I've been to Dr's. I've got 5 stone to lose. How!

[notacooldad]

Of course I know what I've got to do and of course I know its going to be quite a journey but can anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight let me know any tips or things they did to keep motivation going while losing weight.

So far I'm not concentrating on the whole amount,just breaking it down into half stone goals.

I know I'm going to change my work routine- freely available chocolate, snacks, meals etc have not helped!!
At least I've faced up to facts and ready to go rather than think " at some point I need to lose weight"

A friend joined Slimming World last February and has now lost seven stone. Averaged at half a stone a month. She’s now done a course to try and understand her old eating habits to ensure the weight doesn’t go back on again

I lost 5 stone in a year on slimming world. I know it gets bad press but if you've got a sensible head and know not to bother synning a mashed banana, it's good. I still ate out, I still enjoyed chocolate. It was the best thing I ever did.

Buying only healthy food. Trying to exercise as much as possible. Walking instead of driving. Dancing. Calorie counting. Looking at beautiful clothes that you will buy when slimmer. Putting sweet/chocolate money in a jar to save up for something. Treating yourself with good music, dance, crafts etc instead of food. Listening to your stomach.

I'm doing SW and I'm 2.5 stone down,I started just before Xmas.

I also lost 5 stone in a year on slimming world.

You have to really get focused to be able to stick to it. It worked well for me but you can't deviate from it if you went to consistently lose weight.

I also do a bit of speed walking when I can!

Good luck OP

I lost 20kg over a year with intermittent fasting and calorie counting. Calorie counting gets a bad press but realistically, eating less fuel than you burn is the only way to lose. I always looked at my calorie deficit over a week rather than just a day to allow for nicer meals at the weekend or on special occasions. I chose to combine with IF so that I could have bigger meals than if I ate three times a day. It worked for me but won't for everyone.

I would suggest to aim to lose around 0.5lb/250g a week as any more makes a big weight loss so much of a slog that you won't be able to stick to it long term. Aiming for a small but steady weight loss will help you keep going in the long term and also help you develop healthy habits that will help you keep the weight off.

I got pregnant so active weight loss went out of the window for a while but I'm back on it. I'm just calorie counting this time because I'm still breastfeeding and don't want to affect my supply. I never stopped weighing my food and keeping an eye on portion sizes so I didn't put on weight over my pre-pregnancy weight but I still have a long way to go to get to a normal weight. I just hope that I get there some day.

I had 5 stone to go - I cut out carbs and for example have poached egg, avocado etc for dinner or a mixed chicken and vegetable soup.

for me it was knee pain - something I have never had - I know I need to lose weight so I will. I couldn’t bend over to put my socks on - a month later I can. For me I’m losing at least 3 stone before I start jogging.

I have a chart like
15 stone
14/7 - 0.5 stone
14/4-5% lost
14- 1 stone
13/8 - 10% lost
13/7 - 1.5 stone
13- 2 stone
12/7- 2.5 stone
12-3 stone and 20%

So for me right now it’s healthy eating

I am 13/3 this morning so 10% lost and 3 pounds off next target

the more I lose the more motivated I feel

Exante meal replacements. I’ve lost a stone in 2 weeks and wish I’d done it sooner. Happy to talk to you about it over DM.

Hello, me too!

I'm 5' 6 and on Sunday i tipped the scales at 15 stones.

I struggle with exercise as my go to is walking and jogging but I've hurt my Achilles so that's out.

This week I've been making my own lunch at work rather than running to Asda. Taking yogurt and granola to work for breakfast (don't eat until 9 usually) instead of whatever is handy. Making sure i have carrots and cucumber for nibbles.

I'm ill today (banged head yesterday) so at home on the sofa and too close to the fridge so trying to resist that. But 3 days of making better choices means 2lb off.

Whatever you do needs to be sustainable. For me, I need to remember that eating one thing off plan isn't a reason to write off the whole day and that i need to take my time with this.

Aiming for 5lb a month off, so just over 1lb per week. More will be lovely but that's my minimum aim. I have a lovely pair of summer trousers I bought last year that I want to wear for my birthday in August so i keep taking them out and trying them on as motivation.

