Overweight but don't care!

girlyhappyface

Hi,

I'm in my late twenties, and as the title says- I'm fairly overweight. Obese, actually.

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years (started a relationship, got comfy!).

The thing is, I am so not bothered. I'm a happy person (see username!). I have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

I wish I cared about the weight thing. I just don't. I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

Yes, it can be annoying clothes shopping as my size (22) is not stocked everywhere. But I just shop in shops that DO have my size- problem solved!!

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

G-Money

In a way it's good that you don't care and that you are happy in yourself. However as you and your doctors have pointed out, it's not healthy.

I'm a guy and I'm overweight, my BMI lists me as obese and I weigh about 17 stone. I've never been happy with how I look and it has affected other areas of my life I'm sure.

Recently though the health aspect as started to motivate me somewhat as well as the wanting to look good aspect. Personally I don't think it matters what motivates someone to lose weight, as long as the motivation gets them there. Some people will say it should be your health that motivates you and that's an excellent point, but for me it's how I look and feel about myself. But as I say, the health aspect is starting to make me want to do it also.

I've recently started to lose weight and have dropped 9 lbs in the last 3-4 weeks which isn't bad. I'm hoping to have a stone gone within the next 2-3 weeks and I'm not far off that now.

You ask if you should care. If you are concerned about your health, then I would say yes.

Something that shook me a bit was when Gerry Ryan died there a few months ago. He was relatively young and I reckon about the same weight as I am now or was a short while ago. That scared me a bit and I think helped kick start me back into getting in shape.

You say you don't want to be out of breath when playing with your children. God forbid but wouldn't it be 1 million times worse if you weren't around at all? Also, seeing you haven't had children, I'm guessing being overweight may affect your fertility and ability to conceive. I'm not sure about that though and I'm not a doctor, but I'm sure being in shape would only help.

Also, I'm guessing your partner has probably noticed you've put on a few stone (as you've admitted to yourself). You'd want to be careful as you don't want to give the impression that you think now you've got a bf, you can let yourself go and it won't matter. I don't mean that in a harsh way, but some people when they enter a relationship feel like they don't have to make as much effort and can let things slide.

Would you like it if your boyfriend started putting on weight and didn't make any effort to lose it?

Sorry if any of this seems harsh, it's not meant to be, it's just the way it comes across when written. I'm just trying to make a few points.

As I say, I'm overweight myself so I'm not one of these stuck up pretentious people who look down their noses at overweight people with a judgemental attitude. I'm single at the moment but I always think to myself that no matter how much a girl might like my personality and stuff, she couldn't possibly like the excess bulk I'm carrying around and losing it could only be a good thing.

I want to be able to go into shops and not have to buy XL or XXL in t-shirts, or 38-40" in jeans and trousers.

As I say, it's really good in that you are happy in yourself, don't lose that. The only thing you need to lose is the few extra stone you're carrying around.

Getting fit is a good feeling. Eating right and getting fit makes you feel much better. You're not all sluggish and lethargic anymore, clothes start to get looser. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to eat "rabbit food" in order to lose weight. The biggest trick is to watch portion sizes and cut out the junk. I've started cooking a little more and making very tasty and healthy stuff so I don't feel like I'm missing out that much.

That's the trick. Don't go on some crazy insane diet where you just drink juice from green vegetables for a month. You'll never keep the weight off if your eating regime is not maintainable going forward. It's not something that you do for a few months until your lose weight, then go straight back to your old habits. If you do that, the weight will just come back on and you'll end up back at square one. I should know, I lost 3 1/2 stone and put it all back on.

I also used to hate the thought of exercise and going to the gym. But I realised a few years ago that I needed to do something about my weight and I couldn't just keep ignoring it and ignoring how unhappy it was making me. Sure enough I'd be upbeat with my friends and everything, but inside, I was deeply unhappy.

I know losing weight isn't the answer to every problem a person has, but I know myself that I've no chance at ever being remotely happy with my body like this.

Also you don't have to do insane olympic training in order to lose weight either. I got back into it just by going for walks around my local area. I'd start out maybe doing about 45 minutes walking or so in a loop around where I live. Nothing too stressful. Then I just started to increase the distance a bit. I then found a lovely road to walk on near where I live. I actually look forward to walking on it now too.

As the walking has increased it got to the stage where I've started to do a little jogging. Not a lot. I'm working on that Couch to 5k programme. So far it's going well and I enjoy it, although I can find it hard to motivate myself to go out at times.

Anyway, I hope some of this helped. While you feel good about yourself now, I think if you lost some weight you're bound to feel even better about yourself. Plus if nothing else, the sex will be better if you start getting in shape. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is

There's lots of people on boards who will help you along, just have a look around and you can find lots of forums about fitness, diet, nutrition and lots of people who've lots of experience in those areas.

All the best OP.

LegacyUser

I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years

Obese, actually

hmm, you see these two statements don't really add up, if it was only a few extra lbs, or couple of stone even, i'd say get on with your life, enjoy yourself, no theres no need to worry about your weight BUT (this is gonna sound harsh) you're not on the heavy side, size 22 is way past the heavy side - you're obese

I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

Doctors don't tell you to lose weight unless you really need to, shutting your eyes doesn't make the problem go away...just because you can't see your arteries clogging up, doesn't mean its not happening...

How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

If you truely didn't care then why would you bother to even start this thread?
OP could it be that your weight doesn't bother you right now because your life is going well at the moment, are you not bothered because well you're lazy, theres nothing hard about your life so why make hardship for yourself by bothering to exercise? Can i ask you this - if everything fell apart in the morning, your BF dumped you, you lost your job, would you still feel the same way about your weight?

