I've joined slimming world

Just for once, a serious thread from me. Today, well this evening I joined slimming world. Around christmas I went to the doctors because I was having chest pains, after having a few blood tests and so on thankfully it was confirmed that I didn't have any heart conditions.

But my Doctor's advice was to loose some weight because at nearly 18 stone I'm a touch too heavy even though I am rather tall. Also with the fact that heart conditions among other things run in the family it would also benefit my asthma.

My Dad had joined a month or two beforehand and at the time I guess I wasn't in the right frame of mind, what with working silly hours with it being christmas time and with other things going on my head just wasn't in the right place, I think I was too stressed and too tired to really care about a few extra pounds of weight here and there.

Anyway fastfoward to a few weeks ago when I could see that him going to slimming world was doing him some good, he was less moody, less tired amd above all a much nicer person to be around, so I went and the did the same today.

I think the scary thing for me is that in a year I've put on a stone and a half in weight. I remember this time last year was just a touch over 17 stone, when I weighed in today on an accurate scales I was 18 and a half stone !!

I've always been a big chap, but what with the chest pains (although they were nothing serious, I think I had a warning) and the fact that if I carry on eating crap I'll be eating myself into an early grave.

I'm hoping to get down to 14 stone, I'd be happy at 14 and a half, which is where I was when I was 18.

It'll be nice to fit back into some of my favorite shirts that when I put them on now I pretty much burst out of them.

Not quite sure why I posted this, but meh, I guess seeing as we are all mates here I'm sure I won't be mocked, or trolled, much ;)

Good Luck mate. I keep telling myself to start too! hopefully after exams, it will spur me on!

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Originally Posted by Behemoth

I guess seeing as we are all mates here I'm sure I won't be mocked, or trolled, much ;)

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Good on you. I'm not going to lie though, the post still had a satirical edge :D

Lots of luck fella. Lot of respect for the decision, more for sticking to it.

One of my friends went on a diet recently (past few months), he +6ft but was clearly overweight.

I think he did a soup for lunch style diet and controlled eating and he's now literally half the man he used to be; whole new wardrobe of clothes required. But he's much better for it.

So, good for you and best of luck.

Well, good luck. It can work, but the cynic in me says that if these 'slimming clubs' (and I include WeightWatchers, Rosemary Conley etc.) really worked for most people, they wouldn't have a viable business model. Over the years my wife has spent several hundred, and probably £1000+ on them and I don't think she's ever been under 12 stone.

If you can, start cycling to work- you see the odd fat cyclist, but not many. And if you can't, and if you're going nowhere on the diet plan, try Stronglifts. I didn't lose any weight- in fact I went from a BMI of 23 to 26- but it works:). I had to eat a lot to manage that weight gain.

Lifting rules:). You have to ask yourself whether you want to be thin, or fit:).

Im trying to work off the belly for the summer (and in general obv). I would be fine if it wasnt for alcohol (im 18, surrounded by friends back from uni - its hard!). In my mind, once you know what to do (that strong lifts link sounds pretty good, i do a similar thing to see what works for me, doing more cv atm as well as im scuba diving for a month) then cutting out alcohol is what it really takes!

Good work that man!

Half the problem is admitting that there is one...

I've been "watching what I eat" for a couple of weeks now, just starting to lose a bit. Really need to get fit though... need some motivation really.

Can you keep us posted ? I'd be genuinely interested to hear how they work and if it is effective.

Good luck, as long as you stick to it then it will work.

My other half joined slimming world a few months after having Emma to help lose the weight put on whilst she was pregnant. It has really worked for her. Not only that but the way in which it works means you can still eat things you like and as often as you like.

Most of our meals these days come from her slimming world cook books, they are really nice and very healthy. As long as you write down what you are having and stick to the rules then it does work without being a tiresome bore.

Good luck and just keep the focus!

Gained quite a bit of weight too myself due to injuries sustained in the last few years, thinking about shifting some later when I fully recover.

*Welcome to the "s**t fast" plan :)

Red days, green days - you'll soon see the weight loss grinning at you from the porcelein.

Got a dog? Get one, one hour walk every day and it flies off - elderly neighbour with a dog? Borrow it for walkies, dog needs walk every day, there's the motivation.

*i'm on it by proxy via the missus.

Do you get one of those big cardboard cutouts of yourself to compare with in 6months time?..

These clubs are good for moral support but as mentioned, if they wprked they'd soon be out of business. A good thing to do is write down EVERYTHING you eat, and I mean everything, you'd be suprised (or maybe you wouldn't) at what goes down your gullet. I did this for a month & it really makes you cut down, simple changes and all that :)

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Originally Posted by tiggerai

need some motivation really.

