A bit late to the game

Well I've been on xenical for 5 months already so I'm a bit late starting this.

A bit of backround first I suppose!

I'd been wanting to lose weight for ages and had tried half heartedly a couple of years ago but aside from going for a half hour walk I didn't really make any changes and I stopped after getting knocked over by a car (literally, it was just a bump it was me hitting the ground that did the damage )

So (and I mentioned this in my intro thread) I have an older friend who was diagnosed with arthritis earlier this year. he is overweight and he's the type of person who won't help himself but prefers to wallow in self pity, I also have a much older cousin who is obese and needs knee replacements. Which he can't get because of his weight. One of my knees had been made making clicking noises for a few months and as silly as it sounds (given that being as overweight as I was can kill you) it was this that really geared me up. I may already be destined for arthritic knees but if being overweight exacerbates it then I need to lose weight now, while I'm still young (ish) and before it kicks in.

A doctor had said to be me previously that when you have so much weight to lose it can seem like an impossible task and if I decided that I really wanted to try there were tablets they could prescribe. So I eventually managed to work up the nerve to visit my GP (really I have this fear of being seen as a time waster and I'm completely conscious that my obeseness is my own fault) who prescribed xenical.

My starting weight was 20 st 12lbs on the 1st of June (which was actually a drop from the start of the year ) my first goal was to lose a stone by my brothers wedding on 13th July. Well I managed to get to 20st 3lbs. So didn't quite make it but I was actually quite happy with the results.

My next goal was to get under 19st or under by the start of September. Well on the 31st August i was 19st exactly. My current goal is to get to 18st or lower by my birthday which is on Monday and I'm currently at 18st. However I am going out for a slap up dinner tonight to celebrate my 30...uh 21st!!! birthday. My next goal is going to be 17st by Xmas (but I'll be satisfied with being even 3 or 4lbs over that)

I haven't really been following a set plan at all. Just basically trying to make myself more aware of the fat and calories in my food and then trying to get out for a 30 min walk each day.

My main food issue was sweets. By which I mean candies. I was scoffing a couple of packets of things like fruit gums while watching the tv at night. I used to fret if I didn't have any and would have to go and buy a new stash if I was running out. I was worried that I was addicted but I've actually been pretty fine. I've also had to take a sugar tolerance test which wasn't great so I'm glad I've woken up.

I have been keeping a food diary (to keep me on the straight and narrow).

A typical (work) day consists of

Morning:
shredded wheat & a cup of tea (semi skimmed)

In work - 2 cups of coffee (skimmed milk) packet of snack a jacks

Lunch:
Tin of soup (anything except "cream of...") 2 slices of brown bread (with flora light spread) and a muller rice

afternoon snack: little bag of fruit, some kind of low fat cereal bar and c up of coffee.

Dinner
Well this varies a bit more anything from a pork chop (no fat, I'm a total jack spratt when it comes to meat) 2-3 veg and pots, quorn stir fry and rice, sausages, chips and beans (bad bad bad). Glass of fruit juice.

The last thing i usually eat is a reduced fat biscuit bar thing from tesco along with my tea.

and my exercise consists of a 35-40min walk at least 5 times a week. I really really hate exercise though and while I know at the minute the fact that I'm moving is doing the job eventually it's not going to be enough. Bridge to cross when I get there.

I do sometimes get the nasty side effects with xenical but it's definitely a good negative reinforcement to stop y ou from straying from the path!!

good on you.. and welcome to mini's!!!
keep posting it will help you out and will allow you to ask any questions you might have also!
i love being on here and i spend more time on here than i do doing anything else! lol... so sad!!!
GOOD LUCK in loosing what you want to do.. and congrats on what you already have lost! keep it up

Thank you Kes. I'm feeling really pleased with myself at the moment.

Was out last night for my birthday dinner. So I just ignored the diet. Actually if there had been anything vaguely healthy on the menu I probably would've opted for it but there wasn't and seeing as how I don't go out to eat much I figured what the hell.

So 3 course meal and the better part of a bottle of wine later and I was actually feeling quite ill (I'm genuinely not used to so much food in 1 go). So I decided to stop the drinking.

Was feeling a wee bit bleurgh through the night and I'm a bit reluctant to take the pills today. To give my stomach a chance to recover.

Unfortunately today is my personal main weigh in day and I've put on a 1lb. although that's probably partly due to all the water I've drank so far .

Back on track tomorrow!

I'm off this week so although during the week I have mid morning and mid afternoon snacks i should be able to skip them. So hoping for good weigh ins for the next couple of weeks

I also get to go walking in daylight!

Imagine! Think I might go now before lunch.

Ive just been for my walk, just 20minutes but 2 weeks ago I couldnt walk for that long. The advice I got on this site kept me at it and I am gradually building up stamina. Nice and easy does it.

well done and welcom to the site, i am a bit addicted!!!

