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Resistance week 1 done. At start of set 2 I was wondering if I should be using a heavier KB as it didn't seem that hard... by halfway through the set, I was glad I wasn't!! And running upstairs 10 mins later, I was VERY glad I'd stuck with the 5lb one. Got to remember that my commitment to...

The same exercises were repeated several times.... could have been three.... but there was nothing between them to say set 1, 2, 3 (as there was with the cardio one). Still slightly conscious of abs, and can feel my bum.... errr.... glutes. But overall, not really sore, yay! Gym tomorrow...

Right, week 1 Core done. I could not do the ones where you lift your hips up in the air while your legs are already up, and then crunch the bell up to your feet - I just floundered around looking like a beached whale! Perhaps it will come in time. I did wonder if the DVD had got stuck at one...

Seeing as I've already done cardio, I'll do core tomorrow then (if that's the easiest), followed by some time in the gym on Friday, and resistance on Saturday, with a rest on Sunday, gym Monday, cardio week 2 next Tuesday.... then next Wenesday is my first skating lesson! Barbara

Maybe just half a pat, as I did have a short break between sets - enough to go into the next room, pick up my gym towel and wipe the sweat from my brow.... Which next, do you think - core or resistance? I will Kettleworx Thursday and Saturday, gym on Friday and rest on Sunday. Which...

Did week 1 cardio this morning - tough, but I got through it, with a bit of leeway: a couple of the exercises I can't actually do so did a modified form, e.g. Did the pressups from the knees; and several others I couldn't do at the speed they were going, so I did fewer reps. But I got to the...

I have been exercising regularly - in the gym 3x a week for the last year, doing weights mostly. So - different muscles - or same muscles in a different way, perhaps? Barbara

On another note, the backs and insides of my thighs are pretty sore - is that kettlebell swings, do you think? Barbara

I also have dodgy knees! If I struggle during the cardio (or any other part of the programme) I shall do what I did during the class: do as much as I can in the time allotted (even if that's fewer reps than they say), and take extra greatness if necessary. After all, I am still obese and not...

Will do! My plan is: tomorrow - rest day (need one!!); Monday - gym for weights and core; Tuesday (gym closed) - first Kettleworx session - guess I'll make that the cardio, then. Wednesday - my birthday - probably a rest day as will be driving my Mum to my sister's, then going shopping with...

OK, I got the Kettleworx set from Argos - £49.99 including a 5lb kettlebell. I've just watched the into - can't see anything that tells me which order I should do the workouts in? I presume it's one of each cardio/resistance/core each week - but does it matter what order? Oh - and I did a...

Hi, I bought myself a 5kg kettlebell from Tescos a few weeks ago, but only picked it up in anger on Christmas Eve - and oh boy! I used a routine off YouTube, did 20 minutes, and can really feel it. Did it again this morning - I am hooked! Background - I stared sensible eating and going...

: :character00100: Thank you. Barbara

I'll do my best.... age is a factor too, though.... No way I'm going to look as good as if I'd lost the weight at 22 rather than 48! Barbara

Wow, you two are just inspirational! I have three stone and ten pounds to go till I reach the top of my healthy range. Whatever anyone else thinks, that's where I'd like to get to, because I want to be healthy and enjoy being active - which is a lot easier when you're a reasonable weight. I'd...

I have been told I look a lot younger.... completely different.... lovely.... beautiful. It's nice, and scary, all at the same time. Part of me just wants to be ordinary and unremarkable. I suppose if I stay the same size for long enough, people will get used to it and stop commenting. Barbara

It is a bit of a concern.... and I started using bio oil about a month ago. The fat that is left on my belly and thighs (of which there is a lot) sort of has a looser texture, as though my skin isn't putting it under tension. From what I read, though, most of the things which influence skin...

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Lots of good points in there.... I must admit that the one about seeing someone else change and feeling uncomfortable because it implies you could change yourself but have been telling yourself you can't, that really rings true for me. I have always struggled...

OK, so I'm approaching two thirds of the way through my campaign... 6.5 stone gone, 4 to 4.5 to go. My goal is a bit of a guess,really, because I've never been a healthy weight in my adult life (and been overweight since I was 8) - but now that I've found the wonderful slimpods which have dealt...

Hmm, similar thoughts here, but no answers. People who had a stable weight they were comfortable with at a younger age have that to look back to. People like me (always overweight/obese, never stable) don't, and tbh it's anybody's guess what weight will look and feel right on my frame. One...