The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

OP if doctors are telling you to lose weigh to avoid health problems then listen to them, its not a vanity thing, its a HEALTH thing, at size 22 if you keep going the way you're going(putting on a couple of stone every few years) its entirely possible you won't even be around to see your future kids grow up, let alone run around with them tbh.

dudara

girlyhappyface wrote: »

The thing is, I am so not bothered. I'm a happy person (see username!). I have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

That is great.

I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

At size 22 and obese - you do already have health issues. There is no way to sugar coat it.

You have all these fantastic things in your life but you are not taking care of yourself.

There is a good chance that you will die at a younger age than an equivalent-aged healthy person and likewise, there is a chance that you willl have a poorer quality of life due to health issues.

In order to enjoy all the good things in your life, you really do owe it yourself to work towards a more healthy weight. (BTW, I'm not saying to be a size 10, but a weight that doesn't leave you at risk of things such as diabetes, heart disease etc).

How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

I'm yet to meet a woman who doesn't care about her weight - even if she is adamant that she doesn't. I think that you started this thread, because at some level, you do care. The question is, can you honestly (truly honestly) accept yourself as you are?

Dudess

girlyhappyface wrote: »

SHOULD I care??

In terms of your appearance, practical stuff like buying clothes your size, definitely not. You're happy with how you are.

But, in terms of your health, definitely. And while buying clothes isn't an issue, you don't want something as simple as climbing the stairs to be an ordeal eventually.

I personally think a good strategy would be to strike a balance between not being unhappy with how you look, yet looking after your health: so perhaps make changes like less high-cal foods and more exercise. This isn't the same as a hardcore lifestyle overhaul regime, it won't make much difference to your appearance for a long time, but it will improve your health, and prevent you putting on more weight (the latter is best avoided for the sake of things like what you said: keeping up with young kids).

AngryBadger

OP it's great if you're really that comfortable with your body, whether it's good/bad/indifferent, however the fact that you're posting here at all undermines your comfort claims.

Personally I think everyone should be aware of their weight, for health reasons, and because I think when someone claims not to care about their body (and in that context I count people who are reckless with drugs, alcohol, sex etc...) it often reflects a lack of self-respect, and a lack of self-esteem. However only you know if this applies to you or not so I won't presume to lecture you on that.

From a health perspective though, I don't recommend anyone go for the "stick-figure" look, it's as bad for your health as morbid obesity, we're not built for it, and we're not designed for it. However for all the reasons grandmaster has already outlined you should look at your obesity levels.

Or not as you see fit, it is your body after all.

d-gal

girlyhappyface wrote: »

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids.

This should motivate you a lot more, at size 22 there is a good chance you won't even have kids with the potential health risks in store.
Plus if you do have kids and you don't exercise and don't care about healthy eating then what chance do they have?

jam_mac_jam

You can still love your food and loose some weight. Should you care, well from a health point of view yes, you are not even thirty and you are obese you are outting yourself at a lot of risks, its not so much now but if you continue in this way. I am very uncomfortable with this because it feels wrong to tell other people that they should loose weight but in the long run it will do you a lot of good heath wise and if you every want to have kids you wont be able to look after them properly or enjoy them fully if you get a lot bigger.

MistyCheese

cloggedarteries wrote: »

hmm, you see these two statements don't really add up,

I assume this means that the OP was already quite overweight and the couple of stone has pushed them now into obese category.

OP, if you're happy that's great but it's not really a PI. Unless the issue is should you care? Well, yes, it would be best if you cared about your health. You can be just as happy at a healthy weight as you are now.

Edgedinblue

I was on the same boat as you OP, happy enough with everything in my life and overweight. one day i decided i want a certain dress i saw, of course my size wasnt there, i said thats it, i'm fed up not being able to get clothes i really like.

i realised theres no way in hell i could/would ever be able to do it on my own, so i went to a local weight watchers meeting. had a great chat with the leader there, she understood everything i said, that im lazy, i love my food and lots of it, and that i hate exercise because she was just the same before she lost weight. I chatted to a few people at the meeting and they felt the exact same way i did but they were still there. i joined and bought myself a wii fit! i switch between walks and wii fit some days, depending on the weather. I can get very bored with walks, so the wii fit keeps me entertained!

ive also noticed that with weight watchers i can eat whatever the hell i want, as long as its within points. i can even have my chinese once a week if i want! you'll lose weight without doing much exercise and you really will start feeling better, sex WILL be better as someone already said, and trust me once you drop a bit of weight you'll start noticing clothes you've never seen before and they'll fit!

its not a quick fix, losing weight never is. but if you start now and cut down portion sizes, junk food and up the movement a bit by the time you start having kids you'll feel much better about yourself and if youre in shape youre less likely to have problems once youre pregnant.

a friend of mine was a size 22 aswell, she was the same, lazy, loves food and hates exercise. she had a baby nearly 2 years ago and she just balloned out and was hard to see the pregnant belly shape if you get me. i dont mean to be harsh to her or yourself but do you really want people thinking youve just gotten bigger and to not think your pregnant at all? she just gained even more weight since. she cant do much running around with her kid. the kid spends most of his time in the buggy or being passed around to others to watch him. can you honestly say you dont mind someone else lifting up your kids for you, or someone else on the floor playing games with your kids just cause you cant bend down? im not trying to be harsh, but these are other reasons why i kicked myself in the bum and started to cut down the food.

maybe research a bit into weight watchers or unislim and see how they might suit you, cause like i said you can eat food while on both of these and not just leaves and carrots! theres even a weight watchers thread on here in the nutrition section, i found the guys n gals there a great support on my bad days!

Firetrap

I think you should take a look down the line at what you'll be like when you're older and your body's not working as well as it is now. Type 2 diabetes doesn't look like a lot of fun. Nor does being incapacitated by a stroke, having heart disease or needing to have joints replaced.

