AIBU to try to lose 7 stone in 14 months?

[nitrox]

Hello everyone,

AIBU in thinking I can lose 7 stones in 14 month (1/2 stone a month) by eating healthily, and exercising a bit more?

I'm female, 5ft 7", 18st 13.5lbs (prety much 19st), size 22.

I miss all the sports I used to do, my knee is really bad and won't heal after I damaged it cycling, and I won't go to Alton towers anymore as I'm too embarrased after the last time when I nearly didn't get the bars down on my tummy.

I've tried all sorts of diets, even had a gastric band a few years ago.. it worked but went wrong and slipped and I've piled the weight back on, silly me .

Is anyone else in the same boat? Would love to hear some inspirational stories or to at least feel like I'm not the biggest freak in the world ... I can't even seem to find a winter coat I like that isn't knee length or a ski style jacket.

It's so sad really, I'm 30 now and spent my 20's dieting, I don't want to do the same in my 30's. I don't have children yet, so I need to do this now!

I love sports, extreme sports in particular like snowboarding and scuba diving and I'm pretty depressed as I can't do them very easily now and don't want to book any holidays because of my weight.

Anyhow, I'm rambling..

Thanks for reading

In the old picture (with DD - now 15 - on my hip) I was 12 stone.
Last summer I was 10 stone.
In the recent one I was just under 9 stone - as I have been for nearly a year.
Plan to stay that way.
Would like to hit 8:10 by the end of term as then I can eat LOTS of cheese over Christmas

Yes, sorry, made my photos private as AIBU is very busy cf the weightloss threads.

quite understand my dear. that's why I've defaced mine
but I have been recognised from one - not that I'm clearly identifiable to anybody who knows me

I found it best to not think of weight loss as a the whole amount but as a half a stone at a time and to never give myself a time limit. I went from 13 and a half stone to 9 stone low carbing.

creamy
you are so right.
Nobody can achieve "losing 5 stone"
they can reliably lose "7lb in a couple of weeks"
and then see where they are and do it again
if nothing else because being as narrow as folks like myself is not a true goal
for the simple reason that we are all built differently.
There is no such thing as "heavy boned"
BUT there are many frame shapes.

Every person should be able to get to their waist less than half their height
but below that depends on build

It's possible if you are capable of maintaining a drastic change of diet and lifestyle. That's an incredibly difficult thing to do by yourself, it requires a new mindset. Have you looked into hypnosis? That could really help with switching off the instinct to comfort eat, binge etc and help you to stay motivated and focused on achieving your goal

I think you can do it if you are motivated enough.

I've lost 2 stone with another 2 stone to go - it's taken nearly a year because it's the first time I've ever done serious dieting and exercise so I've had lots of slip-ups along the way.

Now I've learnt what works for me and i'm aiming to hit my goal by the 10th of March - I want to be 9 stone 10lbs.
The only time I will break my diet between now and March is for my work Xmas party; for Xmas day and Boxing day.

I'm finding that i'm having to be almost obsessive about diet and exercise.

First allow yourself one treat food - mine is icecream which I only eat max 2 scoops of in cafes or restaurants if i'm out for a coffee. I never eat it at home.

I've had to be strict as I've got a sweet tooth so cakes, chocolates, sweets, biscuits are all just banned. Also banned are crisps, deep fried food, extra oil, extra sugar, butter / spreads, ALL cheese except Babybel Lights, full sugar sodas, fruit juices and finally alcohol.
Giving up alcohol was easy as my medication doesn't work with alcohol.

I snack on fruit and veg - I've discovered frozen fruit especially raspberries are lovely.

I eat 3 or 4 meals a day - wholemeal / wholegrain carbs, low fat protein & dairy, lots of fruit and veg.

I read food labels all the time - anything with over 3g saturated fat per 100g is out.

I try to stick to approx. 1500 cals a day maximum.

I drink lots of water, and I also drink diet sodas, and have skimmed milk in my tea & coffee.

