• obesity blog
• Childhood obesity

182 comments :

Tomato Boy | 18/04/2007 14:34:00

I'be found that I reduce my weight when I eat whole grains etc But overeating cheese puts up my body temperature

susan malcolm | 18/04/2007 15:19:00

I suffer from Policystic ovaries which results in problems with weight. There is a problem with my insulin levels, blood sugar levels and in reactive hypoglycaemia. There is no NHS information available. There is some info available on the internet. People see that I am fat, which I am, but never think that there could be an actual reason behind my always being hungry or feeling ill and lethargic.

Katy | 18/04/2007 15:20:00

I've been battling weight gain all my life, and the only diet that helped me lose weight easily was the Atkinson diet - but I could only bear being on it for a couple of weeks, as I prefer salad, fruit and veg. to an all-protein diet! The trouble with the salad/fruit/veg. diet, is that I tend to gain weight if I eat a lot of it, and I find my body temperature is raised by it. I was told that it's due to the natural sugars that are in these things. My metabolism is very slow, and it takes me a long time to lose any weight at all, and I feel despair when I've been dieting for weeks and barely lose any weight.

Meg | 18/04/2007 15:23:00

My body temperature is not affected when I eat. However, no matter how little I consume my weight continues to increase. I would certainly welcome my metabolic rate being monitored as I definitely feel that this is a major contributing factor in my weight problems! And what can be done to improve the process - simple, educate GPs that weight gain does not equate to excess eating and that ALL factors should be investigated! I've had to change GPs in the past year as everytime I went to see them they told me my problem was due to my weight and that was because I ate too much!!! I changed GPs and now have been diagnosed with a thryoid problem but again only after I insisted that investigations be done!

Wayne | 18/04/2007 15:36:00

I like many here have battled with my weight since childhood, reach my "ideal" weight twice yet put it all back on plus more. I've tried all kinds of diets plus different types of exersise but none have been totally successful. I've basically given up on ever being a "normal" weight and now just chose to eat healthily and exercise regularly. It doesn't affect my weight much so im beginning to think its in your genetic make up to be fat.

Maria | 18/04/2007 15:38:00

I suffer from polycystic ovaries and there is little to no information out there. There aren't many GPs who know anything about it and I have had horrific experiences with Gynos.. People look at me, see my walking stick (I also have rheumatoid arthritis), see my size and imagine that I'm always eating and eating the wrong food! As far as I've discovered, it's a difficult balance and loosing weight is extremely difficult and SLOW. GPs must learn about the fact that weight gain is affected by many different things, not just overeating - or eating the 'wrong' foods!!! GPs in some European countries as well as in the USA would have realised there was something else going on. Since I have started following the advice of people over in the USA, I feel a little more alert and not tired.



Joe | 18/04/2007 15:39:00

does anyone know if there is a way to tell how well your metabolism is working? Like Katy above I too find that I can only lose weight on a low carb diet but it is a difficult diet to continue for long periods.

once was called skinny | 18/04/2007 15:43:00

until i started drinking at age of 35 i was 11st .6ft tall.but as soon as i started drinking weight shot up to 18st.stopped drinking and my weight basically stayed the same for last 15yrs.i also stopped smoking 15yrs ago and i blame the no smoking for me not losing weight.

John | 18/04/2007 15:46:00

I have been fighting weight gain since I was in hospital for a yer when I was 21, I wentin at 10 stone 9lbs and the first time I got up I was 18 stone. I have always been careful what I eat and with exercise could maintain 14 stone, but now I'm disabled and unable to exercise, in spite of eating little, my weight creeps to 15 stone 7lbs, and I've always thought it was to do with my metabolism. I do break out in hot sweats, even if I haven't overindulged.I have tried Orlestat and Acomplia without much success, inspite of losing muscle, possibly due to Metformin, nothing seems to move the spare tire. If only a pill could increase your metabolism, here's hoping

john, | 18/04/2007 15:51:00

I failed to mention I'm now 78

notastickinsect | 18/04/2007 15:54:00

I have been misdiagnosed with Me,Fibromyalgia nd Rheumatoid Arthritis for 15 years. I have now discovered I actually have Lyme disease. I gained 6st taking the drug amytrityline for 7 years and and have found it impossible to get rid of. Like other commenters above I hate my weight and others see it as the main factor in my illness rather tha it being the result of my illness and treatment. I do feel hot if I have overeaten. I live on mainly slads, fruit etc which I like but I can only lose weight if I follow a very low carb diet, even then it is a struggle. I only really successfully lost much (40 pounds) by going down to 1100 calories a day solidly for 12 months because of my inablility to excercise. I then developed severe RA and I was so ill the diet became too difficult as I relied on what others cooked etc. I would welcome more help on the metavbolic side of things as the only help I have recieved has been of the very judgemental "what goes in goes on, therefore you are grossly overeating" type of advice. additionally despite complaining to Gps consultants etc over 7 years I only discovered my weight gain was due to Amytriptiline through the internet and subsequently the medics still disagreed with me and told me not to believe everything on the net until finally my pain consultant admitted there was a connection only last year when I refused to go back on this drug. I also agree that the USA seems to have the best advice. Incidentally the women in my father's family were all grossly overweight, giving rise to the belief that it is partly genetic. as my partner says, he eats the junk food and is slim, I eat the balanced diet because I actually adore slads and fruit and I look like the side of a house.

Geoffrey Ellis | 18/04/2007 15:58:00

I believe that metabolism has a part to play but that eating and drinking are the cause for weight gain. I cannot accept that todays generation is getting fatter, not larger, fatter.I am 60 years of age and since about 20 when I stopped excerise i put on wieght, I have though various methods of reducing food or drink input reduced my wieght but always slowly creep back through bad habits. Three years ago I started Tai Chi and without changing diet lost over 20 lbs, how i do not know but something happened.

gail | 18/04/2007 15:58:00

i find it very hard to lose weight as i work nights also as i get older i find it doesnt get any easier to lose weight either..


Cyndamarie Gunn | 18/04/2007 15:59:00

I had Rny Gastric bypass surgery in Oct 2004, After having complications and begging the local hospital to help, and being in and out 15 diffrent times, they transferred me back to the orginal hospital where I had my surgery, found a hernia up under my stomack and in intenstial tear, Having found this out,my question was, WHY didn't my local hospital know how to sort this out? We have no support groups in Milton Keynes UK, and having fought so hard to get my health back after surgery .I started a support group for ALL obese people. However the local PCT , and GPs will not tell people I am here. I AM CONSTANTLY feeling like I am talking to brick walls , when it comes to the medical professionals. IF you are in Milton Keynes, UK ,and want support..weither you have had Obesity baratric surgery , or not. Please contact me. 01908 604004 Thank You.

marion | 18/04/2007 16:01:00

all my life i have been overweight. at 15 yrs old i was 15 stone and so on till i reached the grand old age of 19 and i now weigh 19 stone. over the years i have tried every type of diet going and have even considered having a gastric band inserted but if i can`t do it on my own then whats the point of having a band around my stomach. my metabolism has been described as slow,non existance or just lazy !!-what exactly is one of these and how do you kick start it! about two years ago i gave up diets as they were making me ill. now i just eat heathily and take exercise when i can-having a dog makes a big difference. maybe mt nan all these years ago was right you are meant to be what you are and to get on with life and enjoy it

Janflower | 18/04/2007 16:02:00

My grandmother, myself and my daughter have all had problems with obesity. In desperation my daughter has had gastric banding done. We keep being told that we are taking in more calories than we are using and thus putting on weight. However my daughter eats far less calories because of the gastric banding but only loses weight when she goes to the gym. Bear in mind she is the mother of three boys, is a single parent, works fully time in a care home as well as running her home, doing all the gardening and decorating. I eat a sensible, well balanced diet. I only eat small portions. I look after my daughter's three boys while she works, do cleaning and laundry for a disabled, elderly friend, run my own home and huge garden and walk our dog three times a day. I also go to the gym 5 days per week for approx2 hrs and I'm still having problems losing weight. A consultant once told me 'there are no fat people in Africa' I'm fed up with being made to feel I overeat and am not believed when I say I don't. Even friends have made comments that I don't eat enough to keep a sparrow alive! Why won't the medical people listen to people like us who are genuinely doing our level best to combat our obesity problem. More research is needed for us minority.

patricia clegg | 18/04/2007 16:03:00

I like many have been overweight since childhood, Im now disabled due to arthritus, I have dieted for years only to pile on more weight, Im always very hot and depression makes me eat more, I have always thought I was a ver active fat person , I have so much energy yet cannot move about quick enough to burn off the calories, my husband as always said that my metabilsm is slow as when Ive dieted in the past Ive not always lost weight, I have to starve myself and then I get bored so give up , also menapause doesnt help, oh to be slim, and wear a paiir of jeans before I die,

marion mccaffery | 18/04/2007 16:12:00

i am 58 years old. i have only had 12 years of that life. first ten years was good i was not overweight but once i started puberty, i started my periods when i was 11and from then it was big boobs and big all over. i was bullied at school because of my size and also the fact that i had big boobs. when i was 18 i done drastic dieting which was drinking 5 glasses of plj in hot water during the day, eating apple and a piece of cheese3 times a day. i lost the weight ok i went down to about 9.7 stones. i got married in my early twenties became pregnant and that was that. i looked 9 months pregnant at 3 months. i was huge. manage to get down from 14 stone to 11stone and became pregnant again and from then on the weight has stayed on and i gain weight every year. i suffer with high blook pressure, painful joints which does not help my mobility and i have an under active thyroid gland. i think it is a lot to do with metabolic rate which i think should be monitored. i have dieted for years so i am a yo yo dieter so i dont think that has helpe over the years. i eat sensibly dont eat a lot of fats, eat plenty of fruit and veg but can i lose weight. NO. my obesity makes me very depressed. i have never worn a pair of trousers or a swimsuit i sit on the beach all wrapped up because i am embarrased of my size.

Jan | 18/04/2007 16:13:00

I have tried every diet under the sun for years now and I have ended up putting more weight on than I originally started out at. I can sympathise with meg. My body temparature does not increase when I eat no matter how little I eat. I just have to smell it and I can put weight on. I really do think that medical sciene should be looking at some form of medication that can increase your metabalism to lose weight, and what really annoys me is that people who do not know you think that all you must do is eat and be a coutch potato, not the case with me. I have had tests for thyroid but they came back fine, there must be something GP's can do. GP's have a lot to learn and as latest reports state that they are now finding out that obesity could be hereditary!!!!!! isn't that obvious in most cases?

Jayne R | 18/04/2007 16:17:00

I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes (Impaired Glucose Tolerance) three years ago and have always been "big". After watching what I eat carefully so as not to aggravate the IGT, I have lost 3 stone in weight, although I'm not going to say I'll keep it off for good as I've dieted before and the pounds have come back and brought their friends and relatives too! Metabolism monitoring would be handy because we could make that our excuse, and if it is down to that we should get it treated accordingly. To the other ladies who feel embarrassed by their size I would like to say be happy with who you are. I know of quite a few Skinny Lizzies who are people I wouldn't care to call a friend, so be true to yourself and let people have the chance to see past your size. Just because the label in our jeans is larger than a size 14 it doesn't mean we have a personality that isn't worthy of people getting to know and like us. Don't sell yourselves short, be who you are and be proud. To nick the phrase from that TV ad - "because you're worth it..."



Leann | 18/04/2007 16:17:00

I have been fat since after having my tonsils out at the age of around 5. I have been on every sort of diet and have successfully lost weight only to gain even more when I came off the diet. Like almost every other fat person I would like to be of normal weight. I have been lectured by various doctors, why don't they realise if I could loose the weight and keep it off I would have done so. I don't like being the size I am. With reference to the questions posed, yes if I do eat I do get hot. I don't seem to eat more than the people I work with but it is obviously more than my body needs. I have no idea what my metabolic rate is, how do I find out? What could be done to improve the situation? Treat the obese like we have a brain my body may be fat but my brain still works.