Really, you should be looking at the state of health you're in now, be thankful that you seem to be healthy enough at the moment and make changes to your lifestyle so that you'll not have a rotten quality of life down the road.

niceoneted

OP I can relate a little to what you say. I am carrying about 3 extra stone but would love to lose it as I think it is the healthy thing to do at my age - late 30's.
I always have it at the back of my mind.
TO be blatantly honest I don't think you would have posted here if you didn't care about it - which i suspect it is eating away at your sub conscious.
It is great that you have met someone that you love and will marry and all going well have children but I do agree with you that it will be healthier to have have lost some weight before then.

I think a personal trainer might be the way to go for you and all the best you sound lovely.

LegacyUser

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat?

I doubt many women let themselves get to a size 22 willingly to be brutally honest..

its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

DOCTORS have told you that you need to lose weight. ding ding ding - alarm bells!!

I cannot fathom how someone manages to get to a size 22 and doesn't think that its a problem. you are obese. you are killing yourself.

I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

That is the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard. you SHOULD be in a hurry to lose weight. You're heading towards a stroke or a heart attack my dear.

kjl

to be honest OP, you just sound lazy.

Good for you, you're getting married, but you won't make it past age 40 if you are not careful.

And you know that gorgeous wonderful boyfriend may start to stray if you don't do your part to make and effort.

Esoteric_

Not to be rude, but about 95% of size 22 women are not obese. They are MORBIDLY obese. Big difference.

You know, I was a size 22 a while back. I told myself I was happy and I even believed it. It was crap. I was sweaty, out of breath, ugly and unfit.

You might be happy looks-wise but you said yourself you want to be fit enough to run after your kids. You won't be unless you shift some weight. Aside from that, you're risking serious complications when/if you do become pregnant.

Then a few years down the line, you get older. Your body isn't as strong as it used to be. You'll end up prematurely dead, having cost the taxpayers a fortune in medical bills beforehand.

I'm not saying you can't like how you look and be happy. But you have to be realistic too.

I was a size 22 only 3 months ago. I'm now a 16 and am 30 pounds away from my goal weight. It was done mostly through exercise. It's not that difficult.

Miss Fluff

girlyhappyface wrote: »

I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

You might not be but weight has a habit of "hurrying" on. You say you are grand as you are, in no hurry, and yet continuing to put on weight.

Say you are currently putting on a pound a week? Easily enough done if you are overeating and not exercising. Precisely 1lb a week over the course of the years leads to 52lbs in a year which is just shy of 4 stone. Yes, 4 whole stone :eek:

So unless you take control now, you can add a few more numbers to your current dress size. While you may not "care" (as you are at pains to point out in your OP, I think your post is peppered with too many defences if I am honest), you may like to think about your boyfriend. While I have no doubt he loves you, I'm sure he doesn't want to be walking up the aisle with a size 32 bride. And that is the direction you are heading. Your weight as it stands is spiralling out of control so unless you take it in hand, and in hand now, you're going down a very slippery slope indeed. It effects fertility, can lead to diabetes and heart problems and also causes social anxiety and embarrasment to those carrying the extra weight.

Find your local www.weightwatchers.ie meeting next week and start making those changes today. You say you don't care but you wouldn't have started a thread on it if that was the case.

Handsome Bob

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

I have known people like yourself, personally they didn't feel all that unhappy about being overweight but knew in the back of their mind that they really *should* lose weight. It's hard to see where your motivation is going to come from.

You're not unhappy with your looks so that rules out looking better as motivation for losing weight.

Health-wise, as with everything, you won't get a scare until you actually have a health scare. That's just what it is to be human, people need to actually experience something until they decide to take action. So for now, you can't really use health as a motivation either.

However, one trick I've known people to use though is watching those reality tv shows. I don't mean in the sense that they find these shows informative, but rather it opens their eyes to just how much overweight people are ridiculed and held in contempt by some aspects of society. I mean the likes of Gilliam McKeith, that nutritionist off of OT and that idiot off of Sky 1: these people make their money by fostering a snarling contemptuous attitude among society towards overweight people. Does that not piss you off? That complete lack of respect people are showing you every day? Surely it must, so what you should do is use that anger and channel it into exercising.

If you can't be bothered with losing weight for yourself, you might as well do it as a **** you to the people who treat you so badly every day.

LegacyUser

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years (started a relationship, got comfy!).

Originally Posted by cloggedarteries
hmm, you see these two statements don't really add up

,

I assume this means that the OP was already quite overweight and the couple of stone has pushed them now into obese category.

What i was trying to say was that putting on a "couple" more stone does not push someone from being "on the heavy side" to being obese. It is probable that the OP was always VERY VERY overweight most of her life, shes only in her late 20's, and it sounds like shes using this attitude

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side

to justify being a size 22, when it is unlikely that she was ever actually within a healthy weight range. Which makes it all the more worrying that she thinks shes in no hurry to lose weight, when in fact her body has already taken 20+ years of excess weight, its unlikely it'll take another 20 years (10 even) without some sort of serious health risk showing up whether that be stroke/diabetes or whatever.

The reality is our bodies just aren't designed to take that amount of weight. Sooner or later somethings going to give. OP if you have any self worth at all surely you owe it to yourself to get within a healthy weight range, so that you will be able to enjoy all this

have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

in 10 years time.

theres no point closing the barn door when the horse has bolted...as has already been said, at your current weight ever extra lb you put on is pushing you closer to the grave. Do you not find that incredibly sad?

Stabshauptmann

OP, if you didnt care you wouldnt start this thread.
This thread isnt about ppl making fun of you for something you're comfortable about; its you looking for approval for what you know is a stupid, lazy, course of action.

You say you have a good life. Great. Keep it, live it to the full, GET HEALTHY.
Follow your doctors advice

I can only reiterate what other people have posted here.. You're doing more damage to your health than any drug addict, smoker or alcoholic could ever do to theirs.

You don't want to be getting stents put in your arteries in your mid thirties and bypasses in your forties. Yes you're happy but no one gets away with it in the long run unfortunately. Obesity really is a bigger problem than all the other vices combined so you have to try be careful.