Exercise: I try to get to the gym now 4 days a week at least. I work 2 days a week, soon to be increased by 1 day and my job is physically very hard and tiring so gym on work days isn't possible yet until I get fitter.

I do 20-30 mins weights (I use the machines) and 20 mins cardio (usually the rower).
Weights burn fat up to 24 hours after doing them.

The most motivating factor for me recently has been having my body fat and visceral fat levels measured - it's shocking because high body fat is the thing that can cause major health problems.

Positively so far even strangers are commenting on my weight loss, I've thrown out my old larger clothes, I've changed sizes in uniform, I don't sweat anywhere near as much, i'm less breathless and my knees and back are far less painful.

If I can do it so can you, you may not need to be as strict with yourself as I am because I have a sweet tooth I needed to retrain.

Can I just add (sorry for the essay above) that my weight loss plateaued as soon as I stopped being strict with food and stopped exercising during a depressed stage for several months.

My diet really only works if it's followed strictly, that's why I've lost weight so slowly - because it's taken a lot of slip ups to get to where I am now.
The hardest thing is family and friends trying to sabotage your diet (with the best intentions) by bringing cakes and chocolates and takeaways or going out for dinner and having desserts etc.
I will be interested to see how fast the weight comes off now I'm being really strict and back at the gym... and i'm going to have to be really firm with my friends and family.

I've had major joint issues this year and have found aqua aerobics great as a rehabilitation excercise at building up my body's ability to do higher impact exercise. I doubt that I'd be coping with the C25K now if I hadn't started the aqua aerobics a few months ago.

I'm trying to reduce the refined sugars in my diet, but not replace with sweetners and I'm finding several months in that my sweet tooth is fading which helps.

Good luck! I'd love to go skiing.

If you love food, then 5:2 is probably the one for you.

You get to eat what you've always eaten, just less of it on 2 days. Cutting out entire good groups isn't sustainable long-term. I know low-carb works well as a mean to lose weight for a lot of people, but personally, I don't want to eat a low carb diet. I like carbs. I don't need to eat them all the time, or even in most meals. But the thought of eating a low carb diet for the rest of time just makes me feel like I'm Missing Out Big Time.

And when I feel like I'm missing out, I feel resentful, and whatever it is that I'm missing out on takes up way more space in my head than it deserves. And I'm doomed to failure.

5:2 cuts down your calorie intake over a week instead of a day, and on that basis and so much more doable. All food groups are fine. Noting is off-limits.

And you can work it so that you have days when you can properly enjoy your food with wild abandon. And lose weight in the process. What's not to love?!

I've lost 8 kilos on it in 8 months. Not a huge amount, but I didn't have a huge amount to shift.

It has been a complete revelation for me, and the best part about it is that it's a way of life. I don't ever need to worry about being overweight.

If you're a foodie, then this is the one for you.

Christmas 2014 is going to come around eventually. You can either be the weight you are now when it rolls around. Or you can take the bull by the horses today and start on a road that will see you significantly lighter by then that you are now. It's your choice.

Good luck, you can do it. :)

My sis lost 5 stone since April on SW but she has been being treated for under active thyroid with thyroxin too.

I need to lose 5 stone too :(

One tip have heard recently 15 mins before eating drink a glass on ice cold water - the cold shrinks the stomach so you will feel fuller sooner.

Fwiw - pinupgirl might be right with the counselling suggestion - if your only successful weightloss was with a band then maybe you do need to address the emotional side of eating.

I totally agree with Grandstanding ref 5:2. I'm a foodie, from a family of foodies, married to a foodie (who collects cookery books). It's lovely only having to "diet" twice a week and yet, as I mentioned above, over time your appetite adjusts so you don't binge or overeat (except perhaps weekends :) ) on non-fast days.

However, OP, the average loss on 5:2 seems to be 1 lb a week. It's not a quick loss loss diet, which is exactly why it's sustainable and you're more likely to stick with it (and lose weight) in the longrun.

