I have 8 stone to lose to get down to 10 stone. I would be happy at about 11 or 12 though.
It just seems insurmountable and I don't know where to start. Has anyone had any experience speaking to the GP for help?
I've had various GPs in varying levels of usefulness over the years. Not one has ever recommended WW or SW, though, if you were considering those. And none have said a bean about Fast 800 or IF, either - I think they're very cynical of any of the highly marketed programmes because they see the long term effects. None have had much good to say about Weight Loss Surgery, either - their opinion is that it causes permanent problems and most patients end up finding ways to undo the initial weightloss, just with huge stomach and nutritional issues to contend with on top. One was supportive of a friend doing strict keto, but he was supermorbidly obese, diabetic, blind and desperately needed to keep his sugars down due to developing peripheral neuropathy, so didn't really have any other alternatives.
There's also why you've overeaten. Is it that food is love or happiness? Could it be to put creepy men off? Is it pyschologically 'swallowing down' frustration, resentment and a desire to run away from a suffocating atmosphere/life? Is it a lack of understanding and it's the way you've been taught to behave around food? Understanding your feelings is very helpful.
When it comes down to it, though, why not start by tracking what you actually eat each day without judgement or restriction, just to see where you're at right now? Do it for a couple of weeks or a month and it'll take some of the guilt out, because you'll be able to see what you could adjust without too much pain and any pinch points, such as not having something in the morning and then overcompensating with high calorie, low nutrition stuff in the evening, changing to having something nutritious every morning to make lunch and tea less urgent/desperately cramming something in to counteract lack of energy? For probably months, you'll be able to lose weight eating significantly more than somebody much smaller would, as you're moving more weight around all the time.
Exercise is great, as that helps to address your mood and how you feel physically; it's not for weightloss in itself. You'll need very good trainers to align your body correctly and possibly orthotics, as you're likely to be dropping your ankles in and putting strain on your shins, knees, hips, lower back, upper back and neck. And any movement is exercise. Gives you daylight, too - which is great for your mood, sleep and energy.
Compressive leggings and tops feel good, too. And you might feel slightly less likely to have very high calorie stuff if you're wearing a pair of sports legging than faded saggy ones.
Vitamins are important - Vitamin D particularly. I had high strength Vitamin D to get my levels up and then a standard fizzy vitamin (Redoxon have a wider range than Berocca) to keep them higher; means I have something that tastes very much like cheap, fizzy orange pop, too.
Other than that, if you do move on to losing weight, I would say that you go through stages of squishiness. Sometimes it all seems flabby and awful, then it firms up a bit again.
It's not a speed race. Unlike a 200m sprint where you can start off really fast and then you're dying before you're halfway down the straight, it's more like an ultramarathon, where the important things are to keep going and keep eating - and enjoying the scenery whilst you're at it.