I have just been given a very bad warning by my GP, lose five stones plus or face the prospect of arthritis. I am almost 42 tall and weigh 20 stones and I'm already starting to suffer with extreme stiffness in my legs and joints. Just bending down to tie my shoelaces is impossible (I've had to revert to wearing slip-on shoes as a consequence) and now I hate having to feed my wifes cats as the p[ain bending down and getting up is excrusiating.

So, without going down Victor Meldrew Street, my conscience is saying join Weight watchers. However my bank balance is saying something else. So, I want to gauge opinion on here, would there be an interest amongst musicians in starting a weight loss support group thread on here that would be a trifle less extortionate than Weight watchers/Slimming World, or any other similar weightloss scam out to capitalise upon people's misfortune???

Thank You.

DB.

My mother (who is only slightly overweight) got referred to a slimming club by her GP so she hasn't had to pay the weekly fees. Does your local NHS have such a scheme?

Can I pleeeeeeease join the forum slimming club. I want to get back down to a healthy (for my height) size 10 and get a bit fitter.

Starting pretty much as from now as I've realised a lot of the "rubbish" foods that I love eating seem to be causing extreme tiredness.

Yes! I'm up for it. I'd like to return to my pre-pregnancies (ie 18 years ago) weight before son goes off to college in October (we hope!). That means about 2 stone to shift... I have no interest in Weight Watchers etc. Don't think it can be much fun (OK I know that's not really the idea) unless you go along with mates, and all mine are slim..

So that's two of us on board, and it'sless than an hour since the initial posting. Me and thee so far, Pixie!

Hotair, we're fortunate here in the Second City in respect that there are extensive NHS and Local Authority initiatives to combat obesity, tobacco inhalation, alcoholism (I don't smoke and I do not miss alcohol even in cooking so that's ok) my GP has signed me onto one today, plus I'm a member of a Council scheme whereas I can have free admission to the local pool and gym at certain times of the day. However I have a humungous pair of manboobs and am consequently ashamed to take off my clothes in public.






sorry Halka, now its three

We have had a thread in the past http://www.abrsm.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=30918&hl= It reappears periodically

There's absolutely nothing wrong with slip-on shoes. I wear them all the time, mainly because I hate the bother of tying laces. In fact they are the only type of shoe which I wear. As for weight-loss, I cannot recommend Paul McKenna enough. It worked wonders, and still is, for me.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Can-Make-You-Thi...9498&sr=8-2

Dave - can anyone who wants to lose weight get free gym ad swim membership? I'm quite put off by the price of it!

Make that four!!

The scheme is a local authority scheme called B Active and as it's local authority run it's only for Brum residents. But similar schemes may already exist in other cities and London boroughs.

I've actually had the misfortune to have broken a piano stool as one day whilst practising with my headphones on, my situpon started sinking and within seconds I was on the floor. Not many inexpensive stools can withstand twenty plus stones.

I'm up for it too!

I'll join too. I've been on a gradual weight loss programme since September, and have lost about a stone so far - only four more to go.

I'm not following a diet programme as such, but have cut out biscuits, crisps, cakes, butter and most of the booze from my diet. I've lost 1-2lbs a week, and haven't modified my main meal at all so that it's easy to stick to (my husband does most of the cooking because I don't finish teaching until 7).

This is a long-haul modification to my eating habits which I'm intending to stick to, although it might need to be tweaked a little to accommodate Christmas.

Thank you to all of you who have replied to my initial question. Andante, we won't be getting down to any serious weight loss talk until after the holidays - that was the initial plan anyway. Though for me, this will be the very first alcohol free Christmas since I was 18, and I'm quite looking forward to it. Most of my uncontrollable weight gain has been down to drinking copious amounts of wine in my 20s and 30s.

I doubt it very much. Despite what many people think, alcohol does not cause weight gain, unless you drink litres of it every day. The main cause is too much solid and heavy food, together with too little exercise. Wine is made up of almost 95% water which quickly passes through the body. My main problem was the solid food. Cakes, biscuits, sweets, etc. Personally I still feel I need to lose a few more kilos, but am quite satisfied with my progress so far.

