Lost 5 stone last year, gained back two - starting fresh today! Anyone want to join?

[zeromango]

I lost 5 stone last year through calorie counting and 16:8 (eating in an 8 hour window). I went from 16st 9lbs to 11st 5. Unfortunately the back end of last year was very stressful and adding Christmas to the mix I'm now 13st 5lbs

Does anybody want to join me in calorie counting? I'm aiming for 1,200 cals a day, plenty of walking and a treat day every Tuesday (I ate a large dominoes each week which kept me on track and didn't hinder my loss at all)

Morning check in to keep me honest and focused:
Day 18
SW:151
CW:141.75
GW:132
0.5lb down
9.25lbs in 18 days.
Onwards and inwards

Following for tips, I want up lose a couple of stone to get back to 9 stone. Totally busted it yesterday with a reward KFC for DS12's good parents Eve reports. Back on track today. I'm useless at following a diet but trying to follow these:
Walk 10k steps a day
Smaller plates and no seconds (I've started serving the plates already loaded)
Wine only at weekends
Treats only at weekends
Skip breakfast, so nothing between supper at 6 and lunch at 12 (I know that's not really a fast but it has to fit in with the children's school day)
Putting things away as I see them rather than having a little death-trap of a pile on the stairs - more steps!

Ha my rollercoaster weight loss journey continues. I was up .1 lb to 163.5. I’m not even putting it in my fitness pal so apologies if my weight losses don’t add up moving forwards, I just want a nice gentle downward curve.

So 2.5lbs in 8 days is still good.

I have been finding dieting easy but I’ve woken up with a headache and I am sick of homeschooling. Dc are being difficult today. Luckily there is no unhealthy food in the house.

Welcome always latte I’m about 11 1/2 wanting to get to 9 so we’re on a similar journey. I’m on 1200 cals a day, no alcohol, treats or exercise. I’m very all or nothing at the beginning of a diet as if I indulge once it’s hard to stop. Once I fit into a size down I’ll maybe relax a bit. I’m currently about size 12 but my favourite clothes are size 8 so that’s really my aim.

Hi All

Please can I join you

My starting weight was 11st 6lbs, currently at 11st 3lbs. About 2 weeks in.

I'm using MFP and its set at 1370 calories a day. I'm getting better at hitting the target than I was

My main challenges at the moment are hunger pains and weighing myself everyday. I need to kick the habit as the fluctuations always make me feel a bit crap. Why does it fluctuate? it can go up or down by 2lbs. Does this even out at you get more into the weight loss?

Forgot to add, target weight is 9 st 6lbs ( I'm 5' 3")

Hi welcome bootsie. I try - and fail - to not weigh myself because of that reason of going up. I think it’s caused by lots of things - water retention caused by salty or carbs foods, eating late, being constipated. I think the first couple of weeks loss is mainly water anyway it takes a couple of weeks to start burning fat.

Anyway despite not trying to weigh myself I did and I lost 1/2lb

SW: 11 st 12
Day 9
Now 11 st 8.9
Target 8st 10

So 3.1lbs in 9 days which I know is great progress but it feels so slow. My fitness pal says it’s going to take 5 weeks to get to 11 stone. I just want to be able to fit into some of my nice dresses at Easter which I think is first week of April so ten weeks to be a size 10.

Day 19
SW:151
CW:141.75
GW:132
No change
9.25lbs in 19 days.
Welcome @BootsieBarnes We have exactly the same goal weight but you are an inch taller than me. I weigh every day too as if I don't I tend to allow myself treats 'just for today' and then skip the weigh in and before I know it I have gone off plan.
Gosh @stealthninjamum I do hope you are wrong. If the weight I have lost so far is water weight I must have had a higher percentage than a snow globe! According to my scales - which vary on percentages a bit from day to day - there is a downward trend of just over 2% so far.
Clothes I have worn so far feel looser but I haven't tried the dresses yet - 1st Feb for our Zoom meeting I will be wearing one 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
Onwards and inwards.

@132orbust I find dieting sites quite confusing, not being a scientist, but I think you can still be ‘thinner’ even with a water weight loss but obviously you really want to start burning fat which I’m sure you’re doing.

It’s great that you have a 1st Feb target. I think dieting is easier if you have a wedding or event to go to. I am planning on dressing up over Easter even if we’re just sitting in the garden because I bought two lovely half price dresses from boden and I am desperate to wear them.

I will join. Yes to weigh myself this am but need to lose a couple of stones I think.

@BootsieBarnes I'm more or less your weight and target weight. Just need to get going on this.

The downward trend of 2% on the scales is fat percentage not water as I realise that was not clear from my post.
Anyway I will not be discouraged and I will keep going as I feel it is working for me.
Welcome @lovelemoncurd - that is three of us with the same target weight. How tall are you?

Sorry I’m not trying to discourage you, i was trying to explain my minimal knowledge of why we sometimes put a little weight on ie it’s water. Sorry you don’t need someone on a supportive thread to discourage you, you are doing an amazing job.

