To ask for tips to lose half a stone and tone my tummy up in 3 weeks??

[Aria20]

I'm going on holiday in 24 days. I'd like to lose half a stone and tone up my tummy before. I realise I've left it late but we moved house a couple of weeks ago and we've had a lot of takeaways while we were busy unpacking/decorating etc and I've eaten lots of ice creams with the hot weather!!

I'm trying to eat more healthily, an apple in the morning and then salad in a wrap at lunch. Dinner is unfortunately usually carb based as kids are all pasta lovers.... do I need to quit the carbs and eat a different meal in order to lose weight? I have a dog so I walk for minimum of an hour/hour n half each day but it doesn't seem to make a difference! I don't have much free time for extra exercise or money for a gym membership. I don't drink alcohol but I do eat sweets/choc usually as a treat once kids are in bed - I know it's a bad habit and I'm cutting down but as I say it's my one treat.

I'm 35 and 5 years ago I could eat anything and not gain weight... people used to say it would catch up with me one day and it has

I would say you need a proper look at basic nutrition. An apple isn't a breakfast, salad in a wrap isn't a healthy lunch and you eat takeaways. You need to plan protein rich meals and foster good habits.

You're unlikely to make a lick of difference before the holiday.

Also add balsamic, makes it really tasty

Realistically if you bloat then that’s going to be even worse on holiday with heat, alcohol, less than ideal food etc. So losing weight won’t help that.

And you don’t want to just lose weight, you want to lose FAT. Which realistically you can do at a rate of 0.5-1lb a week max at your starting weight. Your diet at the moment will just be stripping you of water weight and muscle, as you aren’t eating enough protein to maintain muscle mass, let alone build it!

As for toning - you need to lift weights. But you can’t tone fat - all you can do is build muscle UNDER the fat, whilst trying to slim down so the muscle shows through. That’s a minimum six month process for good results.

In three weeks I’d suggest eating healthily and exercising more so you feel better, and working on a nice fake tan and finding some flattering swimwear. I’m also 35 and I can’t wear the bikinis I wore at 21! You have to work hard and for a prolonged period to stay in shape, there are no quick 3 week fixes for what you’re looking for unfortunately or everyone would look great!

@Minfilia how can I stop bloat? I don't drink alcohol but yes I'll prob be eating a Mediterranean diet and ice cream around the pool. But I do swim a lot on holiday so I usually come back from holiday fitter than when I went

Avoid salt
Drink lots of water
Eat watery fruit like melon and cucumber
Don't chew gum/smoke
Eat slowly and chew everything really well
Avoid beans and other foods that cause gas
Eat little and often
Try a herbal water tablet

I wish I had the answer 😂

Im also lactose intolerant and have IBS and contrary to another post on the thread, INCREASING fibre actually helps me to bloat less. I aim for a minimum of 25g per day and have fibre dense bars to supplement. But with IBS you can go one way or another - some people need a very low fibre diet to deal with their IBS!

Smaller meals and eating slowly, little and often. Water will help with water retention based bloating but can exacerbate gas based bloating. And vegetables are great for fibre but can be hideous for bloat!!

Whatever I do, I swell up like a sodding balloon on holiday.

If you could access a gym then saunas can really help with detox and stripping water bloat (although it will come back as it’s only temporary)

As a side note if you’re bloating regularly it might be something to keep an eye on and have a chat with your GP as it can be indicative of a wider issue, for me it was “just” IBS but there can be other causes too.

@Minfilia I def have lactose issues hence lactose free milk and I suspect ibs as certain foods go straight through me (tmi)!

So annoying trying to eat more fruit and veg and it's not helping and possibly causing extra bloat! But then what can you do... can't eat nothing!

@5128gap I am drinking lots of water and eating things like melon and cucumber so that's good.
I don't smoke or really chew gum.
Maybe little and often eating is better for me then than the ideas up thread of fasting and only having lunch and dinner...
I'm avoiding as much carbs as possible which is really hard for me as I love ciabatta and freshly baked sourdough!
I've cut the chocolate/sweets and ice creams.

