Has anyone lost a LOT of weight? I have a year.

[TubbyMonkeh]

A year to lose at least 6 stone.

Doable?

I lost 4 1/2 stone in 9 months calorie counting. I wish I’d done what feelingverylazytoday did though. Reason being I feel like maintenance of my ‘healthy weight’ depends on continuing to track every mouthful I eat. I haven’t learnt to trust myself with food or particularly addressed my relationship with it. I eat more healthily and eat smaller portions by default (lower calories) so I’m sure I’m more healthy overall. But I’d prefer a relationship with food that felt more easy and natural than one based on numbers and calorie counting.
Do what feels best for you OP, and I’ve no doubt that it can be done, just think about your relationship with food too and what you want that to be long term.

Neither can I tbh! Straight on the credit card on a 0 per cent interest deal.

Good luck op.

When I've lost weight before the one thing that has worked really well is logging every calorie of every meal including the one cheat meal I allowed myself once a week. Only allowed booze on one day, and generally went low carb although I ate avocado on rye bread most mornings. Weighed myself every Friday morning without fail. No snacks.

If you're eating real rubbish then a change to a healthy Mediterranean style diet has got to help, you shouldn't feel hungry, you'll probably miss the saltiness and sugar from your regular diet. Also take out fizzy sweet drinks. Have you thought about the meal kits like hello fresh? They have a veg option and take all the thinking and potential bad decisions out of meal planning and prep.

Good luck, i really hope you get a good plan in place, and have support around you to stick with it and feel great.

I lost previously 6 1/2 stone in 11 months. I was 17 1/2 stone at the time. I did weight watchers, the old pro points plan

What are your junk food weaknesses & how do you plan to get them completely out of your life?

Just as important: what & how are you going to eat instead?

I went from 15.8 to 11.5 in 8 months with sw. I’d say it’s totally do able

Totally do able.

All diets work if you stick to them. The best thing for me to be strict on healthy eating. Three meals a day no snacking. Portion control so at least half of my plate at lunch and dinner to be veg. Frozen veg is quick and easy. Puddings fruit or yoghurt with a treat once a week.

I found exercise essential as I don’t enjoy it and didn’t want to waste the effort by eating biscuits.

Crap top I can't get credit. Am single parent on ESA.

I comfort eat.

I did keto and it was FANTASTIC for weightloss and my health and mind. I was a different person but I couldn't deal with the meat and fat.

Yesterday I had strawberries, apples.

Tuna salad for lunch and a piece of fish and a mountain of veg for tea.

I didn't find it hard.

What I find overwhelming is the thought of doing it for a year. Because eof my anxiety. Planning ahead in any circumstances makes me nervous. I hate thinking of the future. Its a real fear.

But I'm going to get active.

Cut out carbs.

Eat lots of veg and some fruit with protein.

I lost just shy of 7 stone (19-12,2) in about 16 months. The last 4 months was probably about a stone and a half of that.
I went low gi. Plenty of veggie options in that. Look at Rick Gallop’s book. I can’t remember the title but it’s got a red yellow and green cover.
I also tracked everything in my fitness pal. Not for calories but to keep myself in check.
When I got to 16 stone (after 4 months) I started “running” using couch to 5k.
Drink shitloads of water.
My mental health improved and my general health is also much better.
Fallen off the wagon recently but still much healthier and happier.

I hear you op.

For me it's easy to lose weight - or for anyone actually. It's keeping off that's hard.

If this seems overwhelming aim to do it over two years. You will have days you want to comfort eat, and it's unrealistic to think you won't ever do it again. It's unrealistic to think you won't cave and have a takeaway again.

Log everything even on bad days. It will make such a difference

My hairdresser lost a huge amount of weight. She was basically a big round ball before (no idea how much she weighed) and she slimmed down to a size 14.

All she did was give up carbs and power walk for 30 mins a day. That’s it.

OP, if you already don’t like meat and fat, then giving up carbs would really help you to lose that weight.

Good luck!

For those of you who have lost 6st plus, do you mind me asking if you have been left with loose skin? Is it avoidable or inevitable?

I've lost 8 stone in 9 months on a vlcd, got 1 stone left. Loose skin on stomach but just looks like a post pregnancy belly, I never show my stomach in clothes anyway!

I know I will have loose skin but at least I can hide it. I can't hide 6 extra stone of fat!

@tubbymonkeh have a look at Huel (and their forums)

it's a meal replacement BUT it's not a shitty non-nutrient one it's a genuine food replacement. Contains every single vitamin etc that humans need.

Loads of info on their website. I like the chocolate, mint choc and vanilla flavours but lots to choose from. You know exactly how many calories are in a scoop. I have a shake for bfast, shake for lunch and then a good filling healthy dinner. I've banned chocolate which was my main problem.

When you say "cut out carbs": what does that mean?
Which foods count as "carbs" & which don't?
How much cut out... 100%? 85%?
You don't really have to explain to me, but can you explain to yourself?

