Obesity - retiring and can spend time on my health - help needed.

Yes to Michael Mosley (I've gone down from 5:2 to 6:1) and to those who said you have to change your mind set. It's the only way.

There are lots of interesting health vidéos
On YouTube. Start watching some, it can lead to interesting choices

I've just joined SW. I did try some years ago but soon gave up. Most diets didn't last long whilst working. But the doctor said I was fat (well, obese but I don't like that word) and to loose weight. They then said as I'm over 30 BMI I could get 12 weeks free at SW. So I thought, if it's free.... and I'm finding it quite easy to follow that I'm now home and can concentrate on following properly. I've also given up ultra processed food which has help with gut health and tiredness. So maybe ask for a freebie?

Could you explain why SW and WW didn’t work for you? Like jaxjacky I lost a lot of weight with WW (six years ago) and it has stayed off. A friend was doing SW at the same time and didn’t lose anything like as much. Her diet was definitely higher in carbs than mine.

These plans take a lot of the boring stuff out of trying to lose weight because they calculate your calorie intake and exercise requirements for you. I did it online so there were no dreaded weekly weigh ins to face but some people prefer to have the support of others in the same boat.

Why not give one of them another try and Don’t Give Up!! 👍😄

I can recommend Rosemary Conley's website.
rosemaryconley.com/
She focusses on older people now and her website has loads of suggestions for exercise for all, even including chair based and for those with osteoporosis. There are recipes on there as well with advice for losing weight.

Forget Points and SYNs. The only way to lose weight is to be in Calorie Deficit i.e the body expends more calories than you consume. I found using a calorie checker like My Fitness Pal and Nutracheck apps on my phone very helpful. I used the free version at first but then thought the full App was worth paying for, as it's far cheaper than Slimming World and weight watchers, who charge a lot each month but offer no free ongoing support when you reach your target weight unless you continue to pay.

To lose a one pound a week you need to eat 3500 less calories a week ( 500 a day) less than you currently do, and maybe up your protein intake and reduce amount of carbohydrates. Fresh fruit and vegetables
are healthy but eat more veg than fruit as grapes and bananas add calories quite quickly. The Apps work out the protein and consumed for you when you add your food items.. you will be shocked at how many calories you have been consuming at first. .The Apps have thousands of fresh foods and branded goods in the data base so you just find the food or drink item, work out your portion size ( using scales if necessary) and add the food to the daily counter .

To lose weight I needed to lower my calories to 1200 a day, 3 meals ( portion controlled) a day, stop eating late and no snacks other an apple. I increased my exercise and took up running at age 62 using couch to 5k BBC App.. I run 5k 3 times a week, play tennis and badminton , and aim to do 10.000 steps a day. You can get a simple fitness watch on Amazon for around £30 easily.

Ideally if you can afford it, buy some digital scales for food and a digital bathroom scale, and a fitness watch. You should be able buy all 3 items for less than £100 from Amazon or elsewhere.

I agree with the others who have mentioned the late Michael Moseley's just one thing. I still clean my teeth standing on one leg to improve my balance.

You have to really, really want to do this though as its very hard after a lifetime of gradually putting in weight. I also had to accept that my ' weight maintenance' calories intake is between 1700 to 1800 as my metabolism has slowed down post menopause ( hence the gradual accumulation of middle age spread ).

A friend of mine lost a lot of weight alongside her husband using the Apps and a step counter, where she had previously failed with WW and SW. They both had a daily calorie target and kept tabs on each other's daily limit . They went out for walks together to ensure they both got to 10,000 plus steps. They got a bit competitive over the steps and exercise! ( In a nice way) . It does help if you have someone who also wants to do the journey with you.

Good luck

Michael Mosley's Fast800 diet is brilliant, tasty, healthy and filling, and easy to follow. There is a book and a website. I use it to maintain blood sugar levels too. I must admit I kept to 1100 cals not 800.

I don’t know where you are located OP but in Northumberland we have a group called ‘Women’s walk and talk’ walks are arranged all over the county, usually 2 or 3 a week ranging from 2 miles to 7.5 miles. Free for anyone to join as and when they feel like it. Usually there is a pub of coffee shop on route where we stop for 30 minutes for a drink too.

There is also a men’s group too.

I walk daily using Nordic walking poles- the extra cardiovascular benefits are very good. I also try and fast for two days a week which also helps.Serving meals on smaller plates also works. I enjoy a gin and slimline tonic and the odd glass of red wine so do not feel as if I am depriving myself in any way.

Have a look at the Zoe website Zoe.com
You will lose weight and feel absolutely amazing. I have been a member for a year a a half and I can't recommend it highly enough. All scientifically backed up, really easy to follow, no counting calories, just delicious food feeding your gut and teaching you how/when/what to eat. It is a bit expensive, but the weekly podcasts are free, the app is personalised to you (lots of research on identical twins responding differently to the same food etc.) Have a look!

