To ask how you lost weight and kept it off

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I go round and round and round and round in circles. Then round and round and round some more.

I know the science. Eat less, move more.

I’m lazy. I have little time to do a workout. I love junk food. I am my own worst enemy.

I know where I go wrong. I know my excuses too...

I’m wondering what worked for YOU.

Just clean eating? Slimming world or weight watchers? Going vegan?

I lost 3 stones in six months before by obsessively counting what I ate. I combined low carb and low calorie.

For some reason, I can't go back to that anymore.

I need a new plan.

Homemade muesli but not too much
Small sandwich

Boiled egg

So having lost weight successfully over the course of about 30 years on WW, SW and every diet in between AND THEN REGAINED IT EACH TIME
I went for broke and had a gastric bypass.
Lost eight stone, just over.
Two, nearly three years later I have regained just four pounds.
Expensive, and not an easy option but I have not regretted it for one second.
Finally I can do this.

There was a study on this. Any diet (WW, SW, LCHF) worked as long as you stuck to them. The low carb diets were more easy to stick to short term (presumably because the combination of fat and protein reduces hunger) but all of them resulted in a similar weight loss over a certain time period.

The issues occurred once the "diet" period stopped. Everyone went back to their pre diet way of eating and everyone regained the weight.

It isn't as simple as "eat less move more" because while a calorie is a calorie regardless of what it comes from, some food types are associated with insulin spikes and drops (with resultant cravings) while others have a lower GI, others make you feel fuller for fewer calories (the LCHF diet wins there). However in the main, all diets aim to reduce your calorie intake.

Losing weight is about 80% dietary intake and 20% exercise. However, exercise tones up the skin and muscles and makes you feel better about yourself, produces endorphins to make you feel good (and want to do it again), and does burn up a few calories so it's easier to maintain a calorie deficit.

There is also a lot of stuff coming out about biomes, probiotics, the varying populations of gut bacteria and their effects on mental health and body size - all of which I expect we will see more of over the next few years.

The best way to lose weight and keep it off as far as the studies go is to realise it's a long term lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Quick very low cal diets are great to kickstart weight loss if you want some motivation (slimfast etc) but for sustained weight loss you need easy to maintain small changes, new habits.

As little as two biscuits with your morning cup of tea that you don't really need can put on over 5kg in a year. Stop them and you'll lose it again.

It costs around $1000 (according to the last lecture I went to) per year to buy the food to maintain every additional kilo that you are overweight. So for someone who is 15kg overweight, they are spending $15000 extra on food every year to maintain that weight level.

The other mindset change needed is to realise that feeling hungry isn't a bad thing. It's just a sensation. You don't need to eat the moment you feel slightly peckish - have a glass of water and you may not be hungry 15 minutes later.

Truly wanting to lose it and keeping it off after birth of ds I tried awful things like Cambridge Diet ( caused me to faint) until I found my fitness pal app.God what a lifesaver It took 2 years in all but I lost 2.5 stone and I've kept it off I'm now a healthy size 10

Slimming World. And I know they have some recipes and so on but surely the best bit about SW is that you don't have that "you must eat this meal/that breakfast" etc etc - you follow the rules but you can basically eat as you wish, vegan, vegetarian, mainly meat/fish , whatever suits your personal taste. Or you did when I did it anyway.

And that's how the weight stays off, because you eat the food you choose rather than just a prescribed 'diet' so you can keep to the basic rules and maintain weight once you have reached your target.

Good luck.

Intermittent fasting for me - works well since I am so crap at making lunches for work and never really ate breakfast anyway. I basically fast all day and eat when I get home where I have time to cook a proper meal from scratch that is low carb. Currently doing 23hours fasting and eating one big meal in one hour, once I reach my goal weight I will then go to something like 16hours fasting and 8 hours eating and spread one big meal into 2 or 3.

This has really worked for me as it takes all the stress out of sorting food for work and in the mornings I am always running out of the door so now I don't buy rubbish anymore. Plus its got me back into cooking again. I've lost 2.5 stone so far since I started last November. It may seem like alot too quickly but I have been exercising 3 times a week and I was very overweight (18 stone) but I have finally found something that works for me. I no longer crave processed food and pizza used to be my vice but I no longer want that anymore either. I no longer emotionally eat either (which is how the weight on in the first place).

