I have 7 stone to lose. Is 1200 doable?

[fresherprincess]

So. I have PCOS, love to cook, have a sedentary lifestyle, am lazy, and enjoy wine.

I've gone from being 9 stone in 2010 to 16 stone now. SIXTEEN STONE. I'm literally double the weight of my same height 18 year old (5'4")

I've looked into injections but I'm a bit anxious about putting it all on again afterwards so I thought I'd try good old calorie counting. It's free and always worked in the past. MFP suggested 1200 calories and I've just done the first day and it's so little food!!!

I had a slice of toast and marmite, poached egg on toast, and chicken and mash and green veg for dinner. Many cups of tea at 20 calories each. I've got 89 calories left for an apple as a treat.

I haven't planned or shopped for this as I basically weighed myself accidentally today after being in denial for ages so I'm having to make do, but it's just hardly any food.

Does it get easier?

MFP is known for providing ridiculously calories.

ive always worked out my BMR using a TDEE calculator, my maintenance is 2300 so eating 2000 a day I could lose a lb a week.

As someone else mentioned team RH are great if you’re willing to trust the calories given.

1200 is not sustainable long term you will gain it all back or not lose because you binge one day a week where you eat everything in site.

If you enjoy food and cooking, look at doing something like Slimming World. My brother was 21 stone and lost 5 stone in about 6 months but it was combined with an hour’s walking every day. He is addicted to food, so as he was able to snack, it suited him really well. It’s also sustainable long-term, which 1200 calories a day isn’t.

I've lost 3st calorie counting with the Nutracheck app. I really recommend it. My target calories is 1200, but I eat my exercise, and generally have 1500 a day, which us much more do-able. I love my good and wine too.

What's you target weight loss? Have you gone for 7st straight out, or 10% of your body weight? I think it's better to work to mini targets, so maybe lose 1st first, then reassess and set your next target.

I've adjusted my target weight a few times now. Each time, my app reduces my calorie limit a little as my overall bodyweight and energy requirement is slightly less. I'm almost there now, only 2 kg to go, and it's taken me about 8 months.

Good luck!

Thank you, I walk half hour daily then ill do an hours brisk walk 2-3 times a week. We live coastal so it's easy to do without being a chore. I've learnt exercises without demands, works for me since having children. If I commit to classes I become miserable.

Putting on the weight again afterwards is not unique to injections, 90% of people that have lost weight through dieting gain it back within a couple of years. Very, very few people manage to make a long-term change to their weight without help. That's the whole basis of the diet industry.
I don't say this to be miserable, but there is definitely an idea that if you lose weight the old-fashioned way it is somehow morally superior and will therefore work better.
With 7 stones to lose, I would use every tool in your arsenall.

I'd go 10 calories over and have a curly wurly at 97 calories.

But in all seriousness with 7 stone to loose you could have more than 1200. I find Nutracheck as an app better than MFP, I find with MFP that the calories can be wildly inaccurate as anyone can add an item, whereas with Nutracheck they manage the database.

Nutracheck would probably give you more calories to play with. 1200 can be brutal.

I think your idea of calorie counting and upping steps is more likely to be sustainable long term as long as you don’t go too low. Aim to lose a pound or so a week. Slow and steady for the win,

That's a really good loss especially when you didn't have a lot to lose. Also eating reasonable amount!

I think I'll definitely increase my allowance...

@Fizzib I took our dog for an extra walk this morning (DH usually does the dog!) Both dog and DH were a bit startled but I got 30 mins in. I hate the gym but I could incorporate a quick dog walk.
My knees hurt though. They hurt because I've let myself get stupidly fat so I'm hoping they improve once the weight comes off.

The thing is I cook from scratch. I'm a proper foodie. The kids moan sometimes that they do t get things with oven chips but I love to cook.
This is going to be my problem. I cook with butter and cream and chorizo and wine. I need to find ways of cooking fresh without the calories.
This means though that the family are joining me on this and they won't be thrilled!

@Fizzib I had already accepted and come to terms with my body quite a while back. Basically I spent over twenty years in an abusive marriage and ate my way through as a coping mechanism. I was 9.5 stones when I married and by the time it ended, I was pushing 23 stones. Some I lost naturally when the split happened, but by then my eating was out of control. I have worked very hard to regain 'me' and deal with all the shit caused by my ex, including help from Women's Aid. Then menopause hit. I was prescribed Saxenda when I was abroad, which enabled me to lose about 7-10 kg, but I did nothing about eating habits so I stopped. Last year, I realised I was ready to put the work in properly and joined a gym. Then about a couple of months ago, I felt it was time to sort out the eating.

For me, doing it bit by bit means that I don't feel overwhelmed by it. I feel strong mentally and physically. I know I can do it this time. I have and continue to put the work in and am not relying on the medication alone. I am being consistent and doing it for me.

