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Original poster

Can I lose a stone and/or become toned in 3 months?!

30 replies

PaperclipJunkie · 15/04/2015 09:50

Please tell me this is possible!

Have a wedding in 3 months and have got a stone to lose - am also flabby Sad

I'm thinking Insanity or something might be the best way to go?

I eat healthily - could cut my portions down a bit though

Has anyone out there lost weight in this timeframe??? And if so, give me your tips you lovelies!

OP posts:
SaucyJack · 15/04/2015 09:56

Goodness yes!

Just buy some weights from Argos and lift them at home.

My top tip (if you're naturally quite lazy) is to not commit yourself to a programme like Insanity or the 30DS as you'll soon give up. Just do a little bit of exercise here and there- such as doing ten squats when you're waiting for the kettle to boil or ab exercises during advert breaks.

flumpysocks · 15/04/2015 09:57

Body pump classes, if you can get to them. Quickest way to change shape and lose wobble.

Mostlyjustaluker · 15/04/2015 09:58

Three months is 12 weeks, that means losing a pound a week. This is very doable. Now if just need to did myself.

NeedABumChange · 15/04/2015 09:59

That's easy-unless you are already tiny. So I'd say easy if you are over 9 stone and actually have it to lose iyswim.

GooodMythicalMorning · 15/04/2015 10:00

Yes. Its very doable. Just cut out all junk and check your portion sizes.

neighbourhoodwitch · 15/04/2015 10:01

Yes and good luck. ..you definitely can!! what helped me is a nutribullet & davina 's 'high energy five ' dvd. 5 amazing workouts, each 20 mins. .x

JemimaPuddlePop · 15/04/2015 10:02

I think it depends on your weight now.

If you're 9stone now, it's still doable but will come off quite slowly...if you're 16 stone then you could lose a good bit more than a stone in 3 months and the first stone would probably drop off in a few weeks.

The best eating plan I've ever come across is the 16:8 fast. Really simple, no calorie counting, supposed to be fab for cholesterol/health/metabolism in general. Eat whatever you like (within reason) but only in 8 hours, then fast for the other 16.

I eat 1.30pm-9.30pm, then just have water in between. I started Jan 2014 and lost 1.5 stone in avout 3 months, going from 13st 4 to 11st 11 with no changes to portion size, type of food or additional exercise.

WilsonWilsonWoman · 15/04/2015 10:02

Yes very possible but you need to be consistent and relentless!

patterkiller · 15/04/2015 10:03

I'm trying to do exactly that. Last week I cycled 14 miles twice, pilates class and three early morning 7 minutes with davina dvd sessions. I'm doing 5:2 and loving it. I've also upped my game with dog walks and take the hilly route and walk at a speed that I'm out of breath. I'm three weeks in and starting to feel the difference.

I'm with saucy about mixing it up with exercise, I'm not a natural and find mixing short sessions with a few longer much more sustainable.

FindoGask · 15/04/2015 10:03

three months is a very sensible timeframe for doing both of those things.

I find it most convenient to exercise in the mornings before work. If you are similarly time-constrained but want to work out regularly I highly recommend starting with a couple of DVDs and a set of hand-weights and/or a couple of kettlebells of different weights - only because this is what I do! There are lots of ways to start exercising, it depends on what will fit best into your day. Sustainability is what you need to aim for if you want to see a long-term difference, but you might need to try a few things before you find out what works best for you and what you enjoy.

howabout · 15/04/2015 10:07

Yes. I am not large but did this when I wanted to fit my bikini again. Just walked a bit more, stopped eating pudding with my dinner and no crisps in the evening. Also did my pilates routine a couple of times a week at home which definitely sorts out flabby middle and arms.

pocketsaviour · 15/04/2015 10:09

If you have a bit of a bloated tummy, cutting out sugar and drinking more water is the best way to deal with that IME. That means not just obvious sugar like doughnuts and cake, but also fruit juices, smoothies etc which we tend to think of as healthy but actually have a huge amount of sugar!

Switching to wholegrain pasta and bread can also help a lot with this (it does make you a bit windy though! Grin )

MarniRose · 15/04/2015 10:10

Yes. I've just lost a stone in three weeks - and I'm not particularly overweight - I'm actually at the top end of my BMI ( so 24.9 ) but felt flabby and ugh.

I went hardcore though to do it! No alcohol, no snacking, three low carb meals a day and I ran 5k three times a week - although any exercise that increases your heart rate will do

You've got loads of time

MagentaOeuflon · 15/04/2015 10:15

Yes totally. Try to cut about 500 cals a day from what you eat, that could be avoiding puddings and snacks or just smaller portions. Do something like a good walk or going swimming every day, and do something involving weights/resistance to tone up. I can lose a pound a week like this which is a sensible rate and should lead to losing a stone in 3 months.

Agree with others, don't do anything drastic like a crazy diet or extreme workouts - it will be hard to sustain and bonkers dieting isn't good for you.

Original poster
PaperclipJunkie · 15/04/2015 10:31

You're all lovely! Had a major panic this morning but feeling better now Smile

I'm 6 foot tall and currently 13 stone 11, as of this morning.