Lost 1.5 stone so far (and still losing!) by intermittent fasting. I only eat between 12pm and 6pm. After a while it becomes easy. I also try to keep the carbs to a minimum.

I've lost 2 stone 7 since Christmas, I was 18 stone 2 and my goal is 14. Just been calorie counting, sticking to proper portion sizes, lots of vegetables and protein. Lots of water.

• Drink more water (helps with digestion) and eat more protein!
• Calorie count (don't go crazy low, it's really just to get your head back in the game of realising how much you are actually eating)
• Listening to your hunger cues. If you feel hungry at 11am and you've had a decent breakfast and you have a good lunch planned, don't jump to a snack - have a glass of water and wait. It will not kill you to be hungry for another couple of hours until lunch. This is harder while you're in the first few weeks, so see it as a challenge to yourself. If you are RAVENOUS/low blood sugar, of course have a snack though! Just try and keep a decent option on hand, yoghurt, fruit etc.
• Don't keep snacks, junk food etc in the house. Personally, I think things like 'keeping dark chocolate in the house and having a square each night to get a sugar fix' keeps you hooked on sugary stuff and leaves the door open for binges, other people would binge if they restricted all the time, but everyone's individual. Find what works for you.
• Try out some veggie meals/recipes. I hate salads, so I pushed myself to try a new one every week and try out different things - I learnt I enjoy chopped salads much more than leafy ones for example. It makes it a lot easier to make healthy choices!
• Figure out what your patterns are and what triggers them. Do you eat lots of crisps in the evening because they are always in the house and you get bored - how else could you fill that time. Do you skip breakfast then over compensate at lunch? Do you have a fizzy drink habit or a sweet tooth? Do you (like i do) always pick the unhealthiest thing on the menu when you go out because you want to 'make the most of it' Try and notice when and why you are eating.

You have got this OP - and remember, slow and steady!

I also recommend adding in as much exercise as you can - if you hate running or HIIT or other big dramatic stuff, try pilates - loads of beginner YouTube videos out there! You can't outrun a bad diet but for me exercise really helps me reconnect with my body and remind me what I'm working towards -to be healthy and strong.

Slow and steady is good but you might find an initial boost works too. You can see how it goes.

I'd download MyFitnessPal and log everything. It might be time consuming at first but you soon get into the swing of it. Id calorie count and start with a fairly generous amount for a week or so. You need to get your mind and body ready for dieting so taking a week to prepare is no bad thing. I would eat sensible but not diet.

Then gradually lower your calorie intake until you reach a point where you are loosing weight. I don't know what is a good amount for you to loose a week as someone with 5 stones to loose. Maybe aim for 2 or 3 pounds a week. Then keep checking your calorie intake and your weight loss. If your weight loss slows down then decrease your calories. After a while you probably won't need to log your calorie as you will have a good understanding of what calories are in what. Although, having said that, I can never understand how it's possible for some foods to contain quite so many calories. 🤣🤣🤣

You will get into the habit of it.

You need to see this as one of the biggest things you can do for yourself. You are the one in control and you are the one who will benefit. It should feel like you are doing something really positive for yourself rather than it being a negative where you are depriving yourself.

You will hopefully find that the more you think about the calorific worth of food the more care you take in making sure you are only eating tasty and enjoyable food.

Good luck.

Depending on your BMI you might be able to get a free 12 week referral to slimming world. Even if you go just to start the weight loss and then switch to calorie counting or a different method afterwards it might be worth trying it?

www.slimmingworld.co.uk/health/swor/how-does-it-work.aspx

Surely the doctor offered help? Prescribed gym. Healthy cooking classes nutritional referral even the injections that work so well. I doubt they said you need to lose weight love, bye

I’ve lost 90kg, I needed easy to begin with so I started on Weight watchers because it was essentially the easiest form of calorie counting.

Then after, I think, 40kg I moved onto intermittent fasting, calorie counting (I used the Nutracheck app).

I’ve done a 3 week milkshake diet twice when I needed a kickstart again and am now just being sensible and making sure my eating habits are not too extreme either way. I have about another 20-30kg to lose and that will come off in its own time with calorie counting.

Most important thing is to break it down (5 stone seems a lot, 1 at a time is less so!), be sensible and see it as a lifestyle change

good luck!

