31Years Old and 17Stone

OP I'd seriously look at changing your job because those types of hours are part of the problem. Furthermore I thought there was employment law in this country that states 48 hours is the maximum working week anyone can be asked to work. Working 6 days a week with 3 x 14 hour shifts and 3 x 9 hour shifts sounds like exploitation to me. If your employer has you rostered for more than 48 hours a week I'd be discussing your options with a good employment solicitor, I'm aware of cases where hotels have had to pay thousands of euro in back wages to employees who they exploited.

I also used to work in the hotel/pub industry and by the time I was 30 I was around 18 stone, 6ft tall. For me it was bad diet and drink that did it, toasted sandwiches and crisps were my staples along with a few pints after work most nights too and that might be followed by chips or a burger, or both. These days I'm out of the industry and am down to 13.5 stone with still a bit to lose. But trust me when I say that long hours is not conducive to weight loss because you're spending so much time working when it comes to eating you automatically make choices that are based on convenience and speed rather than being based on nuitrition. Take aways replace cooking pretty easy as when you're wrecked after a days work you don't feel like cooking, nor even shopping.

Its good to see that you've had a wake up call and realise your weight and lifestyle isnt sustainable. For me the wake up call came one day when I had weighed myself that morning at 119kgs. I was one kg from needing a new scales. Then later that afternoon I was watching an Irish rugby game and saw the line up where they give the weights of the players. Even the heaviest bugger was only 108kg. It was the wake up call I needed to go do something about it and I'm glad I did now as if I hadnt I've no doubt I could be a 25 stone candidate right now.

As others have said planning your meals in advance is key. Soups are a fantastic way to lose weight, a bowl is only around 200 calories yet is extremely filling. Think of doing what I'm planning to do for the winter- I'll spend an entire day shopping, prepping veg and making soup. By the times its finished I plan to be left with
5 litres butternut squast soup
5 ;itres tomato and red pepper soup
5 litres carrot & corriander soup
3 litres of base soup to make seafoos chowder.

Like you I live alone so I'm mainly cooking for one. I've got lots of 500ml tupperware containers so when all the soup has cooled down I'll freeze it into those and each container will give me 2 x 250ml bowls of soup. So over the entire winter I plan to eat around 75 bowls of soup and by doing it this way I'll have prepared the entire lot with less than six hours work. Freezing them in double portions means that I'm never eating the same soup for more than two days in a row.

Apply the same philsophy to all your eating. By cooking stuff in large batches and then freezing it you can have a selection of good meals always waiting for you in the freezer. Think about buying a slow cooker, they're only 20 quid and they allow you to throw in loads of ingredients and then just set it to cook for 8 hours, overnight if you want. I cook things like stews and chilli in 2kg batches, then eat some over the next 3 days, then freeze the rest into double portions and defrost it on those occasions when I get in from work and am too tired to cook a full meal from scratch. Effievtively what I've done is ensured I always have 2-3 different types of meals in the freezer, already cooked and ready to go. Before I would have just rang for pizza but now I've no need because I have food that tastes even nicer in the freezer and is also a lot more nutritios and lower in calories. By planning your eating in advance it helps to avoid making bad choices at the last minute.

Other bits of advice is to find an exercise that you like and stick with it, minimum 3 times a week. For me I've done the gym thing and while I'm not against it totally I found that it wasnt the most efficient use of my time and I think with exercise and managing your time is very important. With the gym I would do 40 minutes cardio work (jogging, cycling, rowing, croos trainer for 10 mins each) and after that I'd go for a 20 minute swim, I found two things 1) I was spending almost 2 hours of my time door to door to complete 60 minutes of exercise) and 2) exercise in that environment may not be efficient, i.e. you tend to take breaks between the machines where your heart rate drops, also a break between the cardio and swim as you get changed.

Just this summer I bought a good bicycle which is light weight and designed for speed. Now I can leave my front door and I am exercising from the second I leave to the second I return. It is a far more efficient use of my time than the gym. I've lost two stone in the last four months through cycling. When I began I was very unfit and I remember my first cycle was 9km and took me a shocking 37 minutes. Just today I cycled 26km in an hour and two minutes which is a vast improvement. I think cycling is a superb exercise for weight loss because the one good thing about it is it doesnt matter how heavy you are you can still do it. Even if you are 20 stone plus if you get up on a bike 3 or 4 times a week after a month the muscles in your legs will have strengthened dramatically and even though you're carrying a lot of weight you'll still be able to cycle at a good intensity for up to an hour or even more if you want. Just a few days ago I overtook another cyclist on one of my routes out the back roads of the airport. The guy I overtook must have been 20 stone plus, his arse was so big it was hanging off the saddle. I kinda grinned glad my weight is no longer that bad but also thought to myself fair play to him, if he sticks with it and eats well then the weight will fall off, just like its done for me.

The other thing I'd say is to make sure you use the new technologies available. Myfitnesspal.com really helped me to understand what I was putting into my body, by counting calories and logging exercise it really gave me a visual aid of what I was doing. It also helped me make the right eating choices at the right times. When you know you have burnt 600 calories from an hours cycling and you know a Big Mac meal is 1100 calories it really gives you perspective on how your eating choices are extremely important. I also using Mapmyride.com app for cycling, its a GPS tracker which is excellent for comparing times on your routes and knowing how many kilometres I've cycled over the week.

Finally learn how to snack as healthily as you can. I'm a sucker for crisps, chocolate, all that junk. Nowadays I try to eat more fruit and always have bananas and kiwis on supply. But everyday I give myself a treat, which is a snack which must be under 100 calories. There arent many out there that fit the bill, so far all I've found is packets of Skips or Rancheros which are both around 90 calories. Thats my little treat for the day, it mightnt be good for me but if I'm exercising and eating well otherwise then theres not much wrong with it.

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

With long days at work, being prepared is crucial. Make time to prepare lunches and dinners in advance. If you have a healthy dinner to come home to, you won't be inclined to go for chips.

It is hard work to get into that habit if it's alien to you but it's either make an effort now and reap the benefits or be miserable.

The above is key! It seems like an awful pain in the bum doing lunches for work the next day or preparing things but it becomes second nature after the first two weeks.

I didn't learn to cook until I was coming up to giving birth to my first and I suddenly realised that this kid was going to be relying on me for food. Once you find a good recipe and do it a few times, you have it under your belt and build on from there. I NEVER thought I'd be able to cook what I can and I've a freezer full of homecooked healthy dinners now.

Pecker31 wrote: »

I'm a female :-) my other half is male but we live separately. I live alone. I've signed up for Unislim and cleared out my presses and freezer and cut out all fizzy drinks as a start. I'm starting Unislim Tuesday and my boyfriend is so supportive - I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. Positive attitude eh! X

Good woman yourself. Start with that, get out for walks, maybe venture into doing couch 2 5k in the next few months and then maybe some fitness classes/strength training a bit down the line.