I have cleaned up.my diet and am losing weight at a startling rate

[Waterbortle]

Which was initially good, but now I'm starting to worry.

I was 10st9 and 5'7, so never fat but a bit heavier than I'd like, between 10st and 10st4 is, I think, my ideal weight. Mostly I wanted to be feel better, my diet was never dreadful, but I knew the junkand the booze had crept in.

So since the beginning of June I have:

-Drunk moderately and only once over a weekend. I never drank during the week, but I'd have "a few" at least 2 nights pw. Now I have a couple, once.

• Cut out snacking - here I was probably worse than I realised, and saying no snacks at all makes it easier for me to stick to.
• No takeaways, but they were never that frequent.
• Made an effort to choose healthier options when faced with a menu
• Desserts only at weekends.
• Stopped using the car all the time and walk as much as possible.

I'm 55, an age when weight is supposed to be difficult to shift. I've never been hungry or felt deprived. I've lost a stone in 2 months.

Does this sound right with the changes I've made or is it too much?

I do use my walking pad at night. I MN while on my walking pad! I have no issues with the amount I walk (I walk my dog for 2 hours a day).
As I said, I was just pointing out that it’s not always so simple as ‘you could be walking instead of MNing’. People MN while on the train to work, waiting in queues, waiting for appointments, at a quiet moment in work, while on the loo 😉 … you can’t always just get up and go for a walk instead.

When I was 14, I got mono.
The doc said mono affects your liver, so he gave my mum a list of foods and drinks that I could have and ones that I had to stay away from.
I remember mayonnaise was a no.
Only broiled meats - ick.
No brown sodas, so no Coke or Pepsi, etc.
Only diet citrus drinks.
I remember living off of cottage cheese, sourdough bread and Fresca for several weeks.
Those were the only foods on the list that picky kid me would eat.
The weight fell off. I was already thin.
It was either a mononucleosis diet or a liver diet, I don’t remember - it was about a hundred years ago.

The “hall monitor” of Mumsnet. lol

OP, I'm sorry to hear your DH's illness. If first symptom was weight loss, I can see how you'd be worried about your dieting success.

Sounds like you've dropped loads of calories compared to previously. And the exercise effect isn't just calories burnt at the time.

Could you tot up average daily calories? Or figure out how many less you're consuming in an average week?

Not when you're in your 50s and you know that weight loss can be as much a cause for concern as it is of satisfaction. I lost 2 stone age 52 through healthy eating and a lot of walking. Slowly at first, and then it seemed to drop off and I ended up the lightest I'd been since I was a teenager. All I ever read was how it was impossible to lose weight post menopause, how 'just walking' wasn't enough to lose weight etc, and like OP, I started to worry there was a sinister cause. Turned out, like OP I was burning a lot of calories through walking, especially as I got fitter and faster. But I was concerned and certainly not boasting about it.

Sounds fine to me. I'm your height and about 51/52 kilos. Age 62. I used to be around the 60kilo mark for years but gave up things like crisps and all UPF about 4 years ago through no particular reason, just I divorced and suddenly could eat / cook what I liked.
I do now eat a bit like my grandparents back in the 60's (😳) but I'm very active and do intermediate yoga etc & am never hungry. I just feel very 'well fed' and 'well nourished' if you know what I mean.

I don't look any thinner than how most people looked back in the 60's/70's but I do get comments sometimes on how slender I am (usually in the context of 'how do you stay slim?' rather than a rude remark).
Ive never had a sweet tooth though I drink alcohol with food. White wine ☺️

Am so envious.I don't have a car and walk everywhere- not 15 miles but a lot-, eat a great diet, don't drink and still have a tyre round my waist at 53. Metabolism appears to have ground to a halt..
But not overweight enough for WLI!

I think the many people who say they don’t have time, actually do have time. Not every one of course but many of them. I know loads of people who swear they don’t have time but they do, it’s just not a priority to them, which is fine, but they seem to expect me to agree with them that they can’t fit it in.

I think that many people who say they don’t have time, actually do have time. Not every one of course but many of them. I know loads of people who swear they don’t have time but they do, it’s just not a priority to them, which is fine, but they seem to expect me to agree with them that they can’t fit it in when I can see that they’re just making excuses.

That sounds pretty healthy to me. You made very good and sensible changes and should be proud of yourself. You’re loosing weight at a healthy rate so don’t stress about it. The same happened to my husband when he finished work and has lost 6 kilos just through being more active.
Your body is still adjusting and will settle to a healthy weight.
FWIW I’m sixty and settled at about 58-59 kilos. Getting older has never affected my weight but I am sporty and active but have a massive appetite.

Did you actually read the post you've replied to?

I once lost 4 stone in six months just by cleaning up my diet. I was never hungry. I think this sounds normal

This was aimed at LaurieFairyCake who im pretty certain doesn't have young kids. Who was dissing the OP for having time to walk a lot when she probably spends as long a day on MN. They've been on here posting a lot for years. I waste my time on here too but don't then comment about people having time to do other (more productive) things.
It's so hard when they are young, especially if you are single or like me when DH worked long shifts either not getting home until 9pm or working nights and leaving at 5pm.

Walking for 3 hours and going to the gym most days will see weight fall off you yes. Obviously.

I find diet works better for me than exercise at this age, but I am probably not exercising enough though I walk everywhere.

If you’re really walking - every day - as far as you say, whilst also reducing (though not removing fully) the bad aspects of your diet, it’s not remotely surprising you’ve lost weight, even at an already fairly healthy weight and in middle age. 10 miles is loads - over 20k steps?

I’m a lot heavier than you and whilst I know you can’t exercise off a terrible diet, daily exercise is the engine room of weight loss for me - it’s the difference between no loss a week and 1-2 lbs. Assuming that 10 miles a day is a new lifestyle for you, I’m not at all surprised it’s driving your significant weight loss. Enjoy!

It’s not a stealth boast. You’re just insecure about yourself.

Well done!

OP you’ve done really well. Someone suggested walking less for a week if you’re worried about weight loss being sinister. You replied ‘why would I do that?’. Well to check you’re not losing weight for other , more worrying reasons

Well it was just an example really. As I said in my follow up posts, there are many reasons why it may not be so simple as ‘instead of MNing, go for a walk’. I’m currently on the train to work while MNing (35 mile commute, so can’t walk it instead).

When I worked in London I deliberately took a route that made for a longer walk when I got off. I'd actually stopped doing so much walking since I changed my job, which is probably how the weight crept on.

There are ways, if you want them. If people don't, that's fine, obviously.

I walk plenty, I have an insane dog who needs 2 hour long walks a day! I was walking at 5am this morning, before work. I’m not concerned about my walking. I was simply pointing out that it’s not always as simple as ‘you’re on MN for 2 hours a day and you could walk for those 2 hours instead’.

It is interesting that peope are so shocked at the idea of walking 10m being a lot. Obviously it is for most of our modern lifestyles, but before we became so reliant on our cars it must have been quite normal, as once I decided not to use the car for local journeys, it's really just short trips that I'm doing anyway. I don't make any effort to "go for a walk" and time wise it's not really taking much longer than using the car.

Whenever people ask about weightloss here they're told it's all about diet and exercise doesn't help much, and as walking doesn't burn many calories compared to other forms of exercise, I am surprised that it has such an impact.

Well you worked out yourself that walking 10 miles a day burns 800-1000 calories, so you knew it had an 800-1000 calorie impact?

I didn't know that, I hadn't looked until people here started saying of course you'll lose if you're walking so much. It just felt like a few short strolls a day, and I'd always been told exercise doesn't help weightloss much. That's when I looked it up.