Also going out for food I can plan it better, if one night I know I am going to eat out I don't stress about it, I still try to choose low carb foods but if it can't be avoided I won't be upset over it or make a big deal. I just have it knowing that the rest of the week I will be okay so it balances it out. Although it does kick me out of ketosis but this is a lifestyle change so I am not bothered if it takes me a few days to get back to keto stage.

Slimming world is great, I’ve seen many friends and family do successfully on it. I tried it for a while and did like, however felt I was able to overindulge in processed foods a bit too freely? I don’t really like mugshots, low fat yoghurts, hi fi bars etc. It’s great because you can still have everything.

Recently though I’ve been using myfitnesspal to track calories and it’s made me really accountable for what I’m eating. Always adding veg to every meal, cooking from scratch, trying new recipes. Still Abel to have treats but no longer feeling the need to eat binge eat. It’s made me a lot aware of what I’m eating and putting into my body. Losing weight successfully so far but if it plateaus I’ll mix things up a bit.

Eating off a small plate, lots and lots of water, peppermint tea are a few more of my favourites too.

Ultimately op you have to find what works best for you! Start by eating more sensibly-cutting out processed foods and fizzy drinks, drink more water, eat more protein and veg, etc.

In 2013 I lost 3 stone doing 5:2 and I've kept it off.
I don't do it anymore (various reasons) but do a version of it that sits well with me naturally.
A 16:8 I guess. No breakfast, just lunch and dinner.
Snacks on occasion but definitely not every day.
Still drink alcohol
Still eat chocolate
Still don't exercise (I know I know.....)
If my weight creeps, (I can feel it by 2lb or so) I am a bit stricter and will do 5:2 again.
I actually hate the feeling of carrying excess weight now.
I sit somewhere between 9st and 9 st 4lb @ 5ft 4.
If I go under 9 I look like shit and people comment on it.
I think 5:2 taught me it's perfectly ok to feel hungry. It passes.

I lost about 4 stone back in 2005 and kept it off until I had 2 babies in quick succession. For me the key was exercise, once I built exercise into my daily routine I felt that I wanted to eat a more healthy diet to sustain the whole lifestyle. Plus, of course, when I had a treat it had much less of an impact as I was burning lots of calories. I started off with an exercise bike so I could use it everyday with no excuses like bad weather etc and then when I got fitter I would run 3 miles a day.
I've just lost 2 1/2 stone of pregnancy weight (with another 1/2 to go) and this time it's been much harder. My youngest is nearly 2 (older one just 3) and it's only now I've been able to start exercise again but no where near as much as I did before. I'm just hoping that I'll be able to keep it going.
Good luck.

Supperram the best thing to do** is not have a snack.

Eat lunch as late as possible and power through until dinner time. Drink water/tea/coffee in between.

But sometimes a handful or nuts will beat hunger cravings. Avoid anything with sugar as that will give you an insulin spike and make you hungry again.

Slimming world

I always lose weight when I’m on annual leave.

Not masses but several pounds. I’m convinced it’s because I’m less stressed and sleep much better.

Don't buy the food you don't want to/shouldn't eat (crisps, cakes, sweets etc) have healthier options at home instead. It'll be annoying for a few days but you'll start eating the healthier food and will become used to it and you'll stop any cravings you have for junk food. Same for sugary drinks and alcohol (if you drink any daily), swap it for water.

I stopped binge-eating followed by crash-dieting: a combination of maturing and getting CBT. (I over-ate as a child, had a flirtation with anorexia at 16 and am now 34, I've been between 6 stone and 14.5 stone as an adult)

I still have 1-2 stone to lose and then keep off.

I eat proper meals. I do not eat McDonalds for lunch, crisps, chocolate etc during day then a takeaway for dinner. I think longer term. I am sensible and moderate. I also quit drinking 10 bottles of wine per week.

I mind tricked myself into being tired of unhealthy foods. When I craved them I told myself that I knew what they tasted like and I was bored by them.

