Weight Loss - January

[Ems]

There are so many of us doing the above, and on quite a few boards; Atkins, Weight loss tablets etc. Thought it would make things easier to find and follow if we started on this? ....

I started yesterday, to try and lose my 'Christmas Chocolate'; probably half a stone, just using advice and memories from previous Weight Watchers.

Had a terrible headache by the time I went to bed, distinct lack of chocolate and sugar!! Every time I had food cravings, I drank a glass of water which seemed to help, plus its good to drink 2 litres a day, so I'm doing something good.

I started the day at supermarket getting all fresh veg, fruit and chicken. And the January edition of WW magazine, read all the inspiring stories of women shifting 4 stone, great stuff.

Chicken stir fry tonight. And last night I didnt pick at childrens supper either during cooking or after they'd 'eaten' it!! That is a major breakthrough! Weight loss is all down to breaking bad habits.

Oh, and Ive also been writing everything down that I eat, which makes you think about it a bit more.

Went off Boots detox idea after hearing of Alibubbles greenpoo, there been enough of that in this house!!

Hello, it's old smug-face back again, just wanted to report that the Atkins diet is going well and yes, I do now look like Geri Halliwell.............. oh no sorry, I meant Geoff Capes!

well done Wendym. By the way did you see the featureon PCOS on Watchdog tonight ?
Was it any good? I saw it but as I don't know an awful lot about PCOS I did not know if thebarticle was accurate or helpful

Jasper Personally I thought it was good considering the time constraints under which they operated. However other women on the list I subscribe to felt it didn't say enough about the difficulty of getting a diagnosis. It didn't mention the long term health risks either.

Many women find their gps are poorly informed about PCOS. Weight gain is often met with "eat more salad then" (said to vegetarian, BTW) or something similar. Acne can be dismissed as just a teenage problem (may be but with the other symptoms should be investigated further). Also some women have PCOS but find it doesn't show up on the simple tests, only when they have the more conclusive ones. It's not unusual to have to pay privately for these.

I was diagnosed early but haven't found doctors at all helpful on treatments. Fortunately I now have a good gp so if my weight loss stops again I'm going to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist. I have the name of a helpful one through another person on the list.

Well I've finally done it - I joined Slimming World last night. I actually feel quite positive about it - mainly because dh said I wouldn't succeed and I don't like being told I won't succeed at something. I'll let you know if I lose anything next week. Why is it that as soon as you go on a diet you become obssessed with food? I had more for breakfast this morning than I normally do and all morning I've been thinking about how hungry I am and what I'd like to eat. I've been chomping on fruit as well. Dh has promised an Armani suit if I lose the weight - mind you last time he said that he got me pregnant and so hadn't lost it!

Well done Selja, go for it!

Selja, on slimming world you don't need to be hungry ever. Don't forget that all fruit and most vegetables (except peas, sweetcorn, parsnips and potatoes) are fee food on red or green days. Muller Light yoghurts are also free food. There are loads of things to snack on that should stop you being physically hungry, although maybe not satisfied - a bag of crisps or cadbury's whole nut would be a lot nicer! I find that on SW the only thing that I can eat for breakfast that doesn't make me hungry before lunch is the 2 weetabix, any of the other options and I'm just to hungry. Another tip that worked for me is to not have the 2 slices of bread that are allowed as one of your option B selections. I don't know why, I just loose the weight much easier when I don't have bread.

Funny enough I found that bread thing to! I lost nearly 3 stone with SW and found it so easy I stuck to green days as I am veggie and lost evry single week. I have kept it off too! I used to eat weetabix or bananas and yoghurt for brekkie. At weekends I would do a sin-free fry-up (eggs, baked beans, mushrooms cooked in fry light, and Smash potato cakes) Lunch was jkt potato with Baked beand and cottage cheese (huge potato, large can beans and cottage cheese). Supper was pasta and some kind of sauce or one of their 'free branded foods' like Riso Gallo Rissoto (with extra veg) or Batchelors Pasta and Sauce. Snacks were fruit, or yoghurt and I always tried to save at least one B Choice for the evening when I got the munchies! (ie a bowl of cereal or toast).

