Mortified in Boots

You are not the only one user. Many of us have put on pounds during lockdown and i am finding it hard to lose weight. I have cut back a lot and am starting to lose weight but it will take a while.

Don’t panic User you can do something about your weight but may I suggest you avoid a minimal diet as IMO it is better to take things gently. I used the NHS 12 week diet but bumped up the amount of calories as I thought I wouldn’t keep to their amount.

Why don’t you join us on the thread ‘I’m a Pear the sequel 2’. A small deducted group joined me 3 years ago and we are still going. You will find lots of support. Our latest motto is ‘Eat less for life’.

Best of luck.

I lurk on the I'm a Pear thread NanKate I can't lose weight but it gives me the impetus to not nimble and thus not put any more on!

I thought this was going to be about a new pantomime….

Just try reducing portion sizes I’d recommend. I have a friend who lost two stone that way and only put about four pounds back on during lockdown.

You are not alone User7777,i got on a set of speaker scales and it said one at a time please.
No seriously,i and many of the people i know have put weight on during lockdown,i am hoping to walk it off.

Smaller portions worked fine for me - and a walk before dinner.

I will just budge up so you can sit in this boat with an awful lot of others, me included. I don't know how old you are or what your general health is like but I would be cautious starting any fad diets or extreme exercise regimes. The bottom line is eat less of the bad foods (and we know what they are), more of the good, keep hydrated and exercise more. A walk each day, an exercise bike or swimming a couple of times a week may be where to start. Good luck.

Your relative is concerned for you and well done to them for using the opportunity whilst in Boots.

For some reason it is considered rude to tell someone that they have put on weight.

It’s even considered rude to tell a friend that their dog is overweight!

Since being overweight can shorten your life, none of this apparent rudeness makes any sense.

I have noticed that friends in their late 80s and 90s are all slender. Mmm....must stop eating chocolate.

Very true AGA A generation whose mantra was everything in moderation. One my mother and her friends lived by, never over indulging and treats on occasion otherwise, according to them, it ruined the figure.

Eat less and move more user7777. Although it's easier said than done.
I'm in the same position, but unfortunately lack the willpower. I try from time to time, but it isn't easy.
My Granny used to say that when a woman reaches a certain age, she needs a bit of weight about her.
She was a wise woman.

My mum always said when you get older you have to choose between widen or wizen or face or figure. If you’re too skinny your face suffers. I’m following your advice, Mum!

It’s all about just getting that happy medium I suppose, being happy within yourself whatever your figure.

I'm another in favour of reducing portion sizes. It becomes a way of life and not a hardship. I seldom have a meal nowadays other than when I'm socialising. Mostly snacks at all times. Try to lose something like 1lb a week. Often stays off better that way than a quick (and tortuous) fix.

I put on half a stone during lockdown but have luckily lost 6lbs of it up to now,previously I had lost 3st over a 2 year period using the NHS small plate option,I got rid of my standard plates and now use over sized side plates or the oblong sandwich plates for my meals always filling up with veg and salads which are in season,I got rid of white bread and crisps and have the occasional baked potato it works well for me.I find a glass of water before meals helps you feel full plus its good for your skin.

AGAA4

I have noticed that friends in their late 80s and 90s are all slender. Mmm....must stop eating chocolate.

My mum, who died at 92, was always plump until her later years, when she was probably about 8 stone.

She had a small appetite by then, and like many of that age, just became frailer and more bird-like.

The ageing process I suppose.

MiL has put on weight in her 90s because she has become inactive.
It's the mix of eating healthier and moving about more which keeps us fit. So why am I sitting here having a cup of tea and several chocolate biscuits when I could be out on a nice walk.....?

Good luck to you us all User

I put on weight really easily because of restricted mobility. I found a fasting diet online - not extreme, really easy and it works. You pick three days a week (not consecutive) where you stick to 500 calories or less on those days. The rest of the time you try to keep slightly under the recommended 2000/2500 calories a day depending on whether you’re male or female, although I had to reduce the calorie intake on ‘normal’ days a bit to account for not being able to move around as much. I found that the weight came off at a sensible rate, which means you’re more likely to keep it off. After I got to my target weight, I now eat normally, reserving one day a week to restrict to 500 calories. I find that this controls my weight and if I put on a few pounds I just increase the fasting days to two a week until the weight comes off. I realise this wouldn’t work for everyone, but it does for me.

@glammanana. Your tip about the glass of water before a meal is borne out by my mum’s dietician. Mum is 90 and has dementia - it affects the part of her brain controlling appetite and her weight has fallen dramatically since diagnosis. Mum tends to drink quite a bit of liquid and one of the first things the dietician advised was not to drink water close to meal times as it fills the stomach and reduces appetite.

I would love to lose a bit of weight but haven't the willpower to cut down or cut out my favourite treats. I love ice cream lollies and have one every evening. A cake every day. I am being good with chocolate though. I don't eat so much these last couple of months.
I've been naughty and bought a two pack box of cheese twists from a well known foodhall on Friday. They're to die for. A box and a bit left today.
I have a dollop of mayonnaise with most meals and in sandwiches.
Yet my sister can eat all the fattening foods and is as thin as a rake.
Are you sure your relative didn't put her foot on the back of the scale when you were on it to put the weight up User7777.
I had that done to me once on my bathroom scales. He was standing behind me.

Sorry - posted to soon. Meant to say that since we have reduced her liquid intake to the dietician recommended level, mum’s appetite has actually improved, so the problem in reverse, bears out what you said.

@Sharon103. I have the same weaknesses as you !! Unfortunately it’s the fat content in food that gives it that rich taste. I replaced the ice cream lollies with the ‘be good to yourself’ ones from Sainsburys and I’ve forsaken cream cakes for home made ones using less fattening and healthier ingredients - reduced fat carrot cake has become a firm favourite. You can also get some quite good reduced fat mayo - the Heinz seriously good is my favourite. It does take some getting used to, but with a bit of willpower you retrain your taste buds, so in time you get used to the reduced fat options. I’ve never really been a choccie freak, but I do quite like the very dark varieties, which tend to be lower in fat anyway.

I don't believe in diets as they're not sustainable. I just keep to smaller portions as others have said, no snacking between meals & plenty of exercise. Also allow yourself a little treat, say a couple of squares of chocolate, after dinner as life's too short to not have treats, but don't go mad. Works for me and I don't even notice it anymore.

Thank you all. I feel better now. I asked my relative to weigh me. I have multiple health issues, so she had to stand nearby incase I fell off. She also only pressed buttons when the speaking weigh machine asked us too. Top volume in Boots. I knew I was much bigger since lockdown started. This pandemic has a lot to answer for, as most of us would go out freely before it started , thereby having more exercise. George Bernard Shaw, the writer, only ate 1,000 calories a day. He was stick thin. I only wish I could walk more, but I would need rescuing, when I couldn't keep going. I do try to do a bit of gardening. But I collapse in a chair, if I do to much. I am determined. Asking her to weigh me once a month. Will let you know how I fare.