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Make yourself do a good workout for a couple of days. After that I always find myself motivated to eat better, exercise more and generally be buzzing around the place and in a good mood :)

you want to be motivated? start adventure racing - nothing else out there quite like it, esp as is team based. You train because a) you have a goal and b) you don't want to let your team mates down. A lot of fun, and you get fit fit

:)

lot of videos on youtube about, and all sorts of races, from a few hours to multi day expedition races. www.sleepmonsters.co.uk be a good place to find out what is happening in your neighbourhood

Well, I myself have been on a bit of a fitness journey this last 12 months. Thought I might post my little story as it may offer some encouragement.

Basically 12 months ago I was a very lazy individual, I was lucky, I had a hot girlfriend and I didn't give too much of a monkeys about my appearence. Anyway, that went tits up and she moved out so I realised id have to do something about my body if I ever wanted to get any action ever again.

Just so you can see what im on about, here is me at the beginning of 2009 :

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...32115_8810.jpg

And this is me a couple of months ago and about 4 stone lighter than the previous pic :

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._7645631_n.jpg

I did it by really controlling how much I ate each day, weighing myself on digital scales daily and loads of excercise. For me squash worked great (was playing 3 times a week, now down to 2) but ive also started playing 5 a side once a week and for the first time since i was a teenager I went running this week. Really surprised myself as I was able to complete 3.5 miles no problem totally leaving my friend in the dust (and she was saying on facebook how she was gonna run me into the ground, lol). So there you go, you can do it, if I can do it, anybody can definately. I also bought some dumbells which I use to work my arms and shoulders each day and some press ups.

Tell you another thing, once you push past the first few weeks, once you start to see those results it really keeps you going, these days I really quite enjoy getting my kit off and showing off my body now its worth looking at :D

So yeah man, go for it and definately be sure to find some excersice you like doing because dieting on its own won't do anything (I know, id tried it before).

All I can say is best of luck to ya! I really hope you manage to stick with it.

I too am on a diet at the moment, as the last year or my new business with long hours sitting behind a desk, and not doing much else has really caused me to put weight on. I'm now making sure that no matter how busy things are that I'm leaving time for exercise, as well as cutting down on what I take in. Only really started, so no huge improvements, other than just feeling better in myself.

My dad used to do the slimming world thing... and he used to lose a fair bit... he never got slim though, but that was down to alot of stress at work and whatnot...

I'm losing a bit of weight by watching what i eat and exercising with a girlfriend... before all i did was work infront of a computer and then sit and play cod all night.. i put on so much weight :(

like yourself i was touching 18 stone... that was at the start of the year...

with no real thought i've lost a stone since christmas :)

hopefully I can get back into swimming regularly too and that'll help get it off :)

good luck to you sir :)

Very happy you have taken the first step.

However, don't just rely on Slimming World.

Research online and get more information. Lots and lots of information on the net.

Just need some determination and patience and you will be alright! It is just like building a comp but a little longer.

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Originally Posted by chadders

*Welcome to the "s**t fast" plan :)

Red days, green days - you'll soon see the weight loss grinning at you from the porcelein.

Got a dog? Get one, one hour walk every day and it flies off - elderly neighbour with a dog? Borrow it for walkies, dog needs walk every day, there's the motivation.

*i'm on it by proxy via the missus.

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Where do you get that idea from? It is nothing to do with eating meat one day and veg the next of that is what you think?

You eat normal stuff, the red and green bit just helps you balance the amounts you are having. The dinners Jen cooks are just like what anyone would normally make.

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Originally Posted by 99Flake

Where do you get that idea from? It is nothing to do with eating meat one day and veg the next of that is what you think?

You eat normal stuff, the red and green bit just helps you balance the amounts you are having. The dinners Jen cooks are just like what anyone would normally make.

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where did he say they were meat days and veg days?

red days and green days are days in which you can eat meats (along with your veg) and green days when you eat no meat (and veg) but can have things like quorn to replace the meat if you want...

My missus just joined again, it does work if you stick to it and going with someone you know helps as you instantly have someone to talk to. She made the mistake of thinking that without going she could stick to it and she put almost all the weight back on she lost last time.

Way I found worked for me was betting. I got up to 20 and a half stone at christmas, had the chest pains, wheezing after a short walk, the lot. My mates dad was 18 stone.

I have to get down to 18 stone within a few months, he has to get down to 16 stone in the same time frame. £30 from both of us goes into the pot, if one of us misses our target the other gets the money, if we both hit our target then we put another £30 in the pot and set a new target.

Not tried fad diets, not taken up an extensive excercise regime, just watched what I eat. No more kebabs, weekly KFC's on a Friday, used to think nothing of going through a whole bar of Cadbury's in a single sitting while watching the box. Now down to 17 stone 12lbs and still dropping.

It is a case of finding something that works for you, Slimming World does work for people, but some people will stop going and put all the weight back on which is why they are still in business. The way I have done it has been quite easy so far, and once I stop putting money on it I am confident that I can continue to lose weight as I have made a fundamental change to the way I eat and it is easy for me to keep it up and the results speak for themself.

