To ask how to transform my body in 4 months

[UpSlyDown]

I’m 18 months on from my second child. Lockdown and two pregnancies have not been kind to my body. I was a size 10 before, toned and fit. I’m now around a 12/14 so not huge but just so so unfit, flabby and uncomfortable with myself. I’ve got awful cellulite, no tone to my body, saggy boobs and a wobbly stomach.
I’m aware of this but just keep eating crap especially a lot of sugar. An invitation has just come through for a friends black tie event in September. This has given me an incentive to make the effort to get in shape, healthy and comfortable and maybe feel good on the night.
Has anyone done this in this timeframe and what’s the best way? I have a gym membership but realistically can only go twice a week with two kids (one school, one nursery) and a busy job.
Any advice/encouragement?

I do intermittent fasting and it definitely works! I run too (just got back into it) and after 3 weeks of running I can already see a change to my tummy and I have got a much perkier bum!
I'm veggie and don't eat dairy anyway and I've been going easy on the carbs and eating plenty of veg. Dinner for me is mainly salad with some form of protein.

I’ve lost a stone in 8 weeks calorie counting, at first I ate 500 less so 1500 per day until I lost about half a stone. Now I’m dipping my toes back into exercise I’m working off about 300 calories per workout so eating 300 less and the weight is dropping off me. I still have cellulite and no tone but I’m hoping weight training might help that in the future (for now I’m happing to plod along as I am).

I was in a similar position to you, and I’ve recently lost 20lb over 4 months and so far kept it off (plus losing a few more for the road). I did it (and I’m sticking to it) by:

1. giving up breakfast - I never eat before 12pm (actually easy once you’re used to it;
2. have a decent lunch about 500 calories;
3. allow myself a small 100 or so calorie snack in the afternoon;
4. eat a decent evening meal 800-1000 calories;
5. no evening snacking;
6. a lot of running.

I have made myself no fussy eating rules AT ALL except to keep within my rules above - so eaten what I feel like generally. And then I run 3 times a week, for approx 1 hour a time. And that’s it. The weight list wasn’t fast, but it was steady, and it feels like I can maintain it.

And the running means I can have treats on my running days. Not go crazy, but have pudding etc

Protein every meal, 60-70 g total a day, as few carbs as you can and plenty of water, and limit calories to 1200 per day. This I learnt from Noom, mostly on their free trials (it costs a fortune full price).

@Ilovelove can you tell me more about the plan? The website looks good. What type of meal plans do they have (I prefer to cook from scratch) and what are the workouts like?

Hard work and willpower.

Everything else is just window dressing.

16:8
Easy, once you’re used to it, and you don’t have to plan special meals.

Cut down carbs. No bread.

If you can't be arsed to eat well then be realistic about what clothes you buy.

I’m trying to have a calorie deficit of 750 a day. I use myfitnesspal to track calories in and have a Garmin to track calories out.
I’ve been exercising for at least 30 mins 6 times a week - I do running x 3 a week and an online fitness class on the other 3 days. Also doing a lot of walking rather than going in the car
And then depending how much exercise I have done, eating between 1200-1600 calories a day (fruit for breakfast, lean protein and salad for lunch and a decent dinner)

I’ve lost 20lbs since the start of March (was a 12/14 and now a 10/12) and aiming to lose another 12lbs over the next few weeks

I too second callenetics

Does anyone have any links to some decent Callanetics videos? Pretty please?

Drink tons of water and walk, swim, cycle. Intermittent fasting seems to suit me.

Things that worked for me:-

Apple watch - vital to keep me motivated. Can just get the basic one.
Walking 7 days a week, couple of days a of light weight sessions. Bought a barbell from Aldi.
Sensible eating, concentrating on whole foods. Didn't calorie count.

It's a lot of hard work but 4 months down I've lost 8 kgs and much stronger and fitter.

Hope this helps!

