To ask how EXACTLY you have lost weight?

[twoblackdogs]

There are so many threads with the New Year resolutions, weight loss discussions, advice and probably lies as well - so many words, so many things.
I have finally reached that point from which there is no turning back. I will do this, no matter what, but - please, help me. Those of you, the heroes who have really done it - please, name 3 main things that finally helped you to get rid of that weight.
Please.

Using my fitness pal to calorie count, cutting right back on carbs and eating more protein to keep me filled up. Limiting myself to a couple of squares of chocolate in an evening and making a warm drink when I feel myself reaching for the afternoon snack. I lost two and a half stone and have maintained for three years with minimal effort. I still don't really eat pastry or cream as they are the highest fat foods with the least value.

5:2. 5:2. 5:2!!

Find the mumsnet thread.. they are a lovely bunch!

Once I’d lost the weight I swapped to 16:8.. 2 years later it’s still off and that doesn’t mean no alcohol or sweet treats at Xmas. Half the trick is finding something you can stick to! xx

Calorie deficit - so eat 'less' (calories) move more. Get a Fitbit. It will tell you how many calories you burn a day and you can log how much you're eating to see if you're in deficit every day.

You need A LOT less food than you think.
And then eat food that is not stored easily ( carbs and sugar)
. So basically protein and veg.

Good news is that if you do this for even 2 weeks you lose loads.

Counting calories- approx 1500 daily

Eating foods with less than 3g saturated fat

Eating foods low in sugar

Search YouTube for Lucy Wyndham Read, she does walking work out videos that are fab for in the evening when kids go to bed. I swear by them now.

I lost five stone when I realised I ate too much.
It wasn't about carbs or sugars or fats.. It is not rocket science, you need to eat less than you burn.
I'm my case 8 yrs later.. I only need about 1200 cals a day.. And I run four times a week for exercise.
I eat anything and everything.. But only when I am. Hungry.. Not for any other reason
If you eat cud your bored or lonely or sad or whatever you need a new self soother technique.. I used to go for a walk or have a long bath or call a friend evetytime I thought "ooh I feel I need a biscuit"

Learn to listen for real hunger pangs and ditch he idea we need three meals a day plus snacks...

I just eat a bit less. I think not eating breakfast helps me. Then a normal sized lunch at midday. Followed by a large bowl of muesli on arrival home after work, which is not too calorific and keeps me feeling full and stops me snacking on rubbish. Lastly a normal dinner, but being careful not to have a big portion. I don’t tend to buy or eat differently, just a bit less. I don’t snack or eat pudding/treats. I tend not to eat fatty things (eg chips) or sugary things and do go for healthy options. I can easily keep this up for months at a time and it results in me losing quite a bit of weight. I find any diet where I need to eat differently/separately from the rest of the family doesn’t work for me. Plus I have a treat, for example coffee and a cake, once a week. This gives slow steady weight loss, and I feel good and although I’m really ready to eat my meals, I’m not feeling hungry all the time.

F

I've been on diets on and off since I was 18 (I'm now 39). They work only in the short term; calorie counting, low fat, Weight Watchers, Slimming World - I'd lose a stone or two then it would creep back on and more.

How I wish I had known about intermittent fasting years ago. I've only be doing it (16:8) since May but I now feel in control about food and have had a modest loss of 18lb. I'm going to step up to one meal a day more frequently to lose more.

Read The Obesity Code - it really is a revelation.

It really does depend on your body. You could fast for 2 days and lose a shitload but you could also lose none. Please don’t assume that everyone’s the same and what works for one will work for the other. I don’t eat breakfast (I’ve not been brought up to eat it) and have a massive lunch and light dinner. If I need to lose weight, I cut down on my sugar (I am a sugar addict) so that helps me.

Really whatever you can stick to that will get you eating less and moving more long term (with more emphasis on the eating less for weight loss .
What works for me is 5:2 and running/cycling. When I stick to it, I lose weight and the 5:2 diet is the only I have ever managed to stick to long term
I have a busy life so i go for running as its one of the best exercises for weight loss into terms of time spent (you get far more calorie burn with a half hour run than most other forms of exercise). And I cycle for my commute as takes same time as train. It's the only way I can fit exercise in.
The key is understanding your own eating patterns and lifestyle and making the changes that will be sustainable long term. If not, any weight you lost will inevitably come back (and often then some).

