Choose Your Hard...Slimpip's Journey

[slimpip]

I have to admit something first...I've stolen my title from something I saw on the success stories section earlier this evening. It was a lady who had done really well in losing her weight and put the following as her first tip to others:

Being overweight is hard. Losing weight is hard. CHOOSE YOUR HARD.

I've chosen my hard. I've chosen the hard that means losing and sweating and hurting rather than....oh hang on all of those are the same when fat except the losing, although in a way, I am losing. I am losing life, confidence and self esteem. So yeah, I've chosen.

My name is Pip, I'm 25 (approaching 26) and I weigh a shocking 21st4. This is only slightly less than my heaviest weight of 21.st10. I lost 1st4 recently with the help of the girls in the challenges section...but alas that collapsed and I put back on my weight, bar 1 pound. This last week I've been healthy and have lost 5lbs. I'm hoping that the weight I put back on (in 3 weeks) will come off quite quickly. But I have a small-ish goal I'd like to reach before Christmas if possible. That is to get my BMI under 40. Its currently 43.4, to get to 39.9 I need to lose 1st11 and be 19st12.

I have been provisionally accepted for weight loss surgery. But I don't want it. I want to have a baby. I want to be fit and healthy on my own, not because I copped out and had somebody do the hard work for me. They have told me I will need to wait a year for the surgery, then a further 18months for healing and for my body to adapt and the weight loss to settle down before it would be safe to try for a baby. Even if I got pregnant straight away, I'm looking at a minimum of 3 1/2 years until I have a baby! I can't wait that long, I just can't. So here I am, laying myself on the line, asking for help in my desperate journey to avoid the surgeons knife and instead get to a healthy enough weight to concieve and have a healthy pregnancy.

Sorry for the really long rant...but I wanted to be really honest with my motivations. I'm not following a particular diet and I don't use the gym. I have a bike, which I enjoy using to cycle to work, but only when the weather suits or my work schedule allows. I aim to eat less (my portions are 'dad sized') and of much healthier food. I hope this diary writing will be theraputic in some way and will keep my accountable.

Pip x

 

[GretaGrip]

That was probably me who posted that particular tip : )


I've been at goal for over a year now. I was 15 stone 3 in May 2011 and a size 18. I'm only 5 ft 4. I'm now 9 stone 5 and a size 8-10 and I've maintained for quite some time. So it can happen but it's not easy.

My best advice to you would be to have a clear structure. You say you're not following any particular plan but I'd suggest that you decide on 'something' because without a clear vision, you won't succeed. I lost my weight via a few methods but what works best is a calorie counted, moderate carb and no alcohol diet. Don't eat any white carbs as they're just pure sugar and only eat whole carbs once a day. In other words, avoid days that look like this ...

Cereal

Sandwich

Pasta

Cereal bar as a snack

It's a full on carb fest. As soon as I reduced carbs the weight dropped off. I don't advocate low carb plans but moderation works and I'm proof of that.

I'd have a look at what calories you can eat in a day ( I'd probably consider 1850 a day for as long as you continue to lose weight and then gradually drop as weight loss slows. If you start too low too early you won't have any room to manoeuvre . Oh and try not to snack! I just ate 3 times a day ( as a rule ) and this works. Your metabolism doesn't need continually feeding - give it time to do its job and digest the meal you've given it )

I'm happy to give you all other sorts of tips that worked for me. Just shout

Lots of luck on your journey. You're young and if you stick to it then this time next year you will be where you want to be. And that's a definite !

 

[slimpip]

Thanks Gretagrip and sorry for plagarising you haha.

Your tips are great and I appreciate your support. I'm really determined and although I say I'm not following a plan, I guess I am, it just doesn't have a label.

I'm going to eat breakfast (which I haven't previously as a rule) which is normally seeded granary toast or fst free yoghurt with muesli. Lunch is soup or salad, as low cal as possible. If I need to snack it's fat free yoghurt or fruit. Tea is fairly normal as I cook for my partner and it would get too expensive to cook separately. I am just careful with my portions. No pudding. Lots of water.

I'm not going to exercise at this time bar cycling to work when weather permits and even if I do drive I park a lonnnng street away from work so I have that extra added walking per day. Is there anything you could advise I add into my routine? X

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[GretaGrip]

I wouldn't worry about eating breakfast at 'breakfast ' time if you don't normally. Just eat when you're ready to. I usually have a variation on what you're planning on - so, fat free natural yogurt which I put in a big glass kilner jar. I add porridge oats, frozen blueberries/ chopped pear / dried apricots/ banana/ maybe a few nuts and I give it a stir. I make it in the evening and eat it for breakfast over the course of a couple of mornings. It's really filling!

