I have gained almost two stone in 18 months. I can’t excercise you see.
My boobs are drooping, my bum is squidgy, my belly is bulging, my chins are sagging, my legs are like telegraph poles and those are the good bits!
What do you do?
Flo x
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The fasting diet is good if you can stick to it - I don’t follow it properly but try to manage a couple of days (when I’m busy works best, as when you’re distracted with something else, you’re less likely to be grazing) without lunch. Sad fact is, you’ve just got to reduce your calorie intake…
Jo x
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It’s basically reduce your calories and increase exercise. Flipping hard to do when you’re disabled. That’s why I’m a good couple of stone heavier than I’d like. One of these days I’ll get started on that diet …
I’m sorry if I’m about to be a bit long winded, but your post could’ve been mine, I just wish I could help in a way that’s not patronising. Have you thought of Michael Mosleys’ diet, he developed it to ward off type 2 diabetes, my sister has lost a lot of weight using this and has been trying to get me on it, but she has a long history of fad diets starting with the F Plan and has always gained back more weight than she lost and has had surgery (a tummy tuck) to make herself feel better, it didn’t work and she gained more weight.
I’m haven’t adjusted my diet to my lack of mobility in fact I know I’m getting into a low mood which is making me eat more rubbish (biscuits mainly) along with the fact that I’m not being a perfect person who always follows good advice, as a result I’m now almost 20 stone and know I’ve gained 10 pounds in 6 months, something I’ve never ever done before, my weight was slowly increasing over decades, with the exception of occasionally losing a couple of stone and gaining back a few.
But we’re all individuals so maybe a reward system (not food) might help you. Cut out biscuits for a week and then buy yourself a piece of costume jewellery, cut crisps out for a month a buy yourself a Prada handbag, reward yourself based on your own finances, I’ve been trying this week to cut down on the biscuits I’ve had the odd one or two here and there, if I can cut them out completely by the weekend and then subsequently for the whole of next week I’ve seen a rather pretty bracelet… If I fail, no bracelet! Sometimes we need carrots not sticks.
i have to say fat women like me are experts about diets because we’ve been told about every bl**dy one of em’ everyone (including me, see first comments) thinks their doing you a favour by telling you about such and such a person they know who’s lost two stone on lighter life, f plan, Atkins, Jane plan, slimming world, slim fast, or whatever diet, need I go on!
What I’m trying to remember is every biscuit is not necessary I’m not eating it because I’m hungry and need it only because I want to, but there is a price! One that I can’t really afford because my weight is complicating whether my problems are obesity or MS related, if i lose my balance and fall over was it because I’m fat? Or because I’ve got MS?
Best of luck with whatever you do when it works, it works and again I’m sorry for being so long winded
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Hi Flo,
Jo’s right I’m afraid, but I’m sure you must know that.A thing you could do is to write down exactly what your food intake is in a typical day, that also means your fluid, tea, coffee etc, & be honest! Separate your food groups into carbs, proteins etc & look at your sugar intake, sorry, the sugar is the enemy, & tot up the calories. The next step after that is to address what exactly your pattern is, ie, toast & marmalade for breakfast (dont forget to include the butter/marg if you use it), mid morning snack etc & whether the choices you have made could be healthier. I know this all sounds common sense, but its surprising what you can analyse yourself when you write it down.
I know myself how easy it is to grab something quick, & how this lovely illness restricts us, mobility wise, but a physio/dr can give you gentle exercises that can be tailored to you. You may also need to ask the question have you become depressed, another contributing factor of this wonderful illness. Worth a Drs appointment I think Flo, at least you could find out if you have anything helping you to gain weight unintentionally. Good luck Tracey
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I won’t recommend any particular diet, other than to say that you need to watch the calories. Some swear by low fat, others by low carb, others by Atkins. The eating plan has to be one that suits you and is one you can live with.
As for exercise, you could try Mr Motivator’s Move It for MS. There’s a DVD that I believe is available from MS Trust, but you will also find the exercises on YouTube. They’re broken down into segments, each being 10 - 15 minutes long. Each segment is named with the kind of exercises covered, so you can put an workout together to suit yourself.
Stop eating as much.
It’s a fact that weight is gained when more calories are consumed than are burned. I can’t exercise like I used to, as in working in my very large garden, nor can I walk on the beach. So, I eat less fattening foods but more of salads, added seeds, soups and drink more water than I used to. Added advantage is that leads to lessen any constipation and risk of UTIs.
Sitting in my chair I will still strive to move my limbs and stretch, and standing in my kitchen using the worktop for support, I stretch and bend as much as I can, even while just waiting for kettle to boil. Not exactly a ballerina I know, but at least it’s something!
