Help, Please

Please read the whole thing before jumping in.

A bitmoji cartoon of a
wavy-haired brunette
person with an apple.

I've been dithering about how to phrase this for about 24 hours, so I'm just going to say it: I need to lose weight.

I'm going to get eye-rolls and oversimplistic "solutions" from folks who don't share my physical, mental, emotional, medical, hormonal, dietary, neurodivergent, financial, etc. limitations. No Nike "just do it" please, and no remarks about willpower. If it was simply willpower, I'd have done it already.

I'm possibly going to get annoyance and disappointment from those of my friends who (quite rightly) feel that we should love our bodies how they are and not be concerned about whether we meet societal expectations, etc. And honestly, I'm not all that fussed about how I look according to society; I'm fat and as far as society goes, I'm just fine with that.

But I have also messed up both of my knees now. Those knees, my sleep apnea, my blood pressure, and my asthma are exacerbated by extra weight, and I'm the only parent Lizzy has left.

I'm lactose intolerant, mildly allergic to whey protein, have IBS triggered by these and some vegetables, a certain amount of food trauma from adolescence, and my food sensitivities are worse in springtime because of other allergies. Perimenopause is a complicating factor as well, because why not? I do not have a specific eating disorder but I have disordered eating habits. I know what to do - as in I know what's good for me personally - but I struggle with portion size, timing, and emotional eating.

There has been a lot to emotionally-eat about for several years now.

I (usually) get a reasonable amount of exercise (60-90 minutes a day), although not a lot of it at the moment because of that Other Knee injury. My Apple Watch and its fitness app have me striving to complete those rings and I am here for it. Gamifying usually works well for me. Weight Watchers or SparkPeople notsomuch, though I haven't tried them recently. I am not interested in weight-loss surgeries or medication options. I already meditate at least once a day. And I'm not going to respond well to let-go-and-let-God suggestions.

What I am looking for here is recommendations for apps, groups, plans, programs, etc. I have already tagged my therapist in on this topic, and I'm about to tag my PCP ditto.

Happy to take hugs and care reacts. Not okay with tots and pears or snarky remarks. Just serious recommendations, please.