I think 1200 is way too low and just encourages binging (which is what Team RH say - although I didn't lose much with them either!)

Have you tried Slimming World op?
I know people have their opinions on it - but I have PCOS and it's the only way I seem to be able to lose weight consistently.
I've lost 1st 3lb in 6 weeks. I have about 5st to lose ideally.

If you've got 7 stone to lose you can't be feeling so miserable in your first week, you just won't stick to it.

That is a really good point.
In my early twenties I was fat-13 stone (which was massive in the 1990s!) I lost 4 stone on weight watchers, got down to 9 stone and managed to keep it off - went back to nine even after the birth of my second.
Lockdown was my nemesis. I was bored and cooked. And drank.
And I carried on after lockdown.

Definitely too few calories. I'd have thought 1600 or so would be more sustainable. You'd have such a shit time on 1200 that you'd be far more likely to quit.

I had some weight to lose last year and I used Noom and it was fantastic. I learned a lot about food and where the calories are etc. It was particularly galling to see how little exercise matters though - it's ALL about what you eat, unless you have the fitness to go on a 10k run every day.

There's a lot of calories in wine too, sadly, but damned if I was cutting wine out completely, so I think of it as a biscuit bargain - skip that chocolate biscuit during the morning and have a small glass of wine in the evening instead.

Oh - with regard to the nice ingredients you cook with, don't stop! I also cook like that, and what I did was first work out the calories for the full batch that I was cooking, and be honest about the portion size I was serving myself, but then just skip the carb that I would normally eat with it, and have broccoli or a salad instead. So you still get your delicious buttery, winey meal, but honestly, I was shocked at how many of my calories were in the heap of egg tagliatelle, or the roast potatoes. Cut out pasta and chocolate biscuits and you could be dropping as many as 800 calories a day right there.

With Noom, and I assume other apps too, you just have to put in all the ingredients for your big dish that you are making for everyone, and it will say 2550 calories or whatever, and then you are having 1/5 of it for your dinner, so 510 calories. Which is fine for your dinner.

You can still be a foodie if you incorporate some of my suggestions. Using herbs and spices for flavour (instead of cream and butter). Maybe use EVOO instead of butter at least some of the time. Stirfrys and tray bakes instead of stews, casseroles and rich sauces. Lentils, quinoa and starchy vegetables instead of stodgy refined carbs. Your family can still have pasta and potatoes.

Just to add: I'm basically advocating for a Mediterranean type diet: lots of vegetables and salads, moderate amounts of lean protein, plus small amounts of healthy fats, complex carbs and dairy.

If you check out Middle Eastern recipes you'll find lots of inspiration and delicious, healthy recipes. Cookery books that come to mind are A Lebanese Feast, Falastin and some of Ottolenghi's less complicated recipes. Meera Sodha who regularly writes for the Guardian is also very good, but she is vegetarian.

But lovely pasta ! Crispy roasts!

(Sobs)
It has to be done though. I'm not just a bit overweight. I'm properly obese and my health is at risk.

So last night I remembered intermittent fasting. That worked for me after my son.
It's now midday and I've just had a couple of cups of tea and I'm feeling fine. This will really help if I can just skip breakfast....

@MarshmallowPink I'm 12st and on 10000 steps per day. I haven't included any additional exercise at the moment as I have Lupus and I've got really bad fatigue at the moment. Once that settles down I'm going to try and up the exercise.

I intermittent fast, I'm not religiously 16:8 as I find if I vary it I get better losses, sometimes I fast until teatime and others I'll eat at 10am, but it works for me.

25 years ago I lost 5 stone. I have a stone and a half that goes on and comes off and I'm currently getting it off. Your post about your knees resonated with me, that's what made me finally deal with my weight 25 years ago. My knees hurt.

It's hard and you'll have bad days, but taking that first step is the hardest part, and you've done that. One bad day isn't a bad week. Just reset the next morning and move on. Good luck!

I look at where your problem areas are.
eg mine were (still are at times!!)
drinking fizzy drinks
not drinking enough water
eating too much bread, cereals
snacking at night

now I allow myself two slices of bread a day (I used to be horrific, morning noon and night, sandwiches, toast, bread and butter)now I have eg egg or half the cereal I had (I was an addict, sometimes two bowls)
drink more water
Two cans of fizzy drink a week
I don’t eat after 8, or I have frozen grapes air a frozen yoghurt which takes ages to eat. This was my toughest thing and took weeks of doing a craft/ going to bed early/ nearly sitting on my hands
I have one day a week where I ease up a lot on myself

whatever works for you op and best of luck!

I agree with this.

Seconding low carb

It really works

No need to skip carbs. Just factor them in. All these diets work the same: calorie deficit