Is dieting necessary

Just looked at the smart bmi.

Wow! But I guess it is really saying the same as the doctor.

So I’m 73
12st 12lb
5ft 7 inch

So in healthy range for age etc. No need to diet, but eat healthily and keep fit

Good to know isn’t it?

I've just done an NHS BMI calculator thingy. Mine is 23.4. I think that's OK.

What I find irritating is the assumption that if you think your weight is above what it ought to be and would like it to be less, then you become dieting and food obsessed, can think of nothing else, cannot eat normally and are miserable and unhappy.

Like many I put on a coiple of stone during and after the menopause. I also found, like most, my usual calorie counting and up the exercise for a couple of weeks to lose itsystem I had previously used did not work anymore.

But although I wanted to lose the weight, I wasn't obsessed by it, I didn't 'hate' my body. I wasn't always worying about food, what not to eat, what to eat. I was quite happy even though I had gained weight but a couple of times a year, I would have another go at losing weight. I was reduced to trying a couple of 'name' diest. The Atkin's diet made me ill. A vegan diet, after a fortnight, had me eying next door's cat speculatively.

Then when it came out I tried the 5:2 diet - and to my amazement, it worked for me. I lost the two stone and I found out then that the extra weight had been causing me health problems because my indigestion disappeared, my knees stopped aching and my blood pressure that had been creeping up, went back to where it used to be.

You can be modestly over weight, keeping an eye on it and hoping to lose it and also enjoying life.

Until seven years ago I would have pretty much agreed with this. Then I had a successful and sustained weight loss and, without doubt, my sense of wellbeing has increased enormously. I was happy but undoubtedly somewhat unfit. My improved state of fitness has added a healthier and fun element to my life that I hadn't even realised was missing.

Kim19* I was fortunate that I have always been a fit active person, so that aspect of my life remained unchanged.

You're so right, Monica. Fact is I was active too but I was aware of feeling puffed out when doing a steep hill and running for a bus (not that I do that!!) was out of the question. I now play crazy and sustained action with GC with joy (and even win the odd race!). They're only 7 (the initial motivation!) and 5 and I feel this race result is about to change. I haven't ever found a formulaic diet that worked for me (well done you, in that) but eating less of everything has been my solution. My only downside has been that many of the clothes I truly loved no longer fit.

I think what is coming out of this discussion is that we all have different attitudes to our bodies and our weight. Before my recent weight loss, my weight had been steady for many years but I was worried about my knees and my blood pressure. I don’t think I’d realised how overweight I looked (I’m only 5 ft) till I lost the weight. I think my GD will always think of me as the ‘cuddly’ grandma but that’s probably not a bad way to be remembered.
Can I just say that there is one disadvantage to losing weight when you’ve been the same weight for many years? It’s very expensive. I’ve had to get rid of almost all my clothes including those standbys like black evening trousers that one trots out on the odd occasion when they are needed. I have shrunk back into the odd outfit but most clothes need replacing. I’m going for fewer, slightly better quality clothes but my wardrobe is half empty.

I am pretty active, and have just come back from doing some walking on the South West footpaths in Cornwall. This involved some very steep hills. Of course I got puffed, if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have been exercising my heart.

Being puffed is essential to good cardiac exercise.

until the day you drop dead from it

Sorry!

I might go for a gentle ride on my bicycle.

gonegirl ? honestly!!!

Whitewave I'm interested in your advice as a pre-diabetic. I cut out all sugar, no effort really as I don't really like cakes etc but I find it difficult to cut out carbs as I am a vegetarian and my diet is mainly potatoes, bread and pasta!

Alima, thanks for the Smart BMI thing. It appears I'm only overweight and not obese. Yay!

I struggle to keep my weight in check. Just watch what I eat and try to exercise by walking/cycling and not using the car unless I have to. It seems to work keeping BMI just under 25 and annual full blood test to spot anything early enough to take action. BP normal taken using own machine every month or so.
Minimum sugar and fat.

I am tall and until I had breast cancer at the age of 52 I was never overweight. On Tamoxifen and I put on 6st in 6 months so had to live on a diet so as not to put on any more. Since then it has been one diet after another but still very overweight. This year as a result of the Tamoxifen not doing it's job I have bone matastases on my spine which is not not curable but treatable. They said I would lose weight with the chemo but I have only lost 1st. I hardly eat anything now yet I am not losing weight. But I am hoping having the extra weight will help when having more chemo. Just wish I could be more active

Don’t worry about weight unless it is life threatening. Be happy in your own skin. Yes I’d like to be slightly slimmer but if I fancy chocolate or biscuit or cake I have it. Life’s too short to worry, could die tomorrow from an idiot driver running me down!

When you diet you tend to gain twice as much as you took off. Diets don’t work, only a change of eating habits for the rest of your life.

I would hate my obituary to say “she died on a diet” ?

bluesky

Dr. Mosely, his 8 week diet I think it was called but google no carb diet and it will come up and you can get everything from there.

You can do it on line, but have to pay.

But DH followed it strictly for a period and was clear in a very short time. Even certain fruits were banned

It’s a pain to follow at the time but diabetes isn’t good news.

We eat carbs now. But still no sugar, cake, biscuits, puddings except special occasions

daisyboots best wishes for your treatment.

If anyone wants to do the low carb diet I would suggest that they visit the Diabetes UK website. The key is not just to do low carb but also have extra fat in the diet . I know it seems odd but it is essential to have more good fats, i.e butter , olive oil, full fat milk and cream to stop the hunger pangs. My OH was told that he had type 2 diabetes . He has been on this for some time now, has lost a huge amount of weight. He no longer has diabetes, he can walk for miles and takes no meds.The important thing is to cut out sugar and carbs but keep up the dairy produce and olive oil.

The body doesn't use muscle up when on this diet but actually burns off fat in the body. please don't think that, when done properly, you will lose muscle. .

He still does the diet because he genuinely feels better when on it.

Thank you Whitewave2.
It's a horrible time but determined to live a lot longer yet.

Ahh...but what is your BF?

I have full fat everything, pasta, bread (usually rye, soda or mixed seeded wholemeal, croissants) in fact the whole range of foods except red meat, game fowl and shellfish (which I dislike)
I have two consecutive fasting days when I have clear liquids only: oxo, tap water and flavoured bottled water.
I feel lighter and cleaner after doing 2 days on the trot.
On eating days, I have breakfast at 10ish and dinner at 6pm. No lunch. Possibly a handful of almonds or walnut halves and limit my drinks to 2 cappuccinos but unlimited water.
I'm now 10st 12 and don't plan to lose any more weight.
I started back running last week and do 90mins plus I plan to do some weights in a weeks time then back to using my 1.5kg weighted hula-hoop.
IMO, it's no good losing weight without working the muscles to tighten things up, otherwise (unless you're really young) you're left with flab. Not a good idea. ??

daisyboots ?

I don't think the intention of this thread was for bragging about weight loss and running around with a hula hoop.