What other people think ought to make you sort yourself out bears little relation to what actually will! I did achieve a normal BMI back in 1986, and was running half marathons. I had lost 89lb to get there, and proudly proclaimed I would never be fat again.... but sadly I had done nothing to...

Maybe it's because, for most of my adult life, even looking vaguely normal was a seemingly unobtainable dream, that I am just used to not being perfect! So in the looks department, "a lot better than I used to look" is already heaven. In terms of health, the long-term odds do scare me...

I've got a way to go to get to BMI 29.... another couple of stone at least..... there're one in the eye for the woman who told me a couple of weeks ago that I was perfect as I am and not to lose any more (like it's any of her business). As for getting too skinny.... anyone who thinks that's...

Wondering if you've been doing more exercise as well, as that can really make a difference to your shape - especially strength training. My NSV's include: sitting next to DH on the tram and not hanging out into the aisle; being able to zip up size 18's; looking like an ordinary person who...

Absolutely! Last year I found some statistics about the likelihood of suffering health problems which impact quality of life in older age. Not surprisingly, the normal weight people who were also active were the best off, and obese people who were sedentary were worst. But the obese people...

When I sat down and thought about it in January, I realised that losing ten stone would leave me STILL a few pounds into overweight territory - BMI 25.4. I was 21-7 then, but my heaviest ever was 22 stone. I hope to be so close to being half the woman I once was that it make little...

Hi, you say there is diabetes in your family.... it's possible that you may already have impaired glucose tolerance yourself, or at least be running with blood glucose at the upper end of the normal range, especially if you are overweight. I have diabetes, and there is something I call a...

An UD after a DD will easily add a pound, because you are replacing gut content and also glycogen you used up on DD, which carries water with it. But a second UD should not usually add another pound. Remember, UD's are about eating normally WITHOUT OVEREATING. Eat until nicely satisfied...

Right, that makes sense. Interesting that eating makes you hungry. I do find that with certain types of food - DH bought some salted peanuts a couple of weeks ago, and I could not keep my hands off them! But barring that - small amounts of healthy food satisfy me rather than provoke more...

Hi, can you give me a bit more detail on what a down meal consists of on this regime? I'm presuming an up meal is whatever you want to eat for that meal. I think if I were doing it that way, I would do something like a down breakfast is 100 cals, while a down lunch or tea are 200 cals each...

Do you know, I don't even know the answer to that. But this is a forum for JUDDD, so I think I'll pop over to the Slimpod forum and see if anyone wants to discuss that question over there. I hang around on the JUDDD forum, because I do 5:2 fasting since watching that Horizon programme in...

Hi there, I fully understand your wariness - I hate sales pitches myself. The link is to my own diary on minimins, not to an external website - so you can read about my journey, if you're interested. If you're not, then fine. No sales pitch here - and no hard feelings. Barbara

Not really, just sharing what has worked for me. I don't work for Thinking Slimmer, I'm not on commission, and the only thing I would gain if someone bought one and it worked for them would be the satisfaction of having helped a fellow sufferer gain relief. Of course, if someone buys one and...

Binge/comfort eating has been the bane of my life. It's why no diet ever "worked" - well, they don't work if you don't stick to them, do they? It's why I always put the weight back on. It's how I became, at my heaviest, 22 stone. What has fixed it for me are slimpods. It's like the knob on...

How's about this: DD1: 5pm Sun - 5pm Mon DD2: 5pm Tue - 5pm Wed DD3: Fri (midnight to midnight) DD4: 5pm Sun- 5pm Mon Then continue every other day, if that's how you want to work it. This gives you 2 UD's which are more like 36 hours than 24, but will accommodate your meal and hen night out...

Just finished breakfast (UD), after returning from the gym. My previous gym visit was also first thing in the morning, after a DD. Know what? I'm finding that I can train really well when fasted! Both of these visits, I've been able to do heavier weights and get through more reps of my new...

Hi Clare, I reckon it depends on how you have been eating before you started JUDDD. For people who were previously eating normally (the kind of 'normal eating' that got them overweight ;)) their first DD will be the first time they do something different. They may say 'I'm starting JUDDD...

Oh, me too! Emotional and binge eating have been the bane of my life, from childhood..... until this year (I'm 48). At the start of this year, I set to once again with healthy eating and exercise, because at 21.5 stone, my weight was completely wrecking my quality of life. I was doing OK...

Guys, I don't know if this helps, but I've just finished reading Johnson's book (well, the science and how-to-do-it bits, anyway), and have learned the following: 1). Once past the initial two weeks, he says you can increase the DD calories if you wish, to a level you find sustainable - and...

