To share some weight loss tips?

[Jumell]

Losing weight is very hard and I want to give support to ANYONE who’s embarking on it - whether it’s by calorie deficit/exercise alone or by getting medical help.

Last year I lost 3 and a half stone between January and May by keeping my calorie intake each day at 1200 or less, doing cardio/weights at least 3 times a week and drinking more water (up to max of 2 litres a day).

I was very determined to do it. These are some tips :

1. its very important you keep your weighing day ‘sacred’ e.g it’s fine to overindulge as a treat on weight loss day and even eat 4000 Cals , for instance on that day - but you MUST make the calorie deficit up by the same day next week eg if Monday is weigh in day

2.its important to keep exercising if you don’t feel like it - youll feel better next day

1. have non food related treats to hand eg magazines (not THOSE ones) 🤣, new 2025 calendars. TV programmes etc
2. Diarise your weight weekly
3. if you feel a bit down one day and are finding it hard going - have something nice - I did this last January - nice latte in a coffee shop and it actually helped me stick to it

sorry my paragraphing is all over the place but you get the gist !!

Quite agree.
Also it's now widely understood that our weight fluctuates daily and loss is not linear. So weighing on the same day every week could show a gain, when it's just fluid. More regular weighing and tracking the overall trajectory is best. Or just once a month!

@SharpOpalNewt thinking about the calories you eat over a week or a month is far better than thinking one day of over eating is a disaster. But going from what is essentially a binge to a near fast, and the idea of having a fixed weekly amount that has to be met no matter what, is very much a path to disordered eating.

Is anyone else like me and just never calorie counts or weighs themselves when trying to lose? Am i just weird?

🤣

The biggest things for me are:

*Sleep - probably the best thing you can do for weight loss.

Going to bed early with a book means you’re not eating and a good night sleep burns calories, stores less calories the next day and it’s easier to eat healthier/not snack.

*Being social/active - if you are busy seeing friends and doing things, then you’re not eating out of habit/boredom and if you can include exercise like going for walks, then even better.
Just doing things will reduce food noise and keep your mind focused on other things.

*eating large portions of low calorie foods - I used to eat minuscule amounts and get so fed up of not losing weight and feeling hungry all of time, which would then make me fall off the wagon.

I now make sure my plate is half veg and so it feels like I’m eating a lot, even though my calories are still quite low.
I will also eat things like sugar free jelly.

Your brain only knows whether you’re eating or not and whether you are full.
If you only eat small amounts, it’s going to keep craving food but if you’re eating decent meals then you will be more satisfied.
As a PP said, it’s getting out of that diet mindset.

As another PP said, I always let myself have chocolate etc too like kitkats and just include these in my calories.
If I have no chocolate then I’m going to crave it even more and end up falling off the wagon completely.

I found just eating normally but making healthier choices while doing my multigym 3 times a week worked (in my 30s) i also lost the stone my body clung to after having my son when I stopped breastfeeding him (aged 4!)

Why do I think this poster will end up with a code for injections to share?

Just saying.

Other things I do -

1. I batch cook heaps at a time so my freezer is full of 'clean' meals.
2. All my meals are about 80per cent veggie.
3. I drink a lot of fruit and veg smoothies
4. My batch cook meals are put in a small lunch box size. ( I have no off switch so portion control is big issue for me)
5. I dont have anything in the house that isnt 'clean'. (I live alone).

Im hugely impulsive (adhd) so Im like a toddler where I go from not hungry at all to absolutely ravenous in 20 mins! lol. I will literally be cooking and stuffing myself with other stuff if it was there, so I dont have it available.

When I didnt do all this, I was BMI 27, I lived off crisps cos Im obsessed with them, and I got high cholesterol and low folate and B12 and was really sick. Ive healed myself by eating this way,

Only thing that has worked for me in peri menopause is fasting to lose weight. I eat breakfast, I eat lunch then nothing more. During the evening I might have a glass or two of wine / alcohol or at worse a slice of ham if I have been really busy in the day but that's it. Only thing that has managed my weight.

It is complicated and our bodies are very different.
I would rather drastically cut what I'm eating than doing any sort of forced exercise. Absolutely not for me.
Just an example.

No way. I’ve NEVER been down the artificial route and NEVER will

But I’d never judge those who do, this battle it HARD.

Welcome to my life ! 🤣🙌

Do you have any recommendations for batch cooking please?

I want to start doing this but don’t know where to start.

A lot of the ones I have seen through googling are all high calorie ones.

