My weight loss journey. (Obesity)

Member Name: Donnabroom

Product:	Obesity
Date:	23/05/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I will be thinner!

Disadvantages: It will be hard work - but worth it!

Member's advice on weight loss:

(Update: Week One: 8th June 2009):

Well now week one is over and I have lost 5lbs! I am really happy with that and it is has spurred me on to keep going and not slip back into my old habits. I have been desperate to weigh myself every day just to see if any more weight has come off but I have managed to wait a week and I am glad I did.

Although I set a start date I found that in the days running up to it I was naturally exercising more and eating less. I seem to have done a good job of convincing myself that this is what I want and that I am going to succeed. At the moment I think that may be the key to success, a positive attitude as clichéd as that sounds!

I was expecting to be hungry constantly but I really haven't been and the thought of most of the junk I would eat actually makes me feel a bit queasy now! I am really enjoying this diet and generally taking better care of myself and my depression seems to be better than normal too. I guess that is partly down to having a better diet and partly because I am taking control of my life and doing something positive that is just for me.

5lbs may not seem a lot but it has already made a difference. My clothes are looser than they were and I have more energy. I have been naturally more active doing housework, exercise and generally buzzing round like a mad thing. My house is spotless and I have done so much cross stitch and crafting as well as the odd review and lots of reading. How can I not be happier?!

I played my first round of golf too, (all 18 holes and over 3 miles of walking), which was so awesome. Golf may look like a boring, old man sport but I couldn't have enjoyed it more. I played at a golf club in Clevedon in North Somerset which has the most amazing scenery. Part of it is really 'countryside', all fields, ponds and a river and beautiful farm houses in the distance and part of it is literally right on the seaside. It was breathtaking and I didn't realise I was walking further than I have in many years. It is great exercise for your whole body too; swinging those clubs round is really hard work especially when you consider that I took about 30 odd swings per hole because I am rubbish! (Actually I am not that bad, my drive is straight and I actually got two holes one over par).

Something that has really helped is you guys' support, it is so nice that people care and having that support really makes a difference. I would recommend writing a blog or an op on here to anyone loosing weight as then you are not doing it alone. My Mum, the other half and my friends are great too, they are even eating healthier and exercising with me which means they will be 'buff' before too long as they really don't have the weight to loose.

Something I have found tricky is drinking all that water; I hate water and especially the smell. Most people claim they cannot smell water but I can and it makes me feel sick. Drinking bottled water helps but I don't agree with it on an environmental level, (transporting all that water really does waste fuel, the plastic packaging has an enormous environmental impact and the energy used in the process is unjustifiable), so I will be buying a water filter soon to see if that helps the problem at all.

The heat was tough too, who wants to exercise in boiling weather? When you are overweight the heat seems to affect you more and I was really getting out of puff quite quickly, at least it made me thirsty enough to drink all that water!

I haven't been sleeping well, which I think is because I just have so much more energy than normal and I seem to be mentally more active too. I am not tired though so maybe I just don't need all that sleep! Hopefully it will level out and I will be able to get a good six hours a day.

Well there is not much more to say this week the next update will be 15th June after two weeks. I have my monthly lady problem approaching so that will be interesting as I always get bloated, crave chocolate and become especially sluggish around that time of the month so we will have to see how it goes.

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(Original Review):

I have a heck of a lot of weight to loose. I have put so much on due my illness, (agoraphobia), which means I don't go out and I just sit around getting bored the whole time which leads to snacking! I also have no willpower and I do all the food shopping! It's got to the stage now where I am getting a bad back and cramp in my legs so I want to get in shape as quickly as is safely possible.

I have another reason to loose weight as well, I have decided to work hard to overcome my agoraphobia and in three years I will be going on the holiday of a life-time; first Houston in Texas, then a road-trip to Mexico, then Cuba, then back to Mexico where I will be flying to New Zealand, then across to Brisbane next will be a stop-off in Singapore before a long weekend in Amsterdam and then home! (We want to see and experience some of the things we've always wanted to before we start a family). I want to be comfortable in airline seats so I have to shift my backside, literally!

I thought I would write this op as I go along and update weekly; I thought this would be the best way to convey the journey to you and would also make me stick to the plan as well; I don't want you all to read that I've put weight on! Lol! By the way I won't be happy to tell you how much I weigh, instead I'll put how much I loose each week and let you know at the end my new, healthy weight! Sorry if it seems like a cop-out but I'm fairly ashamed of the state I've let myself get in.

Along the way I'll be adding other "reviews" on to here of products I have used and even recipes I have found to be good. Hopefully combined they will be useful to anyone needing to loose weight!

I'm obviously not a doctor or a dietician so this is just what I am doing and my advice. If you have a lot of weight to loose or your BMI is over 30 then you should see a doctor before dieting.