Wendy | 18/04/2007 16:26:00

I have been a "skinny-minny" for most of my life, But when I reached 60, I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid (about 15 years previous, I'd had an over-active thyroid which was righted with tablets over 6 years). My weight started to rise and over the last 5 years, despite being on the correct dosage of Levothyroxine, I have continued to gain weight and am now three dress sizes bigger. My Mother and my Grandmother were also the same shape as I am now so could it be hereditary combined with the thyroid problem?, I don't know. I watch my diet constantly and consider myself a heaslthy eater, but do not know where to turn for advice in losing some of my excess weight. I dream about being thin again and wake up so dissappointed that it was just a dream, my clothes are no longer a source of pleasure to wear and it is uncomfortable to sit, lie, and sometimes walk. I am so sick of being overweight as the only time I'm not thinking of it constantly is when I am sitting in bed wearing a loose nightdress, the only comfortable garment now, where no-one can see me. I get so depressed over it and wish I could wave a magic wand to be my old self again.

JILL MARRUEDO | 18/04/2007 16:34:00

SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE ALWAYS OVERWEIGHT BUT I EAT TOO MUCH. IHAVE HAD A LOT OF PROBLEMS BIG ONES THAT I WAS COMFORT EATING NOW WHEN I COULD BE HAPPIER MORE PROBLEMS ARE AROUND. I KNOW IAM COMFORT EATING AND CANT STOP MYSELF BUT FEEL AWFUL AFTER WARDS

Helen | 18/04/2007 16:36:00

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease this time last year. Prior to being diagnosed, I gained more than 130lbs over three years (dispite eating only 1800 cals a day) and kept going back and forth to my doctor with a whole host of symptoms only to be told there was nothing wrong with me! For those who may (or may not) know, Graves Disease is a thyroid disorder, also known as hyperthyroidism. The tyroid controls a host of bodily functions, including hormones, metabolism, energy levels, ability to regulate heat, skin, hair and nails and cognative abilities. Normally sufferers get stick thin (and display manic tendencies) but some get fat - like me - despite showing other Graves traits, such as insomnia... Prior to becoming ill, I was a real gym bunny. I trained at least five times a week for two hours at a time and I did advanced routines. I loved training! When I became ill I could not crawl two metres. I guess the thing I really resent about my illness is the inability to just get on with my life. Graves has left me with elevated blood pressure (after a lifetime of 100/65 readings), elevated pulse (99bpm vs 49) and heart problems, which mean I cannot train again for the forseeable future. I am very angry that I was struck down with this illness. Yet I can't do a thing about it. Not really...

mac 18/04/2007 | 18/04/2007 16:40:00

I had glandular fever and Infective Jaundice together when i was 18ys old and gained four stone and have yo yo upand down ever since , i have Athritis and a replacement hip and knee so exercise is difficult,I get hot sweats at night but i put that down to the diabetis.I have used orlistat to no avail.I do not over eat and I eat a healthy diet,I am just a bit fed up with the attitude you are what you eat, if this was the case i should be alot more slender.

Ruth | 18/04/2007 16:54:00

I have been overweight since I was a baby - I'm now 40. I currently wigh about 15stone 7lbs. I don't get hot with eating. Obviously gaining weight is partly about what you eat and how much exercise you take, but I do think metabolism plays some part. I personally find that the only way I can avoid putting on weight is if I stop eating before I feel full. I don't mean stop eating before I feel bloated, and yes I do know what being full feels like. But I think that whatever regulates my body to tell me when I am full does not work that well. I do take lots of exercise by the way - play badminton and go to the gym but this by itself never means I lose weight.

willsy | 18/04/2007 16:55:00

my nan was 19 stone when she died, my mum is big,her sister is even bigger and my 2 cousins are both still under 40 and over 18 stone each! Try telling me there is nothing hereditary in that! I started being chubby from the age of about 13 and gradually over the years have crept up to 18 stone. I now have high blood pressure, terrible irritable bowel syndrome and aching joints. As i have been waiting for over a year to have a neck operation to sort bad discs out i have not been able to work or excercise so have been rather housebound! This makes it rather difficult to lose weight and GPs brusque, unsympathetic attitudes help no-ones cause at all im afraid!


ann | 18/04/2007 17:20:00

tried almost everything diets accupuncture, hypnotism, all to no avail.Food does warm me up when i eat , i instantly feel much warmer. Many years ago i managed to get down to 10stone and had never felt so cold in all my life.Am currently on the Acomplia tablets at 16 stones and making slow progress, i have diabetis, and take Lantus insulin , srMetformin, and Glipizide tablets.Have now developed foot nueropathy and find it hard to walk any distance with out getting sores on feet.Desperately need to loose weight but am also hampered by the fact i have to get up 5 times a night for the loo and long to just get into bed and sleep for 8 hrs.this has been going on for 2 years and i have had 1 night full sleep in that time, and recall waking up feeling so good, alas it was just the once.Any one else for the scrap heap???lol

mondo | 18/04/2007 17:23:00

I was very thin until I got pregnant. With each of my three children I put on more weight. Each pregnancy changed my metabolism in some way. With one I was travel-sick which I never had been before. Now after replacement hip and two operations for cataract, I feel trapped in an oversize body. Divorce and mild depression have not helped!

Alma Kitsberg | 18/04/2007 17:26:00

I have been battling against my weight since the age of 3. I was always being called down to the school doctor putting me on stupid diets and they never worked. I am now 52 and still overweight, now have diabetes, have had a heart attack an still battling, think my metabolic rate is slow.

annie | 18/04/2007 17:36:00

I put on a little weight after 4 children but as I had only weighed 8stone most of my adult life it was no problem. Then I began gaining weight excessively and after several years hounding different doctors I was told I had an underactive thyroid. At last, a reason for this weight gain and medication to help it. I have never eaten a large amount. After several weeks on thyroxine I began to feel really ill and knowing I already have emphysema I worried that the thyroxine was reacting to that. I was taken into hospital urgently with severe chest pains and was now told that I had angina and the thyroxine was stimulating my heart too much, causing the pain. Everything had to be adapted but whatever happened the weight stayed. Diets do not work and slowly the weight increases. From 8stone to 18 stone and due to the emhpsema I can not exercise to help weight loss. My mobility is now very poor after 2 hip operations and I use crutches or wheelchair. Where is the hope for someone like me who HATES being big.

Apricot | 18/04/2007 17:42:00

I visit the pool and gym on alternate days, have an active job, live alone, cook and eat sensibly...have a toned(!) body...except for the middle section. Despite my effort, nothing will shift the middle section....500 sit ups a day....and still the big fat zero of a result. Yes I react when I have eaten. A heat surge/energy slump about 20 mins.Gastro dismissed me as an "idle c*w."(his words, not mine) I am Coeliac...and more than 50% of Coeliacs have excess weight problems ..again dismissed by gastro. Am open to ideas.... With best wishes to the rest of you...

Kaz | 18/04/2007 17:43:00

My weight goes up and down like a yo yo but I haven't been really slim since I was 16 and went on the pill. When I went on Depo Injection I put a 1.5 stone on in a month despite not doing anything different. I have low blood pressure, fluctuating low blood sugar, colic etc where I was told to eat little and often so that my stomach is never empty but if I get it wrong I get really bad hot / cold flushes, feel very sick and dizzy and then horrendous colic which takes me a good half day or more to recover from. I know this has prompted me to eat more than I should to avoid feeling so bad. I tend to eat relatively healthily with lots of fruit and veg and try and eat the Hay way the same as my mum who has irritable bowl syndrome. The only slim female in both sides of my family is my mum and most of the males are overweight too to varying degrees. I try and exercise regularly especially swimming and walking despite having a knee complaint. I am currently expecting and have not put any weight on despite now being overdue but I was about 5 stone overweight to begin with. I am eating a mixture of healthy food and what I fancy in moderation like I normally do so I'm not sure whats going on at the mo as I can't exercise.

Trish | 18/04/2007 17:48:00

Hey just like everyone else I too have been fat since childhood. I do overeat, comfort eat but I too struggle, I have been on so many diets yo yoing by a few stone. and here I am now at 40 after begging my GP to refer me for Gastric Bypass he has put my on Acomplia (with lots of side effects may I say guys) and hardly any poundage loss !!!!! I do feel even though all my blood tests are spot on that Metabolism has to pay a part coz even when I am on a strict healthy eating plan it barely comes off, I too am a single mum so therefore unable to afford gym prices and more importantly I don't have a minder who can have my son whilst I swan off to the gym each night. So my hope is that my GP does do the referral and they accept me because I can't see how on earth I can get 9 stone off me.


June | 18/04/2007 18:14:00

I have always been on the heavy side, i weighed 8stone when i was 12 but i have always been tall for my age i am now 62 and i am 5ft 5inches tall, i weigh 14stones, i get conflicting comments on my weight, my GP says not to worry about it yet the practice nurse says i am obese, i have underactive thyroid, i have been on weight watchers for several years on and off, i did lose 21lbs on my first attempt then i had to undergo a mastectomy so the diet went out the window since then i have struggled with my weight, i also suffer from ME and fibromyalgia so i am restricted to any ammount of exercise i can do, i watch what i eat and at the present i am being sensible about my diet, hoping that i will lose some weight.

angela | 18/04/2007 18:14:00

I have a faulty gene called MC4r, it causes me to be obese. I have dieted all my life and it was only when my 2 youngest children became very over weight and i tried to get medical help that this problem came to light. I tried to get numerous dotors to listen to me but it was a case of fat mum fat child and i lost count of the times i was told i must be over feeding them. I eventually got someone to listen to me and he sent my children to hospital for a week where they could monitor what they ate and when at the end of the week both children had gained weight i felt like shouting i told you so. They then started to take notice of me and my children were sent for genetic testing were it was discovered that i and my children along with my mum and 10 other family members all had a faulty gene called MC4R which causes suffers to be obese. We are now taking part in research at Addenbrooks hospital in Cambridge to try and find a cure. Not many of you will have heard about this gene as it does not make good headlines, newspapers would rather keep slagging off the overweight than admit that it is not their fault. Have you ever noticed that when someone starves them selves it is an illness but when you overeat you are just greedy. The papers are full of stories about how fat people are but no one writes about how it costs the NHS more to treat the underweight than the overweight or about how many children are starting school under weight because there parents are scared of being labeled bad parents if they give their children anything labeled as bad food. nature made people of different widths as well as hight's it is only the latest fashion to look like something out of starving Africa that makes so many people think it is ok to have a go at the overweight. The biggest predjudice in the uk today is to be fat! we need to re-educate people to be more accepting and get off the fat band wagon!

Alison-- wearing both hats!! | 18/04/2007 18:15:00

I have watched the weight creep on since my early 20's. interestingly this coincided with an increased alcohol consumption and decreased exercise. Then came marriage and a child in my mid 30's and more weight put on! My husband can eat and drink anything and stays slim. Unfortunately he thinks that I should be able to as well and will not help when I do try to diet. I know that I eat far too much but love my food.The fact that I was brouht up to eat everything on my plate does not help as I find it impossible to stop eating even when full if there is something on my plate. As a nurse I am very active at work. I also now the problems which obesity can bring to us all. I know that I should exercise more outside of work and eat less but Iam finding that impossible especially as I gave up smoking on Jan 4th. Since then I have eaten everything in sight and then some!!

Barbara | 18/04/2007 18:16:00

I was always skinny until middle age, and then the weight started to appear. As my arthritis has grown worse, I exercise less than I should. So, I'm now classed as clinically obese by my GP. I accept fully that the weight gain is entirely my fault. I eat more than I should, and I don't move around enough. Those circumstances may change as my lifestyle changes. But right now, mea culpa. I take responsibility for my excess baggage.