Change one thing at a time, replace food treats with non-food treats so you don't feel like you're depriving yourself, concentrate on eating more healthily overall rather than just less. Possibly try and do a bit more exercise, but I'm talking stairs over escalator and parking a bit further away, not running up mountains.

I've lost way more weight in the past year of turning down the occasional lunchtime pudding and bulking things out with veg instead of pasta than I ever did from calorie counting which just made me miserable.

You are grossly overestimating the current state of the NHS if you presume this happens for everyone

Look at what you typically eat in a day - especially the mindless stuff. Do you nibble cheese while cooking? Do you start the day with an enormous bowl of cereal when one half the size if completely adequate? Do you pick up a family size bar of chocolate because it is better value for money? This is what I did..

Next think about the things you really like and don't want to scarifice and work a healthy diet in around them. I know I will get flamed, but you need to do this forever not just for 6 months or the weight will go back on!

I calorie count - I measure my cereal every morning now (40g branflakes FWIW), lunch I will often have scrambled eggs on one piece of toast rather than two (some days I have two) or a salad or a couple of crackers with cheese and some grapes, I will have a small pizza with extra veg on or meat with a pile of veg ..I have given up alcohol (not that I drank much) but I always have my chocolate milk and some form of chocolate during the day ... that is my "must have".. I try and do 10k steps and very slowly the weight is coming off (17lbs since last August - frustrating but I actually don't feel like I'm dieting).. Most of us know what our downfalls are and what we really enjoy and don't want to give up. Make healthy choices (I'm aim to do the 30 different "plants" per week challenge) but know the journey is about forever not a quick fix.

You need to aim for slow, sustainable change. Anything that you are not willing to maintain indefinitely is a waste of time as once you stop doing it the weight will just come back on. Also if you change too much at once you are also setting yourself up for failure as it will feel overwhelming.

Over and above this, my key points were:

• Seeing a dietician and acting on her recommendations over a period of time.
• Refusing to ban any foods as that only incites negative thought patterns. Instead, change portion sizes and frequencies.
• Finding a form of exercise I enjoy. Most of the changes needed for weight loss are in the kitchen but don't underestimate how much easier it is to make good choices if you're on a post-exercise high.
• Resolving to only weigh myself once per week

Thank you for you comments everyone and it is great to hear some success stories.
You all have given some great advice and to be honest a lot of it I already know but have needed to hear it again so that I can reflect on what I am actually doing compared to what I think I am doing!!

Surely the doctor offered help? Prescribed gym. Healthy cooking classes nutritional referral even the injections that work so well. I doubt they said you need to lose weight love, bye
Well not quite. I went in about a specific issue that is not weight related. However I needed a weight check for a particular reason. Doctor asked how I was feeling when she told me how much I weighed. I discussed how low I had been feeling for months and sometimes didn't leave the house for days if it was my days off work. I explained that I struggled with my fitness after suffering from covid and that was a battle to get back walking on the hills. I said the less I did the less I wanted to do and I just descended into a horrible black hole at times. However I feel different. I am enjoying my cycling and managed just short of 45 miles today.

Doctor did suggest me going to our councils fitness programme. However I already work for the council and go to the gym and have now got a 8 week plan in place rather than my ad hoc approach!
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and offer support.

"I am enjoying my cycling and managed just short of 45 miles today"

Impressive 💪🏻

Honestly it gets slagged off and I don't agree with some of the messages/language used...but I lost nearly 5 stone in about 18 months on Slimming World and honestly never exercised. I don't drive so did walk a lot generally

I know how it feels, I have lost 4 1/2 stone in the last year, the key for me was to just keep going and not be on a diet, I used Noom which changes your thinking around food, have been on every diet going before but am an on a diet or off a diet type person so was all good while on it and terrible when off! Noom might not work for everyone but has definitely changed the guilt I felt around food, now I have changed my habits and very much enjoy food again, wishing you luck and just keep going you can do this!!

Definitely do it slow and steady whatever you do. My DD lost a lot of weight quite quickly by drastically cutting calories to the bare minimum and the past few months she's had two hospital stays, the last one for a week, due to now having gallstones, then getting a stone stuck in her bile duct and getting jaundice and is now on the urgent list for full removal. She's only 32. The doctor said it was caused by rapid weight loss