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Original poster

Calling people who've lost 2 stone and kept if off.

52 replies

AvoidingDM · 17/10/2018 19:26

I need to loose weight.
People say crash diets (lighterlife / Cambridge) are no good. Others say slimming world / weight watcher thrive on repeat business.

If you've lost and kept if off for at least 2 years, how did you do it?

OP posts:
bobstersmum · 17/10/2018 19:40

I lost 3 stones and have since had 3 children and have still kept it off. I did slim fast to get the weight off but was mostly able to keep it off by realising how I'd put it on in the first place, which was drinking too much alcohol and eating late at night plus not doing any exercise. I walk every day now. And I don't drink any alcohol as my dc are still all little and youngest still bf. I do tend to put any half a stone back on around Xmas and have at other times my I have a cut off point that I wont allow myself to go over. I'm still overweight going off the height weight calculator though!

Suzysleep · 17/10/2018 19:47

Slimming world - lost the weight initially and now stick loosely to the principles to maintain and tighten up if the weight starts creeping back on.

WoodBurnerBabe · 17/10/2018 20:04

Lost 4 stone. Took up running, worked my way up from running 30 seconds (and nearly dying) to managing a sub 2 hours half marathon. Stuck to 1200 calories per day but always ate any exercise calories I burned. I’ve kept it off for 6 months so far and it’s not been hard. I run or do HIIT a class 5 days a weeks and just don’t eat as much on days I don’t exercise

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TonTonMacoute · 17/10/2018 20:09

Crash diets will not work, unless you want to starve yourself for the rest of your life. You have to change your whole way of eating so that you can stick to it. WW and SW are much better for this. Personally 5:2 intermittent fasting worked brilliantly for me.

fatpatsthong · 17/10/2018 20:09

Lost 5 gained 1 so 4 overall.

Decreased portion sizes, be accountable for what I eat, move more (both formal exercise and general moving).

Change of outlook too - I struggle with this hence the stone gain when I've let the other stuff slide

Thecurtainsofdestiny · 17/10/2018 21:40

Intermittent fasting.

NicoAndTheNiners · 17/10/2018 21:42

Intermittent fasting. I can’t do 5:2 though. I do 19:5. So I only eat between midday and 5pm.

That and a lot of exercise!

TowerOfJoy · 17/10/2018 22:46

I lost 3 stone of post baby weight through Slimming World, that took about 18 months. Ive stayed at target (or thereabouts) for the last 18 months not going to SW classes anymore but still following the basic principles.

Unobtainable · 17/10/2018 23:20

Perimenopause hit about 5 years ago and i gained two stone in a few months. I got it off by:

Going to a retreat for a week - 10lbs
Doing low carb (Alizone) - 18lbs
HIT - 30 day shred

I keep it off by doing low carb and intermittent fasting. Ive just finished Prolon and lost 4lbs so Im back to a BMI of 22 which suits my large frame.

I keep low carb snacks in the car so Im not tempted to eat rubbish if i get hungry.

That’s it really. Oh, and i weigh myself regularly too. Keep your eye on the ball.

AviatorShades · 18/10/2018 00:31

A friend. Slimming World plus, and I think it really helps her maintain the large weight loss she has achieved, she took up line dancingGrin Her 2 boys are in their 20s,her OH prefers the pub or slobbing out in front of the TV, so she goes line dancing!

Dontfeellikeamillenial · 18/10/2018 00:42

Lowish carb. So not much bread, pasta, rice, cakes, biscuits etc but eat lentils, squash, sweet potato etc.

Try and stick to 1500 cals per day.

No chocolate, sweets, etc, maybe a small glass of wine. Dinner tonight for example had been roasted chicken drumsticks and roasted veg.

Try and find your triggers too I. E what increases your hunger. For me, porridge triggers my hunger so I have eggs for breakfast instead.

I never say never to anything tho, if I want cake, pizza etc. I'll have it. Just small portions.

Dontfeellikeamillenial · 18/10/2018 00:45

Went from 175lbs to 140/145 lbs ish doing this.

Also lost 60lbs twice with the weight gained from the Dcs.

Safe to say I'm a yoyo dieter.

NicoAndTheNiners · 18/10/2018 06:33

I do think regular weighing is key. Otherwise it’s easy for weight to creep on and you’ve gained a stone before you realise.

grannycake · 18/10/2018 06:52

5:2 to lose and 6:1 to maintain - 6 years now

FintanStack · 18/10/2018 07:02

I lost three stone after having my daughter - combo of not getting time to eat and running around doing more stuff and being more active by going for walks with DD in pushchair. I have more to lose and haven’t been able to shift it without support, so I go to Slimming World now and have lost almost a stone so far. I think I’ll be dieting for the rest of my life to keep it off.

