Can I lose four stone in six months?

[SexAndCakes]

Typical post-Christmas realisation that working from home and general life stresses over the last few years have led to a very sedentary lifestyle, overeating and getting fat (BMI 28). I need to lose four stone to get to my ideal weight (BMI 21). This feels like a very long road and is combined with feeling generally low about some other life areas. I have also been overweight for a number of years now so feel like I have lost the sense of myself as a slim person IYSWIM.

I'd love to hear from others who have achieved this type of weight loss. Also, whether six months is a realistic timeframe to lose four stone without things like weight loss drugs (not eligible or I would welcome them!). I feel like I need the shortest possible timeframe to be motivated for this. The good news is that I currently have the time and resources to make it my focus.

YABU - six months to lose four stone is not realistic
YANBU - it can be done (ideally share advice on how please!)

Realistically, it doesn't matter if you do or not. If you get to 3.5 stone or even 2.5 stone you're still going to feel so much better and be so much healthier. Go for it and see how you do.

What puts so many people off dieting is that it's slower than they think but the reality is starting is always better than putting it off because it'll take time.

Completely and utterly unsustainable.

Im losing more now on 1700 kcal a day than I was on 800 kcal a day.

Hey! I did 3 stone in 6 months with slimming world (and having 0 "syns" you're allowed up to 15 I think) but i lost about 2lb per week. Doable!! Good luck 👍

Do you want to lose it or to lose it and keep it off?

Because 'failing' is more harmful to breaking previous patterns and instilling new habits than succeeding and then building on that sense of success and achievement.

People do not need the feeling of not being good enough in anything - and with something so intrinsically bound with emotions, physical existence, instinct and survival itself, somebody declaring that what they've done or are attempting to achieve isn't worth it if they can't do better than that - well, it's how you get both people who give up and put on more weight and people who starve themselves.

Yes, and because I’m tall as well as BMI 28 my TDEE will likely be high at first, so don’t currently know it but will get on the scales at the gym and work out from there. As I’ve said before, there’s no way I could live on 800 kcals a day but I’m assuming the posters who have are all much smaller than me as I am statistically way taller than average.

Yes, exactly. I’m a bit short on time now but will come back later as there are so many helpful posts here that o want to read more carefully. But in general I am coming around to the idea that I could aim high (six months) as long as I am prepared for things to take longer (a year?) and don’t fall off the wagon just because I don’t see fast results. A kind of ‘aim for the moon, land amongst the stars’ kind of mentality IYSWIM.

What I still need to work out is the most effective approach. It seems like a logic-based approach to calorie reduction, combined with ketogenic and potentially TRE might be the best. I can also base the calorie deficit on exercise as well.

I’m still inclined to aim for BMI 21.

I am 5"10 and have lost three and a half stones since my peak weight of fourteen and half stones, now down to eleven (my BMI has gone from 29 to 22). However, this loss has been over a period of around five years (including two pregnancies).

I lost the first half stone, got pregnant at fourteen stones, didn't really gain much "extra" during the pregnancy so weighed fourteen stones pretty much immediately post-partum, dropped another stone once that baby was about a year old, got pregnant again at thirteen stones, similar sort of story in that pregnancy and dropped the remaining two stones over the next three years.

So I was losing a couple of pounds a month for an extended period of time and consequently I have found it very easy to maintain the weight loss because it has been small changes that have added up over time, not drastic changes that I have then struggled to stick to.

That would be my concern with your "I'll only be motivated to do it if it means I can lose a stone every month and a half approach" - if you manage it, what'll stop you putting it all back on again? I'd consider instead your lifestyle choices as goals, for example, "I want to be someone who only drinks on weekends or special occasions", "I want to be a person who exercises three times a week", "I want to batch cook from scratch at the weekends", "I want to choose not to buy lunch but to prepare it myself" etc. Think about how you want to live your life, not what weight you want to be.

2 pounds a week is normally the way advised, so more like 3 stone, would still be pretty good, and can keep going.