Chey | 18/04/2007 18:19:00

I too suffer from Polycistic Ovaries. I have been battling my weight for yrs. I was even on the Cambridge Diet for just over a month and lost 2 stone in that time. But I have just recently found out from having an ultrasound that my thyroid is massive. So I have to have an operation. Which I am petrified about. I have also been dieting again for just over a month, and have lost just over a stone. But I go to a clinic to get some pills to suppress the hunger which has helped me considerably.

Mich | 18/04/2007 18:21:00

I am now 65, I was 39 when I had a histerectomy and until I was 42 I was always thin, 8.1/2 stone was my heaviest. Even after having 4 children I still had a 32" bust and 34" hips, I made Twiggy look overweight. I could eat what I pleased, I don't have a sweet tooth I did and still do eat a lot of fruit. When I was 42 I was in a play and my character had to be picked up by the leading man and I was paranoid that he would grunt when he did so because of my weight, so I lost 7lbs and got myself down to 8 stone. Big mistake because as soon as the play was over I started to eat normally again and although I have always eaten a low fat diet because of a childhood illness I cannot tolerate fatty food, the weight increased and increased. Since then I have been following one diet or another to no avail, I am now 13 stone. Maybe more I am terrified of getting on the scales. For the past 2 years I have been a member of Weightwatchers, and have put on about a stone and a half in that time. I don't eat chocolate or sweets, fatty food and struggle to use all my daily points up. I have an underactive thyroid and am taking thyroxone so maybe this aggrevates it. My doctor is unsympathetic he just says I am overeating which is not true, I keep a diary to keep track of my points and he says I must be cheating. Great, he has no idea how depressed this makes me feel. At the moment I have sciatica so am unable to walk our dog which I usually do on a daily basis. It must be very depressing for people who have always had a weight problem but it also is for those of us who never used to either. Now my blood pressure is very high, last week it was 206/97. so of course I am now on medication for that as well, my cholesteral was 9.5 at the last blood test, I cannot take statins as they make me feel very ill, as though I don't have the energy to breath stand or walk and very weak, so my GP says not to take them. I hate taking pills anyway. So my question is, Where do I go from here?

golden wheeler | 18/04/2007 18:24:00

i have always been large and when i was youngl i was considered to be a good healthy child even by my G.P. at that time. in my late teens everyone started getting worried about weight and the larger size children and i was tormented by the teachinng staff at my secondary school despite the fact that i was under the local hospitals dietetics and metabolics department. my problems got a lot worse approximately 23 years ago when i was diagnosed as having kidney stones which proved to be totally wrong, it was in fact acute appendicitis and when this was eventually diagnosed the appendics ruptured during the operation, since that time my weight has almost doubled and i have been on a permanent diet since that time, i have been told on numerous occasions by several different doctors that i do not eat enough to keep my metabolism burning off the calories and i need to double my food intake, this has been refuted on many different occasions by several other specialists, (so who do you beleive???) I am now seeing a metabolic specialist and with his guidance along with his dietetic colleagues i have now managed to shed 9.5 Kg's in the last 6 weeks, this is the first time i have lost any weight in a long time, the dietician has gone through the daily meal sheets i have kept for the last 3 years and stated that my diet is perfect, the only thing i have changed is the timing of my mealtimes, so that i do not eat anything sfter 7-30 pm. i regularly attend my local sports centre and have done for many years, I am helped with this by my local G.P. who has given me a G.P. refferal workout/prescription for fitness (this i understand is an agreement between the local council and the primary care trust to subsidise gym costs to those in need of help due to recovering from health problems.


Anna | 18/04/2007 18:30:00

it would be interesting to see more research done on metabolic rate - i have been led to believe that it is actually faster the larger you are so i am a bit confused about all this. i am now 51 and have been dieting since i was 16 when i was only 7lbs overweight! I am a lot heavier now, so the conclusion has to be that diets do not work (not in the long term anyway) and i think that the sooner the government/medical profession understand or admit to this, the obesity problems will continue to grow. I have tried low-carb diets (they work but can be very boring), pre-packed dried soup diets, cabbage diet, grapefruit diet - you name it. I know the calorific value of nearly every food available. I don't like fatty foods, and prefer salads and vegetable, although i do like bread and potatoes. Last year i lost 3 1/2 stone on the ligher life diet, despite having a severe bladder infection and being on anti-biotics for months. I don't know whether the dieting was responsible for this or not, but i suffer from fibromyalgia and urethral syndrome and feeling unwell most of the time is not very conducive to dieting. It is only when I stop dieting that my weight stabilises. I am fed with up with the yo-yo dieting that is inevitable when diets have a start and an end! At the moment I do not have high blood pressure or any other weight-related health issues but I do want it to stay that way, and as i get older i get more desperate to lose the weight. All i know is that if I had never started dieting as a teenager I am certain I would not be as big now, and I would advice anyone starting out on this road of disappointment not to bother. The only way i have found to lose weight without being on a diet and so feeling constantly hungry and deprived, is to eat what you want when you want with the following provisos: that you are really hungry and you only eat what you really fancy, chew every mouthful 20 times, and stop when you feel full. This does take practice as you have to keep asking yourself if you feel full yet! but it really does work - if you stop losing weight slow down the eating even more. I am losing 2 lbs a week this way and do not feel like i am on a diet. I feel free at last. comfort eating is part of it, but everyone does that to some extent thin or fat, serious issues would need accompanying counselling because you have to deal with the underlying reason for unhappiness not just try to treat the symptoms. The diet industry is a mutl-million dollar business - but just ask yourself this - think of all the people you know who have ever dieted - how many of them lost all the weight they wanted to lose and 3 years later have kept it off? If you 'starve' yourself on a low cal diet, eventually your body will crave food so much you will give in - your body is just doing what it is designed to do - eat to save you! it is not your fault! it is not a lack of willpower. Be kinder to yourself, stop dieting and slow down your eating. After all if you had to chew each mouthful of steak 20 times (min) how much would you get through before you got tired of chewing! it also gives your stomach time to register that it is full and tell your brain. All the overweight people I know eat too quickly. I am sure if you think about it, you will realise this to be the case. In fact, the only time overweight people never think about food is when they are actually eating it! So SLOW DOWN, eat only what you want, when you want, never go hungry and chew, chew, chew ...

Ehlyda | 18/04/2007 18:35:00

I have battled with my weight for some years now and eat healthily and exercise three times a week, however Iam still over weight and cannot loose weight no matter how hard I try, I often feel bloated and hot and a bit sick even after eating only a small amount.

Jill | 18/04/2007 18:48:00

I am never still. I eat quite healthy, fresh food, very little processed food. Loads of fresh fruit & veg, but still I don't lose weight. I eat very little during the day, I eat on my break in work but if I was at home I wouldn't bother same with lunch. I sit down and eat a balanced meal in the evening after this I have a cup of tea and thats it!! I'm beginning to agree with this genetic malarky as my mum was big and her mum before her.My children are all "well made"I often forget to eat if I am on my own. If I'm out with my husband he has to remind me it's time to eat as I don't bother.I now just try to make the best of how I am but I would really,really, really love to be a couple of sizes smaller. Not skinny. I'm a 22/24 dress size now so 18/20 would be great.

pisces52 | 18/04/2007 19:13:00

I have been overweight all my life. I am now 52 and no matter what I try I can't shift an ounce of fat. I have had to leave work as I had a stroke and now suffer with Me which is quite debilatating.I have tried Weight watchers, to no avail then last year joined Slimming World. After 3 months of religiously sticking to the plan I had lost nothing and the leader advise me to leave, she said I was wasting my money by going. Like many others my GP is always telling me to loose weight ,he even sent me to a dietician. I took a food diary with me and the only thing she suggested was to change my breakfast cereal from Cornflake to Rice crispies! I havent bothered going back. Now I am only happy when I'm at home, I don't socialise any more as I'm to uncomfortable going out. Help.

Andrea Morrison | 18/04/2007 19:21:00

I am quite overweight, but it is because I don't eat properly and don't exercise enough. I start to lose weight when I cut out excess sugars and fats and try a new exercise regime. My son went away to University in September and he was 3 stone overweight. He started walking a couple of miles every day, and then started to play rugby and go to the gym. At the same time he cut out eating crisps and drinking gassy juice and has so far lost over 2 stone. Only in very rare cases is there any other reason for not losing weight. It is like alcoholics, you can't fix the problem until you acknowledge it. For myself, I don't drink or smoke and chocolate is my only vice, so I accept that I am fat and make the most of it.

Sally | 18/04/2007 19:43:00

I've been overweight since my thirties and it runs in my family i haven't had any children, but from every female on my mothers mothers side of the family as soon as they reach that age of 30 upwards they tend to put weight on and it it is hard to loose it and dieting doesn't seem to stop it, and all are active, i'm not so active now as i've had heart trouble since birth, but i played sports and swim but i had a mini stroke, but i don't over eat, and yet the weight seems to stay on i walk everyday for 2 hours and still it's there. I gave up with diets, i just eat sensible meals of vegetables and small amounts of meat and dairy products, i'm 18 stone.

ImReallyAnElf | 18/04/2007 19:49:00

I definitely put weight on when I stopped smoking, but I think the biggest gain was due to an anti-depressant drug I was taking, called Effexor. I was even more depressed than before when my doctor advised me not to bother trying to lose my extra 4 stone as women my age (53) according to him, have huge difficulty in losing weight! I was a bit taken aback as I thought the NHS would be trying all things possible to get people slimmed down, given all the health hazards of carrying lots of extra weight. I'm really anxious to lose at least 3 of the 4 extra stone, so currently I'm trying hypnosis and CD's .. can't do Atkins as I already have kidney problems and in any case, my trouble is comfort eating so I'd be unlikely to have the willpower to stick to that forever even if I wanted to.



Bosswoman 52 | 18/04/2007 19:51:00

I have been overweight since taking a course of antidepressants advised by my GP to help counteract the effects of menopausal hotflushes I put on 3.5 stones in 5 months this dispite asking the right questions since then I have resorted to various prescription drugs to try to help but to no0 avail the only thing that appears to be working is the maxim of eat less excercise more but this has to be realistic and enjoyable luckily I have always gone to the gym and the persoanl trainer I have used is very good and he has advised me on my diet and i have lost a stone in just over 7 weeks, but I have had to seek this out pay for it etc I had been going to my GP for 2 years to get help but all they appeared to wabnt to do was give me more pills, then I got on the treadmill down on myself I ate more and still got little or no sympathy. At the end of the day we are responsible for our obesity but some of us are there originally through no fault of our own but the actions of GPs who just push pills at you whatever the outcome.

Jackie Lamont | 18/04/2007 19:54:00

When I was in my late teens I had an eighteen inch waist but a thirty-four inch bust. If you look at film stars who were busty when young they are generally overweight in later life. I stayed at 11 stone in my thirties, then went to thirteen stone when I started drinking. I stayed at that weight for many years then gave up smoking! My weight soared to sixteen stone which I cannot lose. I will probably stay this weight for years too. My half sister is 5ft6 and eight and a half stone. Very thin but can wear anything. I get very fed up when I see her but she is still smoking and is too afraid to give up in case she puts on weight. My mother is only eight stone too. She is 89 years old and very healthy!

Mandy | 18/04/2007 19:59:00

Metabolic rate, mine went on holiday 30 years ago and enjoyed it so much it never came back! I've battled with my weight since the age of around ten going up and down the scales, with pregnancy playing havoc as well. I never feel warm even when I eat I'm always cold even in the height of summer I can be cold. The only way for me to lose weight is to use a very low calorie diet and when I say low I mean low around 500 calories a day, and far from the weight dropping off I lose a lb a week. At the moment I'm being monitored and I've been told to eat a 1000 calories a day which I am, in 10 days I've gained 2lbs. I've been tested for an under active thyroid three times in the last four years. Although I have all the symptoms my results are "normal", but who's to say that my levels haven't changed over the years and that I'm far from normal for me. Its got to the point that if I see a new doctor and they suggest testing my thyroid function I want to scream. I'm fairly active having a 16 month toddler to chase after and being a busy Mum. I walk every day and probably only use my car once a week, everything else I do on foot. Its so frustrating when no one takes you seriously. All of my family are huge, and in many cases its weight related illnesses that have killed a lot of them. Diabetes has developed in almost every female in my family over the age of 60. I don't want to be one of them which is why I choose to live on 500 calories a day, only taking a break every fifth week, and then I only add a very small meal. If someone could develop a pill that could truely increase metabolic rate I for one would give it a go, as living on a liquid diet for 80% of the year doesn't do much for you mental wellbeing.