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While exercise is obviously good for us, it doesn’t do a huge amount to help with weight loss and that’s more to do with how much, and what we eat. You could do worse than try the Mediterranean diet, as it is just about eating good healthy food and dead easy to follow.
The MS Trust has a range of seated exercises if that’s a possibility.
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A great link Whammel. Thanks for that.
Thank you everyone…I MEAN all of you!
You all say the same thing and I knew it anyway. Cut down the calories to less than I burn. My sedentary lifestyle means I burn very few. I worked it out once that I burn about 1600 a day so I must reduce them to 1200 or less.
The excercise link is excellent…but I can’t move my right arm, it’s kaput!
I have an idea and I’d like your help. Promising to be honest, if I put my starting weight on here tomorrow morning and every morning (once a week might be better) and log my calories / food. You will all see me dieting and you can tell me off or encourage me as appropriate.
Any of us could do that. Mutual support to get the flab off.
Would you mind? It’d probably make me do it.
Flo
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I don’t intend to be mean Florence, but aren’t there specific weight loss sites for that kind of thing?
Obviously, I along with probably everyone else wishes you well with your weight loss, but you might find a buddy with whom you could exchange each other’s dieting info?
Sue
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I don’t want to seem mean either, but to me that’s bordering on attention seeking. You know what needs to be done. You’ve even spent the time calculating, so now you have to take responsibility for your health and gain will power as you lose the pounds. I’m sure your gp can get a dietitian to help and maybe provide meal plans.
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Attention seeking…typical!
Let’s tell each other about our problems, but don’t ask for support…that’s attention seeking! And if you seek attention we’ll take the high ground and talk down our noses at you…!
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“You will all see me dieting and you can tell me off or encourage me as appropriate”.
Seriously? You are asking people to comment on your daily/weekly weigh ins. In past threads, it’s obvious you get aggressive when someone posts something you don’t like the sound of.
Who would “tell you off” for not sticking to your weight loss plan, for instance and incur your wrath?You seem to fly off the handle easily and antagonise people to the point that they “run you over” in car parks!
I don’t see how you you saw my comment as talking down my nose at you. I was being honest and would have said the same in person. I find your attitude too volatile on here and so will refrain from responding further to any of your posts. Good luck with shifting the weight.
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- It’s far to easy to put weight on isn’t it.as some say I feel that it can and does go by the amount you eat .I was what people would say"well built.Not too heavy but not slim.since my stroke in April I have no appetite what so ever my hubby gets more stressed about it than me.we both eat very healthy anyway ,you could say Mediterranean style .he follows the 5 + 2 diet anyway as he tends to put weight on easily.he follows this as he is a road biker and can do25/35 miles easily.how I wish lol .he even had the nerve to suggest we got a tandem lol.enough of jokes.try to not buy the biscuits so you won’t be tempted.no bread,butter,cheese,cream for a month.drink plenty water or low calorie juice if you can’t.don’t mean to be patronising .I know this illnesses is a pure $#+&$ but don’t get disheartened you will get there.
LOL love your descriptions.
OK how to loose weight dont go on a diet simple. People obsess way too much about dieting. Counting calories bah humbug lol.
How do i do it. Simple. I chucked away my dinner plate, and I use one a lot smaller. I still eat the same food but it has to fit on my new plate lol.
I do eat Mediterranean as i am from Italian descent.
So the first thing is breakfast. Most important meal of the day.
Always start with protein. For example: I have a slice of gluten free seeded bread with avocado spread instead of butter, and a poached egg (45seconds in microwave). I quite often will have spinach cooked so will warm up some and put a layer of that on toast first then add the egg. I have fruit, and a glass of coconut/almond milk. Each day i change it, sardines on toast, or mackerel, a low fat salmon pate, or a fruit and seed nut smoothie yum or i warm up a tin of sliced mushrooms with spinach, then take in a protein smoothie. I eat loads of fruit. Glass of water then tablets.
11am i have my one cup of coffee cappuccino, and a chocolate rice cake.
dinner/lunch is 1.30/2pm, which is whatever is cooked me, or will come from Oak house foods/wiltshire farm, or a healthy living meal, or my PA will cook me fish and rice, chicken and veggies, but it never exceeds my plate lol. My portion sizes are not very big at all, yet i am never hungry, as my body has gotten used to the size of food now.
I am in bed at 5pm and i am very very naughty. I have a pack of teddies (gluten free potato chips yum), a low fat cheese triangle, a few olives (very good for you), and then a bowl of fresh berries (blue/red etc), with a low fat yoghurt. I am STUFFED.
