To ask, if you lost 2 stone and kept it off...

[Dundundunnn]

...how did you do it?

I've always been fairly lucky in that I've been at a healthy weight most of my life. However now after 2 children I've found myself 2 stone overweight and seriously unfit. I've recently realised how bad it's gotten after doing my back in from doing pretty much nothing, and seeing photos of myself with several enormous chins.

I know the short answer is less cals in, more cals out, but if anyone could share some tips on how they managed to achieve that long term I'd really appreciate it.
Calorie counting? IF? Slimming world?
Best tips for incorporating exercise with 2 young children and working full time? Best exercise for a bad back? How to just stop shovelling shite into my face?

[TwoBlueFish]

I’ve lost 2.5 stone since June. I calorie count using My Fitness Pal and log everything. Before the weather got so rubbish I walked more and changed jobs so I’m on my feet and doing more steps. The only thing I’ve completely cut out is crisps.

[Notanothernamechanged101]

3 stone off and have kept it off.

My Fitness Pal.

I weigh and log everything I eat and drink and stick to my target calories. I don’t deny myself anything and eat what I want but MFP makes it easy to keep track.
It’s very easy to over eat if you don’t log calories.

[HailFairy]

Noom has worked really well for me. It addresses the why you eat instead of the what and helps you build so many strategies for making healthy (& happy) choices. It’s also very flexible.

[cunningartificer]

Noom has worked for me. I had a very negative attitude about weight loss and now it’s steadily coming off. I don’t feel deprived, I’m excited that I actually understand my own body and don’t feel like a helpless fat passenger any more. Down three dress sizes which means more to me than the weight itself!

[cluecu]

I have lost just over 2 stone since Feb. What's worked for me:

Recognising I was eating more calories than I had accepted (for example milk in coffee), therefore, using unsweetened almond milk in coffee

Wfh meant I could more easily see some food as just fuel. So now I eat one boiled egg for my breakfast Mon-Fri, ideally after 10am

Salad for lunch most days (basically low carb until evening)

High protein, low carb Granola with Greek Yoghurt as back up

Pepperami!

Running a lot more as well as hiit workouts in my kitchen

Weighing myself at least a couple of times a week

If I really want something, I eat/drink it, i appreciate it more now. Wfh has helped with less temptation though

[Wipingsides]

Really interesting & inspiring to hear different approaches. I’m also keen to find a way to lose weight, keep it off but not feel forever deprived! Disagree on noom- it’s very patronising & for me wasn’t more than a pumped up MFP that you pay for.
Notice they’re advertising on here.. 🤔

[mooncakes]

I put on 2 stone after having children, lost 2.5 stone fairly easily with slimming world.

Now I run or do a Joe Wickes work out 3-4 days a week. Allow myself a small treat a day. Always eat off a side plate. And I don’t eat wheat anymore.

Most importantly I think I weigh myself often and cut back if I put any weight on.

[OhSweetNuthin]

IF and the Keto Switch.
I did the Deborah Murtagh program about three years ago and am now 'fat adapted' which means that I can now eat what I want within reason, doing a keto reset every now and again. I lost 20kg and haven't put a scrap back on.

It really resonates with me - especially all the science behind it with regards active prevention of dementia and no longer poisoning my body. I eat carbs, I drink wine, I'm just mindful of how I do it.

[hopeishere]

Watching...

[SophieB100]

I lost 4 stone.
It took a year.
Have maintained my current weight for over a year.
No sugar, 3 healthy meals a day. Eat all food groups, in moderation.
Plenty of water, fruit and veg.
Lost it slowly and steadily on 1200 cals a day.

[Jaffajiffy]

@Dundundunnn I didn’t finish c25k . I got to 25 mins and started fearing it. I am much better with a 15 min followed by a 2 min walk followed by another 15 mins. But I still do it. Lockdown 1 made me focus. The kids play football on the grass and I run round the perimeter. It’s about shifting your perspective from “I don’t exercise” to, “I am a runner.” I don’t stuff myself in the last hour because that’s dinner time so I’m full! It just works for me. I felt like I was cheating because not having breakfast is really easy for me.

[CycleWoman]

I lost that amount of weight about 15 years ago and have kept it off (apart from pregnancy and afterwards when I’ve managed to loose it again.....in that process at the moment!).

No fad diets (fasting, low carb) as I simply wouldn’t stick to it. Biggest things were making sure my portion sizes were correct (I think most of us are guilty of making a recipe for 6 feed 4 and that stacks up), up the amount of vegetables on your plate, and don’t regularly eat treat food (but still had a weekly takeaway and occasional cake/chocolate).

