Please help me! I need to lose at least 5 stone and I just don’t know where to start…

[Wondering917]

As the title says. Tried slimming world, couldn’t stick to it.

Lost a lot of weight on weight watchers but then put it all back on, plus loads more.

Dip in and out of calorie counting but I am never able to sustain it.

Thought about slimfast but not sure I fancy shakes for 2 meals a day.

I am at a complete loss but I know I need to take some action. Are there any online (free) support groups, even on Facebook or something?

When my dd first started pre school and l was able to have some time to myself, l started swimming and let myself have "treat food" a day. Lost 3 stone althoigh it took best part of a year. And quite often l would find l didn't always fancy the treat but that wss my choice rather than not being allowed it as such. But l never felt deprived.
It stayed off for ages and l got cocky and started eaomting more but think actually l will give it another go.

I completely agree that it's best to break the weight loss goals into smaller chunks. I had 4 stone to lose, I've lost the first half stone but still a long way to go so I'm focusing on getting down into the next weight bracket....which will be that my weight starts with 13st rather than 14.

I've done slimming world in the past and lost 2st with that but found I just couldn't keep it up long term and the weight just went on. It's really boring but what's worked for me this rime round is calorie counting and logging everything in My Fitness Pal. It's a faff at first but worth it as no food is off limits, I just moderate how much I have. It's also useful to see what is really worth the calories and what definitely isn't, I'm finding my habits slowly changing which will hopefully stay for the long term. E.g. for me, I'm not bothered about breakfast so I don't eat it and can split my calories over two meals a day instead of three.

I think it's just a case of finding what works for you and sticking to it. Posting on the weight loss boards on here keeps me accountable and I'm more motivated as time goes on e.g even after this first half stone I'm noticing my jeans are easier to do up and that motivates me to keep on going.

Can you tell us a bit more about diet / lifestyle now ? For me I lost weight when I got in to cooking and took up running. BUT it only worked because I did these things because I enjoyed them and found them good for my mental health. I changed a couple of other basic habits, too.

What about an online pt. Lots do programmes with cals/exercise and weekly check in.
I lost 5 stone in 8 months. Personally sw worked for me and I liked the group support. I also use instagram to keep accountable, posting my meals.

You need to define what your problem is first - re eating behaviours.

So for me, mine is carbs. Carbs turn me into a genuinely chronically hungry piggy…. Keto works best for me. I
ak currently doing Keto OMAD. I
wojkdbt say the weight is exactly dropping off but I no longer spend lost if my time starving.

I also have that much to lose - I’ve avoided scales and am just going by clothing fit.

if you find it daunting just give yourself goals and aim for each stone or clothing size.

Agree with finding out what triggers your eating behaviour.

several people I know who lost weight and then regained it in short cycles developed gallstones/gall bladder related issues and it was agony - something to consider as you look at your options

I don't know the answer but want a slimming buddy, had scale shock today, need to loose 4 stones. I have the hairy dieters book and need to give up beer for starters

Make some simple changes eg drink 2 litres water, walk x minutes at lunch. Then once that is going ok look at food. So many people start restrictive diet and exercise and it’s not sustainable.

I find the best way to stick to loosing weight is to not diet per se. Just eat less of your normal meals and try not to snack much in between. Changing things like mayo to the lower fat version would also be a good idea.

just try and make your portions roughly a third smaller than normal, but stick to stuff you like and would normally eat, otherwise it becomes a chore. Try not to snack, but if you do then try to cut down on amount rather than vastly changing things. Unless you want to that is.

huge diet changes are hard to stick to and lead to you regaining weight as soon as you stop. You need to make sustainable long term changes that you can stick to. Trying to move more is always helpful, even if it’s just a walk every day to start with.

Noom is good, it's essentially calorie counting but alongside a very engaging app that keeps you accountable. Just do the quiz, leave your email address and be bombarded with their promo codes as I managed to get one which means I only pay £9 a month. I've lost 10lbs in 2 months

Agree Noom is good - very clear imagery on your daily food groups eaten, easy to use weight tracker and associated info plus recipes and ideas.

This.
Really helped with bloating too.
It gets easier the longer you do it. Wouldn’t occur to me to eat after 6.30 now.
Also, instead of Slimfast make your own smoothies with apple, pear, kale, cucumber, few grapes. Very filling for few calories.

Thank you all. Will read all of these responses in full and reply to any questions! Noon seems to be popular though

Ooops I mean Noom!

@Catspyjamas17 thank you very much - v.good advice. I am 30 so I don't know if it's worth getting my hormone levels checked or not.

@Crumpleton I am a hugely emotional eater! I eat when I am sad, angry, upset, happy.... it's a vicious circle!

@Sugargliderwombat

Breakfast is normally either 1/2 pieces of toast with butter, or a pan au chocolate. Always have a latte.

Lunch really ranges - beans on toast, sandwiches, McDonalds, french bread with butter.

Dinner - pasta, pizza, deliveroo orders. Indian ready meals from Waitrose.