@132orbust 5 foot 4. I've just weighed myself 11 stone 4.4!

Hi, also using MyFitnessPal to calorie count after gaining a stone since October! I was originally 14 stone 10 at my heaviest many years back and got down to 11 stone and kept it off for the most part but now I seem to go up to 12 and a half constantly. It’s very annoying and comes down to complete lack of control with food - as I exercise hard and regularly!

So I started last Wednesday and have been listening to a stop food cravings subliminal on YouTube, which even if a placebo seems to be working? I’m finding it fine keeping to calories at the moment but I’m worried about how long for so will read what you guys are doing to keep inspired!

@lovelemoncurd Oh then we are all in a line and you are the tallest - 5'4", 5' 3" and 5' 2". Those first few pounds will fly off now.
Just back from my walk and talk "with" my friend ( who is many miles away) we do this at least once a week and it keeps us going longer than when we walk alone.
Don't worry about it**@stealthninjamum** I have put in too much effort at this stage to give up and I feel it working so I will keep going.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Good to be on the same path as others @132orbust and @lovelemoncurd

I suspect this is going to be a slow burn for me so 1lb a week weightloss is probably where I should be aiming for. I'm going to make a conscious effort to stay off the scales. Can appreciate it keeps people on the straight and narrow but for me it just makes me feel disappointed. I think I've shed water retention weight as I definitely feel less bloated. it's on to the hard fat burn slog now.

I've given my diet a serious overhaul and I'm definitely feeling the better for it. My skin is much better and I don't get any acid indigestion now. I eat far more fruit and veg, nuts, rye bread than I ever have before!

Trying to focus on health benefit as well as weightloss. Anyone else looking at it this way?

Just weighed in this morning, Saturday is going to be weigh in day and have lost a pound - whoop whoop!

Currently at 11st 2lbs

How is everyone doing? Never thought I'd be so happy with 1 lb

Great start the day @BootsieBarnes I think a lb is a lot.
Day 20
SW:151
CW:141.75
GW:132
No change - it was always going to happen
9.25lbs in 20 days
Having an Indian takeaway tonight so soup for lunch.
Onwards and still in the same place but hoping for inwards

@132orbust 9lbs in 20 days is brilliant, you are doing great!

I'm having a cheeky Chinese tonight so with you on the takeaway I'm thinking that I'll take Saturdays off and have a treat so I don't feel like I'm missing out and it gets boring.

We have got this ladies. Onwards and downwards or inwards but not upwards we go

bootsie every lb is fantastic.

Well I shouldn’t have weighed myself this morning as I put on 1/2 lb for no reason. Once again I’m not logging it on mfp. I am going to try to not weigh myself until Monday. Maybe Monday will be my weigh in day.

Takeaways sound lovely, I’m tempted to go for a Nando’s or wagamamas as they’re relatively low cal.

Forgot to say I’m 5ft 4 and about 11 1/2 so I think we’re all similar.

what's your target weight @stealthninjamum?

Hi bootsiebarns my target weight is either late 8s or early 9s. This means a waist of about 30 inches. Having said that I’m menopausal so I don’t know if that makes a difference and also desperate to go back to the gym. I was going four times a week but I can’t motivate myself to exercise at home.

I would love to be late 8s! I'm perimenopausal and have found it makes such a difference to weight gain/loss. My goal is to get to 9.7 and see how I feel from there. I'm hoping that the weight coming off will help me get fitter and maybe give me enough push to get to my dream weight (8.10).

I'm looking to switch to weight training when I can get back into the gym. I've read its much better than CV when you're entering menopause. Used to be an insanity/running type pre kids!

I'm wonder what sustaining that dream weight would be like at this age (45)? life of denial and constant calorie counting or easy with the right balance of fitness training.

But first I've got to shift this 2 stone and then think about maintaining.

I think you’re right to aim for 9st 7 and see what happens. I know that when I was in the 8s I felt fantastic but didn’t manage to maintain it for long. I got slightly obsessed before with measuring my body fat at the gym and even when I had a lowish bmi (think it was 21 but can’t remember exactly) my body fat was still something high like 33% ie at the upper range of where it should be to be healthy.

I have never liked cv exercise as I’ve just never found a comfortable and supportive bra. Shock absorbers were supportive but felt very restrictive and my current gym bra isn a rigby and peller one which is comfy but not as supportive so I tend to do fast hill walking on the treadmill as my cv at the gym.

I think being older (47) makes me more motivated to keep this up, as I said before I was going to the gym loads. My husband left and I started to notice aches and pains and I just can’t afford to get a bad back or be ill as I still need to do the school run and 95% of childcare so while emotionally 8 st 10 would make me happy I probably should also be doing yoga or Pilates to make me strong and flexible so muscles gained would also weigh more. I did read that it’s hard for menopausal women to muscle build because our testosterone levels are decreasing but I was really proud, before lockdown, to have visible biceps for the first time in my life. Now they look like jelly! Unfortunately so does the rest of me - but I used to be 13st 9 so I am still generally happy with my body.