P.S. I reserve the right to change my mind after Christmas.

An average of two bottles per night for a few months...my wine 'n' jazz parties were the talk of North Wales!!!

Well, alcohol is basically sugar and yeast fermented, both of which cause weight gain. You must have heard the phrase 'beer belly'. I like me cakes, biscuits, pies, takeaways, good old home cooked English fare etc. as well! Cheesecake is my ruin!

Lots of respect to everyone who wants to lose weight. I am a short lady, and lost 3 stone last year with weight watchers after being overweight or obese most of my adult life. It works, no doubt, if you stick at it. but is not for everyone because it requires alot of planning and the weight loss is relatively slow compared to very low calorie diets. Yes you pay money, but it works and you don't have to be hungry, so.....I'd recommend it to anyone who's serious about long term weight loss and is realistic about not wanting a quick fix.

The problem with rubbish junk food is, well, your body needs nourishing to function well. If you fill up with rubbish, you feel full but still your appetite and brain tells you to eat more because your body feels lacking in what it really needs. Filling up, and I mean properly filling up till you feel nice and full and satisfied, three times a day, on nutritious low glycemic index foods really works. I hope no-one here thinks they should starve themselves to lose weight. Weight watchers website has lots of free recipie ideas. As does NHS Choices website. Good luck everyone.

Alcohol is a nightmare if you want to lose weight! It makes you feel hungry and weakens your resolve. Most alcoholic drinks contain a certain amount of calories, it all adds up.

Good luck everyone.

I can't stand cheesecake. It's the most disgusting invention ever, possibly with the exception of broccoli. Give me a chocolate cake anytime. But we're supposed to be talking about slimming, so please ignore this message.

This sounds exactly like what I need to do as I also don't do the cooking. I will be only too glad to join if it means any kind of support on the will power thing. As far as food is concerned I haven't got much will power at all.

Is that the reason why a glass of wine has well in excess of 100 calories (closer to 200 for the generous big glasses that most people serve here), and a pint of beer close to 200 - because there's so much water in it?

Alcohol alone certainly doesn't cause weight gain, but it is a factor, especially in people who have the regular pint, or one or two glasses of wine a night, to "wind down". It really doesn't have to be "litres".

It can definitely make the difference between maintaining weight and having it slowly creep up on you. An additional 200 calories (which doesn't sound much) on top of your daily allowance makes you put on 20lbs every year. If you save the calories consumed via alcoholic beverages somewhere else, okay, but how many people actually do this? They still eat everything they would eat anyway (probably even more, because alcohol also gives you the munchies, even in smaller doses).
I reckon a lot of people actually underestimate how much regular alcohol consumption HAS to do with their weight gain. I am always amazed how people who drink quite a bit at the weekend, or a little every day, completely forget to include alcohol into their daily calorie allowance. Is it because it's liquid, and everything that's liquid doesn't have calories? Bring on the full fat Coke then

It is not the only factor of course, you are right about exercise and food, but I would be wary to dismiss weight gain through drinking alcohol. It's a tricky one, and sadly not as one-dimensional as some people like to think.

This sounds exactly like what I need to do as I also don't do the cooking. I will be only too glad to join if it means any kind of support on the will power thing. As far as food is concerned I haven't got much will power at all.

It's interesting that the only week my weight remained the same rather than decreasing was the week I fancied a glass of white wine, opened a bottle to have one and then remembered that my husband doesn't drink white wine any more and so had to finish the rest off (over the course of the week, I hasten to add!).

Yep.. A couple of beers and I'm scouring the house for any chocolate OH may have hidden

Me too

Although it's complicated ( ) I'll give it a go... in the New Year

Maybe now that I've had so many replies we could all bite the bullet and list what our current weights are and how many pounds/kg we need to lose to be at our ideal weight (ie. healthy and feeling good)

I weigh 20 stones. To be at my ideal body mass for a 6ft2ins male I should be 13st 7lbs, although I'd be happy with getting down to 16st and reviewing the situation thereon.