It can be looked at like an addiction, the first step is admitting you have a problem, I always said I didn't really care about my weight (I have the "I am the Stig's fat cousin" T-Shirt and I am proud to wear it :)) but now that I have lost over 10% of it I know I did and I know I still have at least another 3+ stone to go, but it will be worth it. Just stick with it and you'll start seeing the results, both physically and the way you feel about yourself.

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Originally Posted by mmh

where did he say they were meat days and veg days?

red days and green days are days in which you can eat meats (along with your veg) and green days when you eat no meat (and veg) but can have things like quorn to replace the meat if you want...

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I didn't say that he did say that. I said that he may be thinking that, as it is a common misconception that is all, and it would explain why he would think it would make you spend your life on the porcelain throne!

I wasn't having a go, I was just trying to point out that, unlike other diets, it doesn't actually have any real side effects. It is one of the better ways of dieting.

I might add that I have never been on a diet in my life, so I am not sticking up for it because it has worked for me. More that I eat the same food as my other half and I don't find myself feeling the need to eat more, so it must be doing something right.

The one thing it does rely on is willpower and not eating crap like takeaways etc.

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Originally Posted by Madafwo

I have to get down to 18 stone within a few months, he has to get down to 16 stone in the same time frame. £30 from both of us goes into the pot, if one of us misses our target the other gets the money, if we both hit our target then we put another £30 in the pot and set a new target.

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The bet thing worked for me, plus I swapped all the food I ate for healthier options (semi-skimmed milk for skimmed etc) and went on a couple of one hour walks a week. I also cut out chocholate, sweets and crisps.

Knocked off four stones in less than 18 months.

My intention is to keep this thread updated with how well I'm doing etc.

To be honest I was already eating the food at home anyway because as I said my Dad is doing it and shedding the weight, its just when I go out to a mates place or have a night out that what I eat differs from what I do at home, and thats where I was putting the weight on.

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Originally Posted by simonfitba

The bet thing worked for me, plus I swapped all the food I ate for healthier options (semi-skimmed milk for skimmed etc) and went on a couple of one hour walks a week. I also cut out chocholate, sweets and crisps.

Knocked off four stones in less than 18 months.

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I used to consumer copious amounts of nesquik, at least 3/4 pints of the stuff a day, swapped that for a decent brew without sugar now. Still have crisps on almost a daily basis, generally 2 packets a day to be honest, but watching ones with a high saturated fat content helps. So far done over 2 and a half stone in under 3 months.

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Originally Posted by Behemoth

My intention is to keep this thread updated with how well I'm doing etc.

To be honest I was already eating the food at home anyway because as I said my Dad is doing it and shedding the weight, its just when I go out to a mates place or have a night out that what I eat differs from what I do at home, and thats where I was putting the weight on.

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In situations like that all you can do is use common sense. I know that when I go down to Brighton for a weekend it is going to be difficult for me to keep to the same foods as when I am in Manchester but I just use better portion control. Still go out for meals with the family if I'm down but I wont go for the super bloater meal like I used to.

Keeping a log of it, either in a food diary or a place like this, does work. I know that taunting my mates dad with the prospect of paying me £30 keeps my motivation up, and his too, as he really doesn't like losing.

Well it was my first weigh in this week since joining, and thus far I've lost half a stone :D

The biggest change for me is not having bread at all or cereal for brekfast. Instead I'm having a cooked brekfast everyday which I have to say is really nice :) I'm eating alot more fruit than I used to, I'm eating at least a couple of apples/oranges a day and occasionally a bag of grapes if the mood takes me.

One of the hardest things was when I went over a mates place last week for our regular movie evening and not eating whilst watching the movie. We'd generally buy some big bags of crisps and eat our way through a packet each quite happily, and then start on a big bag of nuts each.

The beenfits of not doing this are that I'm saving money, and prolonging my life. I'm also sleeping so much better too. When I wake up in the mornings now I actually feel much more refreshed than I did before.

I realise that this is only the first week and it is indeed only early days, but I'm in this for the long haul and I intend to stick with it :)

Good effort fella, 6lbs is a fair bit to lose in a week but thats the way it went for me as well. Dropped right off in the first month or so before the loss started to slow.

My wife's been boring me with the WeightWatchers since Christmas, but I must admit she's obviously dropped quite a bit of weight, well over a stone I reckon. It does work if you stick with it, but she never has up until now. Her best mate is marrying my brother in August (they met through us), and she's determined to look hot at their wedding- I think there's a good chance she'll be the lightest she's ever been since I've known her by then. She was reasonably slim when we got married, but absolutely piled it on afterwards, been up and down ever since.

I've never cared either way TBH- I care very much about my own weight but I've always fancied chubby women;).

