Exercise ideas after hysterectomy and HRT, aiming to lose a stone

[CantGetAnythingRight]

Hysterectomy last year aged 39 - now on HRT. I've always been quite lucky with my metabolism etc but also have always eaten fairly well and been quite active until recently where I have been chained to my laptop 12-15 hours a day (stressful NHS middle management job which I am changing shortly and will be drawing some boundaries!). Have put on a stone since my surgery without anything else changing much, but have only gone from a size 6 to a size 8 (I'm 5'2" and now 9st 4)

I really need to overhaul my exercise regime now I'm going to have some more free time (I hope). Already focused massively on getting my diet right, taking the right supplements, etc. I'll be joining a new gym for cost saving reasons and they only do 1 Pilates class a week which I'll go to, I like doing Pilates at home via YouTube too. I also plan to walk places as much as I possibly can, especially with the current petrol situation, and am due to start a second job tomorrow which will keep me on my feet for 6 hours a week. I absolutely don't want to follow any sort of routine involving weights at the gym...

My plan was to try and stick to as follows:

• Day 1: 40 min incline walk on treadmill (gradual increase up to 12%), plus 15 mins home Pilates
• Day 2: Gym class e.g. abs blast, totally toning (with weights etc)
• Day 3: Long walk

I'd like to shift this stone again but I'm not going to become militant, I eat well other than maybe a weekly takeaway and bar of chocolate, currently trying to give up alcohol but craving sweet stuff instead! I've just ended things with a guy who was far too obsessed with his diet and exercise, it's just not for me.

Have put on a stone since my surgery without anything else changing much

You need shockingly fewer calories than you’re used to I’m afraid.
I’m 5ft 9 and my TDEE (calories needed to stay the exact same weight I am) are just 1,750 per day.

The average Indian takeaway has 1,500-2,000 calories for just a curry, rice & naan. Throw in a poppadum, onion bahji and mango chutney and you could be over eating a whole extra day or more worth of food each week. I’m using that as an example, but work out the calories for your takeaway meals and you may be shocked. You only need to over eat by 100 calories per day to put on a stone in a year. That’s just an extra slice of bread or a medium banana -practically nothing! So it’s easy for it to creep on.

I lost my weight post surgical menopause by weighing and logging everything I ate on my Fitness Pal. Don’t add exercise on it, trackers and planners hugely overestimate calorie burn and give you calories back to eat, stalling weight loss.

Google TDEE, it will give you your calorie target, you need to reduce the calories it gives by 20% for weight loss. Good luck!