I agree, I think you should see your GP ASAP. If you have severe or sustained pelvic pain - if a couple of paracetamol don't do the trick - I wouldn't wait till Monday - go to your local walk-in centre or even A&E. Barbara

Hi there, I'm fairly new to fasting (about a month now - since that Horizon programme) but have been healthy eating and exercising since January. As you may know, a lot of body builder types use fasting, so there's a fair bit of knowledge about it in those communities. So drawing on that...

Naz, You haven't failed, unless you have decided to completely throw the towel in. And even then - you haven't failed, you just weren't in the right place to make a good start right now. So chin up, let's concentrate on getting you back on track. 2 options: 1) Turn it into an...

Dr Johnson's recommendation is to eat until satisfied but not stuffed. You don't have to eat up to a certain number of calories, but neither do you have to stick to a certain limit. At the same time, UD's are not a licence to stuff yourself silly, nor to fill yourself with sugar, processed...

I started kind-of Juddding after the Horizon programme, but using the 5:2 model. I do weigh daily, and I've noted an interesting change. The first couple of weeks, I was losing between 1.5-2 lb on a down day, then regaining about a pound on the following day, and a little more the next...

Hello, and welcome. Don't know if I should really be posting here as I'm not officially doing JUDDDD, but started intermittent fasting after that Horizon programme. I was already well underway with a healthy eating/exercise regime since New Year, ably assisted by slimpods since the end of...

Just a suggestion.... make sure that 'dump day' is an up day.... Good luck, Barbara

Hi Lauren, I was just wondering.... does the Eat what you love book advocate having a target weight.... or size? Several of the books I've read which talk about intuitive eating encourage you instead to eat in accordance with what your body needs, and then accept the size and shape which...

I'm losing weight because the impact it was having on my health and quality of life had become intolerable. I was on two medications for diabetes, and it still wasn't adequately controlled, plus my blood pressure and cholesterol were borderline high. I had joint pain, frequent acid reflux...

Sorry, no - went to the charity shop a couple if weeks ago. Barbara

One word: Slimpod. One website: ThinkingSlimmer.com. There's a section on minimins devoted to them. Good luck, Barbara

Ooh, a blast from the past!! Frequent acid reflux was one of the quality-of-life issues which, in combination, pushed me to the point of no return with my weight. I was chomping Rennies by the bucket-load, and started taking Gaviscon before bed every night, in the hope that I would be able to...

Thank you, that's broadly what I thought but it's good to have it confirmed. I set at out the start of this year to get control of my weight once and for all, because it was diminishing my quality of life so much it had become intolerable. But with a long history of yo-yo dieting followed by...

Hi, I've been lurking on here since watching that Horizon programme about fasting last week. Today is my second fast day (first was Wednesday), sticking to 500 cals, which I had in a single meal at lunchtime - not quite JUDDD, as I had two UD's together. Can I just ask: 1) do people...

One aspect I forgot to mention is curiosity.... when you feel an urge to eat, examine it as a scientist would. Where do you feel it physically, emotionally? What does it feel like? What prompted it - what were you doing before it arose? How strong is it on a scale of one to ten? Urges...

Hi, It basically means bringing your full attention to what you're eating - not allowing yourself to be distracted by TV/radio/doing something else. Then you deliberately notice the taste, smell, texture of every mouthful.... enjoy it fully before you swallow it. Notice how it feels in your...

What used to be the start of an eating splurge.... is now too much! I love it. I've had the experience several times of forgetting to pay attention, and mindlessly eating enough to make myself uncomfortable. It really worried me at first that I was going backwards, but I have become more...

I had a look at this book on Amazon and it looks really good. There is also version for people with diabetes, which I have - that was one drawback of one of the early non-dieting approaches I tried (Overcoming Overeating), because the instruction there was to eat *exactly* what you fancied...

I've read several books along these lines over the years, but I was never able to stick with the programme for long enough to make much of a difference. I struggled with suggestions that you should always sit at a table and not watch TV while eating, etc. Slimpods (see the Slimpod sub forum)...

What are you afraid of? Barbara

To add to this excellent explanation, anaerobic exercise also comes basically in two forms. Strength training involves challenging your muscles to work hard against resistance, e.g. By lifting weights, doing exercises such as pushups and pull-ups or working against your own body weight...

I made a commitment in January to go to the gym 3 times a week. Seven months on, I am basically still doing it, and average session length has increased from 45 mins to about an hour. I mainly do strength training, with just a little cardio. I also started out doing a long walk once every...