Helen | 18/04/2007 20:04:00

I started to put on weight around 11 years old no one else in my family has a prob all slim (one of six) but I have always been larger !!!! didnt start my periods till 18 ! called all sorts of names at school ! for being so large. had my first child at 25 after two miscarriages . I then read an article on pcos in a mag and had blood test done. I have pcos and was sent for a scan only to be told that i was 7 weeks pregnant with my second son very surprised as had had no periods since my first son !! It took me a while after having my second son i was put on dianette and after six years finally lost the 9 extra stone i was carrying . this is to let people know its not all your fault people have probs and they can be sorted just have paitience

dumbblonde | 18/04/2007 20:05:00

I have been told by my doctor that of course i must overeat as I am not losing weight. I wasnt eating that much at the time. I have lost weight in the past but at times of extreme stress, I once lost 4 stones in 6 weeks, which was great, but not a diet i would recommend. Also this crept back on over the next few years. Just before christmas i found that I was short on cash and i wasnt buying treats, I was cooking more and eating meals at meal times rather than '5 small meals a day' breakfast, dinner and tea, along with a small chocolate teat to satisfy my sweet tooth. I actually lost 2 stones in a couple of months, but being lazy i am falling back into the habit of not cooking again. When I eat or overeat, I never feel warm I can go all day without eating as long as i dont eat first thing. If i eat breakfast I am hungry all day... is this my metabolism working?

pat ward | 18/04/2007 20:21:00

i have always been large and been on diets all my life, i watch what i eat and since i had my opp i am now diabetic, but not my fault ,it was the hospital,so weight issues are in portant to me,i was told im fat because i over eat ,and i do not, i am very active,3 small grandchildren and a house and 4 children of my own, my grandad and on my mums side were large and take after them,so why cant i lose weight

Karen McDonald | 18/04/2007 21:00:00

I've always been 150 % woman, extra cuddly as I prefer to call it, and I know I overeat mentally but physically my body craves more food. I always feel hot and sweaty when I eat anything, which is uncomfortable; I comfort eat a lot, and that exacerbates my high sugar level (I'm type 2 diabetic). I always feel tired, to the point I could nod off any time of day. I have a lot of joint pain, which I think is caused by neuropathy, so I'm not as active as I'd like to be. My metabolism is nuts - sometimes I think it has a life of it's own! I heard on TV that some folks have an activated obesity gene, but I wear different jeans every day and it don't make an ounce of difference! lol If I skip breakfast I can go all day without eating, but as soon as I eat something - there I go, stuffing my face to try and sate an insatiable hunger. Come on you scientists - think of a way to help me!!!


kat | 18/04/2007 21:01:00

i have had a weight problem since i was around the age of 13, any other problems that occured not long after docors told that these problems were to do with my hormones and once they sorted them selves out i would loose the symptoms, at age 19 when i changed doctors i got told i had polycycstic ovarian syndrome. since this gives problems with fertility i have been seeing a fertilty specialist who has told me it will help if i can loose weight. no matter what diet i have gone on in the past 10 years i do not loose weight, i may loose 2/3 pounds but then gain them again within a week, i find it very stressful. i beleive my weight problems are due to 3 things, 1, slow metabolism, 2, the pcos, and 3, every woman on my mothers side of the family is large so i believe it also has to do with genetics. i am fed up of battling with my weight. i cannot exercise very well due to a bad bad back witch started almost 9 years ago. i am told it is to do with my weight, but i had weight problems before my back started playing up and and never had a problem with my back. the back problems started after i had had a stone thrown at me, and i feel my back will not be 100% percent again. again orilst does not seem to help, it did the first time i took it, and stopped kept the weight off for a while but it slowly creeped back on, went onto orilstat again and it did not help at all. i dont think over eatig is a problem unless under eating is, as i usually only have 1 meal a day, and thats if it is a meal, it might just be some toast or a sandwitch, just something quick because i am feeling peckish, so eating as little as i do, or when i follow a strict diet, why can i not loose any weight. i need help and no one believes me when i say that i am trying because as quick as i might loose a couple of pounds i gain them again, ven if it has taken me 4 weeks to loose 2 pound, within the next week i will gain them again.

KAS | 18/04/2007 21:07:00

To answer your questions first. I do not feel hot when I overeat. Yes I do feel that no matter what I eat, I can put on weight. I would like to know more about the effect of the metabolic rate and more work should be done. I agree with many on here that it is not necessarily what you eat, how much you eat or how much exercise you do, but something else. I can overeat, or eat the wrong things, but that really doesn't seem to have much effect unless it's done over a prolonged period. I do find that I put on weight when I am very stressed, but that I can lose that extra relatively easily afterwards. Its the other 4 stone that doesn't want to move. I've given up on the dieting lark. I try to eat relatively healthily, with plenty of veg, fruit, add some nuts, seeds, wholegrain cereals and a little meat and fish. I will also eat a little chocolate or a cake some days. As long as I walk my dogs for a couple of hours most days (we are not talking about an amble here either) and add an extra long walk sometimes, my weight seems relatively stable. If I do stomach crunches and a few exercises with weights at home, I tone a bit which makes the clothes fit easier, but I find that hard to fit in and my enthusiasm wanes very easily. Also it does not seem to have an impact on my weight. I am fairly healthy, do not get ill, am happy and upbeat nearly all the time and feel good - just don't look it. So dieting is out for good and I strive for balance and feeling good in my head - no mood swings and happy about life.

jennym | 18/04/2007 21:07:00

I do believe that fatness is hereditary, as all the female side of my fathers family were very overweight. Like Gail above, I work an evening shift and find it incredibly difficult to stick to a proper balanced diet - I'm not particularly hungry before starting work at 4pm, but then by the time I get home at 10pm I can't face having a full meal. I haven't been aware of being extra warm when I am snacking but my weight has more or less stayed the same for the last 4 years (perhaps the activity in my workplace is the exercise routine I am getting to counteract the tea break chocolate bar?) Have recently put on a bit of weight as I am in the process of giving up smoking. Not aware I'm eating more so would be interested in info about metabolism.

Kath G | 18/04/2007 21:12:00

I also believe that being overweight is your genes as both my maternal grandmother, my mother, myself and my younger sister are all of a similar size, all approx 2 stone more then should be.

LINDA | 18/04/2007 21:20:00

Society is sizist. Since I was a very young child I have had a weight problem. It was not due to lack of exercise. I was walked to school, each day, (and had to come home for dinner) so at the age of 5 I was walking over 4 miles aday. Still I was fat. At the age of 6 I was put on a diet. The doctor accusing my mother (a 5foot 7 inch tall size 12) of letting me binge on cakes puddings and sweets. Untrue! I have never been less than a size 14, even then I have been a "big" 14. 10 stone 8 was the lightest I have ever been (I am 5 feet 3.) this was when I was doing 5 hours of keep fit (Jane Fonda Style), walking my daughter 2 miles to school and back each day and did not own a car. Now I weigh 14. stone, I am 45. I walk my youngest daughter to school each day. I walk back at lunch time when I walk as a dinner lady, which means I spend an hour walking around, I then go on to the high school (on foot) where I spend another hour on my feet. then I walk home. 20 minutes later I am out collecting my child from school, all in all aI now walk over 5 miles a day. Even when I worked in a hospital walking 2 miles to work and 2 miles home and spending 8 hours a day on my feet, I was a size 16. No I do not eat chips, or junk food, or any other of the things that THIN people accuse us of. Have I been offered support? NO NO NO NO. The attitude is you are fat becaaue you are lazy and undisaplined.

Catlady | 18/04/2007 21:56:00

I have been Type 1 Diabetic (insulin dependant) for 37 years now and my GP seems to think that my weight (18 stone or thereabouts) is due entirely to my injected insulin. Whilst I accept this may be a factor I also have an under active thyroid treated by 200mcg of thyroxine daily and I feel this may be as relevant. Until the age of 13 or so I was skinny in the extreme, despite having developed diabetes at age 11. I know I do not over-eat and even when following formal diets such as Weight Watchers I always end up heavier than when I started! I am desparate to lose some weight as whilst I do not think my health is suffering at present I am sure I am storing up problems for the future.

Tina | 18/04/2007 22:15:00

I too have polycystic ovary syndrome with all the obvious effetcs, like obesity and excessive hair growth. My metabolism is slow and thyroid activity is borderline low. I do not experience any sensations of heat or warmth when over eating. I do tend to eat when I am not hungry - I mainly get cravings for salty things and have as far back as I can remember. I have been put on a combination of high dose metformin and spironolactone for the POS. Apart from a shift in body fat - I went up a bra size and down a jean size, my weight was not affected. however, I have found that by sticking to a low carb diet - and I mean low carb, less than 20g per day, I am losing weight. It also helps with the side effects from the medication, like getting rid of the runny tummy. Having said that, it is very hard to stick to. As soon as my carb intake goes over 20g, I start to put on weight again. My GP is very supportive, and runs blood tests every three months to monitor for effects from the drugs, especially with the low carb diet. This is how the thyroid and a few other issues came to light - due to the POS or as a side effect of the meds, nobody seems to know. I have never managed to lose weight on anything other than low carbohydrate dieting and have been fat since the age of about 17, when my weight suddenly ballooned. Obesity seems to run in both sides of the family. I always believed it was due to learned eating and behavioral patterns, but following recent developments in genetics, that may not be the case. I spent two years travelling abroad and during that time I walked between 6 and 8 hours a day. I dropped one size in clothing over that two year period. carrying out a regular exercise routine slows down weight gain, but does not help me lose any. And I can not spend hours walking everyday, having to go out to work - in a job that is physically very demanding and should by all rights be knocking the weight off me. So if any one wants a guinea pig, I'm available!



Emma | 18/04/2007 22:22:00

I was very overweight and worked hard to get it down. I was seeing the nurse at my GP's practice for an annual asthma review and part of that is a weigh-in. I'd lost 3 stone at that point and had about a stone and a half to go until i was 'ideal'. The comment i got off her was "well you were verging on morbidky obese, now you're just overweight"! No praise or words of encouragement! If i was of a different mindset i could've decided if thats her attitude i'm not bothering any more. As it is i'm the opposite and i'm determined to be WELL with 'ideal' when i see her this year so i can rub her face in it! It would be nice if certain members of the medical profession realised that if people have lost a significant amount of weight they've probably worked bloody hard so a "well done" or similar wouldn't go amiss! It might even encourage people to possibly do even more to try and lose weight.