I'd also not worry about exercise. Yes cycling and walking are great and you should be active but the crucial thing to remember is that weight loss is 80 % what you eat - possibly more. I didn't set foot in a gym until I was 11 stone something. So concentrate on the diet side and don't worry if you're not partaking in Zumba classes or whatever three times a week!

Track your calories. If you're over 20 stone don't try and do 1500 calories or anything. Start high. I'd also not go too mad on the water - 1.5 to 2l litres a day is absolutely more than enough.

I also really found it helpful to make a list if all the reasons why I wanted to lose weight . So, for me, I wanted to wear belts , vest tops, never own another pair of leggings , feel fit and healthy , have a wardrobe full of size 8 and 10 clothes etc. I hung up a pair of size 16 jeans and tried them in every week. At the end the size 12 ones were big on me.

And don't self sabotage . Don't think about potential loose skin / the cost of new clothes etc. concentrate on the job in hand and take it day by day. Don't give yourself 'days off ' and don't justify takeaways or whatever to yourself. Loads of people talk in terms of ' oh we are all entitled to a day off ' but I personally told myself that the reason I weighed 15 stone was because I'd given myself years off - and I wasn't going to allow myself to have whole pizzas and bags of minstrels until I was a normal weight again

I am quite tough though and couldn't stand the thought of wasting more time. So I didn't. From reading diaries on here I know that a lot of people aren't as militant with themselves so it's a choice really isn't it ?

You could easily be 19 stone something by Christmas. Seriously. Make it your project ( I love a project ! ) and you can make it happen

 

[GretaGrip]

I'd also consider splitting 1800 calories a day into three in your situation - so 600 cals per meal. Or 500 cals per meal with 300 for hot chocolate/ snacks.

 

[slimpip]

I'd like to be a really regimented person, but I do think that's a personality type and I'm not sure it's me. I wonder whether a person can change into becoming regimented and how you'd go about it haha? Boot camp? I would definitely like to be 19st something for xmas, I haven't been that weight in years I don't think. Right...best get to it. I shall come up with a list of reasons that are important to me and if it's not too embarrasing, I'll post it x

 

[slimpip]

Hello to anyone who is reading...today has been an ok diet day. It included toast for breakfast, soup for lunch and pasta and salad for tea. Oh and a banana mid afternoon. Could be better, could be worse I think. I'm training tomorrow which is quite physical, I train care staff how to do correct and safe moving and handling so that'll be good, especially for the legs. Gretagrip I've just spent the last 30mins thinking about a list of reasons it is so important for me to lose weight. I decided to do it in pictures...a collage of sorts. It includes things like a picture of kat von d, which represents my love of body art and my desire to increase my collection...but at the moment I don't have the confidence to do so. Also there's a picture of some hill hikers, I would love to be an 'outdoorsy' type. A picture of a girl in a bikini, representing my dread of summer holidays and skimpy clothing...oh the list goes on!!! But I found it better to have it in pictures than words.

I'm off for a meal at pizza express tomorrow evening, but i'm not going to panic, i'll be extra good throughout the day and be really good for the days that follow. I've been really excited about this meal, and I'm going to enjoy it x

 

[GretaGrip]

The pictures thing is a great idea. Put them all in a scrapbook or ********* and add to them as you go along

Pizza express is easy in terms of calorie counting as you can google ahead of the meal and see what contains what. I usually have the pizza which is filled with rocket leaves in the centre. Or I have a light lunch and then just have what I fancy within reason.

The problem is that I'll always love food and I'll never lose my tendency to over eat. The issues haven't gone away just because I'm slim now. It's still a daily battle or it would all just go back on again. I'm very capable of putting on half a stone in a week, easy! So I always have to watch myself - I allow myself Saturdays off to eat what I fancy.

Hmm thinking about Pizza express now ; )

 

[GretaGrip]

They starred me out? Ridiculous!


Pin ter est

 

[slimpip]

Welllll I didn't behave well at pizza express at all but hey ho, we had such a lovely time. One of my girlfriends is 8 months pregnant and she let me feel her belly when baby Noah was turning round. It was...magical and it's made me broodier than ever.

I've had a really good diet day today and hope to have undone the damage caused last night. I've had a youghurt for breakfast, soup for lunch, 1 oreo at 4ish the a tuna burger in bun with wedges and salad for tea. Job done. I'm determined to be really good for the rest of the week and hope to lose 2 lbs this week. Happy hump day everyone (middle of the week) x

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