of variety and reduce the carbs, fat and sugar.
Here endeth her lesson!!

I’m still slogging along with my Keto adaptation...low carb, no sugar, no grains and do intermittent fasting as well. Right now the numbers on the scale are stuck, but I am losing inches all over....my rings will soon need to be re-sized. If the is a major change, my joints are much less painful...no doubt from decreasing my metabolic acidity. The doctor says keep doing exactly what I have been. Keep going on your programs of choice...you will reach your goal.
No

Some great weight losses over the last 7 days. Brill.
I lost 3lbs this week. Now on 12th week of NHS better health app....and now lost exactly 2 stones in 11 weeks as today is start of week 12.

Congrats on your 49th wedding anniversary nankate.... have you booked anywhere to go out for dinner?

Yes, was good to see blue sky yesterday. Hope it's a decent weather week. Get fed up with walking in the rain.

I lost the weight I needed to over two months, now I have put it all back on apart from 2 pounds. I am so disappointed in myself, I felt and looked so much better without the weight, so today I start again. It goes back on twice as fast as losing it. Not seeing people has really got to me and I eat out of boredom, even knowing I have health issues.

Shirleyw many congratulations on losing 2st.

MayBee70 I only freeze cheddar. I wouldn't do it with another cheese. Why I stick with full fat cheese is I have tried the low fat and veggie cheese. Low fat went mouldy in the fridge very quickly and the veggie cheese tasted like soap.

Cocopops that was very interesting.

I have trouble with my potassium levels so have had to cut out some foods . It's surprising which foods are high in potassium. Spinach,nuts,pineapple, bananas, mango,roast,chipped,baked potatoes. Any potato snack based item. Liquorice, chocolate, tomatoes and mushrooms. Plus quite a few more. Only have half a pint combination of milk and yogurt per day. I use coconut milk in my porridge . Also only have very little milk in tea and only have 2 mugs a day. I have given up all but mushrooms and tomatoes but only buy 6 tomatoes and 1 lot of mushrooms every 6 weeks . I freezer these to slow down my use. My potassium is still up and down but since losing the weight it has leveled off. Due to Covid my usual blood tests have been suspended like so many other routine tests.

Sparkling I always found the weight went on quicker than coming off. Be kind to yourself. I spent decades beating myself up every time I gave up on a diet. I had a wonderful husband who loved me no matter how big I got. He supported me when I decided to diet but never treated me as a failure when I gave up. I was always after a quick loss . It wasn't until I was 59 I realised it's a marathon not a sprint. My favourite saying. Now am 62. Lost over 7 st gone from a 32 to 16. Love the new me but still want to lose a stone. Which is hard. But I will not give up. Even if it takes me another year. NanKate and the other pears are a great support and found friends here. I wish you well on your journey. Look forward to reading your posts.