I have to admit to hating the exercise part.

I have a set route which takes between 35 -40 mins (depending on how fast I walk) and I can extend it a little bit if I feel I've been "bad".

But still I get a bit itchy if I can't get out because I know i just *have* to do it!

hi and welcome to minimins.congrats on the wight loss so far.like you i hate the exercise part :sigh: but when the weight starts coming off its well worth it .xxxx

Defintiely can't argue with the results!

So been getting out for my walk every day so far (well only at day 4 this week ) managing to miss the rainy patches. Been a bit slow on my walks but I don't know if it's because I normally go after my dinner at night and I have more energy.

Been relatively okay eating wise
breakie: Shredded Wheat and a cup of tea (semi skimmed milk)

Lunch: tin of soup 3 slices of bread (although dropping it back to 2 after discovering the calories) and a muller rice with a cup of green tea. Except today when I was out and had a boots shaper ham & soft cheese sandwich with a snack pack of pineapple (I was happy the fat content was pretty low as I didn't take a pill with me)

Then a couple of cups of coffee before

Dinner - Monday Pork Chop (no fat), baked beans, mange tout, 1 potato.
Tuesday -breaded haddock, sweetcorn broccoli, mash potatoes
Wednesday Sausages (), baked beans, carrots mashed potatoes
Thursday -beef stew (2 brown rolls and a bit of french bread).
I've had a biscuit in the evening along with a cup of tea but no other snacks

So quite happy with how it's going so far.

I am probably going to be out for my lunch tomorrow. I will endeavour to pick out the healthiest option!

wow you seem to be doing really well!!! hope things are going well, and you were able to miss any more spots of rain while out for your walks!!

Kes, that's the best thing about being off work - at least in a country with really changeable weather. The rain normally stops at some point. . In the evening though I only have a small window of opportuity. But I guess that's why I have the yoga dvd.

Just did my weekly weigh in. 17st 12lb. Which means I've hit the 3st mark! :bliss:

Thats great news PK, give yourself a group hug from all of us!

Well done!!!!!
keep it up!!!!
your doing so well!!, i hope i can get to the 3 st mark some day.....
will get there just might take a while.....

Well it's taken me since June to get it off. So there's no rush

purple_kathryn said:

Well My current goal is to get to 18st or lower by my birthday which is on Monday and I'm currently at 18st. However I am going out for a slap up dinner tonight to celebrate my 30...uh 21st!!! birthday. .

Click to expand...

haha that made me laugh .. just remember girly numbers mean nothing its how you feel/act/ ect x

Like everyone else I seem to be having a bit of a crappy day. Lots of little things frustrating me, which i shouldn't let them but today they are.

But diet wise - had a high fat dinner which I know I will be "punished" for in the next couple of days. As soon as I got home from work it started raining. After dinner I was going up to get my wooly hat when I could hear the rain and the wind battering the window.

So I thought, right okay i'll do some yoga. Couldn't got into it. Looked out the window didn't seem to be too bad. Ventured out. and while the no the rain wasn't particularily heavy it was persistant and the wind meant I had to hang on to my hood. All of which would be okay except I seem to have a hole in one my trainers so my sock was soaking and my tracky bottoms are a bit too long so they got drenched and by the time I got home it didn't feel as if I'd really done any exercise.

Oh and the continental market is back at city hall in Belfast with it's lovely crepes, waffles, nougat, biscuits and while I can smell all the lovely smells I can't venture over

awww hun. no good about not feeling like you have had the exercise you wanted...
and resist those yummy smelling treats....
i know its hard, but it will be so much better for you not to have them!!

Another really annoying day at work. Kind of funny really. I work in social security but we're turning into more of a call centre (except we actually have to process and have headsets.) Because a couple of people are using the aux out codes on the phone to get to the bottom of the queue to take a call their new brain wave is instead of us collecting our work from the printer we'll get one of the document handlers to do it. So we're basically not allowed to leave our desks? Yeah right. Actually the printer is right behind me, I just roll back. I do however get up and go do photocopying or get a file out from the cabinet and there's a code you can use which doesn't actually put you to the bottom of the queue. But seriously - against all well known health and safety advice our lower management don't want us leaving our desks. I get scheduled for 1hr 30 stints on the phone sometimes. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous in your life? DVT anyone? Another thing to add to the list of stupid things management come up with that I just ignore.

No walk today, the weather is pretty bad. I think it's supposed to get worse as well. I think I might just have to write this off as a fat week

But hey it's pub quiz night which is good . I wonder if they've got any sprite zero in. Seriously I don't like diet drinks and the dentist has told me not to drink them but at this point weight is more important. The only diet drink they had last week (to mix in with the alcohol) was diet coke. I HATE diet coke! What a rubbish bar!