Can you design me a lifestyle plan? Thank you!!

[questionaboutmum]

I will try to be brief.

I haven't weighed myself, and I know I'm still not overweight really, but I have been slimmer and want to get back there.

I am pescatarian

I generally cook and prepare all food (including packed lunches etc). Usually we all eat together (me dh dd and ds) in the evening, but sometimes the kids eat first and its just me and dh (and then he cooks).

I usually run 3x per week, but have been a bit rubbish lately. Also pilates.

I have tried the no s diet before. I didn't lose anything (wasn't really trying to) but kept my weight dead steady for years. Then I tried no carb, and really didn't like it, and found fitting it round normal life a hassle. I tried myfitnesspal. This worked great, and I lost weight doing this. But I just can't be bothered to input everything all the time. So I guess what I need are some broader rules that I can just follow so I don't need to keep logging all the tiny details.

I just want it to be minimal hassle - no going to groups, or special food prep - but I am okay with a bit of hunger. Any suggestions gratefully received!

[questionaboutmum]

Rereading the above - maybe I should just do no S again, but with some sort of mod so that I lose a bit of weight instead of just staying level?

[Wishingandwaiting]

I think if it’s going to be a success, you have to own it and structure it in a way that works for you.

[idontlikealdi]

16/8 or 5/2?

[questionaboutmum]

Thank you wishingandwaiting, you are totally right. I am hoping to find something where it works for ever without really needing to change my lifestyle much. Or only in ways that I like.

So idon'tlikealdi 16/8 - this is eating just within an 8 hour window, right? I could definitely do this just by skipping breakfast. But occasionally you need to have breakfast - you go round somewhere for breakfast etc. How could I adjust so that this works? Would there be some flexibility? I guess what I am struggling with is coming up with rules that are fixed enough to actually result in weight loss (e.g. 'eat healthily' is too vague), but are flexible enough to let me sometimes fit in with what is happening.

I seem to be talking myself back into no s... but with what modifications?

[LaLaLanded]

OP unfortunately losing weight sort of is about adjusting lifestyle in some way, whether that’s what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat...

Perhaps the question is what you feel would work for you to adjust?

For me it was no low carb high fat. I eat out quite a bit so need something that works in restaurants. I need three meals a day. I work well on protein. I love cheese, meat, cream, nuts and green veg. The sacrifice: no more bread or similar. But I can live with that. Some couldn’t.

[CarrotPuff]

Sounds like adding 8:16 or 5:2 would work well for you.

Yes, 8:16 means eating within an 8h window, so skipping breakfast for most people. And yes, you can be flexible about it, don't have to do it every day. So just aim for, let's say, 3 days a week. You can set those days so that you can have a plan in place, ie Mon, Wed, Fri, but if something comes up you can just move one of the days.

I've done this in the past and it worked really well for me.

[questionaboutmum]

This is great - I really feel like a plan is coming together.

LaLaLanded I agree. If I change nothing, then nothing will change. I guess I want the change to be minimal so that I can keep it up, and so that it won't interfere too much with the joys of life.

Since I posted (all of yesterday evening!), I restarted the no-s diet, which should itself bring about a few changes in my lifestyle. E.g. yesterday at around 4pm I ate a mince pie - both sweet and a snack. Now won't do that again till the weekend. Also I have got used to refilling my plate at dinner time till I'm full, but I will stop that now, as I do remember from no s ing before that though I didn't feel full right after eating a single serving, as I left the table and life resumed I found I wasn't really hungry after all.

I will do no s ing for a while then (till Lent begins maybe?), and then if I feel like things are too slow, I will add something else in - like 8:16 (basically skipping breakfast) 3 days a week as CarrotPuff suggests. Or will buy smaller plates!

[Gaudeamus]

@questionaboutmum no-s looks like a great solution for your diet - very sustainable. My heart sinks when I read about the 'I will be 100% virtuous for six weeks of agony and then crash out and regain all my lost weight and hate myself' type diets and I have only ever had success with lifestyle changes that are truly realistic for the long-term.

Since you asked for a 'lifestyle plan' rather than a 'diet plan' I thought I would also encourage you to go back to your running, if you enjoy it, or explore some other types of exercise, without stretching your efforts too far. Exercise will never be effective for weight loss without a decent diet, but in my case it's really changed my self-perception and body-perception (as well as helping me become much leaner and fitter) so I feel it's a very important part of any attempt to feel better about your health\looks\physical ability. I now see myself as strong and capable rather than weak and lazy, which motivates me in every area of life, including diet.

Best of luck with your new plan!

[Gaudeamus]

Oh and by the way, I started off doing 15mins of bodyweight exercises a day and it had a huge impact on my mood and body composition, so it's very achievable if you do want to exercise more - you don't have to join CrossFit or do triathlons to get a very visible benefit.

[questionaboutmum]

That's great advice, thank you Gaudeamus.

Yes, I think no s is sustainable, and I don't understand the point of any diet that isn't. No s is also quite nice (I'm remembering right now as my tummy rumbles!) because you get properly hungry between meals and then can make yourself a good nutritious tasty filling meal (using whatever you have in the fridge/whatever you fancy - so long as it doesn't involve anything sweet, and is just a plateful) - which is one of life's great pleasures I think.

I am not really not running. In fact I have a 10k run this Sunday in the diary! I just had a cold, plus it was cold, so my runs got a bit short and infrequent. I definitely need to get back into a good running routine. I should also do more daily stretching and take up bouldering again! I totally know what you mean about the self-perception and body-perception - if I've been running (or whatever) then I feel confident and see myself as athletic, even though of course my body won't have changed as the result of a single run!

15 minutes of exercise a day is in fact what the no s guy recommends isn't it? With his sledgehammer or something?! Never tried that myself...