I should point out if you're reading this outside of Wales Scotland England or Ireland a stone is fourteen pounds, so 15st= 210lbs. A stone is also approximate to 6.3kg.

I'm sure that we could add more than a few lbs to that to compensate for the Christmas overindulgences.

I don't do weighing myself - not since Dr Rosemary on BBC Breakfast said the tape measure was a better way to go. Women's waist's should be less than 30 inches, and men less then 32.

My waist measurement last week (before starting diet) = 37 inches

My diet is Low Fat - everything must be less than 2% fat. That means no butter/marg, oil, cake, biscuits, chocolate, .... but I can eat a lot of crumpets with jam, and rice crisps, and vegi soup.

One week in and my waist now measures 36 inches.

I've heard this, too, but my waist measurement varies almost as much as my weight, depending on whether I'm holding fluid or suffering the dreaded bloating, which also seems to depend whether I've eaten carbs.

I seem to hover around 11st 4lbs and I'm 5'6'' - not gross but I'd like to have a bit less to heave around because I love hill walking. I've even stopped admiring sports cars and now look speculatively at things that are easier to get out of.
=============================================

Low- fat chips (courtesy of Rosemary Conley) cut a large unpeeled potato into chunky chips, bring a saucepan of water (about a pint) and a crumbled stock cube to the boil and cook the chips for about 5 mins. Then spread onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment and give the chips a squirt or 2 of 1-cal squirty oil and bake in a hot oven for about 20 mins.

Great idea!
(5ft 5 1/2 and nudging 11st)

My waist is 87cm, ideally it should be 80cm. I know that's not much at all, but I've been obese, so I need to be really careful I don't undo all my good work. It would be so easy to end up back where I started. I still want to stuff my face with energy dense food evey day.
It's really hard to stay in control when people say to me "you've not got to worry about your weight any more, go on have that cake/chocolate/drink etc".
Good luck everyone.

We do use kilos in England too. I was born in the decimal age so have absolutely no idea about stones and pounds. We were taught centimetres, metres, grammes, kilograms and litres at school. At the moment I'm 175cm tall and weigh just over 83kg.

Admission time has arrived then!

I'm 10 st something or other (a little rather than a lot) but that's too much because I'm vertically challenged, being a quarter of an inch under 5 feet. I lost weight last year with SlimmingWorld.com, but it's creeping back on mostly due to being on steroids. That's going to make losing it again extra hard, so I need all the willpower I can get.

Edit: maybe we could do with a conversion chart in this thread somewhere so imperial people can understand the decimal people and vice versa!

This I understand so well - it is really hard to understand for some people that, from obvious health risks aside, there is also such a thing as the weight that makes you feel best about yourself.

I used to have the opposite problem. Because of the unreasonable pressure on performers, and also the immensely exhausting work, I was roundabout 130lbs (I am 5'10) at my skinniest. And I was really unhappy with it and at some point blatantly refused to keep playing along...

The weight I feel best at is between 140 and 145lbs - since I stopped performing and just teach, I put on 10lbs (155lbs). That's still slim in most people's books, but I didn't feel great with it - it's not about the weight as such, it's more about not being toned. So I started exercising again, and I lost 5lbs straightaway (more initially, but I guess that was just water). I still eat absolutely everything I like - in moderation. I eat cake and chocolate, because I think cutting out things you like just makes you feel deprived, and you end up binging at some point.

