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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

If you had to lose a stone how would you go about it?

194 replies

Graee · 27/06/2026 16:59

Have a stone I would like to lose. In no particular rush but it just has me feeling gross. I haven’t been on a diet in ages. So much contradictory info. Some say fast - others say this stresses the body. Same with walking but a friend said don’t bother the calories lost is not worth it.

id love any advice as i really dont know which path is best

OP posts:
Hpsa · 27/06/2026 17:00

Watching!

Pumpup · 27/06/2026 17:00

Following

darkmoor · 27/06/2026 17:03

Counting calories sadly. All of them! Keep a record - very slow and disheartening otherwise.

Focus more on having proteins like eggs and chicken as keep hunger away longer.

AccidentallyOnTrend · 27/06/2026 17:03

I think I’d low carb and interval fast as it’s the only way I know how to lose without abject misery.

darksideofthetoon · 27/06/2026 17:04

Depends what your baseline is. If you’re 10 stone overweight then 1 stone can easily be achieved by some calorie restriction and a bit of activity. Could be as simple as cutting out a daily sugary coffee for some.

But if you’re in very good shape and looking to lean down to bikini show shape then that’s a different matter and requires a different approach.

ItsOnlyHobnobs · 27/06/2026 17:04

Firstly, when you say you’d like to lose a stone, do you know your current BMI? Going from a bmi of 27+ will be more straightforward than a bmi of 21 to lose a stone.

The main thing is something that you are actually able to stick to and be consistent with. That looks different for everyone. For me it’s low carb/fasting combo. The low carb is key as carbs trigger binges and hunger for me, that lead to consuming more calories than needed.

Drink 2/3 litres of water a day consistently. Don’t waste your calories on drinks.

Iloveeverycat · 27/06/2026 17:04

To do that all I need to do is cut out sugar, switch to skimmed milk, just eat 3 meals a day. No snacks, choc, crisps or biscuits in between or in the evening. No calorie counting. No exercise. I can loose a 1 - 2 lb a week.

CurdinHenry · 27/06/2026 17:05

I eat a tonne and stay slim because I exercise a lot. So I'd say exercise more if you can.

Dizzydrizzy · 27/06/2026 17:06

Mounjaro. I would just Lie like all the others.

Judging · 27/06/2026 17:06

800 keto, 18:6 fasting. I’d lose a stone easily.

5128gap · 27/06/2026 17:07

Old style calories in, calories out, slow and steady. Never fails me.
I'd use a calorie calculator to work out how many calories I needed, then reduce this by 250 a day. I'd increase my step count and walking pace to burn off an additional 250 calories a day.
The 500 calorie deficit would lead to a 1lb a week loss, so 14 weeks to shed a stone.

ElfAndSafetyBored · 27/06/2026 17:08

Cut down on sugary things and move more.

Drink less alcohol.

Prepare food from scratch or at least avoid oily or creamy sauces.

Eat more vegetables. And fruit

Reduce take away.

Move more if you can, walking is effective.

If you do that you can still eat pasta, potato, rice etc and lose weight.

teacoffeeorpassthegin · 27/06/2026 17:08

Ok so this is me- I’m 5’7 and was 10 stone 6 which may not sound a lot but for my frame just made me look big- this is the heaviest I had ever been (wasn’t as heavy when pregnant!)

I found week one easy and lost 4lb quickly (water I think) by calorie counting and not eating until lunch time.

i then got stuck at 10 stone 1 for weeks so now I eat 3 meals a day but again track.

I make sure I have enough protein too- breakfast is home made sourdough with a tin of sardines in water and 50g cottage cheese - a tomato on the side. I air fry the sardines

That works out around 360 calories and has 33g protein which keeps me full.

boiled eggs and baby bel as a snack if required then filling salads for lunch around 500 calories.

I'm now 9 stone 12 so getting there

ElfAndSafetyBored · 27/06/2026 17:10

And don’t look in it as a diet. Diets come to an end and often the weight creeps back on.

You need to start rating healthy and to change your habits for good. That’s the hard bit.

BlueMum16 · 27/06/2026 17:11

darkmoor · 27/06/2026 17:03

Counting calories sadly. All of them! Keep a record - very slow and disheartening otherwise.

Focus more on having proteins like eggs and chicken as keep hunger away longer.

This is what I'd do/have done.

Very little carbs and the ones you have have a small amount - 100g of skin on potato/brown rice or brown pasta

I also have full fat so less sugar - carbs/sugar cause craving. Takes a few days/up to week to get used to none.

Cut alcohol. Cut snacks/treats.