Hi, welcome on board. A few things to think about: Do you understand why you are overweight? Do you eat a lot of certain types of food, e.g. sweets and biscuits, fried food, fast food, crisps and nuts? or large portions of most things.... in between meals.... do you drink a lot of...

My health is my motivator - I have type 2 diabetes, and exercise improves lots of the issues associated with that, independently of weight loss. I was also starting to get less and less mobile, and wanted to stave off the mobility scooter! I started going to the gym in January - I committed...

Two women of the same height and weight can be very different sizes.... basic body shape depends on genetics, but how much body fat you have makes a big difference too - and that's down to exercise. I'm 5'7", currently 16 st 9lb and size 20-22. Barbara

It makes sense to me that out-of-control eating is at least partly physical. I read a book a while back about leptin, which is supposed to signal to your brain that you have adequate stores of energy in the form of fat, and tone down your appetite. In obese people, the brain becomes...

Strength training doesn't necessarily mean weights. Pilots, circuits and kettle bells are all forms of strength training - you might enjoy one of them more. Barbara x

Only thing I can tell you for definite is that it will probably require less weight loss than it would to get from 53 to 48, because the volume of fat you have to lose is less. Oh - and depending on what exercise you have been doing up to this point, you may be able to drop a few inches with...

I got it yesterday - gonna pack those trews up and send 'em today. Barbara

Happy to oblige. PM me your name and address. Barbara

Lay that one to rest - women don't build bulky muscles without "help", i.e. steroids or growth hormone, as well as lifting extremely heavy weights. Stay off those kinds of stuff and weight train 2-3times a week, and you will get lean, not bulky. Good luck! Barbara

Happy to help! Now that you have said you are already running, walking and doing cardio classes, I would suggest that instead of adding swimming, you add (or substitute) either more strength training, or some speed/intervals work. Both of those will be more effective at promoting fat lass than...

Hi, You have just discovered, in your own experience, why dieting in the sense it is usually understood, is such a bad way of losing weight. It tends to lead to obsessive thoughts about food, and the stricter (i.e. more restrictive) the diet is, the worse the impact. This is only partly...

And the rest.... Brown tunic top with turqoise trim, Cotton Traders size 24 Lime green casual shirt, 3/4 sleeves, Ann Harvey 24 Black low-rise bootcut jeans, Tesco, size 22 Olive green soft jean-style trousers, elasticated waist, M&S 22 All free to a good home, Barbara

Had a good clearout, and found things in several sizes that should have gone a while back. Here goes: Size 26 ====== Black cargo style crop trousers, Evans, elasticated/drawstring waist, size 26 Purple 3/4 sleeve blouse - Evans size 26 Dark red 3/4 sleeve blouse, Evans size 26 Size 24...

Hmmm..... not rewards as such, but I do enjoy treating myself to a) new clothes (down 4 sizes so far), including workout gear; and b) gadgets and gizmos to support my new healthier lifestyle. I was utterly thrilled with my fitbit wireless activity tracker..... until I lost it last week when out...

Slimpods are voice recordings which use the language of suggestion to retune your unconscious mind, so you start to think, and then behave, differently around food and exercise. You can buy them as either MP3 downloads or CD's. Each one is about 10 minutes long, and there are several different...

Hi Emma, I just wanted to encourage you in your battle to resolve your binge eating disorder. I suffered with this too, from childhood through until very recently. Until my early thirties I didn't know I had an eating disorder - I was just conscious that I was fat, so I dieted off and on -...

This is a thread to discuss the particular challenges of becoming more active when you are very big.... say... five stone or more above the top healthy weight for your height. What can, or can't you do? To what extent are worries about your appearance a barrier? How can we work round the...

When I started my journey in January, I was wearing size 28's, which basically meant there were only two shops I could get anything in to fit me. In fact though I was probably really a 30, because many of my 28's didn't fit. I was only actually wearing about 10% of the clothes in my wardrobe...

Have a look at Welcome - My Body Gallery - What Real Women Look Like - you type in a height and weight, and it brings up loads of pictures of real, ordinary women who match those statistics. A real eye-opener - the variation in shape and size of women of the same height and weight! Just...

Fiona, I'll have the stripy M&S top if it's still there, please. I'll PM you my address. Barbara

All the following are from Ann Harvey and are size 24 - but owing to generous sizing, they are worth a 26 of anyone else's money! Item 1 - black formal jacket, polyester/viscose, lined Item 2 - chocolate brown/tan cowl neck sweater, acrylic Item 3 - aqua coloured 3/4 length sleeve...

