To want to lose weight WITHOUT any fads or 'diets'

[Abneyandteal19]

So I had 3 kids in less than 5 years and my body has suffered. Put on weight size 14-
16 (lockdown hasn't helped) when I used to be 10/12. 5ft 5 and 78kg

I would like to be a comfortable size 12 as I feel this suits my shape.

However we have no money for groups, PT, fancy food/shakes whatever is the latest thing! Also really don't think I'd stick to point counting etc as by the end of the day I'm shattered! I really don't want to keep making excuses for why I can't do this but I'm struggling to get motivated on sleep deprivation and never a minute to myself!

Can you please give me your tips for making the whole - eat less move more actually work on a day to day basis??

Specifically struggle with finding time to make healthy food for myself especially breakfast which is chaos with 3 under 5!

Also struggling with my tummy pouch and how to shift it. Any exercise ideas?

I really want to do this- had a moment of looking back on a photo of me and the kids last week thinking it would be nice and I was gutted at how big I looked

So AIBU To want to lose weight/get fit without any fancy stuff?!

Cut out alcohol if you drink
Drink more water
Find quick and easy meals that you can alternate
Eg breakfast I have porridge or fruit n yoghurt or bacon n eggs
Lunch is soup or salad or jacket sweet potato
Evening meal is protein and veg or salad
Don’t buy unhealthy snacks or buy things for others you’re not that keen on
Keep a supply of fruit or other healthy snacks for yourself
I’ve lost over 5 stone

Firstly - you can't spot reduce. Overall fatloss will help with the stomach pouch. Hundreds of sit-ups or crunches won't make that go - abs are made in the kitchen.

Secondly - it really is as simple as calories in < calories burned. If you burn more than you eat, you'll lose. My recommendation would be to put your details into a calculator like IIFYM to find out the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your weight and how many you need to reduce. Download MyFitnessPal (it's free). And track what you eat in there. Or just have 3 smaller nutrient dense meals per day - unless you're tiny that's usually fine. Protein is filling, veggies are high volume and low calorie.

Aim for something sensible - not 1200cals like some, you're too tall for that. I imagine something like 1400-1600 is more sensible. You're less likely to give up and binge.

People will come on here and tell you 5:2 or intermittent fasting are the way to go, but they're essentially just ways to eat less calories. So whatever the way to make you eat less is, so that. Personally, I find meal prepping and snack prepping for the week is easiest for me.

Thirdly - Up your step count - try for 10,000 a day if you can. A couple of YouTube HIIT workouts a week. If you have access to weights, then get a plan for those, but if not it's fine just do what you can.

Fourthly - resistance bands are fun and cheap. They're about a £10 outlay and there's loads and loads of workouts for them online which will help with building some nice muscle if you don't have access to a weight room.

I hope that helps. I also am on a bit of a journey and I've got right down to where I want to be and won't turn back. It's so liberating. I love being stronger and fitter and it's really helped with that end of the day exhaustion.

Good luck!!

You have to want to make the investment in you with time. Calorie counting works for me, once a week a sit down and plan meals so I’m only counting once a week essentially, yes it may not be wholly accurate as measuring everything individually, I only tend to weigh high calorie stuff like oils and carby stuff that’s easy to over indulge on.

Take a look at James Smith on Facebook/insta

I dont know if you have tried WW or Slimming World recipes? I have lost weight previously by following their basic principles. My mom did the same, and has kept the weight off for the past 6 years. Her entire attitude to food had to change long term. It's pretty simple ideas really

1. Minimise snacking or snack on fruit.
2. Smaller portion sizes.
3. Veg or fruit as part of every meal
4. No jars of sauces. All home cooked.
5. Plenty of water, not a lot of alcohol.

It's not really an idea of a diet. It's about changing how you look at food long term. Its basic healthy eating. It's not rocket science.

Brown or wholemeal of the above is okay

It isn't. Not if you want to lose weight anyways.

If you want to go dead simple. Cut out refined carbs and eat only 2/3 of what you previously ate. Exercise twice as much.

@FlapsInTheWind

Brown or wholemeal of the above is okay

It isn't. Not if you want to lose weight anyways.

It is, if you don't eat too much of it. As with anything. You can lose weight on Maccies🤷🏻 You won't be healthy, but you will lose weight if you eat only maccies but below certain cal.

Varied diet is important. So having some nice wholemeal bread isn't harmful. Unless of course you have medical condition which causes bad reactions.

Intermittent fasting
Walk - a lot. I have just loads of weight by simply walking during the lockdown

I am finding My Fitness Pal on my phone really useful to log what I am eating. It is a slow process though.

@FlapsInTheWind

Brown or wholemeal of the above is okay

It isn't. Not if you want to lose weight anyways.

