I'm a sugar addict and add to that I don't eat vegetables and it's recipe for disaster.

I lost a lot of weight about 15 years ago - almost 3 stone (40 lbs). I have slowly put a bit back on and now I need to lose 10lbs. Not a huge amount but I just don't seem to have the get-up and go to make the fat get up and go!

I want to go to the gym but I don't know anyone there, so when I go, I'm bored stiff for the 40 mins or so that I manage to stay there.

I know I need to exercise to lose the weight but I also have a bladder issue so can't do jumping jacks and that kind of thing...just cross trainer or brisk walking on the machine or I'm and down to the loo every 5 mins! When I've been to the gym I also often sabotage my diet and exercise with a binge on biscuits!

Any suggestions on getting back that motivation as I do want to lose this extra weight and get fit but I seem to be stuck in the can't-be-bothered zone. Probably should say I work full-time and commute into London each day (70 mins each way) and I care for my Autistic child too so have a lot on my plate and rarely sit in front of the TV but those are just excuses! I need to do this for me.

Thanks

Actually, you don't need to exercise to lose weight. You lose weight through a proper diet. You get fit with exercise. Exercise has lots and lots of benefits, but weight loss really isn't one of them.

You mention you're a sugar addict. Here's the deal: there are two hormones that tell our body to store excess calories as fat. Insulin, which is turned on by sugar and starchy foods, and cortisol, which is turned on by stress. If you eat too many carbs, or if you eat too many times per day (the "eat 6 times per day" advice is pure bunk) you spike your insulin and the insulin tells your body to store fat. Additionally, when your insulin is spiked you cannot burn fat, because your body doesn't simultaneously store fat and burn fat at the same time.

Consider a low carb diet. As a sugar addict, you might want to start hardcore and do a Whole30 diet for one month- it will break your addiction to sugar if you follow the diet. From there, move to a paleo, primal or ketogenic Mediterranean diet. Eat real food, avoid processed food, sugar and high carb/starchy foods.

Learn more about how it works. Check out marksdailyapple.com, dietdoctor.com, or idmprogram.com . Check out videos on youtube by Dr. Jason Fung, especially the Aetiology of Obesity. Check out Dr. Robert Lustig's video "Sugar, the bitter truth" on youtube. It's long but worth it, and you will never (NEVER) look at sugar as anything but a toxin after you view that video.

In regards to bladder, if you can get your doctor to refer you for pelvic floor physical therapy it can help immensely. If you can’t afford or your health system won’t cover PT, begin w the dreaded kegels. I know too well how exercise issues can be with such and it’s no fun. Even you can meet w a PT to have them do an assessment it might be a big help.

And EagleRiver offers good suggestions- she has good insight having worked her way to goal.

I too am not great with sweets, but I’m trying to be better about such and make little changes as I go.

Good luck to you!

Thank you for your post! It is of use to me too! I am also carb adict and have insuline resistance, but did not get it until I red your post! Now I understand why I store fat even when I eat carefully, and when I eat even small amout of sweets - i just become bigger and bigger! Thank you for explaning cortisol and insulin - thats it!

I am starting some kind of keto today and I hope it will help.

A few years ago I did not eat vegetables too and started small - some veggies on pizza at the beguining! Beleave it or not that was my vegetables that I ate. Started smll, build it and now I eat veggies almost every day. My goal is to eat it every day!

I'm glad it helped! If you are the type that can go "all in" right away, then definitely go Keto. If you are not, consider starting with baby steps. Cut all sweets first- anything with sugar or even artificial sweeteners (because studies have shown that when our body tastes something sweet it assumes it's sugar and releases insulin). Cut all processed foods next. Then start cutting back on starchy un-processed foods, such as as potatoes and rice. Reduce your meals to no more than 3 a day, with no snacks. Then go full Keto, or add intermittent fasting, or both. And note that you don't have to be keto every day to see great results- a lot of proponents suggest it's not only fine but healthy to cycle in and out of keto by cycling low carb (less than 100g of carbs per day) with Keto (less than 20g of carbs per day). If you keep your carbs under 100g per day, you likely will still see weight loss, unless you are very insulin resistant.

Thank you for the grat input! I tryed keto/paleo something before so I think I can go "quickly" as am kind of prepared...

My keto was lease than 45 grahms, so I guess it was kind of relexed :-) You gave me a great input, that I dont have to be keto everyday, that 100 grams a day sometimes wolud be ok. Thank you for that! I am quite a "perfections" so that takes the pressure off!

My Day 0 went well, with too much cream for coffe and too much coffe but I will cut it tomorrow. What is you thinking on fresh cow cheese, yogurt? I will skip milk, no matter I adore it But I think I have have "something" from milk shelf...

Is that even possible? Too much cream? Hahaha. I love cream in my coffee. I consider it my one bad habit I have left, and I'm not giving it up.

I'm more Primal style than Paleo, and I think full fat dairy of any type is fine so long as your body tolerates it. I would try for organic if you can get it, and just make sure any cheeses are made without a bunch of crap additives. I even buy real ice cream for a treat very occasionally- I go full fat and it has 3 ingredients- cream, vanilla and sugar. I eat 1/2 a pint and that's about 50g of carbs, so still not bad.

TX for the info! I can get the organic cow products, there are some here in Europe, with no problem. And that is one thing I love here.

Tx for the input on cream :-) I will think about that subject some more :-)

Basicly, you are good example and thank you for that. Are you still loosing or you are done?

You are so lucky to have easy access to organic dairy!

I have achieved my goal weight am done trying to losing weight. I do still wish to lose 10 more pounds of fat, and gain 10 more pounds of muscle. It's hard to do that simultaneously, so I may end up having to either gain 10 lbs of muscle and then lose 10 lbs of fat, or lose 10 lbs of fat and then gain 10 lbs of muscle. I'm trying the simultaneous route right now and don't really care how long it takes. Slow and steady is probably healthier anyway. But otherwise I'll work on doing it one at a time.

I think that you are well informed so you will get to your goal. Yes, muscles are very important and as we age - more and more improtant for our health and how we stand and everything. Its not just about being skinny.

What is about this forum? Why peopele do not engage in conversation, just report? So strange You are one of a few people that replayed

I agree with you about quantyty of melas - 3 is more than enough. Everthing else I dont agree with. All day eating got me here

You nailed it. Dr. Jason Fung points out that the "eat 6 times per day" thing even sounds stupid. Like, how can eating more make anyone less fat? But they package in such a way that it sounds like it might work...except it doesn't.

Not sure why sometimes more people don't reply. Different parts of this forum are more active than others.

here is something that took me years to realize, you will never always have motivation, but you can have discipline.