Okay, the first step of any plan is, well, planning! Here's what I intend to do before my diet starts:

1) Set a start date.

This lets you work up to the diet and start a fresh. I am choosing Monday 1st June 2009. Psychologically a Monday is a good day as the start of a new week, the perfect time for a new start. Don't make the mistake of binging everyday until your start date, you'll just have to work harder, instead start cutting back on the problem products, (mine are chocolate, bread, cheese and energy drinks), so it's less of a shock to the system!

2) Find out your exact weight and your BMI:

Pop to Boots or your doctor's surgery and get an accurate weight taken. You can use this to ensure your home scales are accurate. Use your home scales to give you a weekly loss amount but every couple of months get re-weighed using the professional scales so you can keep an eye on your weight accurately. You can work out your BMI using your height and weight at lots of sites online, most will also tell you what a healthy BMI for your height is. Write these numbers down in a notebook and update them regularly.

I'm going to take monthly photos, (one close up and one full body shot), and then stick them in my notebook so I can see the weight coming off. This is useful because you will not notice the weight coming off but seeing the photos will make it more obvious so you can see the reward of all your hard work.

3) Tell the people close to you:

Make sure everyone around you knows you are loosing weight and that you taking it seriously. Tell them that trying to tempt you will not be appreciated and that you need their support. Most people will be fine with this. It can be embarrassing but it's important that people at work aren't going to be waving a cake in your face and saying, "go on, it won't hurt", because it will!

4) Bin the junk:

The night before your start date throw away any junk food that is lying around! Bin the crisps, chocolate etc that you won't be eating. Obviously you can have the odd treat but these need to be structured into your eating plan and having loads of snacks around will test your willpower too much, if the kids/other half have snacks keep them in a plastic tub with their names or even a picture of them on so you know to stay away! Also hide the take-away menus so they are not in your face; if every time you go to the fridge you see your favourite take-away menu, just hanging there, you may cave in!

5) De-clutter:

This is a great tip that will really help if you can manage it. Go through all your clothes and get rid of all the ones that don't suit you or that you don't wear or that just don't fit. Give them to charity, sell them on eBay, or recycle them. If they are really past it bin them. I have a load that I am salvaging for quilt making! Freecycle is a good place to get rid of things like that. Don't make the mistake of keeping things that are too small because you will loose weight and they will fit you again, they will be a weight around your neck and you will be frustrated when you can't fit into them after a week or so! If they are nice then sell them and keep the money for your new wardrobe when you are skinny, lol, after all one of the benefits of loosing weight is new clothes!

Clearing out the rest of your stuff will also help you clear your mind. It's good exercise too and the result will be a lovely clean house! Be ruthless and you will feel better for it.

6) Fill up your day:

Plan activities for your spare time, this will help avoid boredom which can lead to snacking. I have a pile of cross-stitching to do, a huge list of reviews planned, I am going to watch all of my DVDs and review them, I will try to do more surveys and I am going to keep on top of the house-work too! With all that I will be busy and hopefully, too busy to get bored and hungry! Going for a walk is great too as it is good exercise but not being able to go out I will have to make do with my Wii!

7) Sort out your eating plan:

I have got all the calorie amounts for my favourite food and drink written down, for instance my black coffee contains 5.4 calories. This is useful and there are loads of websites that feature this information. I have managed to plan a pizza and a lasagne that are within my calorie limits so I will still be able to eat my favourite food! I think it's a good idea to start the plan in the summer when eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables won't be such a chore.

It's also a good idea to plan your first few week's meals out; after a while you will be able to prepare food on the fly but while you are getting used to the plan structured "menus" should help. Loads of web-sites have low calorie recipes.

I am using Slimfast because I am a nightmare when it comes to making food for me during the day, I just don't see the point on going to that effort for just me: I just end up eating crap!

8) Sort out your exercise plan:

Get a DVD or two or find some exercises on the net. Try to pick exercises that you will enjoy or you won't be motivated to keep it up. If you want to go to the gym that is cool but don't bother paying out all that money of you aren't going to go. Something like a Wii fit or a piece of gym equipment is great if you have the money and space. Skipping is something I intend doing, a rope is cheap and it's great exercise too. There are lot's of things you can do to burn calories, for instance, hovering uses approximately 40-60 calories per fifteen minutes depending on your weight and climbing stairs uses approximately 200 calories per fifteen minutes!

9) Start using a good moisturiser:

When you loose weight your skin needs to shrink back to fit your new body so keep it well moisturised and elastic so that it will! Something like bio oil will help minimise stretch marks too.

General pampering will help improve your mood as well as making your body look as good as possible. It's important to build a positive relationship with your body while you are loosing weight.

So that's the fist step done. I am all ready and waiting for June 1st. I am quite excited actually, wish me luck!

(I will update on June 8th after a week of my diet).

Summary: My weight loss journey.