My healthy weight range is 10.7 - 13.2 (am realistic and know I will never be 10.7 - I'm a big-framed person and the women in my family have decent hips/bums Grin) but I was a lot hotter looking/healthier feeling when I was 12 - 12.7 about 4 years ago

However, because I'm not that far from goal, it is dragging on!

You're absolutely right that committing to Insanity might be a bad idea - I had serious weight issues as a kid, never learned to enjoy exercise - so now I have to do 'accidental' exercise like cycling to work, walking the dog etc... as the thought of hitting the gym for an hour a day freaks me out and makes me want to tie myself to the sofa and have a Brew and a Cake

Cycle about a mile and walked 2 miles this morning fairly quickly. Will walk another mile this evening but thinking will wear trainers/sports gear from now on and up the pace!

OP posts:
doubleeggandchips · 15/04/2015 10:53

Have a look at www.nerdfitness.com, lots of advice on there about diet and different sorts of exercise. I like the fact the emphasis is on 'everyone can do it', rather than ferocious workouts.

SeaGrass · 15/04/2015 11:00

Jemima, that's interesting. I'd heard of the 16:8 thing, but honestly didn't think that eating the same amount as usual but in a compressed timeframe could have such a big impact as you say. Are you absolutely certain that compressing your eating time wise didn't have an impact on how much you were eating? I mean, isn't it impossible to eat as much as you would have if you had breakfast at 8, lunch at 1pm, and dinner at 7?

Littletabbyocelot · 15/04/2015 11:01

It's also worth looking at food intolerances. I dropped a couple of stone in 3 months just from cutting out gluten and some other grains. I'd seen a nutritionist and she identified the intolerance. Two years and a twin pregnancy later I am 4 stone lighter (now at a totally healthy weight). I am more active just walking etc more but no dieting.

Mermaidhair · 15/04/2015 11:01

You absolutely can do it! %70 of weight loss comes from nutrition %30 from exercise. Some people make the mistake of thinking they can eat what they want as they are exercising. As you can see that is not the case. Concentrate on nutrition as your highest priority, then exercise. Be very strict with yourself with that is actually healthy, like banana bread, it sounds healthy but it isn't if you are trying to lose weight. Concentrate on vegetables, lean meats, egg whites, fruit and lots of water. Stay away from nuts, seeds and avocado until after the wedding. They are very healthy, but won't help you to lose weight. Best of luck! Xxxxxx

beautifulbuzzards · 15/04/2015 11:05

5:2 diet. I started Thursday and have lost 6lb already. I was 9.10 now 9.4 so not massively overweight.

beautifulbuzzards · 15/04/2015 11:06

To keep skin tone etc I do Tracy Anderson's mat workout and it's great.

millyv · 15/04/2015 11:13

Yes definitely - good luck!

No need to totally overhaul your lifestyle, just eat less, drink less alcohol but lots more water and move your body more - you can do weights in the house by using tins of food first and then working up to full 1 or 2 litre bottles of water. Look on the internet for exercises for squatting, lunging, press ups, sit ups etc if you can't get to a gym.

I've overhauled my body from a wobbly large size 12 (I didn't want to buy the next size up!) and am now a 10-12. All of this was started on January 5th (back to work day) and I have given myself the weekends off!

Good luck! xx

AmberNectarine · 15/04/2015 11:18

You absolutely can. I am doing the Kayla Itsines bikini body plan and eating clean. Have been doing it 3 weeks and have lost 6lbs already. And I started at a shade over 9st so I didn't have stacks to lose. By the end of 12 weeks I imagine I'll have lost a fair bit. I've also toned up hugely - I worriedly asked DH what the lump across my rib cage was for him to point out it was, in fact, a muscle!

You do need to be disciplined though, I exercise at least 6 days a week.

Discopanda · 15/04/2015 11:27

The 5:2 diet is effective BUT you need to make sure it suits your lifestyle. I did it for a couple of weeks when DD was about 18 months and I found that I was mentally foggy on fasting days and being so busy with a toddler meant that I lost too much weight and became underweight really quickly. The healthiest and most sustainable way to do it is to eat as clean as you can whilst allowing yourself the occasional treat and find an exercise that you enjoy so it doesn't feel like exercise.

Latara · 15/04/2015 11:55

I'm 5'3.5'' and weighed nearly 14 stone (due to medication I put on a stone in a month!). So I decided to loose the weight & lost nearly 2 stone in under 3 months.

I never went hungry - I just cut out fruit juice, sugary sodas, takeaways, sweets, chocolates, crisps, cakes, any extra sugar, ate toast without butter, dry fried food instead of using oil.
I had to stop drinking alcohol because of medication which helped keep my weight down.

I have a sweet tooth and swapped the sweet goodies for fruit like raspberries & apples, sugar snap peas & carrot sticks.

I only exercised about once a week at the gym - but once I'd lost the weight I went to the gym more often & used weight machines & the rower which helped me to tone up.

I ate roughly 1500 cals a day, no more than that. It really worked well.