Hopefully these posts will be a sobering experience for you.

cats.life

op you have to care, i do care about me and my two boys who mite not be here next year if i dont lose any of the blubber that im carrying around ,24 stone . never this weight before so im now losing it before it kills me. im fed up with people looking at me thinking god she is hugh, im nly 5ft 2in, so im short and round that cant bend down to pick things of the floor. so op do you want to end up like me ? i dont think so,

Dudess

Best of luck, Cats.life - it's a cliché but deciding to make that change and really wanting to do it and finding that determination... that's a huge step.

LZ5by5 wrote: »

However, one trick I've known people to use though is watching those reality tv shows. I don't mean in the sense that they find these shows informative, but rather it opens their eyes to just how much overweight people are ridiculed and held in contempt by some aspects of society. I mean the likes of Gilliam McKeith, that nutritionist off of OT and that idiot off of Sky 1: these people make their money by fostering a snarling contemptuous attitude among society towards overweight people. Does that not piss you off? That complete lack of respect people are showing you every day?

There's a programme called Big Meets Bigger airing on BBC at the moment - it takes a much more human and sympathetic approach than those two ****bags you mentioned. The gist of it is: British people who are significantly overweight go to the States to stay with families, members of which are even more overweight, and it sorta works as a "glimpse into the future for yourself if you don't make that lifestyle change".
Perhaps that's nasty and voyeuristic and exploitative too, to some, but I thought it came across as ok. There was no nastiness, just a warning message.

You should care, and you know it. It's not an appearance thing, it's a health thing. It's really no different to saying you don't see any reason to stop smoking 60 a day or drinking 2 bottles of wine every night because you're enjoying yourself. It doesn't matter if you're enjoying yourself. Not doing anything about your weight is the easy way out, it's lazy, and you're deluded if you think your health is fine. A colleague of mine died at 41 a few years ago from obesity related issues. Just collapsed and died in front of us at work. She'd said she didn't see any reason to lose weight because she was happy as she was.

tenchi-fan

I often go through stages of putting on weight before evenutally saying "enough is enough" and losing some. At the moment I'm 12 st but would feel happier at 11 (I'm a guy btw)

The problem is, when I'm gaining weight I'm always on an upward trend. 10st .. then 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 12.5, 13+... you appear to be on the same sort of trend.

Already being overweight and putting on a few stone in only a few years is a big deal. It means you have not stopped gaining weight. You are probably eating more than ever knowing that you are "comfortable" with your current weight.. but your appetite and waistband have not stopped growing - you are actually expanding your stomach making it require more and more food to feel full.

I hope you learn when to say "enough is enough" because at some stage it will be too late. Physical problems will make it difficult for you to lose weight no matter how hard you try. You won't be able to walk far because your knees will tire from supporting your weight and you'll be out of breath just walking to your car.

Another problem is morbidly obese people can have difficulty getting pregnant and even more difficulty carrying a baby to term. You cannot be obese and healthy.

Darthhoob

i was the same size as you (and not much lower now lol) and i also didn't care......but a lot of things have happened in recent years that made me care.
for startes my mum was a big lady, she was a size 30...i remember being SO angry with her at times when i was little cos she did nothing with me, she coudl barely walk, she could never be bothered...i RESENTED her being the size she was....funny how i started to be the same?? though i never got quite as big and i hope i never do. she died a year after my son was born, her first (and only by time she died) grandchild...she doted on him, REALLY doted on him and she died due to a stroke...they could have possibly operated, but she was too big....the risk was far too great.

still i got bigger, i was very down and depressed and so weight crawled on...only running after my toddler made it not climb up as much as it could have. i met my OH and had two more children...having my last baby REALLy took it out of me, i was a size 22...i developed gestational diabetes, severe SPD, anemia, i had a horrid flabby bit under my baby belly which i learned to really hate...i had a really **** time, i was achy, tired, stressed and had to run around after my second son who was a year old...and my eldest son who was 7 and has ADHD and autism....to say it took it out of me is an understatement lol. when pregnant i actually lose weight! i was a size 20 when i gave birth....and went back to a 22 nearly a 24 before i took a VERY long hard look at myself and decided i didn;lt want to be like my mum in that way...i didn't want my kids to look down my me and hate my weight...i didn't want to die too young and not see them or their kid grow up..and i want, no NEED energy.

so am currently doing the slimming world diet....only joined a month ago and lost 9.5lbs so far, and it's been really easy tbh....i prob eat more now than i did lol.....i'm still not bothered about my size as far as looks go, my OH finds me sexy and that brings me alot of confidence with my size....it's just the health side of things. i spose as i had experienced the diabetes, and the joint pain and have 3 kids, one with SEN..it's makes me realise i NEEDED to do something i really should have done a long time ago (or not done in first place really lol)

Nevyn

girlyhappyface wrote: »

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

Sounds to me that you do care, you just don't obsess in a toxic way about your size and weight tying them to self esteem and self worth.

I think you do care and for the right reasons those of health, fertility and being able to have a good quality of life and be an active parent.

But what you seem to be lacking is the getupandgo to start making changes.
I know it can be hard, but I would suggest starting looking at what you are eating and portion sizes, how much water each day you are drinking and fitting in 20 mins of exercise a day, be it a brisk walk or pilates or yoga or something.

The Nutrition & Diet forum is really good, you will get tips and trick and help and support, there is even a diary subforum where you can start a thread to keep track of how you are doing and get help and support from others who are looking at changing their shape and getting fitter.

Emme

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Hi,

I'm in my late twenties, and as the title says- I'm fairly overweight. Obese, actually.

Medically obese = unhealthy

girlyhappyface wrote: »

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years (started a relationship, got comfy!).