We come in peace - take me to your leader! Barbara

Can't comment on Rosemary or WW, as I've never done either. I did go to a GP-organised weight management programme, which involved weekly weigh-ins, lots of information about healthy eating, support to keep food diaries, trips to the supermarket to look at labels - lots of good stuff. But...

Mmmmm..... Well when you consider how the fervour some people have for their chosen method of weight loss can border on the religious, we could be! But I'm a great believer in interfaith dialogue, and clothes are an area of common interest. Barbara

Hi Paul, here's my 2 penn'orth: I am not a fan of diets, if by "diet" you mean a regime which has you follow a menu plan, stay within a certain number of calories or fat grams, exclude whole categories of food, only eat specific combinations or at closely controlled times, or replace the food...

Thank you, folks, I'll let the slimpodders know. Barbara

Ahem, excuse me..... Could I just check if this thread is strictly for SW folk only? Cos some of us over on the Slimpod forum were thinking about a clothes swap, but it doesn't make sense to set up a new one if we're allowed to join here. If it's open to anyone.... Is theree an instruction...

Hi there dietqueen. You're not alone in having those worries. I've been overweight from the age of 8. Through my teens I was a size 16+ - I would absolutely love to be there now, but at the time it was a total nightmare. Couldn't get teenage clothes to fit, couldn't get a boyfriend. I spent...

Any amount is better than none. Better to do a little regularly, than a lot one day and nothing the rest of the week. And you do need rest days, don't even try to exercise every day. For weight loss, it is important to include some strength training (at least twice a week), and for your...

OK, I'll bite. How often you should exercise depends to a large degree on your current level of fitness. Beginners need rest days. The Couch to 5K programme for people who want to start running, for example, suggests three days of exercise per week, with four rest days. As you get fitter...

The difference between calorie counting 700 cals of ordinary food and a VLCD at 500 cals is that with the VLCD you will get sufficient protein and also your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. They are specially formulated to provide this nutrition, and even so, should only be followed...

Increase activity levels, adding both aerobic/cardiovascular and resistance/weight training. Doing this on a regular basis encourages your body to be that bit lighter and leaner. Also shift away from highly processed sugary foods towards a more natural diet, with food closer to its natural...

I can struggle even with sincere compliments, because it means they are looking at me, and they've noticed. And I suppose as a fat person I basically want to hide, and not be noticed. I know this is unrealistic, and more my problem than theirs. But I think that feeling does stem from all the...

What a great thread - I hope you'll allow a non-sW member to join, because the issues you're discussing are common to all of us, no matter how we are dealing with our weight. I have actually found well-meaning comments, such as "you looked so good when you lost all that weight - you know you...

Hi, I'm wondering how active you are, and if you have access to a way of getting your body fat measured (at a gym, say)? At your height (which is the same as mine, BTW) and 126lb, your BMI is 19.8, and at 120lb it would be 18.9, which is perilously close to being underweight. So an...

I have a different problem in that I was fat from age 8, all through my teens and into adulthood. I am now 48. I had one brief spell of almost slimness in my early twenties, when I got down to 10st 4 and was running half marathons. I was like a kid in a sweet shop (bad simile?), wearing all...

One of my strategies from the beginning of the year was to cook more from fresh ingredients and rely less on prepared food. To this end, I had bought some new recipe books, and tried out several new, quick and healthy recipes. But today I really went off piste, and just roasted 2 chicken...

Welcome to your diary, Katie. Are you veggie, or is it a coincidence that you didn't eat any meat today? Reason I ask is that many of the protein sources that veggies often turn too are also high in fat (nuts, cheese), so veggie dieters may be tempted to cut them out, and end up eating a diet...

Thanks for the welcome Katey! I went to the gym last night and threw myself into it with gusto. I am working towards doing 3 sets on each of the strength exercises she gave me, not quite there yet, but getting closer. It was 9.40 when I'd finished those, so I thought I'll do 5 mins on the...

No food, on its own, is bad for you (with the exception of trans-fats). Lots of foods can be bad for you if you eat them to excess. A grape probably has less sugar than a cola bottle, and at least has the virtue of the odd vitamin and a bit of fibre. You can buy pre-chopped carrot sticks...

When I went to pick up my 2nd month's supply on Saturday I was told No, can't get it, don't know when, go and ask your doc for something else. There is nothing else! So after researching, I decided to do some ringing round. The pharmacist had retained the script, so I went and asked for it...

