Overweight and trying to do something about it

mappeal67

Hello there,

I live in London and am in my late 40s.

I have been feeling heavy and lethargic for a while now but I weighed myself two weeks ago and found that I am two stone (28lbs) overweight. What a depressing bit of information!
Anyway, I'm now trying to cut down on my food intake, using the MyFitnessPal app - reducing my calories to 1,500 per day - and I'm increasing my activity.

I've got the NHS Couch to 5K app and I'm attempting to follow the programme (though it's a tough one!).

I lost less than 1lb last week, which was a bit discouraging but I'm going to stick with it. At least it was going in the right direction.

Now it's Lent, I'm giving up cakes and sweets - which to be fair I should be giving up anyway, but it's added motivation.

I've also been reading the Marie Kondo book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up' and have started to put some of her ideas into practice.

So, it sounds like I'm having a mid-life crisis - which is probably true - but it feels positive, so I don't care!

I hope these forums will provide motivation and tips, and I hope I can contribute to them positively. 'Together' makes it easier to achieve goals, than 'Alone'.

Therealobi1

Hiyah 40+ Londoner here too
Just keep at it and you wont regret it. Log as accurately as you can
I lost my weight by sticking to this site
good luck

mikewilliamsjr

I feel your pain! I'm 44 and probably carrying an extra 25-30 lbs. I'm currently trying to get 15 of them off to get myself in better condition for hiking season. I've got some mountains to climb this year, but don't see myself getting very far the way I am right now.

Good luck!

TheLittleRedHairedGirl

My advice is to log everything. The good, the bad and the ugly. Weigh and measure your food and try for balanced nutrition so your actually feeding your body the nutrients it needs to function properly and help you loose weight. I'm also a huge believer in staying hydrated. Drink as much water as you can. MFP has a water glass at the bottom of your food log, every time you drink one, add it. In doing this you can look back at your history and see how far you've come, what worked, what didn't, where you need to tweak things. Good luck to you!

mappeal67

Wow, speedy responses. Thank you all for the messages and tips. Very much appreciated!

runsonrabbitfood

Hey there Mappeal!

Couch to 5k apps are awesome. I downloaded one on a whim a little two years ago and gradually fell head over heels with running ever since. Seeing the progress you make in the weeks, months, years to come is very addicting. And don't ever think you're not cut out for it. When I first started, I could barely run 60 seconds without feeling like I wouldn't make it to the walking portion. You'll be amazed at how swiftly you progress. You can DO IT!

I also read the Kondo book and have found that a more minimalistic lifestyle has allowed me to focus more on the things that I love and enjoy in life. Having less 'stuff' is definitely awesome, but I found applying the same ideas to other aspects of my life has greatly increased my happiness. Focusing on the hobbies that bring me the most joy as opposed to too many has helped me progress in a way that I feel the most accomplished.

If you want any cheer-leading feel free to add me - I'm always happy to meet people who are also pursuing the healthiest, happiest version of themselves. The journey is neverending :]

sfenste

Eastern PA reaching out! I'm not so much focused on the end number as I am the journey to get there. The end number is too daunting but a weekly number of 1-2 lbs seems achievable. I just started using MFP Jan 8 and I hit the 9 lb mark last Friday. All I did was watch calories....haven't even introduced regular exercise yet. For me, it's one step at a time. I know exercise comes next but as a busy working mom of 3 teenagers, I knew I would quickly overwhelm myself if I jumped in too deep, too quickly. If you want an "accountability buddy", add me to your list!

mappeal67

Thank you both.
I'm still trying to work out how to add people as friends, it's not very intuitive or I've got no intuition!