How did you lose a stone?

[Allatsea1980s]

Just that really. I don’t need to lose loads of weight, but am upper end of healthy bmi, just felt better when I was a bit slimmer. Early 40s, not going to have any more children.
I just feel a bit…bleurgh. Clothes don’t fit quite as well, stomach is a bit podgy, feel my face is a bit fatter.
I have looked at joining a gym but so expensive and to be honest with two small children not sure I really have the time. I quite like running and walking. Yoga and swimming are ok.
I do realise there are far more important and concerning things going on in the world. But in an effort to try and ignore them I’d just like a few tips to try and follow, for vanity’s sake!

Bratwurst chips and German beer? Where is this place located?

asking for a friend

You need to find changes that you are willing to accept long term or the weight will go back on when you revert to what you eat now. Easiest things are reducing sugar and white carbs. Eat less than your are eating now in a way that is sustainable.

Following a low inflamation diet, so high protein, no processsed sugar, carbs in moderation and only after eating protein to keep my blood sugar normal. My bmi is now 20 and its quite hard to put on weight (unless i go crazy eating peanut butter) whilst also being careful with my blood sugar levels (for eye health).

Intermittent fasting.
Plus cutting out snacking between meals on non-fasting days (which in itself has massively reduced the amount of ultra-processed food in my diet, as previously my snacking habits were very UPF heavy!).

I put it on my pocket and I didn’t realise I had a hole and yeah it fell through without me realising.

I did think that before I gave it a go - I thought I'd be tearing the kitchen cupboards off the wall in hanger if I didn't eat anything after six every night - but I'm surprised by how I've adapted to it. I feel full for a good three hours after my last meal. Best thing about this approach is that it's already started to reduce the hateful, intractable fat round my middle (I'm early 50s) where nothing else ever made a dent. So that's motivating me too, I guess.

Agreed. I lost a stone via intermittent fasting over a year ago. Just kept that up and ate sensibly and exercised consistently. I still fast 4 days aweek but do16 hours not more.

I lost a stone through exercise alone. Loads of people will tell you that;s not possible, but I did. No change to diet whatsoever. But I went from being a couch potato to doing 4 tough bootcamps per week and walking most days too.

I still have another stone to lose, and no longer do bootcamps due to change of circumstances. But I haven't regained that first stone.

For me, it wasa finding something that worked, that I could stick at. I hate dieting. The very idea of it triggers me to binge eat, so I try to just eat healthily most of the time. Whereas I love working out and getting strong, so it was not difficult at all to do the workouts - I just had to make time for them.

No bread, rice, pasta potatoes. Salad for lunch every other day. No breakfast every other day. Cut out 50% snacking. No exercise. Lost two stone (over 12 months).

For me it was a combo of a 16/8 eating pattern.
Then starting each day with (after teeth cleaning) an eight ounce mug of organic apple cider vinegar (with mother), so two tablespoons of the acv then cold water, then boiled water to make the drink warm but not hot, as when I add the raw honey, I don’t want to destroy the benefits of the honey.

also, every day forty minutes of rebounding.

I started all of above way more than ten years ago when I was in my mid to late fifties… lost a stone and a half…. all these years later I’ve still not regained the weight I lost…

i still rebound now, but I now also interchange with lifting (small) four kilo weights to increase my strength.

i also like doing about 500 sit-ups per morning, tho I would advise starting off with as many as you can comfortably do, and then increase week on week gradually till you hit your targets.

im happy to say I have a washboard tummy, and my clothes feel like they fit, rather than that lumpy bumpy look I used to dread in the mirror..

im in my seventies now, so I do not think it’s ever too late.

if I can retain my independence right till the end, instead of struggling, and having to have even my loved ones “help” me, I will be so stoked.

Something g like this GLP mimicking diet https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/diet-ozempic-wegovy-natural-glp1-b2751783.html

My only evening treat is a cup of tea and one of those tiny bars of dairy milk that is 98 calories or whatever Monday- Friday. Saturday I allow myself a normal size wispa. Sunday I’m allowed a proper treat.

this just isn’t true. Was waiting for the comments saying that 1200 isn’t enough for a toddler. 🙄 I’m 5’2” and my BMR is 1600 calories. So to lose weight, I need to cut that by 500. I lose weight if I eat 1200 a day. It’s all about your TDEE - and making sure you’re in a calorie deficit.