Tanya | 18/04/2007 22:22:00

I too have had a weight problem since i started puberty at the age of 11. Big up top etc. I crash dieted at the age of 15 yrs, eating virtually nothing! & went from 15 stone down to 10.7lb. I fell pregnant at 17 & since then it has been a really big problem. Many of my family, dad,brother, sister, grans, aunts etc are all big but i have always been the biggest. I currently weigh 20 stone although at my heaviest i was nearly 24. I was told to try the low carb diet by my GP but as i am on benefits i find that this is quite expensive to do. I also have stomach problems & a lot of foods, eg: white bread, vegetables, some fruit, really upset me & i find that i get very very bloated & full of wind. So, doubled with the fact i have type 2 Diabetes the restriction on foods is quite hard for me. I try to eat as healthily as my budget allows me but i also have some mobility problems due to constant kidney pain from kidney stones & the damage that has occurred from many infections over the last 8 yrs, so that restricts me on exercising. I often feel that the medical profession do not take into consideration your family history etc & just think, as previosly said, that you overeat & are a couch potato! I do my best & obviously would love to be more active & shift the weight so could be healthier & not be putting myself at such risk. As i am now 45 the problem is harder to resolve & although i dont want to, i have more or less resolved myself to the fact that the weight is here to stay!

whizzy35 | 18/04/2007 22:22:00

I have been overweight since about 6 years old and yes been on and off of every diet apart from yo you dieting I have also suffered gall bladder problems which ended up with it having to be removed when Iwas only in my 20s. So much for the fair fat and 40s problem. I now even find that even with a healthy diet and moderate exercise I can't seem to loose weight. I have even asked for dietary support as I have prblems with most diets as I cannot eat wholemeal anything as it agrivates my IBS too much fruit or veg will do the same! I now have Lupus too which means exercising hurts and can't even get nutrition support from them either. Yet when ever I go to hospital or dr their first reply is oh you are over weight - AS IF ALL MY HEALTH PROBLEMS ALL STEM FROM THAT - even when I went to the GP with an ear infection - HOW CAN THAT be linked to weight ?

weemam | 18/04/2007 22:23:00

I have always ben "cuddly" I look after 4 family members 2 are disabled and 2 have Alzheimers , I don't smoke or drink , I dont socialize , I enjoy my food , I eat too quick too , I have tried the Atkins and I lost weight but I was worried about keeping to it long term , I was 65 last wek and I would love to be slim before I am too old to enjoy it , I have lost lots of weight in the past but have put it back on again , I would welcome any help I coulg get so as I could do this , I do buy so called slimming foods and I do know calories but I still overeat , any help would be appreciated , I am sure that I comfort eat xx

AnneJ | 18/04/2007 22:52:00

With a heart problem, diverticulitus and trouble losing wieght; I must say I get over-hot whatever I eat! Cost and income is also a major factor; I know I should eat regular meals but with £10 a fortnight for food I live off cheese and biscuits! When I eat a small bowl of soup or a portion of cornflakes I swell out like 9 months pregnant- feel sick and tired - you can not seriously consider a comparison with someone of 'normal' weight, earning an income and able to have choice over what they eat!

Mac | 18/04/2007 23:24:00

I've been overweight almost all the time since I was about 20. I've had one successful experience with losing the weight, but it's hard to identify why that time worked so well. I'm trying to make it a 2nd time, but struggling. I lost 11 kilos in 3 months, but only 2 in the month since then. To get to my ideal, I'll have to lose another 25 kilos so it's quite a daunting prospect. Last time I lost 40 kilos in a year, so I know it can be done. I've never experienced the feeling of being hot and sweaty when overeating. I know the reason I'm overweight is that I eat too much, but my partner eats the same as I do and stays a much healthier weight.

clyde | 19/04/2007 00:49:00

i have been overweight most of my adult life as i have got older geting biger my arthritus got worse blood presure was high also my cholestrol was high and having an heart condition aswell this one i was feeling unwell whent to the doctors he said i was heading for ethire a stroke or an heartattack from that day he told me i have been on a diet it has work ive lost 2stone feel much better because life is to presious



Margaret | 19/04/2007 00:50:00

Reading these stories nearly made me weep, I am not alone , just one of many17 stones of misery. Heart attack , high blood pressure, arthritic, diabetic to name but a few of my problems.Yes - my temperature rises when I overeat and I get dreadful night sweats. I admit I overeat but not grossly and I am unable to exercise nowadays following a back injury. I rarely buy preprepared meals and cook using using fresh healthy ingredients. I put the cause down to warfarin which I was given after developing a blood clot caused by a too tight plaster on a broken foot. All these chemicals thrown at our bodies may treat the immmediate problem but I am positive they have underlying long term side effects.

Ange | 19/04/2007 02:32:00

A lot of these comments seem both very familiar and also very worrying. I've gained on average about half a stone each year since I hit puberty - and the pattern did not vary regardless of how my diet and exercise patterns changed over the past 10 years. Last year I was told my adrenals produce too many androgens (male hormones) and my endocrinologist considers my excess weight to be the cause. I believe it is a symptom like any other (my strength and stamina go DOWN when I exercise, my body temperature is lower than 'normal' but I've been known to radiate enough heat to affect the temperature sensor in my boyfriend's alarm clock!), but he seems to be like so many other doctors who see a fat woman sat in front of them and assume they are either lying about what they eat or are deluding themselves. When so many people fail to feel as if their concerns and opinions about their own healthcare are not being taken seriously, is it any wonder that there is a rise in violence against healthcare workers and a rise in self-medication using alternative/complementary therapies or prescription medication imported from outside the EU?

Rosemary Macgregor | 19/04/2007 07:41:00

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes a number of years ago and have never been able to lose wight since. There are added complications in that 16 years ago I had radiotherapy for cervical cancer which has left me with damage to both the bowel and the bladder. i also have diverticulitis and IBS - or so I've been told. i suffer a great deal of discomfort no matter what I eat, although I don't eat much at all as a full stomach causes me a lot of discomfort and pain once I start to digest the food. why can't I lose weight? I'm beginning to think that there is something else wrong ...like under active thyroid. People are amazed at how little I eat, and yet I still keep puttin on weight. I am over 12 stones but only 5ft 2 in in height. i used to be a size 10 and now I am a 20/22!! I know that I don't get enough exercise but both of my jobs are sedentary and don't leave much time for exercising. I am desperate to lose weight and wonder if the Atkins diet is compatible with diabetes?

Kitenge | 19/04/2007 08:02:00

I am almost 68 and still in full-time employment and I am very active in the community. I am not quite obese but am certainly overweight. My weight gain coincided with a deteriorating hip which limited my physical activity until replaced 9 years ago. Unfortunately I become very anaemic from time to time, the cause is unknown but a very large hiatus hernia (50% of the stomach) has been discovered which like anaemia results in severe breathlessness as the lung cavity is inadequate to supply enough oxygen. Obviously because of these symptoms I have become physically less active and thus leading to my current overweight condition. My belief is that my only solution will be to find a way to get more exercise as I do not and cannot overeat - the hiatus hernia does not allow overeating! Any advice will be welcome.

Sue Woods | 19/04/2007 08:08:00

I have been overweight for many years and despite eating sensibly , and taking regular walks with my dog, nothing seems to have an effect. I dont beleave my metabolism works at all. I have never felt hot when eating and having a hietus hernia prevents me from overeating as the reflux from this is very painfull.

Gail | 19/04/2007 08:51:00

I have had to watch my weight most of my life and have been 'large' but not fat (Im a farm girl used to hefting sheep and calves around). Since I hit 30 I have found it very difficult to maintain my weight - I dont eat sweets, biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks. I eat a lot of raw fruit & veg and have to make sure that I do eat protein, as I tend to forget to eat it. Im careful with my carbs (I try and stick to whole) and cycle 4 days a week, swim once a week and walk about 3 times a week. Do you think my weight has changed? Not likely! I managed to maintain my dress size, but keep getting told to loose weight by the medics. Needless to say I have given up trying to loose it, and just stick to maintaining it.

Jennifer | 19/04/2007 09:10:00

I have always had to watch my weight and found the only eating plan which worked for me was weightwatchers. 4 years ago I became inactive for several weeks, due to operations, and my weight increased++. I presume that this was because I was eating the same amount but not getting any exercise!Since then I have found it very difficult to lose weight - does it become more difficult with age? I am still active and working part time in a busy job at 65 yrs. I have just spent a week in Japan eating entirely differently. I ate well but lost weight. The minute I have gone back on the normal meat and 2 veg diet, I have not put the weight back on, but feel more bloated and my 'tummy' has bulged! I have a feeling that exercise is the answer, but is that because it increases ones metabolism?



Ceri-Jayne | 19/04/2007 09:55:00

I have suffered with my weight scince being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. I was so desperate I had a ovarectomyand hysterecomy to try and solve the problem . Neither worked and now I have type 2 diabetes. There seems to be very little done for the polycystic ovary syndrome. I have now joined a gym in the hope that lots of exercise will help me.so far I am seeing good results with mywight, having lost about 1 stone over 12 weeks.

val | 19/04/2007 10:59:00

i was never thin even as a child. my mother would not allow food to be wasted so if my brother left food i had to finish it . however i was very active so i coped.was active during most of my life(walking /tennis/hockey/swimming/athletics at school) . i had a healthy diet(home grown food /sweets once a week/junk food was unknown/and never a surplus as most of my childhood was during the war). my weight has always been out of control--first pregnancy gave me a gain of several stone--second gave me a weight loss of two stone. food intake does not seem to have related to weight through most of my life. when i became ill at 57 everything went haywire. i was given massive doses of steroids to see if that would stop my asthma in its tracks--all it did was give me an extra 5 stones in five months. because i have severe arthritis in both knees and one hip i am now unable to walk more than a yard or two. i am in considerable pain at all times but cannot have replacement joints due to the risk under anaesthetic due to other problems. i do enjoy my food most of the time but eat healthily and sensibly with occasional treats. i have ballooned to 17 stone but now seem to have stopped gaining. no matter what dieting i try i am unable to lose any weight.i do find the pro biotic yoghurt drinks help with the painful bloating i use to have after every meal.

val | 19/04/2007 11:05:00

forgot to mention--the last time i was put on a diet by a doctor i had to note down everything i ate or drank ,including a glass of water . i stuck to this diet sheet closely(occasionally eating slightly less than advised).when i went back after a month i had put on half a stone.

JJ | 19/04/2007 11:30:00

I have been overweight for almost twenty years now. Having tried various diets I have abandoned that in favour of small portions without the denying myself special treats. My husband and I now eat the same, we exercise together and work together so basically we do the same amount of exercise. My husband loses weight easily and sometimes has to eat more than me in order to maintain a healthy weight. I initially lost one and a half stone but now my weight is about the same every week when we weigh ourselves. I am 14st 10lbs, height 5' 6" and age 50. I am active, fit and healthy I really don't know why I weigh this much. My father's family were/are all big people. My mother's sister, brother and mother are really skinny unable to put on weight people although my mother is slightly overweight and a different size and shape to the rest of her family taking after her father's side more. I really think its to do with genetics. I have two sons - just a year apart - one can't put on weight (although he's trying as he's underweight) and the other puts on weight at the drop of a hat. They are only in their early twenties and are both fit, active and healthy. Its definately your genes!

Happypam | 19/04/2007 12:05:00

Surely it is true that metabolism affects weight gain. My daughter had an overactive thyroid and lost weight astonishingly fast. I suffer with ME which makes everything slow down drastically and I put on weight without trying - If I sneak a bit of my daughter's thyroxine (Definitely NOT to be recommended as a habit!) as an experiment (soory, once a chemistry teacher, always an experimenter) I lose weight - though the body temperature rises considerably. I find green tea really does help - whether because it raises the metabolism or whether it merely takes away my taste for more fattening foods I have not yet managed to devise an experiment to find out. I have also found that if I swim a little (the only exercise I can do with ME) every day it seems to push up my activity ability and I lose weight - again I cannot say whether it is the extra exercise or the general effect on metabolic rate.

KARENJNKS | 19/04/2007 12:15:00

I put on excessive amounts of weight when pregnant and since having children, which i find very difficult now i'm 40 to try and shift! When I was in my early teens and twenties I used to be able to eat what i wanted within reason, but was always very active and sporty which is what i atributed to not putting on weight. But when having children, your diet changes, your needs change and what you are able to do or not do changes. So now i'm 40 and continually trying to eat healthily and lose some weight by walking, running and going to my gym twice a week. It's very very hard.