Lots of fruit to hand and eat it without thinking when hungry and drink sparkling water.

Expresso with small piece of luxury chocolate midmorning.

A good, homemade evening meal to look forward to but no seconds. Do not eat man sized portions. If I ate the same size meals as my DP I would pile the weight back on. I find this the most difficult part!

I also allow myself a stone of fluctuation. If I go above I adjust what I am eating to get back in the bracket i am comfortable in. Refuse to buy clothes in a bigger size.

Cutting down on alcohol. No fruit juice and limiting bread.

This helped me lose almost six stone seven years ago and keep it off.

Dh is away with work this week. I'm finding I eat a lot less with him not here.
No proper meals, I'm just eating what I feel like when I'm actually hungry.

Weigh yourself every day. Every single day. Obviyously don't be obsessive about it if you are away or something, but do it every day and record it. You don't gain a huge amount of weight overnight. It creeps up on you. If you catch yourself at 2lbs extra, or 5, or even 10, it is easy to fix, but if you overeat and then feel guilty about weighing yourself, and then continue, it is a very slippery slope.

These replies are really interesting to me, as I have always had an unhealthy relationship with food. I can either be an obsessive dieter, or eat everything in sight, but no balance.
Does anyone have the experience of not being able to stop at one treat? I am at my goal weight now, so should be able to indulge in the occasional biscuit, but it's like a red mist comes down if I do, and I eat almost the whole packet. I know you'll say it's about willpower, but I can resist temptation if I absolutely stick to a diet- but can't if I've had a tiny treat. Blood sugar thing, do you think?

My fitness pal and basic calorie counting. I lost 2 1/2 stone and have been maintaining since October 2015 without counting. I still weigh myself every month and if I have gained a couple of pounds I go back to light lunches that are low carb, and weighing out food. It does drop back off again very easily. I will always have to watch what I eat, but I make a conscious effort to not go overboard, and if I do then I eat less for a few days after. Some things I still don't eat at all like cream and pastry.

I've lost 5st, no slimming world, Weight watchers or gyms!!
To begin with I didn't really realise that it was coming off, it was really slow and depressing for so long I was really miserable about the way I looked but last weekend I went in to a shop, bought a swimming costume and and went to a public swimming pool and I wasn't horrified!
I cut out sugar, not all of it, I still have it in tea but the chocolate and sweets have gone and I don't miss them anymore, if I do want something naughty I have some but don't wolf the whole packet in seconds like I used to. I drink a lot more water than I ever used to. I don't eat because I should, I eat if I'm hungry, if I don't want dinner, I don't eat dinner but if I want to eat lunch at 11.30 then I do and I move more, I don't have time for the gym and never stuck to work outs but I do things like lunges when I'm brushing my teeth, jogging on the spot when I'm on hold on the phone, arm exercises with tinned food while I'm making meals, dancing at random times when no one is watching, basic yoga when I'm watching TV, I try to find all the ways that I can add extra movements in to my day, it all adds up. I'm not stick thin but I'm actually starting to not hate the way that I look!

As well as all the usual advice on healthy eating etc the real difference for me has been in integrating exercise into every day life.

I find if I “do exercise” e.g. go for a run, it makes me more hungry, but also I end up rewarding myself with food for being good (thanks brain).

I’m now back at work full time after a year of mat leave and don’t feel I have the time to go running or whatever. However, with various nursery drop offs and hating public transport, and always being slightly late I end up brisk walking a good hour a day (but made up of shorter chunks) but no increase in appetite and it’s every day so don’t feel the need to reward myself, and I’ve managed to finally get rid of the last of my baby weight and keep it off without any calorie counting or weight watchers or 5:2 or any of the other diets I’ve tried (and failed). It’s not for everyone but it’s worked for me.

For those who say they have the odd treat and have lost weight by having treats occasionally. Exactly how often is that?

Trying to loose weight through MyFitnessPal but finding myself picking more than I use to and having chocolate everyday.

MyFitnessPal

Engaged with it 100% for 4 months. Changed my relationship and honesty with food for the long term (6+ yrs ago)

Build physical activity into my daily life - making it the norm, not the exception

I still fluctuate but much much less