Don't get these jabs unless you are diabetic. Keep moving by walking,gardening,swimming etc. Cook from scratch and batch cook,volunteer,meet up with friends....

I found Noom good. It is on line. It is basically calorie counting but there is a lot of support and psychological help. There are guides who answer mails and also support groups with other users including special groups for older people, people with health problems and so on..

GrannyBear1

I can recommend Rosemary Conley's website.
rosemaryconley.com/
She focusses on older people now and her website has loads of suggestions for exercise for all, even including chair based and for those with osteoporosis. There are recipes on there as well with advice for losing weight.

Thanks for that. I’ve still got her Hips and Thighs diet book!

With exercise start slowly. You don’t need to walk 10000 steps. 3 x 10 minute walks a day make an easy starting point. Hopefully your fitness will improve. There are lots of online seated exercise videos to build up your strength. Other posters have covered the diet side of your post. Good luck. Enjoy your retirement.

Try this chap martinhigginscoaching.com/

All the advice on this thread is good - he helps you achieve it. And life after retirement is fun with his advice. DH and I are ten years down the line ... check out the website and see what you think.

The best book I have read on this subject is Why We Eat (Too Much) by Dr. Andrew Jenkinson. He is a bariatriic surgeon who has listened to his patients and researched why there are so many more obese people now than there were forty years ago. Dieting is a big part of the problem as our starting weight goes up each time we start yet another diet. As said upthread, he comments on the likes of Slimming World and Weightwatchers and how they succeed in the short term but the vast majority of people regain all the weight they lost. His view is that this is what these systems are based on as they are businesses and want your money as you keep returning. He also shows that the biggest problem is sugar and not fat and shows why fat has become the villain of the piece. I can thoroughly recommend this book. It is a eye-opening.

I use an app called My Fitness Pal, the free version and I log my weight and what I eat on there, since I started using it a few years ago I ve lost 2 st 4 lbs

I lost 4 stone in 11 months on the 1:1 plan (Cambridge diet).
It worked for me, I'd tried everything else.
It starts as bars and shakes, but there are many other products and once you've lost some weight you introduce "normal" food back into one, then two of your daily meals.
I started March 2020, literally just a few weeks before lockdown and I swear that helped as I wasn't tempted by any socialising events etc.

By Feb 2021, I'd lost the 4 stone.

I only eat between 9am and 6pm and the dog has never been walked so much.

I've kept it off.
I had a torn meniscus which had been listed for surgical repair but that got cancelled due to lockdown so I persevered with the eating plan and it never needed doing.
The relief on my joints was incredible.

Certain diets work for certain people and you end up trying an awful lot before you find one that works for your body type.

My late mum used to say (apologies if this offends anyone, she was of a certain age)
"There are no fat people in a famine"

Take the focus off weight. Put it on health and happiness. Do something on your feet, or in water or social, every day. Then check nutrition - focus on getting enough protein, veg/salad, fruit nuts seeds. Eat what agrees with you and makes you feel well the next day. Alongside this it does no harm to read about nutrition but beware many sources of advice are covert marketing... And good for you being active about your future!

I imagine once you have retired, you will automatically feel less tired, as working as we near retirement age is tiring.

If you feel you should lose some weight, walk instead of driving the car short distances, or if your balance is still good buy a bike.

It’s so easy to eat when you’re not really hungry, it’s just eating for the pleasure of eating! Try and not buy anything too tempting, if you haven’t got it in the cupboard you can’t eat it. I have only just realised that if nothing changes, nothing changes. Joe Wicks has excellent 15 minute exercise videos for older people, and if you can get into the habit of walking daily even if only for a little way, you can build up the distance gradually. If only I listened to my own advice!

On 1st January this year, I decided to start doing a daily walk. Just a short one to begin with until it had become an established habit, then slightly longer every month. I now walk for an hour a day, including up and down hilly bits to make me out of breath. But the main thing that has motivated me is the fact that I take a selfie every day and send it to two different sets of friends on WhatsApp. That way, I know I have to get out and walk or they’ll want to know why there’s no photo! It’s a great motivator.

I've been doing intermittent fasting for years now.. 10-6 and it seems to maintain a steady body weight.. I just have Kefir for breakfast, one decent meal and a snack..

I did WW 30+ years ago before I got married and am currently 2lbs above that original goal weight. It does work; people who say it doesn’t aren’t being truthful to themselves. I’ve been back a couple of times after having my children and it still worked! However, I think it’s really important to find a good group. I went to a local one a few years ago which was awful (down to the leader) and another in the same town was fab and we laughed from start to finish.

Yes, go for walks and plenty of them.

Any sort of exercise really.

You certainly won’t lose weight by doing nothing,

Try a chair yoga class to begin with.
That would be a good start. And fairly doable for someone who is overweight or have mobility problems.