John | 19/04/2007 13:02:00

I am not grossley overweigh but like my parents have never been slim until I became diabetic (Type 1)when until diagnosed my weigh plummeted to 168 lbs I have since over the years put some of this weight back on even tho I try to eat healthily to maintain my health and welfare



Tez | 19/04/2007 13:31:00

I used to put on exactly half a stone every christmas I was also playing football at the time but the weight that I gained didnt seem to fall back off but, with the onset of asthma at the age of 32 was told by my Doctor to give up the football until my Asthma was under control to this day it is still not and also with the medication (Steroids) from the doctor the weight just seemed to balloon out of control and then wist even more health problems i.e. Arthritis in my Knee Joints, Hips, Shoulders, Neck and Elbows I have some trouble getting around but I walk every day and I am still putting on weight I also have to mind my 3 year old Grand Daughter 5 days a week

margaret | 19/04/2007 15:39:00

i have been overweight all my life but have got bigger as i aged, i had a hysterectomy when i was29 and then joined a slimming club and went from 18 stone to 10 and a half this was achieved by hypnosis to keep me focused and pounds and pounds of protein a day!!after losing the weight i had varicous vein surgery and became aneamic afterwards, since this time i have been ill, i started with lack of sensation originally diagnosed as fibromyalgia, then as things progreesed i was diagnosed with microscopic polyangitis, then rheumatoid arthrits (now severe) i have many many food intolerance and am permanently hot winter and summer, i have an overactive immune system and at the moment am taking 45 pills a day including prednisalone and cyclosporin for a insect bite that has developed into pyoderma gangrenosum and has spread 3/4 way round my leg and 5 inch deep this comes with the most intence pain, i have not slept in a bed now for 3 months as i cannot bear my leg on the bed.as for my general diet i DO NOT over eat in fact the worse i feel the less i eat to the extent my neighbour sometimes makes me eat in front of her so my family know i have eaten. i am intolerant to so many things there is no enjoyment left in eating. i eat friut and veg as i know i need to my hubby is normal weight and lives on junk and cant believe two people can be so different. i was50 two days ago and would desparately like to change my life,i have a loving family with lots of support but am trapped in a malfunctioning body, as for my rheumatolgist he suggests i diet!!!. HELP ME.

Not Giving Up | 19/04/2007 15:46:00

I have been over weight to various degrees all my life as many others here. On occasions I do get hot when I eat (not over eatting). I do believe that the metabolic rate has a big infulence on how fat or thin a person is but I also believe that over eating and lack of exercise is a main factor. Over the past 5 yrs I have had a number of operations for different things (hit 40 and it all falls apart) and have found it difficult to exercise and I do sometime have a tendencey to over eat, but my weight is now effecting my health. I believe I eat a health diet most of the time but by my weight gain I obviously dont! I dont exercise as such but in my job I do walk alot, on average 7/8 miles a day. I have now decided it was time to do something about it and as much as I did not want to go down this road my doctor has given me slimming pills. Even though the pills surpress my appitite I still have to have the will power to resist the cheese and ice cream (not together!) Over the past 2 weeks I have lost 4kg (where from I dont know) so it seems to be working. I wont give up. I dont do diets as I just tend to put on more weigh than I lost in the first place. For me eating a balanced diet and not denying myself something if I REALLY want it.

Linda | 19/04/2007 18:38:00

I have struggled all of my life with weight losses and weight gains, no diet has ever worked for me totally. I wish there was a way to loose the weight and keep it off. I can't really exersise with my astma so it seems I have a loosing battle on my hands. I don't wan't an easy way out because I know there isen't one, I just wish I could find something that works.At the moment my eating seems out of control. The more I worry about it the more I eat.

angela o'shea | 19/04/2007 21:17:00

my weight had never been a problem to me untill i had a full hystomy sorry spelling not good but since having this done my weight gain has been full force i tried very hard to maintain it but then in 1998 i changed my job from beiing a cleaning supervisor where i was on the go all the time to being a full time taxi driver and doing nights so what food was advailable to me was the drive thrus macdonlds kfc burger king plus airport food so i went from a healthy 10st to a massive 21st 11lbs then in may last year i had enough so i quit and now i am senior site cleaning supervisor my weight dropped from 21st 11lbs to 18st 11lbs and i join weight watches and since january i have lost another 22lbs but i can tell you it is hard work i have been to the doctors and all i get told is my body does work at a slower rate i go to the gym twice a week i go swimming once a week and i work out at home but the weight will no longer shift and what help i get is nothing

Ruth Jacques | 19/04/2007 21:27:00

I have type two diabetes and at my largest i was a size 22 now between a 14/16 quite happy as i have gone down a dress size in two months, partly due to my diabetic nurse telling me that if i didn't do something to get my weight and blood sugar down i would become insulin dependant. I do comfort eat especially at that time off the month when my period is due nothing seems to satisfy my appetitte.I don't know about metabulism but it probably has a facture in weight control to some degree.

Judy | 20/04/2007 02:34:00

I've always been a "big"girl 6ft tall and 15 to 17 stone on average. I did go upto nearly 20 stone 15 yrs ago but lost it within 8mnths after losing my sister-in-law. The shock stopped my appetite, I also had a lot of running about to do helping my brother etc. Now I'm disabled suffering from back problems, a rare blood disease which has given me two strokes, life is too short to worry too much about weight. It would be great to be abot 13 stone but its not going to happen, so I enjoy what life I can, without worrying about a bit of weight. I dont deliberately overeat but I dont deny myself a bit of pleasureable "naughty" food. I have thyroid problems but the tablets help with that, but my metabolism is slow and in my family there is the "fat" gene from my Mum. All her family are large, whereas my Dads side were average. I used to struggle, now I stay roughly the same, my daughters and one granddaughters struggle with weight, though my eldest girl has stopped worrying and as she says " Clothers getting tighter ? Then get bigger clothers ! !"


Bill | 20/04/2007 08:55:00

I live on my own and tend to "Comfort eat & drink". At present I am due to go into hospital for msajor hip/pelvis surgery & hopefully will then be able to exercise more & get out and about. I gave up a 30 a day habit 6 years ago & then put on a couple of stone. Have lost about 18 ibs over the past year but really want to lose another 14 lbs or so.

Jill | 20/04/2007 09:16:00

I have always had a problem with my weight, tried every diet which works while you are doing them but the weight goes back on again when you stop. I now have osteoarthritis, underactive thyroid and bowel problems which all conspire against me. I find it very hard to lose weight no matter what I eat. I try to eat the right things but the weight still fluctuates. I have a very good GP practice but they don't always understand that it is not as easy as wsatching what we eat. Maybe my health problems contribute to my weight, I don't know no-one has told me. Being at menopausal age I have hot sweats so I cannot say that eating makes me sweat on its own but it couyld be a factor. GP's and the public shoudl not condemn "fat" people as greedy people - there may be underlying factors that they know nothing about.

Shania | 20/04/2007 09:22:00

I have never been on a diet, and do not comfort eat, I am not a stick insect but am about right for my height. I can usually eat anything and do not gain weight but, if I have too many of the same thing too many days running then my waist will get tighter.I also have noticed that people that eat a lot of bread everyday, ie toast and then sandwiches for lunch will gain weight around the waist. I think most of us eat too much and do not keep to regular meal times, as we use to, also eating 7/8pm is too late at night and the food just sits there, and so we gain weight, and before this main meal people have already picked at this and that and this would not be needed if they ate when they came home.Fast food is bad, but then so is anything, if eaten too often.As they said there were no fat people in Auschwitz, meaning even those who said they had met.problems, etc etc and were big boned, this was not true.

stilltrying | 20/04/2007 09:30:00

As\a child I was never thin. An after the war baby, my relatives gave me everything they could not have in the war. I was energetic, happy always doing sport but never thin. Weight was never discussed at home or school. It wasn't until I was married and had my first child that I really noticed articles in magasines about weight. Suddenly my size 116 was fat!! Ilooked at what i was eating and ate what i could afford. Another baby later did not change my weight but my lifestyle chandged. Our social life was out to dinner with friends instead of going to a restaurant - no anxiety, cosy relaxed atmospheres - highly fattening dishes prepared by the hostess who was usually ultra slim. I was in a trap. I was preparing food at home for the children and my husband none of whom put on weight but why did I? My weight continued to go up, friends talked about me behind my back. I tried to slim and the pineapple diet published in a magasine looked like torture but it worked. I was down to a size 14 in 6 weeks but financially oh dear!! I went back to work when the children were old enough and maintained my weight for a while - I wasn't snacking or more truthfully wasn't eating during the day. We had a good social life at last and diet changed to social drinking and bits on sticks - mainly cheese and pastries. Back came the weight. I injured my neck at work and had difficulty mobilising and the medication didn't help. I could not exercise to burn off fat and yes I was fat. The nurse at the surgery gave me a lecture on losing weight and could not understand that MY MEDICATION and LIFESTYLE were almost wholly contributing to rapid weight gain. At last an operation eased my pain and my medication changed - I dropped 7 kilos in a month. I was delighted but I was then given a further type of medication to support the operation and my weight started increasing again. The doctors laugh it off, I am scolded by the nurses and I feel as though I am drowning in weight. I have wardrobe full of clothes I cannot wear. My husband has been diagnosed as diabetic and must control it by diet if he can. We are now both taking the same diet as we cannot afford to do otherwise. I am losing weight slowly and will continue as long as I can very low fat and no sugar, high fibre and plenty of vegetables and oats. The medics don't want to know, the family have stopped buying presents to eat and are supportive but we don't see them very often as they work away. We have restricted alcohol to a glass of wine 3 times a week and if we go out socially we drink water or low calorie and go on water the rest of the week. It's hard but my husband has no choice and I do.He will get check ups to see if he is ok but I have to struggle on - the medical centre doesn't want to know. I am thin on the inside. Your questions - no I dont feel hotter when I eat. I think my medication has slowed down my metabolic rate. I always was a coper and thrived on stressful situations that others couldn't handle. I was told through psychometric testing that i am a lateral thinker and can view entire situations and reach solutions quicker than most. I dont get stressed as I love challenge. So why cant I see my way through this or am I not able to because it is personal.

Glo | 20/04/2007 11:00:00

I was always very slim and underweight until my asthma became worse and I was given steroid medication. i now have brittle asthma and am rarely off high doese of prednisolone, steroids. I have trouble with doing exercise now as I have to use crutches due to low back pain and sciatica. I can't walk far. I aslo suffer from steroid myopathy which has caused my muscles in the upper arms and upper thighs to waste. I have put on so much weight as I am no longer able to excercise. I used to be able to go to the Gym 3 times a week before I became disabled and although I could not ever be thin again I was not as heavy as I am now. I have asked varous doctors for help and all they say is that it is due to the steroids and that when I stop them I will return to normal. How? I am never off them for more than a few weeks and up until recently I was not off for 2 years, when the lowest dose was 20mg. other doctors who see me immeadiatly emphasise how overweight I am and it breaks my heart evertime. i return to the chest specialist or my Gp for my check ups and when I tell them they shake their heads and say it must be difficult for me and that I need to concentrate on being well. I feel I am in a catch 22 situation. I need the steroids to be well yet I need to lose weight so I can breathe better. i can't exercise as I can't walk, or breathe. i am always dieting. the only one where I can lose weight is the low carb diet but I can't stick at it for more than a few weeks. I can't see any way out. I think I will only get my wish to be slim again if my mouth was sewn together. I despaeratly want to try some of the slimming drugs but can't afford to buy them and my doctor won't give me them. How can I speed up my metabolism? I think it has got to dead slow and stop!

Carole Anne | 20/04/2007 11:07:00

I'm not sure abut the issue of metabolism, some sources would disagree. However, I have noticed as I have got older (I'm now 62)and become less active my weight has crept on over the last 4 years since I retired from full-time employment. Like a lot of people who have contributed to this blog, I have had weight issues most of my life and have tried various diets, most of them unsuccessfully, as I have always put the weight back on again over a period of time. Currently I am undergoing a diet and counselling programme and have lost 35 lbs over the last 8 weeks, and am now lighter than I have been for years and feeling very healthy and good about myself. I feel very positive about this programme as not only does it help you to lose the weight but also explores issues around why we eat the way we do, and gradually you come to realise that part of the remedy is in your own hands. I hope this doesn't sound defeatist to those of you who have contributed to this discussion, but I think it goes some way to disproving that one's metabolism is totally to blame for gaining weight.