So your bf was happy with you heavy anyway, because you were heavy to start with. Maybe he likes you that way but your health should be your priority.

girlyhappyface wrote: »

The thing is, I am so not bothered. I'm a happy person (see username!). I have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

I wish I cared about the weight thing. I just don't. I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

Why do you keep telling us you're not bothered about your weight? Your doctors have told you to lose weight because you're medically obese. To me it's like somebody saying that they have an illness but they're not bothered.

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Yes, it can be annoying clothes shopping as my size (22) is not stocked everywhere. But I just shop in shops that DO have my size- problem solved!!

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

If you want children you would have a better chance of a healthy pregnancy if you weren't medically obese.

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

If you're medically obese and you want children, yes. If you want to be around for your future husband in years to come, yes. If you want to be healthy, yes. If you don't want Type 2 diabetes or a heart condition, yes. You don't have to be a size zero stick insect, just do some exercise, lose some weight and follow a healthy diet so your body can function optimally and your weight is within the healthy BMI range.

Nevyn

Emme harping on that the op is medically obese isn't helpful, the op is looking for help to get started loosing the weigth to to be lectured.

Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

freakmagnet

Another thing to consider is... possibly you like having extra weight?

I was watching a doc on Channel 4 sometime ago about men and women who don't just not mind being bigger, but actually really like it. They, are according to the doc, termed 'gainers'.

Here is an article from the Guardian about the documentary and the concept in general.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/18/women-obese-donna-simpson-gainers

Emme

Thaedydal wrote: »

Emme harping on that the op is medically obese isn't helpful, the op is looking for help to get started loosing the weigth to to be lectured.

Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

If the OP was really happy at her current weight she wouldn't be posting here wondering why she didn't care about being overweight. I was trying to help her but I know I'm a bit of a fitness nazi so it might have come across the wrong way. If she wants, she could get exercise into her routine by going on nice walks along the beach or in the park, something to get her actually liking exercise.

dreamstar

Hi OP,
I think it's great that you are so comfortable with yourself and that you are happy.
HOWEVER, the fact that you posted this in the first place suggests to me that deep down you want to change. And I defintely do think that you should care. Not so much for your looks but for your health.
As you said you want to be able to run around with your kids and if you are obese you won't be able to. Not to mention the heart problems etc etc.
Plus if you are eating healthy you will have so much more energy - trust me. I have just lost 2 stone and I feel fantastic. The exercise really helps you feel so much more energised.
If your health doesn't motivate you I'm afraid nothing will.

Elle Collins

LyndaMcL wrote: »

Not to be rude, but about 95% of size 22 women are not obese. They are MORBIDLY obese. Big difference.

This is harsh but very true.

OP, you are living in a very blinkered state if you are worrying about running around after kids you may not even be able to have! You've got a lot of weight to lose before pregnancy would be safe for you or a baby.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I'm gonna come in hard and harsh on this as you've had lots of the usual pity replies.

[mod ediit]And that is as far as you are getting, this forum is for help and support and not for denigrating posters

mood

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Hi,

I'm in my late twenties, and as the title says- I'm fairly overweight. Obese, actually.

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years (started a relationship, got comfy!).

The thing is, I am so not bothered. I'm a happy person (see username!). I have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

I wish I cared about the weight thing. I just don't. I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

Yes, it can be annoying clothes shopping as my size (22) is not stocked everywhere. But I just shop in shops that DO have my size- problem solved!!

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

I don't mean to freak you out but being that over weight can effect fertility so if you want kids you need to take the doctors advice and loose weight.

Also you may feel ok now but face major health problems if you stay at this weight. Loosing weight in the future won't cure heart problems etc.

smoggy11

OP, you say that you are aware that being obese will cause you health problems, but do you really know which ones?

This is a list of illnesses directly related to obesity. Really, you summed it all up for me when you sais that you havent had any health problems yet. What happens when you do? Are you going to wait until you have a serious health scare before you try to do something about it? At which point it would be even harder than if you did it while you were still reasonably healthy?

I commend you for being happy with yourself. However, being happy with a changeable condition that could cost you your health is, to be totally honest, ridiculous.

As has been previously mentioned, Size 22 is not overweight, it is obese. At your size, it would also not take too much effort on your part to cut down to a healthier weight. The more you have to lose, the easier it is at the start.

OP, I would seriously urge you to think about this. You love your boyfriend and I know if I was in your position, I would want to have as many years with him as I could.

Nevyn

Any more posts attacking the op will result in bans.
She is looking for advice, suggestion and support not to be told cop on your obese.

LegacyUser

I'm with the OP.

I know I could stand to lose a good few pounds, and I know there are health issues involved with being overweight, but I see it the same as smoking: it's bad for me, I know it's bad for me, I don't care, I like it and am going to continue the way I am.

And so should you OP. If you're happy with who you are and understand the risks, stick with what you want.

lynsalot

LZ5by5 wrote: »

I have known people like yourself, personally they didn't feel all that unhappy about being overweight but knew in the back of their mind that they really *should* lose weight. It's hard to see where your motivation is going to come from.

You're not unhappy with your looks so that rules out looking better as motivation for losing weight.

Health-wise, as with everything, you won't get a scare until you actually have a health scare. That's just what it is to be human, people need to actually experience something until they decide to take action. So for now, you can't really use health as a motivation either.

However, one trick I've known people to use though is watching those reality tv shows. I don't mean in the sense that they find these shows informative, but rather it opens their eyes to just how much overweight people are ridiculed and held in contempt by some aspects of society. I mean the likes of Gilliam McKeith, that nutritionist off of OT and that idiot off of Sky 1: these people make their money by fostering a snarling contemptuous attitude among society towards overweight people. Does that not piss you off? That complete lack of respect people are showing you every day? Surely it must, so what you should do is use that anger and channel it into exercising.

If you can't be bothered with losing weight for yourself, you might as well do it as a **** you to the people who treat you so badly every day.