Thanks for the motivation everyone, some excellent advice again!

Latara, you've done so well, and despite some setbacks you have stuck with it, that's so good and you should be so proud

Hypnosis, I did look at this, but I'm loathed to spend anymore of 'diet products', whether I think they might work or not. I don't want to waste anymore money or time ... I'll have another look though, just to refresh the current info on it, thanks

5:2 - wow, a lot of recommendations for this. I think I might have to give it a go. Weekends are not an ideal fasting time for me, so I'll have to start Mon or Tues, in the meantime I'll stay healthy eating and look at MFP again.

I do love soup, so maybe on 5:2 days I can just eat soups? 1lb a week does put me off a little though, but it's more that I'm losing now! and if it's consistent then I guess it all adds up.

I do need to drink more water, so I should have a nice cold glass before eating.. silly as it sounds, I don't want to eat less lol.. obviously I do, but I guess I get greedy and think I want maximum room for food in there. This has obviously got to change.

Can you lose more on 5:2 somehow? Even 1.5lbs a week would be closer to my target of 7lbs a month.

I lost six stone in seven months. I used phentermine which is a very effective appetite suppresent.
I was in a terrible state, depressed and binge eating even though i knew it was bad. The wake up call was when i was so fat my knees were rubbing together.
I had to completely change my lifestyle, sometimes i still get the urge to binge eat and its a struggle not to, i suppose its like being an alcoholic...

nitrox you might lose more, especially if you're careful about the other days. Many Mumsnet 5:2ers control their eating Monday through Friday (fasting on Mondays & Thursdays and not overeating Tues,Wed,Fri) then enjoy normal, often indulgent weekends.

Come browse the latest very active 5:2 thread on Mumsnet - loads of oldies and newbies, lots of people losing weight but eating well, lots of daily support:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/1904625-The-5-2-thread-number-30-Did-half-term-bingeing-make-you-feel-dirty-Then-hop-on-board-thread-number-30

Why not read this Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It?

Exercise is great for feeling good, toning and building muscle but it's not so great for losing weight. You said earlier that you want to be able to enjoy a pizza then work it off the next day but it can take over an hour to work off one slice

It's all about what you eat and the above book shows how we have it all skewed about carbs and fat.

Skinheadmermaid - I've actually tried Phentermine before, through NSCNCC, it made me very paranoid and anxious, so I had to stop. I didn't want to eat much though and that feeling felt great!

BsshBossh - I think I'm going to take that approach, that sounds ideal! It means I can have a pizza at the weekend, a little chocolate and a bacon sandwich or something lol. I shall come and say hello on the thread.

JimmyCorkhill - I've read quite a few similar books, but that does look good. I know when I've exercised before it can really halt my weight loss, unless it's walking or snowboarding, as I'm not pushing myself to much doing those, so I must be in fat burning mode rather than muscle building too much.

See you there nitrox. I've lost 5.5 stones enjoying pizza, bacon butties, ice cream etc (as well as loads of delicious healthy green stuff!). That's why I love the 5:2 way of life.

Also nitrox soup is a very popular fast day choice - filling, easy to digest, warming in winter and low calorie.

I was just about to google 'nitrox soup' before I realised

Have a look at the pictures on this link
www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm
you can see why a lot of us go for vegetable soups and stir fries on our 500 calories days : 500 calories of vegetable soup is more than two of those fresh tubs !
www.waitrose.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductView-10317-10001-8967-Waitrose+tomato+&+fresh+basil+soup+(600g).html?storeId=10317#.Un48mPm-3To

Nitrox Soup - that'll be tasty

The pictures are good, just show's how out of sync my brain is to true portion sizes.. The waitrose Soup looks yummy and I've seen those tubs, they are huge!

Feeling much more confident about all of this losing weight lark!

bsshbosh that really does sound so doable!!
I love making my own soups, I love going out to dinner at the weekend and I actually think I could manage that! Can you link me to the thread please and I'll come join you too?