I follow a NHS eating plan my GP provided. It's for prediabetes/weight loss.

RaraRachael · 27/06/2026 17:13

Walking is a waste of time and effort.

ThreeDaysinJune · 27/06/2026 17:17

Dizzydrizzy · 27/06/2026 17:06

Mounjaro. I would just Lie like all the others.

Yep!

ARingtoit · 27/06/2026 17:18

A stone is nothing and what does weight really mean? My advice would be to ADD not take away. If you calories restrict your body will then try to conserve energy as we are evolved to survive scarcity.

Have a small salad or bowl of veg before you eat meals this stops a blood sugar spike. Aim to eat veg and protein before eating the carby component of the meal to also lessen the spike. Try looking into gut health like aiming to eat three probiotic foods a day (eg kimchi, cheese, yog, keffir). Adding things in will make you healthier and you'll notice a decrease in cravings for less nutritious food.

Listen to the Zoe podcast, read an Dr Andrew Jenkinson book, or get the Glucose Goddess cookbook or follow her on Instagram. Everything we understand about weight loss was pretty much wrong and even the NHS is only just catching up now! Have fun learning and improving your overall health.

BitterTits · 27/06/2026 17:19

I've never had the willpower to stick to an eating plan, but I'm approaching menopause, quite overweight and recently I've had a very dry mouth and somewhat high blood sugar. The possibility of type 2 diabetes scared me enough to actually do something.

I've been logging calories religiously on Nutracheck, doing 16:8 fasting (more because it gives me a definite switch off point so I'm not constantly thinking about food) and going for a brisk walk each evening. I have about 1550 calories per day and do around 13000 steps. I've also cut out alcohol because I was drinking too much really and it's just a waste of money.

The consistency has been a revelation. I've lost 8.5lb so far in just under three weeks. I eat mostly healthily but have a bit of a treat each day and some chocolate at the weekend.

I'm so pleased that I haven't needed to resort to the expense of injections (yet).

I do have a GP appointment booked to establish the cause of the dry mouth.

Pansykavalier · 27/06/2026 17:23

Work out TDEE and deduct at least 500 calories a day
Look to The Fast 800 for low-calory meal examples
Intermittent fasting - 2 meals + 1 healthy snack a day
Cut out UPF, sugar, alcohol
Also no refined carbs - in fact virtually no carbs other than what's in fruit and veg, plus tiny portions of legumes
Focus on protein and vegetables/fibre
Plus strength based exercise regimen using dumbbells, with some HIIT

5128gap · 27/06/2026 17:24

RaraRachael · 27/06/2026 17:13

Walking is a waste of time and effort.

Walking at pace and particularly including inclines is the best excercise you can do for all round healthband of course it contributes to weight loss. OK, if you're going to plod along slowly for ten minutes, it won't show on the scales, but if you start there and increase pace and distance it absolutely does.

dailychallenge · 27/06/2026 17:26

Dizzydrizzy · 27/06/2026 17:06

Mounjaro. I would just Lie like all the others.

How do you lie? I thought it was by online appointments etc?

OP, calorie counting but if you’ve not a lot to shift, it can be really hard

15minutesaday · 27/06/2026 17:26

RaraRachael · 27/06/2026 17:13

Walking is a waste of time and effort.

I beg to differ. Most of my calorie burn is from walking - approx 300-400 a day from an hour to 2 hours brisk walking (or slower walking with hills).

Plus, in this heat, you burn more calories just because your body is constantly working harder trying to cool down.

Thereshegoesagain · 27/06/2026 17:27

Count calories (use James Smith Academy for calories calculator)
Use my fitness pal and count EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth.
Don't eat calories gained by exercise.
Don't eat calories 'left over' from a previous day.
Drink tonnes of water.
Weigh yourself everyday and record it on a weight tracker, the downwards graph will give you motivation until your clothes start to feel looser.
Eat smartly, you'll soon learn 2 bits of bread for a sandwich is A LOT of calories and that 5grams of butter is a tiny amount and yet has loads of calories.
If you have a bad day, don't give up, start again tomorrow.
Exercise if you can, at the very least 10,000 steps a day.
You can do this.

Girlintheframe · 27/06/2026 17:28

I would say calorie counting. I use nutra check. The only way to loose weight is to be in a calorie deficit and the only way to do that without cutting out whole food groups like carbs is to count calories.
Once you get the hang of it it’s pretty simple and it really educates you on which foods are calorie dense and which aren’t.

You don’t have to do it forever but it’s the only way to truly know how much your consuming.