I have exactly the same current bmi and goal bmi as you @SexAndCakes so would be happy to be your virtual slimming buddy if you are interested.

I'd aim for 24.9 as your goal.

And then set a new goal for 21 once you get there. Just makes it more manageable, mentally.

You can get a private prescription?

If you "need" to lose 4st then you should be able to get the prescription from Boots / Superdrug. Although I'm not sure what the criteria is? I know you are tall OP but a starting BMI of 28 and needing to lose 4st seems a little skewed?

I'm giving myself a year to lose 3st. I already take several medications so don't fancy another one on top so I'm planning a lb a week!!

Um no, you need to meet the prescribing criteria, you can’t seriously think you can just just get a private prescription? And you do know you can’t get them from the nhs right?

It’s physically possible, yes. However, your post definitely suggests to me that you might not be at a stage where you are ready to do it sustainably, AND keep it off. I think until you have reached a more balanced mental headspace around it, and less rigidity around specific numbers and deadlines, you are probably setting yourself up to fail. Also, you may find bodies change more overtime. I have recently lost a lot of weight (probably too much), and I look thinner than I ever have before, to the point people are expressing concern. Despite this, I still weigh half a stone or so more than I did in my 20’s.
if you have to aim for BMI, start with a more achievable short-term goal and then reassess once you get there, choosing then another short-term and sustainable. It’s important to keep in mind that some organisations have the healthy weight range as between 18.5-24.99 because there are physical differences in people from different nationalities. 18.5 might be perfectly reasonable on my best friend, who is Japanese. Less so on me. Where I live, 20 is considered the start of the healthy weight range for a Caucasian woman. Not assuming you are Caucasian, but if you are, it’s probably a bit inaccurate to describe a BMI of 21 as midrange.

i lost 3 and half stone in 9 months on a pretty consistent effort (max of 1200 calories a day and exercise 6 days a week.) I really couldn’t have done more so i think 4 stone in 6 months would be very
difficult indeed.

Look up BodySlims. It’s transformative as it addresses mindset, as well as food and exercise. It’s changed my life. Next programme starts in January.

A target is a good idea but make it more realistic, nothing wrong in trying to get it off quickly either, i think there is research that shows fast losses are motivational and can lead to better sustaining, however why not say 5% loss over 2 months, then the next 5% over the next 2 months and so on

Actually I just worked out that is 6 months lol. So do it over 3 months per segment

Did you read my post?

I said I wasn't sure if she'd meet the criteria (for a private prescription) I made no mention of getting it from the NHS?

It’s really easy to find out if you’re eligible for a private prescription. You can just go to one of the registered online pharmacies such as ASDA/Boots/Superdrug/Curate Health, complete their online assessment/health questionnaire and upload the required criteria photographs.
This information is then assessed by a pharmacist who will determine whether the medication is suitable for you or not. If it is, you can order it via the website of said pharmacy and it will be delivered to you at home. You’ll find out pretty early on during the assessment if you aren’t eligible as they ask you for your current weight and height. If you’re not within the acceptable range, the assessment stops there and they tell you they can’t prescribe to you.

I am three and half stone in on Mounjaro. I started in August so six month in a few weeks. I would/have never been able to lose weight before. It's literally a life saver for me, I am on the last month I want 4 stone off and feel so much better in general for it. I think you are being a tad unrealistic, it's bloody hard work even with help. I will never put this weight back on I've had a life lesson boot me in the arse so if I need to stay on mj forever I will.
But it's a life change with food. What's the rush, doing it sensibly u have better chance of it staying off.

You can buy weight loss injections online (you'd have to lie about your starting weight). Not suggesting you should, but you can.

I'm not sure it's the solution the OP wants though. Despite having a strict timeframe to get it off, I was under the impression they wanted this to be more permanent.

There's still so much we do't know about weight loss injections, but we do know when you stop taking them, like any diet plan, the weight typically piles back on.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2812936

You can buy them privately if you want.

I wouldn't do it. The risks for people who are not morbidly obese are unknown.