Can I just say I'm so happy someone has mentioned this?!?!
Health is not going to motivate you unless you have health problems I absolutely agree with this. Bringing up issues about costing the "country" a fortune in medical bills is complete bull****! Some of the attitudes on this thread are unreal.

The girl's wondering should she be worried? I think she's concerned that other people seem worried. A person should only lose weight for themselves... because they personally want to change. Not because society feels they're unacceptable. Sorry to barge in here but I must be honest societies attitude to overweight people disgusts me.

OP - if you're happy with your weight then live and be happy. You've raised concerns about raising your future children. So keep that in mind and use that to motivate you to lose weight when you want to. There'd be a much healthier attitude to weight if more girls thought like you. Being overweight or obese or mordibly obese is a personal thing for no one else to comment on. Its so refreshing to read your weight doesn't hold you back and why should it?

Now if the day comes that u are unhappy then yes you can do something about it! Like you would with any aspect of your life.

LegacyUser

The girl's wondering should she be worried? I think she's concerned that other people seem worried. A person should only lose weight for themselves... because they personally want to change. Not because society feels they're unacceptable. Sorry to barge in here but I must be honest societies attitude to overweight people disgusts me.

The majority of posts here are telling the op that she SHOULD be concerned about her weight for HEALTH reasons, This has nothing to do with societies attitudes towards obese people (and lets be honest here theres a big difference between being overweight and being clinically obese)..When a DOCTOR tells you you need to lose weight, he/she is not doing it because of "societies attitudes" they're saying it because the OPs weight is affecting her HEALTH! If a doctor told you that you had liver damage and if you kept drinking alcohol, you'd need a transplant...would you keep drinking?

Its so refreshing to read your weight doesn't hold you back and why should it?

the ops weight might not be holding her back now, but if she doesn't start trying to shift the weight now/or keeps gaining weight then in 10 years time shes going to be dealing with very serious health complications...

OP - if you're happy with your weight then live and be happy

The Irony is at the weight shes currently at shes significantly reducing both her life expectancy and her quality of life.

Now if the day comes that u are unhappy then yes you can do something about it!

so if/when her weight causes her to have a massive stroke/diabetes THEN she can do something about it?...can she?...theres not much you can do about it when you're lying in a morgue tbh

There'd be a much healthier attitude to weight if more girls thought like you.

thats just a ridiculous statement, you cannot possibly think that being a size 22 in your late 20's is healthy regardless of how society veiws overweight people. Obesity kills.

mood

clogged arteries wrote: »

The majority of posts here are telling the op that she SHOULD be concerned about her weight for HEALTH reasons, This has nothing to do with societies attitudes towards obese people (and lets be honest here theres a big difference between being overweight and being clinically obese)..When a DOCTOR tells you you need to lose weight, he/she is not doing it because of "societies attitudes" they're saying it because the OPs weight is affecting her HEALTH! If a doctor told you that you had liver damage and if you kept drinking alcohol, you'd need a transplant...would you keep drinking?

+1

To not see that her weight is a big problem is worrying. OP doesn't have a realistic view of how this will effect her health, her future, fertility etc. I don't know how the OP can get perspective. Maybe Op should go to her GP, have a chat about it and see if they can refer her to a counsellor or just go privately.

ncmc

girlyhappyface wrote: »

Hi,

I'm in my late twenties, and as the title says- I'm fairly overweight. Obese, actually.

The thing is, I don't care. I've always been on the heavy side but have put on a couple more stone in the last few years (started a relationship, got comfy!).

The thing is, I am so not bothered. I'm a happy person (see username!). I have a gorgeous, wonderful boyfriend who I intend to marry. I have an amazing supportive family and fantastic friends. I have a great job, and am always furthering my skills and knowledge base through training or further education.

I wish I cared about the weight thing. I just don't. I'm aware that it is unhealthy, and I've had doctors tell me to lose a few stone (in routine check ups). I've never had any health problems so far, so I'm not in any hurry.

Yes, it can be annoying clothes shopping as my size (22) is not stocked everywhere. But I just shop in shops that DO have my size- problem solved!!

I wish I had the willpower to care or something, but I love my food, and don't exercise at all. The only thing I want to be is healthy so I can run around with my (future) kids. I'm gonna start to exercize so I'm not out of breath from doing high energy things.

Just wondering is anyone in the same boat? Its rare that I come across girls my age who don't obsess about their weight. How do I start caring? Or more importantly, SHOULD I care??

OP, it is great that you are so happy in yourself, really that is to be commended, however, I am a bit confused about why you posted in the first place, especially in PI rather than somewhere like the Ladies Lounge, this suggests to me that your weight bothers you more than you say. You have said in your OP that you have had no health issues yet, I think you should underline and bold face the word yet, because if you continue at your size, it is only a matter ot time before you start to see the repercussions of your weight. I'm not going to parrot what all the posters have said and list out the cons of being overweight, you know what they are and i'm sure the possible fertility problems would be one of the things that would be of concern to you.

The only thing I will say, is that you seem to think there are two types of people in the world, overweight and happy, or skinny and miserable/obsessed with food and weight. You can lose a little bit of weight, still enjoy food and be happy yet reap the benefits of being healthier and slimmer. Imagine how nice it would be to be able to buy fashionable clothes in regular shops, or do ordinary things like run upstairs and sprint for the bus without being totally winded, think of how much better your sex life could be if you were happier with your body and fitter to boot. If all of these things don't motivate you, then I have the sad feeling that it will take something bad happening or a piece of bad health news to make you do something.