I lost six stone in nine months by following Slimming World strictly. It was a wonderful feeling.

Cutting out carbs almost completely - no pasta, potatoes, bread, rice. Loads and loads of salad and veg.

Calories in and calories out, it is not that hard and it will work

16:8...works for me. Even though it's Christmas I've still tried to stick to it as best that I can! 🌲

mamaduckbone
Salad and veg are also carbs.
So much nonsense on this thread no winder everyone struggles to know what to do for tye best

Swapped wine for vodka, swapped walking for circuit training and eat 1400 calories Monday to Friday 2000 at weekends, it's been slow but I've lost a stone in 2019 and it's not felt difficult.

I watched Forks Over Knives. www.forksoverknives.com

Bought the recipe book, and followed the meal plans - a lot of the recipes are available on the website. I've recently allowed a few processed (vegan) foods to creep in but if I need to get back to where I want to be, I just go back to whole food and plant based. I don't feel deprived and I don't feel hungry.

16:8

I think it’s something that I could stick to as a WOE for life.
It ties in with natural appetite ; I’m never very hungry for breakfast.
With the fasting bit, you know you are going to feel a bit hungry.

There’s no actual restrictions to what you eat, but the recommendation is clean eating. (Although a lot in the FB group appear to be on Ketogenic)
After Xmas; I’ve craved fresh foods, so when my eating window opens; around 12 / 1 pm I’ve eaten pretty healthily. Also because my stomach has shrunk, the amounts are actually quite small.
I’ve also closed the feeding window early, to get more of the post 14 hour fat burning element.

Counting calories. It doesn't work for a lot of people but it did for me. I adapted all my favourite meals and either swapped things out or just had smaller portions. I lost 40 pounds. I also saved up for 6 sessions with a personal trainer and wrote down everything she taught me so I could 'train' myself and be less intimidated at the gym.

I'm 50 years old. Did 'dirty' keto over the summer while transitioning to low carb foods, then began following strict keto in September.

As others have pointed out, keto itself doesn't cause you to lose weight. As with any other diet, that requires eating at a calorific deficit to force your body to burn its own fat.

I've lost over 35 pounds in a slow but steady fashion. I didn't even plateau at the usual point, as per various other diets tried over the last 20 years.

For me, there have been three keys to success:

1. I try to stick to 16:8 intermittent fasting. I've never enjoyed eating breakfast so my default preference tends to fall into an IF pattern anyway.

2. I was a huge comfort eater, all my life. I'd always wondered how some people could eat 'just one biscuit' and then put the pack away instead of binging. Now I know how - because their brains weren't being drop-kicked by the sugary (and all too brief) emotional high. A keto diet doesn't trigger my addictive response.

3. The macronutrient planning/tracking has been a real wake-up call. I don't think I've ever eaten sufficient protein on a regular basis before. Fat does seem to keep me satiated for longer. Now I can go for long periods without eating and not feel hungry/dizzy/sick, which makes dieting/IF much easier.

For me, these things worked:
Maintaining a calorie deficit
Committing to resistance training 3 times a week in a group situation
I've lost 2 stone (1 left to lose), made some fantastic friends and never felt better.

Other things that have helped:
Improving sleep
Reducing stress
Realising that the solution to my problems cannot be found in the fridge or food cupboard. And inspiration or reward is not in there either.
Planning the week, know what you're going to eat and when you're going to exercise.
Taking photos, measure and weigh yourself fortnightly and reassess if gained or plateau. (As your bodyweight reduces, you'll need to reduce your calories too).
Gaining muscle, it doesn't make you bulky or manly, but it will help you burn more calories.
Realising that muscle and fat are different tissue types, it isn't possible for muscle to turn to fat or fat to turn into muscle.

Also, I've created short term goals along the way to keep myself focussed, challenged and stop myself getting bored. My next one is between now and Easter, there are 100 days (or 14 weeks), my goal is to lose that final stone.

Wishing you every success along the way.

Didn’t change my diet but started exercising consistently. Found something I loved (classes at my gym) and was attending 3-5 x a week, an hour each time. I was a good eater previously though so might have helped

Couch to 5k, less wine and eating better but nothing drastic.