Which diet/lifestyle change has worked for you to lose weight and keep it off?

[Embelline]

Low carb used to work for me but since having DS I can’t clear the house of carbs like I used to so the temptation is always there.

i’ve tried a calorie counting app but I think I need more structure to kickstart a lifestyle change.

I do a decent amount of exercise - I’m getting on the peloton 4-5 times a week since I started up again recently and am adding in weights and Pilates but my diet is awful.

my mum is doing Slimming World and has lost nine pounds quite easily (she’s not of the muller lights and chest foods mind set just using it for a framework) but I’m not sure I can get my head around a diet plan where avocados are a “syn” but then again, I’ve never tried a low fat diet so maybe it’s worth a go?

I’ve got to do something I’m 40 next year and can feel more weight creeping on especially around my c section scar and I know it will just be harder to lose as I hit peri/menopause.

help!

I'm following for answers too, I'm 31, 2 sections as well, am 68kg and only 5ft 2! I have tried weight watchers etc.

I started this week, that i don't snack if I have a piece of chocolate I have it with a meal. Snacking is my biggest issue.

Same as above. I don’t ever snack between meals. If it gets to 4pm and I’m a bit hungry, I acknowledge I’m a bit hungry and get on with things.

And you are right that it’s much harder after 40. The dresses I wore at 40 look terrible on me at the moment and I am only 6kg heavier but it’s pretty much all on my middle. It’s so much easier just not to put the weight on in the first place.

Did SW. Got skinny. Got fat again. Now, I’m in a peri-menopause place, it’s gonna be much harder to lose it. Watching with interest. Same as OP mum, I did SW my own way. But was eating far less than I am now…

Giving up alcohol

I'm lower carbing - not completely low carb as it's too restrictive. I avoid bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc and eat lots of protein/veg. And never snack between meals. It's an easy mindset once you've gotten into it. The only thing I struggle with is eating out as most vegetarian options are very carb dense.

I do strict calorie counting, and HIIT every day - I've lost 5 stone.

Keto
pilates every day
Prozac

winning combo 🙌

If the weight comes back, by definition, the approach used to lose it didn't work, yet we tend to repeat the cycle over and over, ending up heavier each time.

I don't have answers, but this is something to bear in mind if you lost 5 stone doing keto (for example) but ultimately became 5.5 stone heavier then keto didn't 'work' for you.

I suspect that as we grow older a large part comes down to exercise. But I’m not any kind of authority!

Wow, congratulations!

What is HIIT? How often do you excercise? How many calories do you eat a day?

How long did it take you to lose 5 stone?

Whatever you do stick to the same routine. I go for no breakfast, calorie counted lunch and two 100 calorie snacks. Then for dinner I have more leeway. Drink lots of water and a few teas if needed

Intermittent fasting and very limited alcohol.

Rarely eat before 2pm. Don't snack. Lots of water and 2-3 black coffees from when I get up to when I break the fast.

Try to avoid UPF but I do love chocolate and carbs so...

Despite that, it's the only thing that has steadily shifted peri weight, and its so simple once you get used to it, but YMMV.

I get my heart rate up to 155 for 20 mins a day by doing specific exercises. It took me a couple of years, but I'm doing it slowly. I do 1100-1200 kcals.

Portion control & proper calorie counting (wring food etc.). This has been particularly helpful in reducing carbs and increasing protein. Combined with exercise and generally being more active. It's slow and steady, but it works, except when I sabotage hard work during the week with too much wine and snacks at the weekend! I feel being in a good exercise routine and getting out in the fresh her helps me feel better generally and then motivates me to eat better.

-Lots of water
-no eating between meals
-eat only when hungry
-stop eating when comfortably full
-eat slow - put cutlery down while chewing
-find an exercise you love and do it regularly.

I'm unable to exercise due to disability. I'm 40+ and short too so really shows. I'm not weighing myself but going on a specific clothing item, I've gone from struggling to get into a size14 to probably should buy the size 10 as the 12 is getting loose. I've been doing fasting between16-19 hours but have been having milk in my tea, meal planning the week and logging it into a calorie counting app in advance and allowing more flexible days (like a 14 hour fast or slightly more calories). I've been doing this since May and think it's becoming habit forming. I'm also aware I'm asking myself do I really need/want that? I'm also finding I'm not wanting such big portions. I feel healthier, it's definitely helped with gastric symptoms I have which I think spurred me on more than the weight loss. I think I'm the kind of person that doesn't need a diet but more a way of eating long term. It has to be something that fits in with your lifestyle and that isn't a chore to do.

This! Particularly the eating when hungry and stopping when full. I'm genetically lucky and the same weight I was in my 20's at just under 8 stone, but I also think it helped that my parents never made us clear our plates.

And exercise is extremely beneficial and important, but in its own right, not for weight loss.

Well done @changer2010 !!! Congratulations, you must feel amazing. Are you at goal weight now?

'but my diet is awful.'

It's pretty much all about diet when it comes to weight loss and maintenance sadly! I lost 2 dress sizes about 10 years ago and kept it off by doing 80-20. 80% of the time you eat with a focus on nutrition - plenty of protein, 30 plant based foods per week, 3 meals plus 2 snacks (fruit or nuts), 2 litres of water a day, no processed sugar, no alcohol etc. Cook from scratch. Nothing labelled 'low fat' ever. 20% of the time you indulge a bit - don't go wild, but have a bit of what you fancy. For me that's a bit of booze and some chocolate or cake, at the weekend

I exercise quite a bit too, but it's the diet that does the weight maintenance

'stop eating when comfortably full

That's an important one actually - eat until you feel satisfied, not stuffed. Slow down your eating, take your time. Chew ☺️ and no second helpings on week nights

Minimal UPFs, no alcohol and eating to keep blood sugar spikes under control - see Glucose Goddess for details.

I'm way up and struggling with will power, stress eating and occasional binge eating. My mind set is the issue. I'm working on my stress levels for now and trying to eat and exercise for my mental health rather than weight loss. I would get so panicky for my weekly weight in at a weight loss programme that I would binge eat on the way to calm myself then comfort eat after due to disappointment. Sounds crazy but I realised this is a psychological issue not weight alone. But I'm watching with interest as I will get my shit together eventually.

What did work for me previously is looking at a 52 week calendar then allow weeks where you may gain or maintain, so say minus 1 month for your summer holiday, 3 weeks at Christmas etc. The goal was to not gain during those periods. Include long weekends, occasions etc. You will be left with 35 or so weeks to focus on loss and I had a 1lb goal for those weeks. That's still a huge weight loss in a year. I found it grounded me and changed my mindset, the diet couldn't start tomorrow cos i must lose this week.

I have just been on a 2 week holiday and managed to put on 7lbs , despite doing a tonne of exercise every day🙄

I am doing Fast 800 Keto and have lost 4 or 5 lbs of it. I am cheating by drinking, but it is still coming off.

Agree it is about diet, not exercise.
I'm using WW as a guide for structuring a better diet without following it entirely to the letter. Carbs - fine, but limited. If I eat a lot one day I have less the next day. Snacks are fruit or veg. Lots of lean protein. Plenty of water.
It's working - I've lost 9kg since the start of June which isn't spectacular but includes two week long holidays where I more or less ate what I wanted. I don't feel that deprived and have managed to end the mindless snacking that was part of the problem.
I think - hope! - it's now embedded and a way of life rather than a diet. I have another 5kg or so to go then the test will be if I can maintain at that level. I feel a lot more confident than I would have done before as I think I've got a sense now of what works for me.