The last thing I will say, is that I am a couple of years older than you and in the last few years, I have noticed that it is harder to keep the weight off and I have to be stricter with myself whereas before, I would just cut the junk and the weight would fall off me. It definitely gets harder to keep in shape as you get older as your metabolism slows down. You say you are going to try and start exercise so you will be fit enough to run after your children, I say do it NOW, cos it doesn't get any easier! You will be amazed at the difference some walking or maybe even some easy jogging makes, you will feel so much better, fitter, less tired and lethargic, Good luck and come back and let us know how you're getting on!

seamus

When you're looking to lose weight, you need to understand that for the vast, vast majority of people, carrying excess weight is not the problem. It's a symptom of the problem.

The problem is addiction. Just like cigarettes and alcohol, consuming food causes the release of chemicals in your brain, brings on feelings of relaxation and enjoyment and leaves you looking forward to the next encounter. You can crave certain foods in certain situations just the same as a smoker will crave a cigarette when they're stressed or excited. People who don't really overeat (or don't put on weight) tend not to understand this and will often just tell you to stop eating so much or to go do some exercise. Smokers get similar flak from non-smokers about "Ah just give them up will ye", because the non-smokers don't understand the nature of addiction.

This is the root of the problem and it needs to be understood before it can addressed. Some people aren't really all that addicted (or have great self-control) and can lose weight by clicking their fingers. Similarly, we all know people who can just give up cigarettes and never look back. But they're rare and fortunate individuals.

Smoking in fact parallels your overeating in many ways. Many smokers don't worry about what smoking does to their appearance, and they don't hate the action of taking a cigarette. Many of them don't care about their health either, and so see no reason to give up cigarettes. And you seem to be in the same mindset when it comes to your overeating.

There needs to be a trigger, a moment of determination where you realise once and for all that things need to change and you're dead set on sticking to it. Other people cannot tell you that you need to lose weight, you cannot find the will from anyone else. It comes from within you and only from within you. Without it, you cannot hope to lose weight because you won't take yourself seriously enough.

You're asking us if you should care. But you know the answer to that question. You're looking for strength, inspiration, something.

The question isn't "should" you care, the question here is do you care? If you don't care, then there's nothing we can say to make you care. It's up to you.

However, informing yourself about obesity seems like the logical thing to do if you plan on living in this condition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity. Read it and then decide if you still care. It's much easier to tell yourself that you don't care about something when you know nothing about it.

The reason I talk about addiction at the start is that fighting obesity is not a once-off thing. You don't lose weight and then you're done. It's a lifelong battle with your addiction, and no matter how much you care about losing weight, you will always have to fight against the little man who tells you that cream cake looks awesome, or that side of chips would go great with your steak dinner and it's not really that bad.

There's whole book in this, but I think I've TLDR'd already.

mood

seamus I don't think anyone is saying it is easy etc. I suggested visiting her GP for advice. A good GP should be able to help her or point her in the direction or refer her to other health care professionals or organisation who and help and support. The OP deciding to loose weight without medical advice could be very dangerous and I feel professional advice is needed.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Yes you should be worried. You'll most likely be injecting insulin within the next 10 years if you don't cop on.

Also you say you want to have kids? Well I don't think you've thought about it very much. First of all obese women have a lot of difficulty conceiving, secondly they tend to have more complications in pregnancy than even underweight women.

You need to slim down before you have kids, to do it safely and properly it will take a while. Otherwise you're knowingly putting them at risk. Don't go near crash/fad diets they cause more problems than they solve.

A low GI diet is probably your best option. You can still treat yourself and its something you could stay on forever happily.

I'd also agree with a lot of what Seamus said, not sure how to fix that though. There's a book by Allen Carr called 'easyweigh to lose weight' - hes most famous for writing a smoking cessation book which I found very good. I tihnk he applies the same principle to overeating.

Emme

OP, has your doctor checked you out for PCOS? Th is can be linked to weight gain and Type II diabetes and it affects fertility as well. If not, get your doctor to see if you have PCOS.

knitwit

Hi OP,

You remind me of my mother. In her own words, she is "fat and happy", and always has been.
You say you want children, are you aware that your chances of conception are much lower at your size? I'm an only child because my mother couldn't get pregnant again. She tried for 8 years to have me. She also nearly died during childbirth, a direct result of her obesity.
All through my childhood I saw her eat whatever she wanted and avoid exercise at all costs. (She would drive me to school, it was about 500 yards away!) I was slagged constantly because of her size, kids saying "your mam is a big fat pig" which I was devastated by.
I would urge you to get healthier before you have those children you want. We all have to look after ourselves, even if it is boring and downright painful at times!
You are spoiling yourself by treating yourself to whatever food you fancy and by excusing yourself from exercise. This is not a good way to be.
And when you are a mother, I'm sure you want your children to be healthy. The best way to do this is to lead by example. The children of obese parents are many times more likely to also be obese. This is not surprising if the person cooking your meals eats all the wrong things and in the wrong amounts. It's almost impossible for a child to learn about healthy eating and exercise if their parents aren't good role models. Believe me, I have experienced this first-hand. I'm only learning now in my 20s about how to look after myself-very frustrating.
I'm not saying you should run out and join a gym and do a crash diet, but I would encourage you to start making small changes in your lifestyle that will lead to better health.

bestiaries

I am a size 14/16 which is on the smaller size of fat. It is hard to keep this way, Everything I eat is low carb, and I exercise everyday but I do it because it means I can wear pretty dresses (as in the selection as you get in high street shops above 16 is depressing), & never get anyone outright annoying me over it. My mum is an apple shape, shorter than me and a fair bit bigger, she has a horrible time finding nice clothes, so i tend to pick stuff up online for her (yours clothing, evans, new look, ulla popken, la redoute etc) a lot as she feels embarassed shopping for herself in normal shops-something most people take for granted.

as for the arseholes who think they can pass comment on her tbh she shouldn't even show up on these people's radar but the odd time i am down for a visit, & something is said within my earshot i want to kick the cnut off them for upsetting her, so you know what I go over and pick them up on what they've just said, more often than not they're mortified.