I'd still like to lose another 5lbs, but not over Christmas. It might well be that it is 10lbs again in January

Since I always had to look after my weight for stupid professional reasons, I would say one thing though:
Don't eat that low fat labelled stuff. It is usually full of sugar instead (or chemical nasties like sweeteners). Did you ever look at the label of a low fat yoghurt? Some of them have a third of your daily sugar allowance, so you are really just replacing one evil with another. It is not just about the fat if you want to lose weight (although you obviously don't want to have more than a certain amount for health reasons - some slim people are quite "fat inside" because of having too much sat fat). It's about the overall calories you consume and burn off. Your body needs dietary fat, and quite a reasonable amount of it, to function properly. Maybe up your protein a bit, and replace simple carbs with more complex ones, because both keep hunger pangs at bay, but don't cut out the fat completely (or almost). Basing your diet mainly on carbs, especially simple ones like white bread, wreaks havoc with your metabolism, and you'll feel hungry much quicker.

You can virtually eat and drink everything you like (some things in moderation of course), but you need to exercise/be more active if you want to lose weight, and you also need to know your calorie allowances - they can vary wildly! A woman who is obese can still lose weight having more than the ominous 2000 calories a day, whilst a 5'2 woman who is slim but sedentary will definitely put on weight having 2000 calories a day. Get away from the averages you are being forcefed by the media and the food industry every day, and find out your own allowances, if need be with help of your GP.

Also know WHAT you eat. Some things are considered healthy, but they are nutritionally very, er, "dense". I am not a fan of calorie counting in general, but I think some people need to get a better idea of the nutritional values of the stuff they eat and drink (the idea that e.g. alcohol has no part in putting on weight being a prime example). Someone in my closer circle of friends was constantly surprised she wouldn't lose weight, because she would only eat "healthy stuff". Looking at it, she sort of did, but still too much of it, and some of it also very calorific - nuts and unsweetened mueslis e.g. are considered "good foods", but if you have quite generous portions of it, they have a lot of calories.

If you need to lose a lot of weight, maybe really ask your GP for a plan, I am sure they can help.

Best of luck to everyone!

I need to lose weight, and indeed, I have lost weight, but it's a gradual process (I'm fine with that). I've lost just over a stone in the last year. It hasn't come from special dieting or exercise regimes, but just from being sensible. I haven't given anything up, and I have really taken anything up. I try for a brisk walk of at least a mile most days, and I just eat sensibly.

Now, no doubt if I suddenly started going to a gym or cutting things out of my diet, I'd lose more weight faster. But to me, that's a short term solution. I would personally rather make small and manageable changes over a longer period as I think it's more sustainable long term.

The thing I've learnt above all is to keep a regular check on things (I weigh myself every morning and have an app to record it) and don't beat yourself up when it's not going well. I'm trying to be extra sensible over the next week, so that I don't have to worry about it over Christmas when I might not want to keep such an eye on it It seems to me, all about balance and moderation.

Very sensible, and inho the only thing that works - being more active (which doesn't need to be the gym), and making longterm, manageable changes. And also actually allowing yourself the occasional treat

I'm about 5'6". Just got on the scales and discovered I was 11 stone 12lb. Pleasantly surprised as this is the lowest I've been for ages. No idea why though. I put on weight with consummate ease so could quite well be 12 stone 7lb by the New Year...

Would like to be about 10st 7lb, or a bit less, but could live with 11stone if I could manage to keep it there and not slither gradually back up.

I totally second this! Even after 3 children I was 8 stone ( I am 5'5") but the pounds came on with a vengence after the 4th child. I hit the gym and exercised like fury and lost a stone but didnt change my eating habits - it all came back - until I was about 14 stone for ever. I tried weightwatcher - no joy!

However this summer I came back from Holiday and found I had lost a stone. I have since lost more and am now 12 stone. It was unexpected and unplanned, but with my GP I kept a daily food diary for a month to look at the changes in my diet.

Two key things were picked up - I had (for no reason at all!) reduced my massive intake of Toast and butter and more importantly I had practically cut out SUGAR from my diet. Its in everything. Fruit included. Read the product labels. I dont touch biscuits and similiar snacks simply because of the dreaded sugar. With the loss of weight I regained my energy and started walking more instead of hanging desperately at the bus stop refusing to walk To ease the hunger I uped my protein and reduced my carbs. It has been a surprise as the body fat has vanished from my back, arms and legs very quickly. Incidently my GP is not enthusiastic about Low Fat diets at all because of the added suger in the products. I still want to loose another 2 stone but intend to take my time. So I will be joining the club in the new year.