NoWordForFluffy · 18/10/2018 07:05

I lost 4 stone after having 2 babies in 13 months. This was in late 2014.

To lose it I walked loads and went on the cross trainer a fair bit. I used MFP to log food with a 1200 limit and often didn't eat my exercise calories.

I keep it off by still walking almost everywhere (i.e. I'll walk to town and back, a round trip of about 5 miles) and using the cross trainer regularly (though that was abandoned for a bit as we got an allotment and the calories burned digging / weeding were sufficient.

If I can fit into my smallest jeans I'm doing fine. I don't weigh myself, I go by the jeans! 😂

I did let it slip a bit in autumn 2016 and autumn 2017 (I think there's a theme running there!), but I'm a bit more disciplined now.

TheVeryHungryDieter · 18/10/2018 08:07

MyFitnessPal for counting calories combined with low carb. Actually did full keto for the first six weeks and after that just low carb. I lost two and a half stone, but put half a stone back on when I stopped actively trying to lose it. I went from clinically obese to a healthy BMI. After that it was just maintenance, so not logging all my food but just stepping on the scales and if I'd been away for a week going back into weight loss mode until I was at a comfortable weight. I did a bit of 5:2 during this time.

It was easier then as DS was a baby to do low carb as I was only cooking for adults. Now we buy bread, cereal, pasta and treats fairly regularly so temptation is always there (and I'm a sugar monster That Time Of The Month). I kept the weight off until my third trimester with DD.

I'm starting it again now some 5+ years later but it's a lot slower as family life is busier and I work much more. 18 lbs down since August, another ten to go...

Alaaya · 18/10/2018 08:13

Long term change in diet and lifestyle. You can't make it a temp change. I shifted my daily diet to 1200-1600 kcal by removing snacks, processed foods, and take out. I have never gone back.

I also took up exercise - 3 hours swimming per week, 2 hours of seriously exhausting gym. I also have kept that up. That's been the hardest bit due to time.

Even then, it was very slow to get rid of the weight. 1ib per week ish. But it has stayed off. Pretty sure if I dropped the good habits it would come back on.

nellly · 18/10/2018 08:21

My fitness pal was an absolute eye opener as to the volume and content of food I eat and I joined Crossfit which has really changed my body to be far more naturally toned and allowed me to maintain a comfortable size 10/12 without too much restriction

FashionFoodLaughs · 18/10/2018 08:28

Have lost 2 and a half stone. Initially it was through WW as I needed the motivation of a public weigh in. Once I reached target I’ve used my Fitbit to log calories and upped my exercise to 4-6 sessions a week of running and classes. I have maintained my weight and usually eat between 1500-1800 calories per day. Mostly abstaining from booze has helped a lot too. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

runningtogetskinny · 18/10/2018 08:36

I lost 2 1/2 stones 4 years ago, up to 7 pounds creeps on at Xmas or on holiday but I can lose it again. Use My Fitness Pal, log EVERYTHING including milk for tea/coffee (mine comes to a couple of hundred calories a day), I stick to around 1300 calories a day and run every day though just a couple of miles some days. It's a simple equation of consuming fewer calories than you expend. By tracking you'll probably be very surprised by how many calories you are consuming. Good luck

inthekitchensink · 18/10/2018 08:41

Stuck to 9000 calories a week, ate only healthy, nourishing food, and for a couple of weeks did low carb boot camp to kick start the process and see some immediate results.

CurbsideProphet · 18/10/2018 08:47

I cut down on my "emotional snacking" and do 1 or 2 "high intensity interval training" classes per week, plus regular Yoga.

You need to work out what has caused weight gain. I was using junk food to make me feel better about hating my job. I changed jobs, but still kept up the excessive snacking.

We mostly cook from scratch anyway, but have adjusted portion sizes and make our own chips etc.

SnuggyBuggy · 18/10/2018 08:52

It depends on what's behind it. I cut out junk food and treated it like going cold turkey on an addiction rather than a diet.

Casperandme · 18/10/2018 08:54

I lost about 2 stone over ten years ago doing WW and have pretty much kept it off. How? I completely changed my diet - there are many things I used to eat that I haven't really eaten since, plus exercise. I find if I do about 4 sessions a week I can maintain the weight. It does flucuate but I've never gained the bulk of the weight back.