It makes me so angry people feel like they can pass comment on another's physique. A friend of mine has been fighting anorexia for year and she gets "you look brilliant, i would love to be as thin as you" on a regular basis which makes my heart sinks and re-inforces to her that she's doing the right thing treating food like the devil and killing herself with exercise half the night.

I don't think anyone on this thread even realises what a size 22 looks like. I think in their heads size 22 is 300lbs and practically immobile...in anycase, this should be about helping the girl not bashing her because she is happy with herself.

There is a movement called fat acceptance, and a huge fatshionista community on flickr, livejournal, blogs etc. which i suggest you get involved in. try wendy shankers the fat girls guide to life, susie orbachs fat is a feminist issue, naomi wolfs the beauty myth, oh theres also a blog called notes from the fatosphere i think they have a book out, i honestly thing every woman should read the fantasy of being thin off their site.

I agree with you about the exercise though, you need to for your sanity. It really does help improve your mood, you think you're happy now-wait until you've been active for 12 weeks on the trot! I go for long walks every evening with my woofs, wouldn't give them up. Also do yoga, pilates, and swimming.

bestiaries

also, don't get hung up over terms like obese etc...that whole bmi thing is a pile of **** anyway

which is demonstrated perfectly on this illustrated bmi project
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/

lynsalot

clogged arteries wrote: »

The majority of posts here are telling the op that she SHOULD be concerned about her weight for HEALTH reasons, This has nothing to do with societies attitudes towards obese people (and lets be honest here theres a big difference between being overweight and being clinically obese)..When a DOCTOR tells you you need to lose weight, he/she is not doing it because of "societies attitudes" they're saying it because the OPs weight is affecting her HEALTH! If a doctor told you that you had liver damage and if you kept drinking alcohol, you'd need a transplant...would you keep drinking?

I never mentioned the doctor using socities attitudes to get the OP to lose weight. I admire the fact that societies attitude towards her hasn't given her a complex like it has with so many others.

clogged arteries wrote: »

the ops weight might not be holding her back now, but if she doesn't start trying to shift the weight now/or keeps gaining weight then in 10 years time shes going to be dealing with very serious health complications...

You're not medically trained so this is a mute point. Yes she may encounter problems but whose to say she won't lose weight before then. She's said she doesn't want her weight to cause problems when raising children so as I've said she should use this motivation to lose some weight before then.

clogged arteries wrote: »

The Irony is at the weight shes currently at shes significantly reducing both her life expectancy and her quality of life.

so if/when her weight causes her to have a massive stroke/diabetes THEN she can do something about it?...can she?...theres not much you can do about it when you're lying in a morgue tbh

She's said herself she enjoys her life without any health complications so it's not affecting her quality of life.

clogged arteries wrote: »

thats just a ridiculous statement, you cannot possibly think that being a size 22 in your late 20's is healthy regardless of how society veiws overweight people. Obesity kills.

Obesity is a silent killer. It's like any addiction as another poster has said. I didn't say her weight was healthy. I said her attitude was refreshing. To find a female thats not affected by media and society to conform and be happy with her appearance is excellent. It's a much healthier attitude to have when tackling weight loss than desperately trying to shed the pounds in anyway you can to feel better about yourself.

Fluorescence

Should you care? Simply put, yes. You've gotten many fantastic, well thought out answers on this thread, and I've nothing else really that I can add at this point. I do find it kind of sad that you don't seem to care about your health at all. I think it's great that your life is going so well for you at the moment and that you're happy and confident in yourself (maybe a bit jealous ), but I also think you need to realise that everything won't be so rosy in a few years time if you leave things as they are. There's a high risk you run of numerous health problems, which will put pressure on yourself at work, in your relationship and in general.

Nobody can make you care though. You need to find your own motivation to exercise and eat well. I wish you the best of luck!

P.s. When I'm feeling unmotivated to exercise, I hop on the exercise bike my mam bought for herself years ago and play Pokémon on the DS :P I can easily do 30 mins this way and not even notice! Try finding your own way of entertaining yourself so exercise doesn't seem so boring and daunting.

LegacyUser

OP, please don't mind posters saying stuff like "cop on to yourself" and generally addressing your genuine request for advice with some dismissiveness. It's rude and you don't deserve such responses.

In reply to your initial question, yes, I'm afraid you should care. I can sympathise, although from a different angle. I've been anorexic, to varying degrees of severity, since I was 13. I'm 27 now. So all my adult life, and long before it manifested, I've had problems with food. I love being thin. I love being so thin that strangers stop me in the street and tell me to eat. Obviously there were/are underlying psychological issues but like you, I had no desire to change my shape. Unlike you, I had emotional issues about my size and had low self esteem. I love being very slim though and not eating and had no health problems beyond the obvious psychiatry for a long, long time..at least ten years in fact. Everyone would tell me to get better, that I was too thin, but at the same time I'd boyfriends telling me they loved my body and I was approached to do modelling etc, so I thought, "Clearly I look grand".

Your health may be okay now, but that can change so quickly. Within 18 months, I began to get dizzy spells and seizures. My back teeth crumbled from lack of nutrition and started to fall out. When I ate at all, my digestive system couldn't recognise or handle the food, so I'd awful problems with stomach pains and constipation. I started to fail exams, having done brilliantly prior to this stage.

I didn't want to get better or try to get better and change my lifestyle but I had to. I couldn't function anymore. My body was falling apart. Being underweight and being overweight are very similar in ways. Fertility is affected, blood pressure and heart rate is affected. I would also have been at increased risk of heart attacks etc.

You might not think that you're overweight enough to suffer bad complications. I was just a stone underweight when all of the health problems began. It was more the constant strain my body had been under for so long. Your body is under strain now too.

I don't want to lecture you at all, but I see similarities in our stories in that neither of us wanted/want to change. I just think it would be good if you started to deal with the issue before it's a full blown problem.

Good luck hun.