Gael Bage | 20/04/2007 11:18:00

I am overweight but a healthy 67 yr old with strong bones, I tried diets when younger and yo yo'd. .Both my grandmothers and my mother were the overweight. I decided to just eat healthily, no more than 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day, no sugar. 5 portions of fruit and veg, no meat, except with very sour fruit and then I use low GI fruit sugar protein, cheese, beans and pulses quorn and fish two or three tiimes a week. I used to go to the gymn, but now that i am a carer I can't.I do housework and garden, grow our own veg and fruit. Others eat far more than I do and are slim. Yes I do believe it's genetic. Probably natures way of ensuring some survive when times are lean and crops fail.



tina | 20/04/2007 13:47:00

I never had any problems with my weight until I was 45. then 3 things happened at once - I had a hysterectomy, was put on lifelong antidepressants and my thyroid became underactive. now although I eat healthily, I just seem to slowly up with my weight. Ive tried exercise - I just gained muscle and didn't lose weight. a nurse told me that other countries have different levels for 'normal' thyroid levels than we have. I believe this might be why I,m gaining weight, but i can't find out any more information about it and my doctor says its rubbish

claire2703 | 20/04/2007 14:18:00

I have had a lap band fitted to help me lose weight but I'm still dieting and will probably always need to do so. I have an underactive thyroid and polycystic ovaries so I'm on an uphill struggle all the time.

Ray | 20/04/2007 14:38:00

I have always been big, and no matter what I do, I can not shed a pound, I exercise but due to some ill health iam limited to what i can do - i have been on diets from the doctors - and everything they have told me to do i have done but the weight won't go away i would love to be 14stone but i gess i will just have to live with the way i am - and what hurts the most is people in what they say and call but i just hold my head up and carry on even though i would love to give them a dig

SUE | 20/04/2007 14:50:00

Last year i joined the gym in jan and found that my weight dropped considerably and by April was down to a decent weight. But with one thing and another have gained some of that weight back but still exercising. This year iam struggling to lose my weight although iam doing the same dieting and exercising and i also go to aerobics. A few months ago i was diagnosed with gallstones and awaiting to have surgey on them but i dont know if this is a contributing to my slow weight loss. At the moment i feel that i am struggling to lose weight and feel very down about it, i dont get any temperature changes whilst eating just feel like no matter what i eat i cant shift the weight is there a miracle out there.

Jackie | 20/04/2007 21:34:00

I was a 'chubby' child who often suffered from bronchitis & asthma. I comfort ate in my early twenties during a difficult time in my life and went up to a size 18, from my usual size 12. My weight & my health problems really escalated when I was pregnant with my two sons who were born only 14 months apart. I had pre eclampsia, post natal depression and I was diagnosed with Graves Disease (heritary), but I put weight on rather than lose it. Eventually I had to have radioactive iodine as drug therapy wasn't suiting me. At this time I was also showing signs of some kind of vascular disease, which was eventually diagnosed as Churg-Strauss Syndrome. This has had a very debilitating effect on my health and my weight. I used to swim alot, 3 - 4 miles a week and loved walking, but last year I had over 3 months of chemotherapy & have been on prednisolne steroids ever since. This has had a awful effect on my health, triggered off type 2 diabetes ( I inject twice a day), osteoporosis, high cholestoral, premature menopause etc and quite extreme weight gain, up to 20 stones now!! I've been told that I'll be on steroids and strong immunosuppresants for the rest of my life, so I'll be taking insulin for life too. I've been told that all of these cause weight gain. I'm not a candidate for gastric surgery unfortunately, but my GP has been given the go ahead to try me on Accomplia, the newish diet drug, which I hope will help with my weight. I'm on HRT to try & protect my bones as well as to ease the awful hot flushes & night sweats, which has helped. I dread the summer as I sweat all the time as a result of my weight. I get hot all the time, but feel the cold dreadfully too. I feel extremely demoralised regarding my weight & my health in general. It seems like the drugs are doing more damage to me than the actual disease, Churg-Strauss Syndrome. All I know is that being so over weight I'm at very real risk of other very serious health conditions too and that the future looks bleak. I'm 41.

JBG08 | 21/04/2007 10:37:00

I suffer from an underactive thyroid, polycystic ovaries and infertility - the first two causing a problem with weight and the third one causing a problem with feeling down and turning to food to combat it. When people see a big person they just make an assumption that you eat too much and this is not always the case - often there is an underlying problem. More importantly, I have always struggled to find a medical practicioner who is prepared to listen to me and help me achieve the one thing I want more than anything else - to be accepted in "normal society" by being a "normal" size (and no, I do not wish to be "size zero".

Epileptic from the U.S.A. | 21/04/2007 15:05:00

Weight has always been an issue in my life, but uncontrolled epileptic seizures (Tonic Clonic-also known as Grand Mal) is, has, and probably always will be my major health issue. To answer the questions, I never feel hot/sweaty when eating; I think there should be more done to research/cure metabolic issues; as exactly what to do, I'm not a doctor, so I can't answer that. Weight is an issue for me, but it is dwarfed by the daily challenge of living with my seizures.



Molly | 21/04/2007 15:50:00

I think my metabolism is slower than that of some, but I don't blame excess weight on that. Neither do I have any truck with "fashionable" diets, which exist only to make money for the people who make them up. Unless one has a medical condition which leads to weight gain, there is one simple route to losing weight: eat less and exercise more. I have lost three and a half stone by this route. The only difficult bit about it is finding the willpower to do it! Deciding that one is "fated to be fat" on account of one's metabolism will only prevent people from taking action to reduce their weight, and is definitely not to be recommended.

Jools | 21/04/2007 16:26:00

I have been overweight and struggling with my weight for the past 20 years and have been on every diet in the book! I've lost weight on some only to put it back on again plus a few more pounds, I believe dieting plays havoc with the metabolism, and I may be a bit controversial here but I believe most cases of overweight is due to gluttony, i.e. eating when not hungry, eating between meals and overeating at those meals as well as eating very high sugar/high fat too often. I've had to be honest with myself and I can see that my weight gain and overweight condition is due to the fact that eat too much of the wrong stuff - plain and simple. I've lost two stone slowly over the past year and kept it off by simply eating when hungry, denying myself nothing [in moderation], exercising more and fulfilling my 'emotional needs' with God [I am a christian] instead of food. It's worked for me! I still have another 3 stone to go but I know it is going to be a slow but enjoyable process and I hope that eventually my metabolism will go back to normal. It would be useful to have a measure for metabolism as I have made a few assumptions about my metabolism based on how difficult I have found it to lose weight in the past even when barely eating anything.

Suze | 21/04/2007 22:31:00

I was diagnosed as having an under active thyroid in '97 after joining a well known slimming club and gaining weight! Since then I still find it impossible to shift any weight and my weight is slowly increasing. I feel awful, tired and lethargic. I can't sleep at night and then 'crash' finding myself sleeping for anything up to 15 hours solid. My GP referred me to an endocrine specialist on two occasions for help but I was basically told 'you are what you eat, so eat less ' and sent home. I've tried various diets, all work well in the first two to three weeks then stop. My last set of blood tests came back with low readings meaning my metabolism was running very slow but because they were still just within 'normal limits' I get no further help. Who decides these things? 'Normal' for whom? Surely we are all different and therefore require a more individual basis for this? I know my metabolism is very slow and that I want help but no one is willing to do so. If we are all so 'normal' why have so many of us got the same complaint? In answer to the questions though I do not get hot when eating, but if I have even the smallest alcoholic drink I heat up and get very sweaty within moments of drinking it. I don't know if this is due to the fact that I am now large or the fact that my metabolism cannot handle the sudden stimulation from the alcohol... I would just love to feel 'normal' again and be able to look at food with pleasure rather than with panic at how much weight I'll gain by eating it.

Ann | 22/04/2007 00:46:00

I have spent my life trying to loose weight, I'm now 62, some times I have lost some weight but sooner or later usually sooner it all goes back on plus a bit more. I now have various health problems which make it even more difficult to loose weight. I think the consumption of carbs can raise body temperature the most but a very low carb diet is hard to stick with, though it does give weight lose . Most of the females in my family have or are over weight, even my sister and she has been in Australia for the past 41 yrs. I do think there is a genetic link and I agree that most of the medical profession and the public think it is the cause of any health problems with the solution in our hands, we obviously spend all day stuffing our faces and sitting on our bums. Would be nice if a screening program ie genetic, metabolic and any other relevant test could be had, although it would not cure the problem at least there would be an explanation for it maybe. Being overweight is a soul destroying affliction.

Anne | 22/04/2007 19:38:00

I have battled with my weight for most of my adult life. I have three lovely daughters - two of them have my husband's slimmer build while the eldest is chubby like me. I put on weight during my pregnancies but, in my 20s and 30s, I was able to soon reduce back to an acceptable size. I tend to comfort eat when I am upset or depressed. Most recently, I went up to my largest weight ever (nearly 14 stone) when I was depressed, following a car accident. I have managed to lose 2 stone 7 lbs but still feel I need to lose an extra stone to feel really healthy. I think the problem runs in my family as my mother and her sister had weight problems and so does my sister.

Carol | 23/04/2007 12:53:00

I was never really overweight until I brgan to over eat. Now like most long term dieters my weight yo yos and creeps up slowly. I am pre diabetic and manage to loose weight for a while then begin to eat all the wrong things in large quantities. Lack of willpower is my problem. I love most foods but high fat content ones are still the tastiest.

Aileen Chase Int. BSc. Cert.Ed. | 23/04/2007 13:27:00

I stopped dieting when I was pregnant and put on 2.5 stone with each baby. Plus another stone when I resigned myself to being fat - like the rest of the family. I then had health problems which the doctor said would be cured by losing weight. I discovered 'The Composition of Foods' in 1965. Calories, vitamins and minerals so could calculate suitable diets. I have the record of everything I have eaten since 1966. This provides information relating to calorie needs in pregnancy, effect of menopause on metabolism and far more. I took off 6.25 stone to reach 9.5 stone. With advancing years I have raised my target to 10.5 stone. (5' 6") Some of my students have remained at normal weights now for 20 - 30 years. The system - counting calories. 1,000 was the calculated target. The actual intake averaged 1,200. Simple really - all you need is suitable reference sources, a day to a page diary and food scales. AND MOTIVATION.


Gail S. | 24/04/2007 15:46:00

I was super skinny as a kid.My school headmistress even called my mum into school as they were concerned about me! At 17 I was 6st 7lb at 5ft 4ins.I could eat what i wanted but didnt have a huge appetite. At 25 i suddenly started gaining weight and a long cycle of dieting and gaining it all back again began.At 50 I now weigh over 19 stones. I have never understood how the weight gain started, but at about the same time I was taking Epilim for a minor form of epilepsy. I now also have osteo arthritis, depression and asthma. The bigger I have got, the more my appetite has increased, so that nowadays I feel CONSTANTLY hungry no matter how much in the way of fibre/fruit/veg/glasses of water I add to my diet. I have noticed feeling warm when I eat a lot, I also become very sleepy. My GP prescribed Xenical 6 weeks ago, but this still requires a lot of willpower.in the first 4 weeks I lost a stone, then at my next weigh in 2 weeks later i gained 3lbs. I tend to comfort eat as I am now alone after the deaths of my partner 3 years ago and my mother last year.

lesley | 24/04/2007 16:03:00

you make it sound so easy Aileen, if it was indeed that easy then there would,nt be a problem with obesity...I'm 35 and i am at my heaviest ive ever been that is 15st up until 8 years ago i was 9.5st and 5ft 3in, then i gave up smoking and i gained 4st in just 3 months i've tried so many diets and it just aint happening and my weight just keeps creeping up and up. I am glad i gave up smoking but as a result i am very depressed and unhappy with the way i look, it makes me wonder what is worse dying of smoking related illness or dying of obeisity!!!!!!

