Does anyone want to lose weight as a snail's pace?

[ginandchocs]

I'd say most people want to lose weight quickly. I certainly do. But it just doesn't work. Or, it does initially, but then it all goes back on and some.

I've decided to try a different method. I'm aiming to lose weight slowly. Maybe a couple of pounds a month. If I achieved that, I would lose almost 2 stones in a year but in a way that would be sustainable.

I'm going to do this using myfitnesspal. I'm setting my calorie goal for the week to be relatively near to what I usually burn without exercise (obviously a little lower otherwise I wouldn't lose anything!). I'm splitting the calories unevenly throughout the week though as I always tend to eat that bit more at the weekend (I end up falling off the wagon and giving up another diet - hopefully by having a greater calorie allowance would allow for this). Any exercise I do would then increase the weight loss (by a tiny amount) and would obviously make me healthier. I will not eat the extra calories.

The calories I've allotted myself may need to be tweaked if they're too high and I'm not losing at all. Time will tell. This may be a bit mad, but if it works then great. I would have to eat around this amount of calories to maintain my weight if I had lost anyway so I'm hoping this brings with it lifelong good habits.

My calories will be:
Monday to Thursday - 1675
Friday - 2000
Saturday and Sunday - 2250

Some days I may be over, others under. I'm not going to eat for the sake of it nor will I say no to something because I don't have the calories left for it. However, I want my weekly calories to be 13,200 or less. As I said, though, these calories may change if the numbers aren't right. It's a bit trial and error.

Anyone else fancy a slow weight loss journey that will hopefully create new habits, and allow me to maintain forever more?

Monday has been a good food day!! No idea of calories, but today I have had:
B: 1 slice seeded toast and 2 poached eggs. Sparkling water.
L: cajun salmon fillet with half a tin of green lentils and a salad. Nectarine. Sparkling water.
S: a small square of birthday cake (we finally finished it off!)
D: pasta with a homemade tomato and lamb sauce (used leftover lamb from yesterday). 2 slices garlic bread. Tap water.
S: fresh pineapple and 2 squares of dark chocolate (cranberry and almond or something similar, was yum!).

I'm pretty sure that will have been a good calorie day, I may add it up now to make sure I'm on the right track!

Tomorrow's not going to be as good. We're having a picnic lunch and then I've promised to take the boys to McDonalds for dinner (after school shoe shopping!). It'll be their first time there since the start of lockdown so they're quite excited 😂 If they are on the menu, I think I'll go for chicken selects (I think that's what they're called). I only discovered them just before lockdown and quite enjoyed them!!).

Tomorrow’s plan is the same as today but without eating the extra chocolate and ice-cream I scoffed.
B: Roasted plums (200) with vanilla ice-cream (250)
L: Roast Veg/Beans/grains (300) Veg kofta curry (300) salad (50) chutney (100)
S: 350 cals of chocolate/ice-cream/whatever

@lmfaoo

Sorry, I got distracted earlier and posted too soon. How much more are you planning to lose?

I went a bit over today but managed a workout this am.

Breakfast: cake from a cafe with my mum. Estimated 600 calories to be safe

Lunch: homemade smoothie with coconut milk, protein yoghurt, blueberries and raspberries - 170 calories

Dinner: Sweet potato fries and halloumi and a small piece of garlic flatbread 800

I’m guessing I’m around 1,600 calories but it was hard to be sure today. My watch thinks I burned around 2,600 so that should be a safe amount.

Forgot to add I’ll try and get more veg tomorrow as today was appalling

Plan for tomorrow

B - granola, raspberries
L - beans on toast with 25g cheese
T - gousto spanish chicken rice

Comes in at 1378 which leaves room for a yoghurt or banana. Might swap tea out, I need to check use by dates!

Yesterday was a good day, I didn't have time to weigh everything and track the calories but I know roughly what I can eat to be within my calories so I might just stick to that for this week and see how it goes. I did an hour of lower body and a late night walk to get my steps up to 15k.

So far today I've had my usual breakfast of two poached eggs on whole meal toast. Lunch will be either a bagel thin or some soup. And I'll have some fruit and popcorn to go with it. Tea will be vegetable curry with cauliflower rice. That will leave room for my night time cup of tea and snacks!

@PigglyWigglyWoo I think another 7 - 10 lbs but not really sure! Just see how I go I think!

Today has been good so far

Porridge for breakfast and Spanish omelette with green veg for lunch. Got my 10,000 steps in already which is good as I'm staying in this afternoon, way to hot for me outside!!

Pretty sure I woke up every 30 mins last night! I had the fan on full blast but I flat is like a furnace it's horrific!

Too warm for the meal I had planned so I swapped it out for the gousto chicken wraps. They were gorgeous! I'm saving the rest for lunch tomorrow

Came in at 1161 but I had a brownie, calories unknown. Should be ok as I am aiming for 1500-1700 a day and I can't see it being more than 600!