Well i'm losing weight by skipping breakfast, having a cup of boiling hot bovril for lunch, a handful of peanuts at about half past 2 and a small version of what everyone else is having for tea! And avoiding bread. And not nibbling in the evening.

God knows how many calories it is and god knows why it's working (ie: i'm not hungry) but working it is, so i'll carry on! I dare not get on the scales because i've had an eating disorder in the past triggered by daily weighing. I just know my clothes all feel too big lately and i've had some nice compliments 🙂

There are a lot of naysayers here. If it's working long term for you OP then well done and back on the wagon for January. We all need to worry about what works for us not poo poing what everyone else is doing.

I don't do exercise to lose weight, but to be fit and have good muscle tone.

It doesn't mean you have to go to the gym, I enjoy it but a lot of people don't. But everyone needs to be as active as possible, taking into account health, injuries and disability of course.

OP simply spelt out what worked for her. Can't believe the pile on to her for starting a thread of ideas.

@Laiste if I posted on here that I lost weight by eating ice cubes and cotton wool to deal with hunger would you still say that other people shouldn't criticise?
Given the OP mentioned they lost that weight in a 5 month period and have since regained weight (albeit not said what proportion) it sounds like a typical yo yo diet trend, not something that works for long term weight loss, or for general health.

Someone on this thread has said they don't.

Loads of people diet in different ways, fasting, low carbing, injections etc etc so there will be loads who don't calorie count and go by how clothes feel.

Well done I’m pleased for you.

Sounds like it’s working well for you 💪🙌

I'd love to be able to lose weight that way, because it's the constant counting and monitoring that always leads to a feeling of deprivation and then a "oh, sod it" moment when I reach for the Pringles. I've tried not weighing myself and while I love the mental freedom that comes with that, I always gain weight.

How do you do manage it?

Well I can tell you what I did but that was based on my specific health needs and tastes so it might not help. My bloods showed I had super low folate and B12, and really high cholesterol so I had to eat low saturated fat, and lots and lots of green veggies. So I researched mediterranean and clean diet and kind of made up my own diet for me. It worked in 3 months - bloods normal and Im back to a BMI of 21.

So I buy chicken thighs, fish pieces (hake, placie, cod, salmon), steak, mushrooms, peas, spring greens, carrots, courgette, aubergine, spinach, cherry toms, sweetcorn, heaps of sweet pots, red lentil pasta, lasagne sheets. Benecol butter, skimmed milk.
I buy reduced fat shredded cheese, low fat feta, low fat mozerrella, 0% greek yoghurt, reduced fat creme fraiche, stock, flour. And heaps and heaps of spices and sauces. I go through sooo much mustard, and garlic now its crazy.

Out of this I make;
Chicken and mush pies
Steak and mushroom pies
Chicken pot pies (loads of green veg)
steak pot pies
fish pies
feta and veggie pasta bakes.
Veggie lasagnes.

The pies have a mix of sweet potato topping, or homemade pastry. I dont buy normal pots.
I do a 70/30 ratio for veg/meat.

The other bonus is my food bill has massively reduced.
Honestly Im a super shit cook, but I find these very easy to make.

Only read OP but:

Nooooo! No no no no no!

You should never be advising anyone to take their calories as low or lower than 1200 unless they're a fucking toddler! Terrible advice!

1200 is very low. I lost 4 stone in 6 months on 1700 calories and very minimal exercise due to some mobility issues. I’m 5’9” though. My tips are water, water, water, if you want to snack go and do something else like clean a cupboard, go for a walk etc, order your shopping online as you don’t tend to grab impulse stuff. Meals should be protein and veg based and although carbs aren’t the devil they do hold water.

Clean eating from scratch mostly. And not having anything that isnt in the house. I can do that though cos I live alone. I also only eat 12-6, dont drink anymore, and walk 10k a day. I also do about 70/30 veg/meat.

Im in menopause and have heard weight loss has to be approached completely differently in this period. If it stopped working weight loss wise I would probably just accept that I was a bigger size now. Cos at least now Im healthy (bloods are good now).

I've skim read a few posts.

Yes, the OP is saying what worked for her.

Of course being on 1200 calories a day will work!!! Because it's sod all that's why!

It's also unsustainable, will fuck up your metabolism and you'll lose muscle by not eating.

Doing weight training and eating in a slight deficit (only need to be 200-300 calories in a deficit so around 1600-1800 would do for most) and eat whole foods would be better!