I was chronically underweight all my life until I had whooping-cough aged about 35. Since then, I have gained weight steadily until I'm now about 4 stone overweight. I don't eat a huge amount but I do like cream/butter and usually have sugar in coffee etc - also, I do NO exercise whatsoever! Is there any hope...?

W

There is a photo that was taken at my inlaw's ruby wedding that was just the catylist I needed to join weight-watchers. I swear I was barrel shaped. Now I have a waist-line and weigh around 9 stone, which is about right given I'm 4'11" tall, and wear clothes in a size 10-12.

Good luck for those on the weight loss plan.

It's the keep off that's the hard bit. Yes I enjoy a drink or two, but I don't binge. I like cakes and chocolate, but I could not eat a family sized box of choccies anymore or a whole Victoria Sandwich.

Vegetables are my friends, but I don't say know to a juicy bit of steak or a nice bit of fish.

A little of what you fancy does you good on the food front.

Of course there is

One thing I found immensely helpful when I've been a bit naughty for a while is to just log into "My Fitness Pal" again, even if it is just for a few weeks.

Here's the link: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

It is free, they have a great community, and above all: It tidies up with the idea that "I haven't eaten THAT much, have I?"
You will be surprised how much one can actually clock up in one day without even noticing. It is not about excessive calorie counting, it's about getting a feeling for what you actually eat and being honest with yourself, and very often it will be a lot more than we actually think. Maybe we don't eat massive amounts, but very calorific stuff, or we drink too much fizzy pop.

You actually only need to do it for a short time to get a feeling for how much you should (or shouldn't) eat, but I think a food diary is a very good idea for people to get started.

Their databases are really excellent (not a single food, whether natural or packaged, I haven't found on it yet). They also give you recommendations as to how many calories would be reasonable regarding your current weight, height and lifestyle if you want to either lose, maintain, or put on weight. You can also log your activities.

It is really balanced as well - they for instance waive a red flag if you don't eat enough (low calorie diets are very unhealthy as we all know).

Maybe an idea?

Of course the one thing Dugazon did not mention about a low fat diet is how miserable it can make you feel, and what do miserable people often do they EAT and all the wrong things!

Far better to eat that avocado salad, full of all the right sort of fats, and grab a handful of almonds or other foods that are not loaded with cholesterol but do contain fats.

Oily fish three times a week is good for you and tastes delicious. (yum, yum)

Her eating plan ideas, however are brilliant ( I would expect no less) and I would try to call things a long term eating plan, as the 'D' for Diet word tends to lead to people yo-yoing as they do something radical rather than adapt their lifestyle into something they can sustain long term.

If you look at pictures of Dugazon she is stunning, slim, with clear skin and a testament to the eating and fitness plan she recommends.

She is perfectly right about how nutritionally dense people overall are: something I became only too aware of when weaning Matthew and trying to protect him from hidden salt.

Best comment: "I haven't put any salt in it!"
"But what about the OXO cube?"
"Oh yes, I've put an OXO cube in it!"

Thanks, not so sure about the clear skin though: I suffer from Rosacea quite badly, has nothing to do with my diet though, but simply with the fact that I inherited my redhead-dad's skin.
Certain foods trigger my Rosacea though, so it's not great if you love Chillies as much as I do and then need to suffer the consequences. I do it anyway, that's what good make-up is for


Certainly true, although I was mainly referring to nutritionally dense foods with that comment

This rang a few alarm bells for me (although I did have my cholesterol tested not that long ago and it was fine). I'd be grateful for any tips on how to muster the willpower to eat more healthily and avoid junk.

I love the English Language! Even as a native I a can miss double-entendres!

You are right about Chillies and Rosacea though, you just hide it extremely well in all the photos I've seen.