One day at a time, for sure.

A simple way is to be strict about calories

I realised I could eat a box of malteesers without even realising in a day just by one or two each time I went past the box or while watching TV

then I turned the box over and found it was nearly 2000 calories

So now I have 8 in a small pot which is 120 calories, so I still have malteesers but not so many.

So still have my treat but not nearly 2000 calories worth

Also if you like crisps etc go for quavers which are 87 calories per packet

I aim to have 1,000 calories per day mostly protein like chicken breast, nuts, etc and lots of things like spinach

I do have lowish carbs

I still have brown wholemeal bread and brown rice but weigh it out

I aim for 1,000 per day but then if I go over it is below 1,200

Good luck

Don’t think of it as a year. Think of it as today. Then another day.
MyFitnessPal is really great for tracking. It’s free. And in the community forum are success stories packed full of people who have lost a lot of weight.
I lost 100lbs in a year. I was very focussed. It’s almost harder to maintain once you get to goal - you slip back into old habits easily, so really it’s a lifetime change. But just start, and take it one day at a time.

I can’t do no carbs. It is not how my body works. I don’t lose weight either.

I am going to say that i have struggled for 10 years to lose weight. I’d start a diet and exercise regime, then after 2 or 3 months have got nowhere and give up. I’d even lose weight after giving up.

So. This time i just decided I needed to get fit. I have a very sedentary job and thought i would be prime heart attack candidate.

So i found a circuit class i enjoy. I go twice a week. I also make sure i do my 10000 steps every day- i bought a cheap treadmill so can “top up” while watching tv in the evening.

First 3 months were typical. Gained weight. The exercise drove the appetite and i was permanently starving. I’m at 6 months now though and my appetite has balanced, and i can tweak my calorie intake. I’ve lost a stone, and feel much fitter.

For some people their bodies react differently. You need to work out what suits you.

I second or third MyFitnessPal (other apps are available) to calorie count. If you have a scale to weigh your food it's very easy to get started, and for loads of things you can just scan the barcode on the packaging and tap in how mych you've had of it. It's been helpful to me to really see how much that extra knob of butter means. I find it tremendously hard to eat less than 1800 calories naturally so I have to make up the deficit with exercise, and I've connected my Runtastic app to Myfitnesspal for this. I started on 14/6 and weighed about 86 kg, and I have a sort of goal at landing on 65 kg, but I'd rather be fit than thin so I might end up going more on my body measurements and if my clothes fit. I started on 14 june and have lost about 5 kg so far. I'm aiming for nice and steady, I don't want to starve myself, it's not sustainable. I gained the weight gradually over 25 years, I'm going to let it take a while to lose it, which will also help with any loose skin issues.

Yes it's possible but just choose how you are going to lose weight (pick something that will realistically work for you) and stick with it and even if you lose 4.5 stone you'll feel much better than you do now! Don't choose your diet or whatever you want to call it on speed of loss as you won't stick to it. I love carbs so I can never stick to a low carb diet. I do calorie counting plus exercise so I get more calories a day and it works for me. I lost 4 stone in a year. More extreme diets i can only stick to for a couple of weeks. It's better to eat similar stuff to what you do now but smaller portions, healthier versions and limit snacks. Plus don't waste calories on drinks. I only drink water. Good luck!

My DH lost 5.5 stone in 9 months doing following:
Cutting out all refined carbohydrates - no bread, cakes, biscuits etc. He still ate potatoes, brown rice, wholemeal pasta
Cutting out refined sugar - again no cakes, sweets, biscuits etc. He would have fresh fruit if he wanted something sweet.
Low fat - stopped using butter, oil etc for cooking - just used frylight spray for cooking things. Cut all visible fat off meat etc. He also avoided nuts etc as they can be high in fat (albeit healthier fats)
No alcohol (he didn't drink anyway)
He was very strict with this and the weight just fell off.

The hard thing is that to eat like this you have to be prepared to cook from scratch a lot, no convenience foods as they're usually packed with rubbish.

I lost 2 stone in 2 months and last month lost 8lbs. Mine was the heartbreak diet, and going out every morning for a 5 mile power walk. I was a size 18 and i am now a 14, i want to lose another 2 stone.

I have found fasting is the only thing that really works for me, I go 2 days with eating very little then the other 5 days eats sensibly and healthy, but always under 1000 calories.

You really get used to not eating so much, i never thought i would. I am going to join the gym again to tone up.

I dont think my diet is sustainable for now it works.

Slimming World - worked for me - 5 stone 10 in 6 months, averaged at 3lb a week.

You only put it back on if you revert to bad eating habits.

You know what you ahve to do, stip buying anything with sugar or fat in it; make sure you plate is in 3rds (carbs, protein, veg) and get moving, do more walking, get off one bus stop earlier, take the long way home

I haven't read the whole thread...but just whatevs to rec the app 'Happy Scale' for weight loss tracking. It's nice and simple and really motivating if you can add in losses.