Dessert - sometimes a chocolate yoghurt, or some form of chocolate.

Snacks - popcorn, chocolate.

I think I may have a sugar addiction.

Also huge diet coke drinker. Drink no water. Have on average 1 cup of tea a day in addition to the latte.

Not great I know....

@Sugargliderwombat in terms of activity - I am currently recovering from an ankle injury so I haven't been active at all for a few weeks. But before that I used to do a bit of walking but that is it. I used to run before I injured my ankle.

@Sugargliderwombat Oh and I probably have a glass of wine or glass of prosecco every night.

@Sugargliderwombat also, I am a big big condiment lover. I love mayonnaise, with a lot of foods...😳

I actually felt a strong connect with 'crisis chocolate'. I have that most nights!

Is it worth logging cals in nutracheck of current diet and seeing how high cal some things are - wine, mayo, pain au choc etc. Then work out what you can swap or limit. I know for me a squirt of mayo v a freddo the choc wins each time. Then try and eat maintenance cals to ease in (will be a reduction on current diet) then go for a sensible cal deficit in a few weeks.

Me too, though I try to make it 17:7 most days - eat only between midday and 7pm.
Becomes quite easy once you get used to it. Down 1.5 stone in 3 months.

Good luck, OP, whatever path you take.

What you are currently eating is high on processed carbs and calories @Wondering917 and probably hardly any veg and fruit. Also those kinds of foods tend to be addictive and less satisfying so we end up eating more. And a lot of takeaways can be seriously expensive.

I'd give yourself little goals and swaps to make changes you can do long term, and regardless of weight for the moment, see if swapping different foods makes you feel any different. Particular stomach/digestion/toilet habits as well as mood and energy. I love a processed carb as much as the next person but eating a lot of that stuff at once does make me feel tired, grumpy and rubbish. Here are some ideas:

1. Veg and fruit. Sometimes chopping up little bits for a salad can be a chore so just have something on the side with a sandwich or whatever for lunch- cherry tomatoes are very easy to eat (5 is a portion), couple of sticks of celery and some cucumber sticks and you've quickly got three+ of your five a day. You could have an open sandwich with once slice of bread/toast, veg sticks and a nice dip (as you say you like condiments).
2. Breakfast. There are lots of other things you could be having but for the moment maybe just swap a handful of blueberries or a banana for one of the slices of toast. Then with this and lunch above you've nearly had 5 a day by 1pm.
3. Dinner. If you are not into cooking at the moment then maybe get some ready meals in rather than takeaways as at least you will know better the calorie content and if you steam a bit of broccoli and peas on the side along with the above ideas you can still end up with 6 or 7 portions of veg in a day. If you do want to cook then BBC Good Food website is free and has lots of good easy recipe collections https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/healthy-five-ingredient-recipes
4. Alcohol. Try and alternate your glass of prosecco one night with a cup of tea - or other alternative - the next- for me tea quite surprisingly hits the spot sometimes. It will halve your alcohol intake but should be manageable as you are not really drinking loads anyway.
5. Soft drinks and snacks - If you are not keen on water how about squash? Try and alternate squash for diet coke and gradually cut down. Diet Coke is quite addictive for some people. For a chocolate hit how about having a hot chocolate instead of one of your Diet Cokes? Popcorn is ok in moderation, not a disaster as a small snack. It's probably better to eat filling meals than rather snack in between but it's hard to get a balance sometimes and you might find yourself hungry and needing a snack. Don't be afraid of treats or food you really enjoy, it's best to incorporate things in moderation rather feeling we are miserable, starving ourselves or only have a couple of limp lettuce leaves to look forward to. I read a recommendation once to always put any food, even a snack, on a plate or in a bowl and try and eat it without distraction. I break this rule as I blatantly eat in front of the television but at least try and chew it slowly and enjoy it and I think it's good advice.

Exercise - swimming might help your ankle recover. When it feels better perhaps build in some 30 minute walks while listening to a podcast, music or audiobook.

As someone else said, if you don't mind tracking your food Nutracheck is an excellent app. Might help in terms of where you are now and where you need to be with nutrition and you can also track exercise either manually or with a fitness tracker. I would really focus on better nutrition rather than calorie counting to begin with. You can set whatever calories you like on there. I think you can try it free for a week, then it's quite cheap, about £30 a year or so.

I totally agree with all this. I've lost 16kg (2.5 stone) since Christmas by OMAD-ing and carb-dodging. The first week is tough but after that the cravings stop as your blood sugar stops fluctuating and you train your body not to expect food every few hours. Still another 10kg to go; these will be the hardest to shift but aiming for 1kg a week.

I follow Dr Sten Ekberg on YouTube, he is a big advocate of low carbing and intermittent fasting.

I exercise a lot too - gym class or weights 4 x a week and a 5km run most mornings. It's bloody hard and I feel like giving up at times 😭 but now people are starting to comment on my weight loss and nothing beats that feeling 😊

Good luck OP, the penny dropped for me after Christmas when I realised I couldn't even reach down and paint my toenails 🥴