Are my expectations reasonable!

[GreenFox17]

Hi everyone!

I've decided I'm going to try and lose weight as I desperately need to. I'm currently 5"2 and weigh just over 12 stone

The thing is I HATE exercise and any food that isn't baige/brown! But I'm going to try.

Do you think I could lose weight or even start to lose weight by having..

Breakfast: Fruit

Lunch: Ham and cheese omelette and soup alternative days

Dinner: Cottage pie and veg
Fish, mash and veg
Chicken wrap
Pork+veg casserole
Lasagne and veg
Chicken drumsticks
Hunters chicken with potato skins (treat)

Along with 15 mins cardio every day.

I hope to increase this as I get fitter!


Do you think it'll work?

[HappyMayDay]

why only 15 minutes?

[Sallygoroundthemoon]

Well done for making changes and good luck! I'd do 30 mins cardio rather than 15 unless you are doing HIIT and that might be tough if you're really unfit.

[Sallygoroundthemoon]

And add some weights :). Best way to lose weight is strength training.

[Trifleorbust]

I would substitute fruit for something whole grain or egg based (slow release energy and protein). I would make dinner less carb heavy and have more protein and greens.

[GreenFox17]

So maybe have the omelette for breakie and fruit for lunch?
15 mins because I have the Davina fit in 15 DVD and I'm desperately unfit!

[stitchglitched]

Hi OP I've just joined this thread. Posters similar height and weight to you so you might get some ideas.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/2904960-Anyone-5ft-3in-with-3-stone-ish-to-lose

[Teddy6767]

Be careful with too much fruit as it can actually make you gain weight if you have large quantities of it. Things like bananas are classed as a carb. And fruit is very high in fructose which is sugar that'll turn to fat. Obviously small amounts are great for you though, but maybe have some vegetables alongside the fruit to keep it a bit more balanced.
Your meal plans sound great. With your evening meals just try and keep the portion sizes down a bit. Enough to satisfy you without making you feel really full or bloated.
Do you do much walking? That can be a great way to increase fitness levels. And also make sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout the day as dehydration can sometimes be mistaken for hunger

[Lamaitresse]

I'd make breakfast more filling than that - maybe porridge with skimmed milk, or muesli/Weetabix then yoghurt. Something that's going to fill you up enough so you won't be desperate to eat something else a couple of hours later... What works for me is also having breakfast much later, so I don't eat before 9am. This cuts out the necessity for a mid morning snack. When I diet I'll have a big sandwich for lunch on wholemeal bread, but no butter or mayo etc. I find cucumber adds moisture so it's not too dry.
I also find that pre-empting hunger by having an earlier mid afternoon snack also helps me - so e.g. at 3.30/4ish I would have a banana, or blueberries and maybe a yoghurt. Then I'll have a lighter supper but stop eating before 6.30pm, 7 at the latest. It might mean you are feeling a bit hungry by bedtime, but it'll also ensure that you're going to bed with an empty stomach rather than food sitting there and trying to digest slower.
Hope this helps, it's only how I do it though :-) Good luck!

[Lamaitresse]

Oh, and I agree with Teddy - plenty of water!!

[MaisyPops]

I think you need more veg and more like 30 mins of exercise.

Good luck though and good on you for being motivated.

[Skyllo30]

It's all about portion size.

Try logging everything via MyFitness pal for a couple of weeks - it makes you reassess what you eat with regards to portion size and how many calories are really in things. E.g. Tortilla wraps are quite high in calories so it could be a 600 kcal lunch with tuna mayo filling.

[Teddy6767]

Your evening meals are all carby and it can be difficult to lose weight when eating carbs (even just once a day) if you aren't doing much cardio. You don't need to cut them out but maybe just have a small portion of your dinner, and fill up on your breakfast and lunches instead with things like eggs, veg and fruit.
Sweet potatoes are a good alternative to have as a mash or ontop of your cottage pies etc as they are a carb that your body can process a lot more easily

[wiltingfast]

You need a better breakfast. You'll never stick fruit only, you'll be too hungry.

I often have a boiled egg and a slice of toast or porridge with almond milk and fruit.

Fruit mid morning to keep you going.

but fruit is not useful as a meal substitute as it will leave you far too hungry and you will not sustain the diet.

It seems to me you are saving yourself for your evening meal? It is easier really to spread your calories throughout the day.

Good luck!

[SometimesMaybe]

Honestly the best way to loose weight is to never feel hungry. If you are going to be exercising you will need carbs. Carbs aren't bad, it's just Fried chips and white bread are!
Find things you like and eat a lot. Rice, oat cakes, porridge are all really good for you.
Fruit isn't the devil that some people think, an apple and a banana (very filling) every day will do you no harm.

At your weight you will loose quite a lot by exercising, smaller portions and trying to cook from scratch where possible. If you try to cut out whole food groups (apart from refined sugars) you will end up falling off the wagon.

[Lazyafternoon]

Id definitely recommend logging whatever you eat on an app. I used MyFitness Pal. It's not necessarily the meals I eat that are the problem, it's the snacking and biscuits and chips of DS's plate, glass of wine in the evening, a 'few' squares of chocolate etc etc

Following Weightwatchers I lost about 2 1/2 stone (From 13st and a bit > just under 11st. I'm 51 2"). But found just logging on MyFitness Pal and avoiding snacks, a bit of exercise and trying to eat healthily helped. When logging what I eat I don't track any fruit and veg that was 'free' with weightwatchers standard plan that way I can snack on fruit and veg if I get hungry.

I did take up jogging too. I'm not too sure how much it helped me loose weight, but made me feel better!

[GreenFox17]

Thanks for all your advice and the thread suggestion! I need big fat boot up my arse

[aibu1983]

weightwatchers is amazing for losing weight! as long as you stick to the points you can eat what you want, it helps you look at portion sizes and decide if it is worth eating a chocolate bar for 9 points when you could have lots of chicken so helps with food choices too! I am a big davina fan and did one of her old dvds when i was starting to lose weight a few years ago, i did the boxercise section which was only 20mins long. it really built me up into starting to exercise! good luck

[Scottishchick39]

Walking 10,000 steps a day is a really good way to lose weight, I've found even when I'm eating crap as long as I walk at least 10,000 steps I don't put on weight. When I eat healthily and walk 10,000 the weight drops off.

[nelipotter]

You are going to get some very diverse advice on here.... try a doctor or dietician for sound and tailor made advice for your body and scenario.
Best of luck, you can change your life for the better!

[NeedABumChange]

Depends on portion size but those dinners sound like heavy pub grub rather than healthy meals.

Also you need a list of snacks that you are allowed to stop you turning to junk food eg, carrot sticks.

Soup can also be very fatty if full of cream so you have to be careful op when choosing unless making your own.

15 mins cardio sounds a bit pointless. You'll be stopping as soon as you get your heart rate up.

[Janeofalltrades1]

Try oats for breakfast? It is beige after all

Also you need to increase your exercise to at least 30 minutes. 10 mins warm up, 10 minutes at 80% energy, 5 minutes at 100% then 5 minutes cool down.

[GeminiRising]

I agree with PP - download MyFitnessPal and log what you are eating. You can find lots of low cal recipes online.

I've lost 5 stone this last year with a combination of eating 1600 calories a day and walking 10,000 steps a day, with extra walking at the weekend. You can do it.