Bad day. I ate everything I’d planned then loads of ice-cream. Came in at 1800-1900 calories.

I’ve ordered some ice-lollies in my next shop as a lower calorie alternative.

Plan for Wednesday:
B: Blueberries 200 vanilla ice cream 250
L: veg/bean/grain mix 300 carrot pilaff 200 chutney 100
S: Jaffa cakes 100 almonds 350

@Egghead68 good plan with the lollies!

Some low cal stuff I like

Oreo/dairy milk ice cream sandwich - about 99 cal
GUUD raspberry Greek yoghurt ice lolly - 90 cal
Sugar free jelly with raspberries, mini meringues and low fat squirty cream - you can make a huge bowl so great for volume
Babybel light
Fibre one bars

@QueenCT those chicken wraps look gorgeous!

I had a great weekend at a family occasion. For the first time in months I ate & drank what I liked and enjoyed every moment with people I haven't seen in person for months.

Back on the wagon for the week now.

Today's food has been:
B: porridge with raisins, grapes, flaxseed & honey
S: Apple & cereal bar
L: mini avocado & crackers. Strawberries
D: Salmon with ratatouille & cauliflower rice
S: snax crisps

I am also a huge fan of ice pops - current fave is Rowntree Watermelon. I have also ordered the strawberry version to try

Today has gone well. I've eaten out and had a picnic so am probably over on calories, but I remained completely in control and didn't use a day out as a chance to snack on anything and everything. I had:
B: 2 poached eggs on seeded toast. Sparkling water.
L: picnic (1 ham roll, 1 packet crisps, strawberries, a few jelly babies and a few party rings). Water
S: 4 small Lindt balls (they were mango and passion fruit ones, not the usual Lindt size). Tango.
D: McDonalds (3 chicken selects, medium fries, some sweet chilli dip, diet coke and about half a McFlurry).

I am really pleased that I didn't go down my usual route of eating anything and everything in site as I was out and about.

Excellent tips thanks @QueenCT. Adding to my shopping list now. I like the watermelon lollies too @Ottiva.

Now I want mango and passion fruit Lindt balls!

Mango and passion fruit Lindt balls sound amazing! I'm off to google them straight after this!

Yesterday went well and on plan, though I think being off plan for the best part of two weeks is catching up on me as I felt really hungry last night after I'd ate all my food. Or it could just be that I'm more hungry after going back to work and just generally being pretty active lately. No workout last night as I was working until 6 then had to get the kids organised for school today. I did get 11k steps in though. TOTM this week (actually just realised that might be contributing to my hunger) so my weights up a bit and I'm quite bloated!

Today's plan

B - banana, 50g egg mayo on 2 corn thins
L - leftover chicken wraps
T - beans on toast

Snack - yoghurt, baked crisps

Total 1545 cals

@QueenCT those wraps looks amazing!
@ginandchocs that sounds really good for an eating out day! I really struggle with picnics as there's always so much delicious food on offer!

I've tried the mango and passion fruit lint balls before and they are not my cup of tea AT ALL I'm a slave to the lint chocolate truffles though! They're so good I can't have them in the house 😂

Yesterday was good I think 12,500 steps but no work out as it was just too hot for that!! I will try tonight but not going to push myself as this weather just kills me off

I forgot to put my muller light yoghurt in the fridge at work today so I put it in the freezer for 45 mins before eating it and when I took it out it was semi frozen it tasted sooooo good almost like mr whippey ice cream I might do it every day now!

Sorry for the Lindt temptation 🙈 though that price on Amazon is just insane! Thankfully I didn't pay anything like that!

Today's been another good day. I've had:
B: poached eggs on toast and sparkling water.
L: salmon, baby potatoes and green lentil salad. Sparkling water.
S: ice lolly (definitely needed today!)
D: sausage casserole with sourdough bread. Water
S: a few more of the Lindt mini balls and 2 Ryvita thins with Philadelphia.

I popped this into myfitnesspal at the end of the day to see how I was getting on and the calories were pretty spot on for where I want them to be. Hopefully it will means a little weigh loss!

I’d forgotten how nice semi-frozen yoghurts are.

Your menu sounds delicious and very healthy @ginandchocs.

Plan for tomorrow:
B: plums, melon, mango, blueberries (250) with either a pancake and syrup (?250) or yoghurt and pistachios 250)
L: Mushroom pasta (300), roast veg (200)
S: more fruit, more pistachios, Jaffa cakes (up to 400)

Fallen off the wagon due to TOTM. I probably stayed within calories but ate mostly crap already had a Bengal and two biscuits today so really not feeling great but did fit in a workout this am.

Bagel Bengal would be a must bigger issue whether the place or the cat

*much ARGHH I wish there was an edit button