Then exercise. I started running, couch to 5k is absolutely brilliant. Built time in to do that in that evening but between kids tea and bedtime. If you can get your OH to cover that part of the day 3 times a week then that’s a perfect start.

For your back, defo Pilates (especially if you have had kids). Get your back sorted out abs you’ll been loads better.....I had a bad back about 3 years ago and it really impacted my exercise abs diet.

Good luck! It’s not easy but you can do it. Take your time, do it slowly and give yourself credit for small improvements.

[MojoMoon]

I did Noon and found it useful. Yes, as a previous poster says, some of it is just a calorie tracker like MFP

But I found the structure, the reminders and the coach messaging me to keep me on track much more than me just using MFP did.

I also found most of the lessons quite good as long as you were happy to do some reflection on your own behaviour/patterns. Not all of it was relevant to me but some of it really was and again, the ten mins a day it took to read them helped provide some structure and focus.

[laudemio]

I stopped eating dinner for 3 months to lose the weight. Then I ate normally but very rarely snacked on cakes, chocolate etc. It was pretty easy tbh.

[Lua]

I managed to keep it off for 6 months and counting... so it might be rubbish....

I started on the spur of the moment (after reading a mumsnet thread) and declared that I was going to eat only 1200 calories a day. I probably only kept that way for a month, but the rapid loss kept me going.

The big difference this time, is that I dodn't told myself "I'll stop when I reach X lbs". I think psychologically this makes a big difference....

I always lost what I wanted, relax and came straight back.... I'm hoping that by embracing this new less eating it will stick. We'll see!

Good luck!

[Zoolally]

I’ve lost just over 4 stone since Feb doing keto/low carb. I started off strict keto but now I want to maintain so have switched to low carb. It’s the only diet that’s ever worked for me and I feel better than ever. I also started jogging, which helps keep it off

[JoeGargery]

@OhSweetNuthin can you say a bit more about that? I'd never heard of it and it's a little vague online. IF communities talk about fat adaptation but I don't think I've ever experienced that despite IF for many years.

[OhSweetNuthin]

@JoeGargery

Being fat adapted gives your body the agility it needs to burn both fat and carbs. So when fully fat adapted, which occurs as a result of longer term nutritional ketogenic living, you can have a bowl of pasta one evening and then return to ketosis/fat burning the next day.

In fact, you could easily come out of ketosis for longer and still be fat adapted - meaning your body will continue to prioritise fat as it’s primary fuel source. This is why I've found this so sustainable.

[dinodiva]

IF here too. Have lost 1.5 stones and have kept it off.

Most weekends I make a big batch of soup and so lunch in the week is generally soup and toast/bread. Have a sensible tea (and usually chocolate). I try not to snack and keep reasonably active.

I IF almost every day. I might have breakfast occasionally at the weekend, otherwise I fast 8pm - noon pretty much always. Once you get into the habit it’s easy.

[Runningdownthathill]

I lost 2 stone by cutting out carbs after lunch. I had perhaps one piece of bread with soup instead of two. I had protein and veg/salad for dinner. I found it very easy. I walked for an hour at least every second day. Unfortunately it went back on eventually due to a bereavement and a lot of stress.

[JoeGargery]

@OhSweetNuthin thanks, yes I understand the theory of it! But I'm several years into 16-20 hour daily fasts and don't think I got there.
I was interested in the switch as I've never heard of that.

[grassisjeweled]

Lower carbing

[grassisjeweled]

Do whatever you need to do to only eat 1500 cals a day.

If it's 16/8, low carb, weight watchers etc just do it. Figure out your food weakness and cut it out.

If you cut out wine, crisps and choc for example you could save 1000 cals per day! Depending on what you consume, obviously

[RowanAlong]

Eat early with kids, or cut carbs with evening meal, then once they’re in bed whack on a half hour YouTube fitness video (loving Leslie Sansone fast walk) four times a week, and don’t snack once you’ve collapsed on sofa!

[CeibaTree]

Low carb was the only thing that worked for me. I had tried so many diets over the years, but for me low carbing is a sustainable way of eating (although I realise it doesn't suit everyone). I use the Carb Manager app and stick to 36g or less of carbs per day. So usually I save all my carb allowance for one meal, so I can have a small baked potato, or a portion of rIce. I will admit some days I use up my carb allowance on chocolate - especially Lindt dark cherry chocolate, but all in all I find it much easier to stick to low carb than to calorie count or follow specific programs like SW or WW.