Now I have my own motivation to start lifting again- 3 1/2 months to my brother's stag do. I intend to look ripped:lol:.

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Originally Posted by Rave

My wife's been boring me with the WeightWatchers since Christmas, but I must admit she's obviously dropped quite a bit of weight, well over a stone I reckon. It does work if you stick with it, but she never has up until now. Her best mate is marrying my brother in August (they met through us), and she's determined to look hot at their wedding- I think there's a good chance she'll be the lightest she's ever been since I've known her by then. She was reasonably slim when we got married, but absolutely piled it on afterwards, been up and down ever since.

I've never cared either way TBH- I care very much about my own weight but I've always fancied chubby women;).

Now I have my own motivation to start lifting again- 3 1/2 months to my brother's stag do. I intend to look ripped:lol:.

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Hope she never finds the above, she will most likely kill you! :mrgreen:

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Originally Posted by Terbinator

Hope she never finds the above, she will most likely kill you! :mrgreen:

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Meh. She won't, for a start. I make encouraging noises when she manages to lose weight, but since I 'get amorous' whatever size she is I think she'd have learned by now that I don't really care?

As for the looking ripped on bro's stag do- purely for my own amusement. I catch the tube to get to where I'm working a few times a month- and of course I enjoy catching the eye of a good looking woman now and again. But I'm a wimp- if I actually get prolonged eye contact I make sure they catch a good flash of my wedding ring while I open the Evening Standard:rolleyes:.

I've been running (at a reasonable pace) for 15 minutes a day for a week now, and playing football for 2 hours once a week too. I'm not exactly fat but I weigh 16.5st (I'm 6' 3'') and looking to lose a little more, as well as getting my overall levels of fitness up.

Trying to cut down on crisps, fizzy juice, take aways etc, as well as the amount I drink. That way I'm saving money and getting fitter :)

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Originally Posted by Rave

Meh. She won't, for a start. I make encouraging noises when she manages to lose weight, but since I 'get amorous' whatever size she is I think she'd have learned by now that I don't really care?

As for the looking ripped on bro's stag do- purely for my own amusement. I catch the tube to get to where I'm working a few times a month- and of course I enjoy catching the eye of a good looking woman now and again. But I'm a wimp- if I actually get prolonged eye contact I make sure they catch a good flash of my wedding ring while I open the Evening Standard:rolleyes:.

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Rave I know this OT but if you did ever run for office (see Hexus.Manifesto) you'd be great - good policies and not enough courage for sleaze :D

*nudge* how's it been going? :)

Its going quite well, I jumped on the scales this morning at home to weigh in at 17 stone 3 !! So quite pleased with that :) I won't start getting excited now though untill I hit the 16's.

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Originally Posted by Behemoth

I won't start getting excited now though untill I hit the 16's.

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Stop picking on kids! ;)

Glad its going well :)

Good effort! That's a decent reduction.

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Originally Posted by finlay666

Stop picking on kids! ;)

Glad its going well :)

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I don't pick on kids, they pick on me !! ;)

That's not a bad rate of loss Behemoth. I hope that will motivate you to make it easier to lose the next few kilos. Well done.

As I've said in earlier posts in this thread, its something I need to stick to for the good of my health (I'm not getting any younger) and it will also make me feel more confident aswell so it's a win win situation on both counts.

That said I know that there are times when I either won't loose any weight. Its just a matter of sticking with it and not throwing in the towel at the first attempt.

Time for a thread bumpage to give an update, 6 weeks in and now 1 stone 2 gone :) Very pleased with that, and to add to that, all the pretty girls are smiling at me now :D

G4Z, that is an amazing transformation!! Well done to you.

Losing weight is so hard!! But stories like the ones in here are fantastic to read.

Its far easier to put it on than it is to loose it.

aha, hell yes to that.

and well done also on your progress

I'm amazed at myself for sticking with it.

An update, I am still on the plan and have now lost learly 2 stone !! Finding clothes that I couldn't wear I now can, and some clothes I've gotten rid of completley.

good on u m8 :)

Thanks mate :)

I was just looking at some photos of my mate Dave's birthday party night out from last year, my god I can't believe the difference !!

post them!!!! we wanna see the result!

well done for sticking to it though - I really need to get my ass in gear and do some exercise.

Well I thought I'd post up some pics as now I really can see a clear difference.

This one was taken sometime at the begining of last year ona night out with friends

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-a...03_5740497.jpg

This one was taken a few weeks ago at my mates birthday

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7734851_n.jpg

And yes I know, my mate is useless with his camera.

Cool :) What's the score on the door so far?

I've just hit 2 1/2 stone with this weeks weight loss (and despite gaining a bit last week). No photos of me before though, didn't think to take any

Well done guys - keep it up!

I'll be hitting that milestone next week I hope :)