You are referring to foods like Salmon that have a high vitamin and mineral content in addition to their protein contents, and things like various beans and pulses, things like quinoa, which along with being a good source of carbs is a protein source and has trace elements of various minerals.

When I found I had an intolerance to potatoes, I looked at the other sources of carbs and which ones I actually liked. I found I lost weight and had very little restriction on my diet as I like pasta, rice, couscous and quinoa and can cook around them. Couscous is my main potato substitute on the days the rest of the family have spuds. We already ate quite a lot of pasta and rice anyway, and home cooking was not a new idea. The quinoa was the new thing, and everyone liked it.

Agree about not going for diet foods. Better to have a small portion of what you really fancy, eat it slowly and enjoy it, then do some exercise! Protein, good fats and carbohydrates are essential nutrients, but I don't think that refined sugar is. But I don't think you should worry about fructose in fruit, fruit is very good for you for the soluble fibre, and even experts on diabetes recommend diabetics eat alot of fruit, as the health benefits outweigh the sugar content. Alot of fruit is surprisingly low GI, for example cherries are low GI, whch is counter-intuitive as they taste so sweet. Fat and protein plays an important role in satiety too, which is vital if you're cutting back on your intake. Who wants to be hungry, eh?

I'm not sure I want to confess my weight on a public forum ( ) but I need to lose somewhere around 10-12kg, which is an awful lot. I have the good and bad fortune that any extra weight gets very well spread around, so I can put on quite a lot of weight without it showing too much.

Unfortunately, taking up the oboe didn't help my weight situation at all. Yoga and some of my other exercise time went out the window in order to make time for practice. At first I was thrilled at how well my abdominal muscles were toning up with all the oboe practice and failed to pay proper attention to the detrimental effects of less exercise. Now I have to find a better balance.

I'm quite pleased that I haven't put on more weight in the last two months following surgery. I've walked - important for recovery - but not enough to be deemed proper exercise and I've been pretty sensible about my diet.

Hanging out with musicians has also been my downfall. Far too much booze!

The declaration of weight thing: far easier when you weigh the right amount for your height.

...I thought you were planning to get out in the garden in your leotard...!!

W

......not meaning to come across unfeeling there, at all...!

But seriously - any time before about the last 3 years, if I tried to lose weight, I could generally do it. You're younger than me, so you ought to have a better chance, I would think.

I've just decided to cut out the rubbish!

Today I've ate -
home made vegetable soup and toast
jacket potato with tuna mayo, sweetcorn and red pepper
small handful of vegetable crisps
a fair amount of grapes
3 biscuits
and thats it.

I normally eat about twice this amount and much, much more rubbish i.e. biscuits, cake, crisps etc.

Not sure if what I've ate today is "balanced" or "good for you". I just know it's a step in the right direction.

Don't actually know my weight (don't have any scales) I'm about 11st and 5'2" ... want to get back down to 91/2st and get bit fitter.

I went to Weightwatchers last year with my mother and lasted a few weeks - it gave me the kickstart I needed and the reminders about what I should be eating. Over 3 months I lost a stone, not a huge amount but it meant I could fit into clothes I hadn't worn in a while I kept this off for a few months until the summer months when it was no longer practical to cook lots of low cal/fat soups and stews and all the weight has gone back on. This year I haven't been able to shift a pound and getting really pee'd (am I allowed to use that word?) off that I haven't got many clothes to wear - I refuse to buy things in a bigger size

What is really annoying though is that I don't eat biscuits, cakes, crisps, sweets etc very often and go hillwalking with the dog for at least an hour 5 days a week. My only downfall is wine, I drink probably 3 bottles spread over the week Porilo, those extra couple hundred of calories a day do count even though they are liquid.

So I've written off any weight loss until after Christmas as the presents of wine and chocolate have already started, and will start afresh in the new year. I have 3 stone to lose but would be happy with that first stone.

Will enjoy Christmas and check back in on January 2nd