When my ds was just turning 2 I went from a size 14 to an 8 I first concentrated on weight as I was so large I’m quite tall so even though only a size 14 was touching 14 stone and found excersise quite uncomfortable until I lost some weight I walked with my ds a lot in tbsp pram up hills I did maybe 6 weeks of slim fast stuck to it religeously they put my self on normal healthy food once I I’d lost about two stone I then started excersizing using quick intense toning exsersize routines I found on YouTube I’d do short bursts through the day and night when my ds was asleep or napping with in 3 months I was 9 and half stone I kept to that weight for a good 3 years but it has been creeping back since the first lockdown unfortunately my motivation came from starting seeing the scales go down and energy levels came back and it got easier and easier todo I wish u luck it really does make you feel so much better

Low carb. It'll melt off you

Don't try and lose it too quickly. You need to allow time for your skin to shrink. If you don't you stand a much higher chance of saggy skin.

@DappledOliveGroves
Hello, Re:questions about the food for Six Pack Revolution

It is quite flexible within a limited selection of food. It is all whole foods so it is easily adaptable for for veg, gf, vegan

The meal plan goes in phases and what food you can have changes but not the structure. That is based on six lighter meals spread through the day.

You can replace those meals with a meal replacement for ease but you don’t have to.

The recipes are flavoured with herbs and spice and I have cooked from scratch both quickly, simply with a lot of flavour.
My husband said yesterday ‘this is the best diet you have ever been on’.

What I ate yesterday:
B: Vanilla shake
B2: Egg white pancake with blueberries and raspberries
L: Chicken, sweet potato and red pepper sauce
S: Vanilla shake
D: Tofu Katsu on Quinoa
S: Greek yogurt, strawberries and pistachio

Also you have to drink 3 litres of water

It gives a simple structure that you really just repeat, it can seem a lot of info at the start but they help you with a ‘prep week’ before the designated challenge weeks start.

I am just over two weeks in and it’s been really good.

The Instagram page has lots of people’s food.

I do not work for them. I am a new participant who has tried a lot of stuff to loose weight and so far this is the most comprehensive meal, exercise and support programme I have come across.

Sorry, I missed the question about the workouts.

They change but you need battle ropes as a piece of equipment which gets used a lot.

They are scalable but based on HIIT so short and sharp!

So the last challenge had no equipment.

It was 45 seconds of work 15 seconds rest
Squats, pushups, high knees, jumping jacks - that kind of thing.

Repeat round twice = approx 10 mins
I did two rounds but other people did up to five rounds.

Sounds amazing!

@Susannahmoody

Low carb. It'll melt off you

I agree. Never known it not work for anyone (other than those who don’t actually do it, but claim they did)

It amazes me how people still think doing a workout from YouTube or walking 30 mins a day will achieve weight loss 🤷‍♀️

My Fitness Pal, take your calories down a bit below your maintenance level - probably around 1700 a day. Get a secondhand exercise bike off Facebook marketplace and some resistance bands, so you can exercise at home. Use them at least three times a week, rest day between the strength exercises.

If you have the money, get a personal trainer. When I had mine I added him as a friend on My fitness pal, and he did check in on me. Did wonders for my willpower.

Intermittent fasting - eating just between certain hours. For me it means skipping breakfast and just eating between 12-8. Focus on fresh foods. Limit white carbs. Black coffee/water only when fasting. 10,000 steps daily. I've lost 24 kilos in a year.

I've joined up to Team RH, and I'm loving it. It's really changed my mindset about exercise and nutrition. I've lost a consistent 1-2lb per week, and the calories allowed don't leave me hungry so it feels sustainable. It's basically a calorie deficit plan, but with a focus on building muscle with higher than usual protein and strength training to boost metabolism and tone. I've definitely got stronger, I just need to lose a bit more to see the muscle! I've tried lots of online exercise options, and settled on a website called Where the Strong Belong produced by a gym called the Foundry. In a previous life I did a fair bit of weight training in the gym, and their classes seem most similar to proper strength training work, but at home just with dumbbells, and the trainers are great!

weights, go to a gym if you can and work on the weights

I’m another intermittent fasting fan. I have a big breakfast at 10am (eggs if I’m at home, or I take Bircher muesli in a thermos if I’m at work), a healthy snack around 2pm (Greek yoghurt, fruit, nuts etc) then dinner at 6pm. Still have a cup of tea with a splash of tea when I wake up, which fasting purists will tut at but some things in life are non-negotiable! Have lost weight & my digestion’s improved too.

I also listen to a lot of health-related podcasts - things like Alice Liveing or Dr Chatterjee’s one. Find it interesting & helps me keep a healthy mindset.