Thats it. I never snack in between apart from my rice cake. THE TRICK IS if you dont buy it you cant eat it. If you do need to snack, eat fruit, OR buy some bars from a company called RUDE HEALTH. They stop your craving for food and the beetroot bar is yummy sometimes i just have one of those for breakfast with my fruit. You can easily chuck in a slow cooker a well balanced meal which will be cooked in a few hours.
Its down to control really. I dont drink alcohol, or fizzy drinks, mostly water, 2 coffees, and a tin of ginger beer if i am having my sicky days.
All the above probably sounds boring, but it works. My GP is really pleased with me, says my bloods are always perfect and my weight has stayed the same for 7 years. I am perfect weight 11stone for my 5ft 8in height. Yet i cant exercise. I do keep on my feet in the day as much as i can, but i dont and have never just thought about food all the time.
I just think its best to stop thinking about calorie intake, and just eat what you need. Dont buy snacks you cant eat them, cut down your plate size, eat properly first thing, which sets you for the rest of the day.
If you want to message me your intakes etc each week i am more then happy to help you. xxxxxxxxxx
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If you want to get weight loss support the NHS has a forum that might suit you: Weight Loss Support | HealthUnlocked
Joining is free and the members are very supportive and not at all judgemental. Everyone is happy to share weight loss tips. They have weekly weigh-ins. You’ll find a weigh-in going on every day of the week, so you can pick a day that suits you. You don’t have to weigh yourself every week, of course.
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Lots of good advice. We all just eat far too much - so don’t buy cake/bread/biscuits etc. Follow the 5-2 diet - because not only will you lose weight - you will also feel energised. lts only 2 days a week - but after one of the fasting days 500cals - you fine the days you can eat what you like - you don’t - because your stomach has shrunk.
Go gluten-free all the time. Even if you are not gluten intolerant you will feel better as it prevents you from eating processed foods. Alcohol free as well. As lots of calories in alcohol and the crisps that you might eat with it.
We can all exercise - even if we are not able to stand or walk. Those little cycling machines are good, as are the Pilates rings that you put between your legs and squeeze slowly and slowly release. This tightens and works all the muscles in knees/thighs hips and bum.
The diet plans that deliver you meals - [Jane Plan ]- could be a good way of kick-starting your weightloss
And don’t ‘kid’ yourself that because nobody is watching you eat those doughnuts they will not add to your spare tyre.
l did go off the rails a bit over xmas - but once back on the old 5-2 l am losing it.
Im 64 and I mustve spent the majority of that time trying/losing/maintaining/gaining weight and thinking about it too much!
It`s metabolicly (no idea how to spell that, or if it is a real word) a lucky person who can eat whatever they like, without obsessing about it, and remains at a healthy weight.
Reading anyone`s daily intake is boring…weighing yourself everyday is boring and unhealthy…
Being inactive as a lot of us are, is part and parcel of being disabled.
It`s a chuff is what it is. A chuffin big fat chuff!!!
pollsx
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Flo, You are not alone - ------ majority of us have extra flab we could do without. lt is hard enough for us to get about without the extra un-necessary weight.
l can’t get out to shop - OH does it - so he knows not to buy biscuits/buns/cakes/crisps. l am trying to be grain/ dairy/gluten free - as it is does make you more aware of processed foods.
5-2 works well for me as l do not have much of a will-power.
Carbs are addictive - there is no way you can eat one biscuit - or doughnut without wanting to finish the packet. l
l eat scrambled/poached egg with smoked salmon or spinach [keep the frozen type in freezer]. Make lots of soup - so easy to do with all veg/split pea /lentils/ barley. Very filling.
Or smoothies - Use frozen berries/mango banana- mix green veg in with it and you will not know it is there.
On a ‘feast’ day before a ‘fasting’ day l will eat early - then on the next day for fasting l try to go as long as l can before eating - usually 2 or 3 pm. Drink lots of water as this does dampen hunger pangs. Once you done this a couple of times you will notice a difference in your energy levels - and you will look forward rather than dread these 2 days a week. No need to do them consecutively. DON’T weigh yourself. Just go by the tightness of your waistband - or pinch the flesh on your sides.
Keep off the fizzy sugary drinks - they are all bad for you even when they say sugar-free. The artificial sugar keeps on feeding your sweet-tooth.
Kate Harrison has written some good books on 5-2 Diet/Recipe Book. [amazon] And she does have a facebook group that you can join in and see what others are eating etc. So you are not alone.
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