I have just started having the frozen protein meals from Lidl for lunch, cheap but tasty! Really quick to zap in the microwave and add loads of peas or broccoli. Keeps me full for hours! I am a creature of habit though so I’ll be having these until summer then I’ll find a new obsession (cucumber salad or watermelon salad like last year 🤣)

Thank you so much these are all so helpful. I actually really like walking so it’s heartening how many of you found walking helpful. My dh has a garmin but it’s a bit uncomfortable for me to wear. Maybe I should just buy myself a Fitbit - cheaper than joining a gym!
I’ve tracked my calories today and I have definitely snacker less.

I’m an emotional snacker too! I’ve got some great low cal ideas though that are (finally) sticking!

snacks in the day - popcorn (individual packets), always reach for an apple first if I feel hungry (the crunch is satisfying), grapes, watermelon, banana or yoghurt
after dinner - yoghurt and home made granola, halo top brownie ice cream (few scoops) with frozen berries (HEAVEN - feels soooo naughty) or tinned fruit with a meringue nest

I’ve found that filling up on fibre and protein at each meal really is keeping me fuller for longer so I’d have eggs and sourdough with avocado for breakfast, or a bagel with peanut butter. Lunch is always a protein meal with added frozen veg (I’m time short so this works well)
Dinner is always chicken/turkey/fish with rice or potatoes/ sweet potatoes and loads of veg

it might be boring to some but I actually feel the best I’ve felt in ages and the eight is coming off. I also do “dance parties” with my kids whenever I can I’ve done tonight and upped my steps by 2500 for the day and the kids are shattered!

sorry it’s long but hope some of this helps. Small changes but stick to them, find what works for you x

I have also got a BMI of 24 and ideally would be 22. I find as post menopause my maintain weight (excluding exercise) is 1350. I find the best way to lose weight is to exercise - I do gardening and that's about 200 calories an hour, walking and swimming and then don't eat those calories back. Some days I do 1200 but that is depressing at times. I don't drink and try to eat fresh fruit and veg. I have lost 4 lbs so far in a month but aren't in a rush. I find its easier in the better weather as can get out more, garden in the evenings, eat salads etc.

I’m not a breakfast person so I do intermittent fasting by only eating between 12-8. Lots of plain black coffee in the morning to keep me going, then lunch at 12ish and dinner at 7ish. In between i try not to eat anything but if I need a snack I have cut up veggies ready in the fridge, fruits or nuts. I also halved my lunch and dinner portions because I don’t have the discipline to count calories. You won’t believe how much we overeat! And that was the easiest way for me, I eat from
the family food but less. After 8pm if I am feeling peckish I have a herbal tea. Absolutely no alcohol, processed foods, sugar, limited salt. It took a month to get used to it but now Im finding it easy to maintain

Calorie counting and basically cutting out sugary foods and snacks. Also upping my gym frequency so I’m burning more. Lost 18kg over 5 months doing this (same as you, or slightly more in terms of BMI, now lower end of normal). To maintain I just make sure I’m not overdoing snacks, or at least I’m keeping up the exercise. I put on 4kg over Xmas and took a month of the same again to lose.

Calorie counting. Work out your TDEE, subtract 500 and try that. Yes it’s tedious - you have to weigh and measure stuff, it’s not fun, it’s not sexy. But it works.

Mounjaro!

Two questions-

If you lift weights a few times a week, do you still need to do cardio?

And I’ve seen nuts mentioned a few times, I thought they were high in fat?

I can lose 2lb a week if I stick to 1000 calories a day. I am moderately active though.

Gave birth - it went overnight! Put it all back on, and more, and never lost anything since. 😭

A combination of menopause and lockdown meant I gained weight, but as I've always been one of those who rarely gain weight, it wasn't until I had to buy trousers a size up that I realised. My vice is crisps, cheese and chocolate.
I wanted to lose a stone, so I devised my own "Not on a diet" diet, as I knew I wouldn't/ couldn't stick to a proper diet.
I had one less roast potato, one less biscuit each time, still had cream on puddings if I had one but had less, that sort of thing. Instead of having a packet of crisps with cheese plus chocolate, IF I had a treat in the evening I'd just have one or the other, not all three! Or fruit.
One day a week would be all fruit day, when that was all I'd eat. The first few weeks were a struggle, but after a few weeks it got easier. Tinned, fresh, frozen, whatever I fancied. I used to have Thursday as my all fruit day but could change it if Thursday was a special occasion like Christmas or my birthday, not missing my Christmas dinner! It took a while, can't remember how long but less than 6 months I think. I've kept it off and if I feel like it's creeping up again it's back to all fruit day for a few weeks.
Good luck!