To ask for your health/work/life balance help?

[HelpMeLoseIt]

I'll try to keep this brief. Asking for some advice as to how you would go about losing weight and getting fitter with the following commitments:

• Full time work 8-4
• Toddler x 1 (in nursery/grandparent care 8-4ish all week) who wakes 6.15am ish
• Social life events x 1/2 per week
• Masters study and placement one day and evening per week plus reading/assignment typing
• Part time carer for grandma (joint with other family)
• Husband

I need to lose 1.5 stone. Size 14 5ft4 11s13 currently. Goal = 10.5stone for size 10/12.

HELP!

Focus on diet. What are you eating now, how can you improve nutrition/ reduce intake. Sounds like you're busy enough running round after everybody so the weight should drop off! Do you like running? That's prob most adaptable or 20 min HIT videos at home.. good luck!

What is your TDEE score?
Eat fresh food that you need to chew.
Do you need to have breakfast?
You have not told us what you eat and when.

Some days I eat fabulously and some days I don't - mostly due to social events!

I can't run for long due to weak knees! I get horrible crunching. I do have a cross trainer however but struggling to find time and energy. Thinking I may need to start waking early? And sleeping earlier?

No idea what a TDEE is but I'm going to go google now. @FelicityFlops I don't eat breakfast and generally eat between 11 and 7.
Some days I eat 1200 cals and some days it's 1900/2000.

Lack of consistency is undermining things. I have lost weight in the past as a carefree student but that required extreme consistency.

Not a popular suggestion but wake up earlier (:-() and do exercise before toddler wakes.

I have lost weight in the past as a carefree student but that required extreme consistency.

The thing you have control over here is how much you eat. You need to determine how many calories you can eat in one day and still see consistent weight loss over a 7-10 day period.

Them you need to stick to it. If you can have a huge, healthy meal in your "budget' then great. If the only thing on offer is calorie-dense convenience foods, then that's also fine - you just have to make sure you're portioning it correctly. Do that and keep your total intake consistent, and you'll lose weight.

Fit in exercise when and as you can. It's nice, but weight loss is more about what you eat and you won't out-train an inconsistent diet. It would not be a priority for me in your situation because I wouldn't be able to do it consistently, it would expend energy I could be using for something else and for little to no benefit.

Okay @gwenneh that is absolutely true. I know it but I've not been the most committed. I'm starting a new role where I no longer WFH so won't be able to snack all day which will be miles better.

@DoItAfraid I'm going to start waking up 40 mins earlier to get a 25/30 min workout in, going to start sleeping in workout tops as well so I can literally get up and go

I wouldn't focus on what you eat as much as when you eat. Look into intermittent fasting - something like at 8:16 window with 2-3 hours between meals. If you are really crashing/craving between then it's a sign you have too much sugar/carbs so switch out them for more fat or protein heavy stuff.

Thank you @Halfarsedwoman - I'm going to be having packed lunches at work instead of being at home. Thinking to pack lots of cheeses, olives, smoked salmon, ham, cucumber, tomatoes etc.

Look up Zoe on YouTube - they've done loads of research into intermittent fasting already (and are just starting a large scale study). It's effective and easy to maintain for life.