Jackie | 24/04/2007 16:05:00

I had no problem with my weight until what I think they call now peri- menopause, in my early 40's. The only diet I ever went on was The Cambridge diet and this was very suiccessful but I very soon regained all the weight I had lost. It was then discovered that I had a low thyroid. I struggled through without taking any medication except HRT. Eventually it was found that I had very high blood pressure, I stopped HRT and from then on have taken blood pressure medication as well as a low dose of thyroxine. I gave up smoking which resuilted in even more weight gain. I then developed very bad arthritis in my feet which stopped me from walking any distance and I have had to take up swimming because that is virtually all I can do. My weight is a problem and I eat what I consider to be a very good diet. I think I ruined my metabolism with The Cambridge Diet and now the main thing that needs to alter is the amount of exercise I take, and this is very hard given the pain I am in. I understand that the thyroid test given is flawed and people are classed as borderline when really they need more help. I do not heat up when I eat.

lindyloo | 24/04/2007 17:43:00

I too feel as though iam eating correctly, i do not gorge my food and eat more healthily than my husband i only drink once a week. I have tried diets i did loose 2 stone but found it was a long 2 yearsand once i went on holiday and ate normal meals i put it back on. I do feel taht iwould like a gastric band and i am seriously considering it. I work full time and walk a couple of miles in my lunch hour i have a jacket potatoe with cheese and beans every work day for lunch. I feel tah i eat the same food all the time thus my body just gets used to it, boring arnt i also i suffer from an underactive thyroid which caused me no end of problems and some of them are still present. i gave up smoking 6 years ago which did not help my weight. I only get hot and sweaty after i have eaten at lunch time.I need to know how to test for metabolisim.

carol | 24/04/2007 18:15:00

I started becoming overweight at the age of 5, after having meningitis. I was large but very active, even when I had an accident at school that hurt my spine. I have been on a diet most of my life and the ONLY way that I have lost weight was to eat only fruit during the day and a light meal at night but as I can not stand salads. . . . I was active untill I became housebound 3 1/2 years ago I am now aged 55 and 21stone. I am totally inactive as the spine injury means that I can not sit or stand for more than 5 minutes at a time (spinal stenosis). Even on a starvation diet, I still put on weight. Where do I go from here?

Liz O'Brien | 24/04/2007 18:23:00

Hya i find that people tell me that you have to eat to lose weight............ i can go all day in work with just a cup of tea coffee or water get home have my tea and yet i never lose wieght. \I have put on so much weight yet i eat bare minimal. i have just now started to walk to work as i know i look horendous and i am desperate to get myself sorted but there has to be something that can be done to help people like me. When i do eat i eat all the right things i love ruit i love veg chicken turkey i am a pretty healthy eater yet no matter what i try to do i end up the same. The only time i lost a considerable amount of weight was when i had pnemonia and i lost just on 2 stone in a week .......when i eat i get hot then that makes me tired .... i am not looking for any mirale cures i just want help am fed up of going to the doctor and he saying stuff like eat more sensibly i have to eat to lose wieght ..... well if you have to eat to become thin how the heck do i get anorexic .....

Maureen | 24/04/2007 18:41:00

as a child with CharctMt I was never allowed



Maureen | 24/04/2007 19:16:00

I am 72, periferal neuropathy (Charcot Marie Tooth disease) from infancy. unable to exersise, muscle deterioration with clubbed feet. I was skinny at school then started to gain on leaving. Advised by my orthopaedic consultant to follow a career sitting not on my feet. I followed my best friend into nursing & midwifery with the guidance and help from a very understanding Matron. much to the annoyance of my erstwhile consultant, I was on my own then as he disowned me. 33 years later, marriage & two daughters , I was forced by my disabiliry to Take early retirement. I piled weight on when having my children and couldn't lose. unable to exersize I reache 18 1/2 stone when I fell and fractured my femur. 6 weeks in hospital confined to bed I eventualy arrived home to find I had lost 4 stone, the hospital meals were healthy & satisfying, and I have since had hip & knee replacement which had been denied to me prior to the fracture. I am now mobile on crutches for life and my weight is fairly stable at 15 stone but can't get lower due to exersize lack.But I am now free from pain. I have been on thyroxine for hypothiroidism, blood pressure and cholestral contained by medication.No heat or sweating not even meopausal, or family obesity. I would love to monitor metabolism. love to all.

Karen Allan | 24/04/2007 20:17:00

I am 34 years old and can never remember ever been thin all my life I have been overweight. Both my parents are overweight but we used to eat healthly when I was a child and was not allowed to many sweets or crisps. I put on five stones with my first child and i cannot excercise properly due to damaged knees. I over eat when feeling sad but sometimes I can go days without eating. My weight seems to keep the same.

Izzy | 24/04/2007 21:34:00

I think that there is deffinatly a link with metabolism and weight, there are shown links with hormone disorders such as polycstic ovaries. I feel thought that has to be a lot more reseach and money put into this area of medicine. If they worked it out,they could research this and find out some of the reasons behind the growing obesity problems in the world, then they would save billions on all the new cases of diabetes and other related weight diseases, simply because a lot pf people wont develop them if they dont become overweight and they catch it early enough and know how to treat it effectivly. I have very complex medical problems. I have polycystic ovary syndrome and im diabetic too, I have severe M.E and am bed bound most of the day and house bound almost all the rest of the time, i can only walk small distances and all movement is exausting and aggonising, which means that any kind of exercise is completly out. All these things have made losing weight for me so much more difficult. Because of the M.E my temprature control is all over the place and i am hot one minute and cold the next, i do find occasionlly that i am hot when eating. But it is hard to judge because of my pre exsiting conditions. I have always had a large frame and never been small. But have found that losing weight has always been such a stuggle. I seem to have a very slow metabolism anyway and now that i am very immobile i have even more trouble losing the weight than before. There is very little help out there for people with polycystic ovaries, its seems like you just get the diagnosis and you get told that you will have trouble losing weight, but you are never given any real practical help by a lot of the dieticians or doctors i have come across. You get the same thing every time eat this and exercise, they never take into account a persons circumstances which i feel is very important, i have also found that alot of the time you are made to feel stigmatised and feel guilty for not meeting there targets of weight lose even if you are trying your hardest and not cheating at all, this leads a lot of the time to you thinking whats the point in dieting and trying to lose the weight if i dont an the dieticians accuse me of cheating on the doet anyway, so you just go back to how you ate before. I feel that a lot of the dietican and doctors need a lot of retraining on how to deal with patients that cannot lose the weight through no fault of their own. And especially more training is needed with dealing with severlly obese people. I have finally found a dietician that i can really talk to, that understands that exercise for me is just a no go area and so concentrates on my diet. So i have a very limited calorie counted diet and i take xenical diet pills prescribed by the gp. This for me seems to be working better than any other diet i have ever tried an i think a lot of it has to do with the support you recieve as well as your own will power. I have lost 5 stones in the last year and am still losing at the moment. I know that without the xenical diet drugs even on a restricted diet of just 1000 calories a day i still put on weight. So i am quite sure that what ever i eat makes me put on weight no matter what it is.

Wend | 24/04/2007 22:52:00

I have been overweight/obese all my life. I have tied all diets going and have given up. I now try my best to eat healthily but I am a diabetic and continually crave what I should avoid. I know my thyroid levels are ok as I have them tested regularly, my cholesterol level is perfect so I am not eating too much saturated fat, I excercise as much as I can but am restricted due to an arthritic spine. I feel I must have a very slow metabolism as I can find no other reason for my size.

Elaine | 24/04/2007 23:58:00

Hi, I'm Female 57 years old and when young was a normal weight my sister who ate everything was underweight then puberty then the pill then on went the weight. She stayed skinny, I have had a gastric by-pass which lost me 50kgs, but it didn't take away the fact that my body didn't know when it had had enough food so it is slowly creeping on again as I am always hungry, by the way my sister is now overweight too. My whole family is overweight my Mother and Father and their parents and siblings. My children are overweight my sisters are of normal weight but are young still. I can exercise to what I can as am riddled with arthritus so it doesn't help.

Carole | 25/04/2007 09:28:00

I have always been overweight, never underweight. I was an extremely sporty child and developed good muscle tone, did not necessarily eat a lot - but put on weight. In later years did heavy high intensive aerobics and developed arthritis due to dieting on Weight Watchers low fat diets. Thereafter I developed as a dancer through dance training as it was low impact and sweat an awful lot when exercising. After eating, particularly fruit - I feel bloated and pick up weight. I always feel hot, sweaty and warm when I overeat - so tend not to. Even when I eat moderately, my furnace heats up! I am naturally a very warm temperatured person. I would love to see if my metabolism has a part to play in me finding it extremely difficult to lose weight. I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and am peri-menopausal - HELP!!!!!

sue sheridan | 25/04/2007 09:58:00

I am 50 years of age and upto 8 years ago never had any problem with weight, I always stayed the same at 9st7lbs, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and put on hormone tablets, at the same time I gave up smoking and within 2 years my weight had risen to 12 stone, I have battled ever since to get it back down, I have just joined weigth watchers and am slowly starting to lose. I do not change temperature when I eat but I do think that age and metabolism have a lot to do with weight gain, it is only when you are on a controlled food plan or diet that you realise how little you should eat, we do tend to eat the wrong things and at the wrong times, due to work commitments sometimes it is late evening when you are sitting down to dinner, more emphasis should be put on metabolisim to assist with weight loss,


Margaret | 25/04/2007 10:04:00

Hello, I'm a 54 year old diabetic. When I eat my body overheats and I feel ill. I found that after having 2 sons I could not get rid of the extra weight, I tried everything, Weightwatchers etc. I think giving birth changed my metabolism until then I was a normal weight with no problems.. I have to eat healthily because of other illnesses as well as the diabetes, but I do have the occasional take away or meal out. I always try to take the healthy option on menus but nothing works. A little often is advocated by the diabetic nurse, so it seems as if I'm constantly eating.One of my sons tends to be overweight while the other is always eating and is thin.Over the last few years my weight has plateaued and only varies by a few pounds at any time but the medical profession constantly tell me I'm obese and must lose weight.I THINK THERE ARE HEREDITARY FAT GENES AND THIS SHOULD BE STUDIED WITH EXTRA TIME AND MONEY INVESTED IN IT.OBESITY CAUSES SO MANY OTHER DISEASESTHAT IF IT COULD BE CURED IT WOULD SAVE THE NHS A FORTUNE.

Gemma | 25/04/2007 11:24:00

I have PCOS and a major problem with my weight, but the doctors are not willing to help me as i have lost weight before with help from tablets and have gained it all again. They said whats the point if you are just going to put it back on. Which doesn't help the situation at all. I don't think i eat excessivly, most days i eat a sandwich and a main meal. Men and my husband are desparate for a baby but i'm not going to concieve at this weight. I'm not just over weight i'm morbidly obese.It would be great if there was a way to just get rid of it all. I have been overweight all my life. Someone please help i am willing to try anything.

dbs | 25/04/2007 11:30:00

I am overweight and I do not feel any tempaerature difference when I overeat. I do think that whatever i eat makes me put on weight.

R. in Surrey | 25/04/2007 14:08:00

I was exercising hard 3x a week (M, W & a wkend day) and got down to a size 14 as well as a healthy diet and I was losing roughly 2pounds a week (EVEN when I went on holiday and wasn't sticking to the diet!) then my life changed- personal- and I couldn't exercise as much but was still sticking to the diet and now I am back to a size 22 where I started because I am not exercising- WHY?!

Caz | 25/04/2007 15:01:00

I was slim until I went on the Pill aged 20.