Bet your friends on here won't recommend anything like that! How's about watching a DVD of your favourite show; putting on loud music and moving to it; clearing out a cupboard that's needed sorting for a while Barbara

I completed the first stage of my first wardrobe purge this morning. I have been through everything that hangs up, and separated into 3 categories: too snug for comfort, fine now, and raggy, saggy or baggy. The first category (not too many items there) are gathered together at one end of...

Something is definitely better than nothing. Be aware that being on a VLCD is not conducive to doing a hard workout - you may very well not have the energy. If walking is all you can manage, do that. If you get on the exercise bike and find 5 or 10 minutes is as much as you can do, then stop...

Try not to get despondent. What is on the scales is only a number, and in the real world, there is considerable variations from one scale to another. Don't stress about whether your old scale or your new one is the "right" one - chances are, if they were taken into a lab and tested, neither of...

Hi Marie, You betcha swimming is good for weight loss.... it's activity, isn't it? The exercise that works the best is the one you actually do, because you enjoy it. That said, the more you work, i.e. The faster you swim, the more energy you will use up. So, swim briskly, as you are able...

I took the plunge with the tape measure today, and revealed my vital statistics to be (gulp) 48-43-55. I then went and had a look at the size guides at the two main big-lady shops, and discovered that Evans reckon a size 24 will fit me in the bust and waist, but on the hip I need a 28. This...

This is one of my fears too, but as others have said I would rather be slim, active and healthy with a jelly belly than morbidly obese and struggling with mobility. I am exercising regularly and hope that will ward off the worst excesses, but I have to accept that at 48 and having been...

Yesterday I spent some time with one of the trainers at my gym to work out a new programme. I said I was happy wi the cardio machines and know how to build endurance and intensity on those,but wanted to challenge myself on resistance training, and also start to use some free weights. Boy, did...

Joolz - believe me I appreciate the difficulty that being very big presents to mobility. One of the motivating factors that got me going was pain in my knees, ankles and hips. It leads to even greater immobility, which just makes the problem worse. I was fortunate in that I was able to walk...

Thanks for the welcome, girls! Well Sunday is my "official" weighing in day, and today shows a loss of 3lb since last week, 1st 8lb in nine weeks, and as my sig shows, I have reached my 2nd goal of getting under 20 stone, yay!! Sadly because I am still a newbie, the limit on sig length means...

Hi Marie, Welcome from another recent arrival, with a similar amount of weight to lose as you. I started my healthier eating regime at the beginning of this year, and also going to the gym 3 times a week. Well done for recognising that you need a lifestyle change - there is nothing more...

Did anyone watch the Horizon programme about exercise the other evening? The bit I took away from it was the effect of short bursts of intense exercise (3 bursts of 20 seconds, 3 times a week, to be precise) on insulin sensitivity. I have type 2 diabetes, for which I am on 2 tablets. At the...

Hmm... Well late last night I succumbed to the growing urge to.... buy a slimpod! Well, a package, actually, and I listened to the drop 2 jeans sizes one last night. Now here's the funny thing - we always eat on the sofa with the telly on, and for years I have been hearing and reading how...

Hello, I'm starting one of these diaries in the hope that sharing on here will help me on the road to finally being a healthy weight.... and staying there. I am the classic yo-yo dieter. I was put on my first diet at the age of 11, did it myself from the age of 14, and in my early...

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the reason I picked up on your post is because I am originally from Cardiff. BarbaraG

Hi Joolz, I see nobody's replied to your intro, but then nobody's replied to mine either - so I thought if I replied to you we would both be happy! I'm guessing Exante is a meal-replacement shake thing, but it's not one I have heard of. I'm also guessing you have used it before? I am just...

Hello, This is the right bit of these boards for me- as of New Year's Day, if I had lost 10 stone I would still have been overweight! I'm also an almost-centurier from the past, as some 26 years ago I managed to get down from 16-9 to 10-4. Anyhow, having done loads of different diets in...

This is the second time I have done orlistat. Three years ago I lost over two stone inside four months, but then got stuck (i.e started eating wrong), then started gaining, and decided it wasn't worth continuing with it because I was so much eating the wrong things. Ah, the side effects...

Hi Kit, Hope you don't me piggy- backing on your intro to add my own. I am the same height as you and would love to be 18st 10! I do know what it is like to be slim, because I was, for a few months, over a quarter of a century ago.... But only after losing over six stone. My natural shape...