@Aria20 I’m in a similar situation, and the same weight as you, I can just about get into a size 10. I’m 45, and same as you, could always eat whatever I wanted until around age 35, but now it all goes on my tummy.

The most frustrating thing is when other people discount trying to lose weight as unnecessary at our weight and dress size.
I’m only 5ft 2, and short in the body, so any weight gain shows up massively.
i honestly look pregnant, and can only just get the button or zip done up on a size 10.

Im also trying to lose weight for my holiday, so sending support and solidarity!

Christ. You're slim already. Don't bother starving yourself, just enjoy your holiday. You'll be one of the smallest people there.

And @rocketfromthecrypt just stated EXACTLY that view I mentioned in my previous post! 😄😬

On my last few holidays, being the same weight and size I am now, I definitely have not been ‘one of the smallest there’
Im the biggest I’ve ever been, hardly any of my old clothes fit, and it’s perfectly ok to want to change that.

Big changes to diet eg suddenly eating lots of veg take an adjustment. I used to have a lot of ibs type symptoms but don’t now I eat lots of protein and fruit & veg. Sweet potato is carbs so if you are wanting to avoid carbs I’d look at eating more green leafy veg.

Thank you @Manzana I just tried this. Really good!

If you’ve put a bit on and want to lose, I don’t think many would say that’s the wrong thing to want to do (assuming not extreme etc). The thing that some people are concerned about is the very short timescale. Losing weight when you’re not that overweight is hard and usually slow. The op is not being particularly realistic in wanting to lose half a stone in three weeks when she’s not big to start with.

What she’s posted she’s eating is nowhere near enough food.

@tigerbear you got me. I'm an awful person.

@tigerbear yes thank you I just want to lose enough to be how I was last year. I'm 5ft 4 so quite short too and it all goes on the belly and looks pregnant!

@PurpleDaisies I agree it's not enough and it's not sustainable. I'm just hoping to see some quick results for holiday and then after that hopefully just continue to eat healthily and sensibly without so many treats.... but I'm not looking to never eat bread, pasta, chocolate or some pizza ever again as for me that is unrealistic as I normally feel those are ok in moderation.

I am similar size to you op and also wanting to lose a few lbs before my holiday

I have cut calories and am exercising more, that is it really. I try and fill up on salad and veg which is boring but it does help. I've noticed peppermint tea curbs my appetite

I'm also planking as much as I can.
Literally every time I think of it (and I'm alone 😆) I get down and do 30/40 seconds. I hold in my tummy when doing it as tight as humanly possible. I reckon I'm doing 4/5 mins a day in total

You need to be very careful here that you are not setting yourself up for a bad relationship with food. I would not advise you to completely cut out any food that you enjoy, no matter how short the duration, unless there is a medical reason that has been indicated by a medical professional. What you do is you just have less of it. I really love white twixes so now I just have single ones instead of the double and have them less often. If I cut them out completely I'd just become miserable and that's not going to help me become/stay healthy overall.

At your height and weight you are well within the healthy range, I should know as I am the same height and dress size but I weigh quite a bit more (though I am very muscular as I lift weights regularly) and am being told that I'm overweight. I really think you should focus on your determination to have a great holiday irrespective of what your body looks like. Accept your body as it is now, no exceptions. If you keep telling yourself that it will eventually start to feel more natural. Fully appreciate this is not the advice you were looking for so no hard feelings if you want to ignore it.

Just a thought but have a colon cleanse about 3 days before you go, it will help with bloating

Just a thought but have a colon cleanse about 3 days before you go, it will help with bloating

A what? Do people really do this shit?

I had to have one for my colonoscopy and they do work! (The colon cleanse).

Colonoscopy vs going on holiday are two pretty different things.

Now there’s something I didn’t think I’d be typing on a Wednesday morning!

Of course the reasons are different (but your body wouldn't know any better).

You’ve misunderstood what I meant. Cleaning your colon because you have to have a colonoscopy is an unpleasant but necessary task. Doing it just for a holiday seems nuts to me.