I eat all those things (white even! Not brown!) and lose weight. There are no foods that cause or inhibit weight loss. You can eat anything if it leads to a calorie deficit.

Another vote for intermittent fasting - I stop eating @7 and eat breakfast at 10am. So 15/9. No snacks, high protein low carb meals. I’ve lost 21lbs in 3 months.

I’ve been doing a mixture of 5:2 and Couch to 5k and have lost 3 stone since April. I’m very tall and also weighed a lot so I try to have under 700 cals a day on fast days rather than 500. I eat healthily but around 2k cals a day 2 days a week, then whatever I want on weekends. It’s worked for me so far and I’ve never felt so energetic. As PP have said the key thing is not too much restriction - I know I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t have weekends to look forward to!

I discovered I'm a carb addict. I mostly live on meat/fish/eggs/veg/ salad. I'll eat the odd potato or spoonful of rice, and fruit occasionally. If I eat this way I don't crave snacks, losing weight (lockdown stone is all, due to DH being home and joining him in eating chocolate) was easy. If I skip a meal I don't flap apart, because my sugar levels are stable.
No fads, no diet, just real food.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

Are you good at eating only when you’re hungry? Or do you snack mindlessly and eat far past the point of being full?

Hi OP. You mention your tummy "pouch". Just wondering if you might have diastasis recti/ separated abs after having three babies in close succession? If so, avoid planks/stomach crunches which would make it worse, and instead try some gentle exercises specifically designed to strengthen the transverse abdominal muscles - plenty on the internet.

physicalkitchness.com/healing-diastasis-recti/ for example

All these suggestions are great, but a lot are complicated/faddy and are simply different ways of being in a calorie deficit. That is the key. If you like a snack and it stops you binging later (like me), carry on snacking as long as you maintain the correct calorie deficit over the day you’ll lose. As others have said use one of the many apps and input your data and how much you want to lose a week to find out what that deficit should be.

Agree with @Keyperfect re the tummy pouch - DO NOT DO TUMMY CRUNCHES, KETTLE BELLS OR ANYTHING LIKE YOU WILL MAKE IT WORSE I can't stress that enough if you think (and it does sound like it could be) dias. Pilates is great as are standing ab exercise - mine was severe and over 2cm and is negligible now.

Can I ask @WithGusto how long it took for you to reduce that muscle separation?

Cut out rubbish. Whatever you eat normally minus the crisps / cake / biscuits / sweets. Worked for me (as long as your meals aren’t McDonalds / Domino’s etc...)

You need to download myfitnesspal or nutracheck and do a TDEE calculator to get your maintenance calories and then subtract 500. I am pretty much the exact weight and height as you and on my weight loss journey doing this so feel free to private message me if you would like more advice and an Accountability buddy.
Track everything and aim for at least 5000 steps per day.

You have to count your calories and you have to ensure you are consuming less than you burn.

You can work all that out quite easily with any online calorie estimator. Then download a free app and log your calories.

That’s it.

THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT IS A CALORIE DEFICIT.

There are ways to make it easier on yourself like some ppl have mentioned - smaller window for eating / smaller portions and more meals / larger meals and no snacking / upping water intake to starve off hunger etc etc

All of these things are just methods for creating a calorie deficit.
It is the only factor which matters. So choose the easiest way for you to live your life and be consistent.

Consistency is almost as Important- for instance there is no good in sticking to your calories Monday to Friday only to double them over the weekend. So calorie deficit 7 days a week.

It’s literally that easy. (Practically I mean, emotionally losing weight is not easy at all!)

Consistency is almost as Important- for instance there is no good in sticking to your calories Monday to Friday only to double them over the weekend. So calorie deficit 7 days a week.

Actually, you can easily have "free" days, you just have to account for it in weekly average. I have lower allowance 6 days and then day when I don't count. It's actually really good and helps me keep on track.

Eat less. No books, classes or pseudoscience needed.

As already said, intermittent fasting is an easy way. For some.

Wow well done! @Averyslover 🙌

I have found the following diet really effective over the years.
Start with a normal but not excessive breakfast and a late'ish lunch.
Cook children's evening meal at around 5.30 / 6 which is too early for me.
Then spend the rest of the evening doing laundry, tidying up the whirlwind of destruction left by DC, shouting at DC to clean teeth, do homework, stop arguing etc.
Then collapse on the kitchen table sobbing around 10.30. / 11 thinking I am a bad parent, exhausted and conclude that I would rather go to bed than cook myself an evening meal.
Repeat the next day

By only having two normal meals a day it seems to do the trick on weight loss

I stopped snacking and reduced my portion size at mealtimes. I realised I'd started to eat as much as dp who has a very physical job whereas I do not. I also was stuffing my face with sugary snacks come little ones bed time because I was so tired and needed a pick me up.
It's so hard to change the behaviours but it definitely gets easier.