But the little book that became my shopping bible, the 'Free Branded Foods' book which is £2.50. This gives you all the sin-free packet foods and ready meals and cans etc that you can eat freely. Fill your cupboard with cans of curry, chilli, Baked Beans, pasta etc and you are sorted!

Crunchie, I only do green days too as I don't eat meat. I have stuck to the diet even after losing my weight (3 years now) - it just seems a totally natural way of eating now. If I ever do have fish, I really don't feel good if I have eaten it with rice or pasta or potatoes, I guess my body has gotten used to processing one type of food at a time.

What is this about eating no bread? I have been eating quite a bit of bread and am losing none of the extra weight I have gained since having two children. What do you have instead?

Hilary there seems to be quite a body of evidence that a diet low in carbohydrates ( bread, pasta, potatoes)helps a lot of us lose weight. This seems particularly to be the case if you have tried to lose weight on a low fat/calorie restricted diet.Search the internet by puting " low carbohydrate" into a searcg engine.
Noone is saying bread is bad. Lots of people do well on a low fat diet which may be mostly carbs. It did not work for me, whereas a low carb. diet did.
How much weight do you want to lose?

According to this mornings weigh in, I am 1 st 5 lbs heavier than I was just before I was pregnant with my first son. Ideally, I would like to be back there but would be jolly pleased just to lose the stone!

Aren't you hungry all the time with low carbs? I am a complete fruit bat but there is a limit to how much fruit even I can eat!

Make that 1 st 4 lbs heavier as of today. Must be lack of bread!

Funnily enough this was the biggest surprise of all - I wasn't. If you can always chomp on a piece of chicken slathered in mayo or a couple of slices of emental cheese, or a pot of m&s smoked salmon and cream cheese...hunger does not come into it!
I have to say i did not find it easy to severely restrict fruit, or to do without sweets, but the steady weight loss kept me going. I don't find any kind of dieting easy, I know dieting is a dirty word, but the "just eat healthy foods in reasonable quantities, avoid the junk, take exercise and the weight will drop off" school of weight loss simple did not work for me.

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I'm up the duff at the mo so weight loss isn't exactly on my mind, but to shift weight after first child I did Weight Watchers which I found really good - it's all based on points so you can eat what you like so long as you don't go over your daily points allowance. One weekend I remember getting slaughtered and eating pizza and at least 4 flake cakes, but I still lost 3lbs!

Hot tip for us folk who eat even if we're not hungry is to paint your nails - by the time they're dry you generally don't fancy whatever it was you were going to nibble on anyway!!

Also, there's no getting away from it, to really shift that lard you do have to shift your body and get exercising. I used to go running with baby in the buggy, which also worked (and made him fall asleep - double bonus!)

Good luck all

Went to Slimming World tonight and despite not being totally 'good' I've managed to lose two pounds so I'm quite pleased. Doesn't sound a lot to an impatient person like me but its a start. Maybe this week if I'm really good now I'm in the swing of things I'll lose some more. It was probably the alcohol in the 'sins' that did it. I probably would have been pleased with that if the friend I go with hadn't lost five pounds I'm not green really!!

You're all doing really well. I hope I don't sound annoying but I've only a few pounds to lose. However nothing seems to be happening. Does anyone have any tips for those last few pounds?

I'm impatient too, Selja, I really need to lose a pound or more a day to feel as though I'm winning, but of course that doesn't happen. I have been doing quite well though and have lost several pounds in the week or two I have been trying.

Has anyone been watching Fat club? The doctor bloke on there said that they should be looking to lose 2lbs per week and I thought 'well if they are twice my size and should only lose 2 per week then I need to lower my expectations slightly and learn patience'

I just caught the end of FatClub last night and missed last week. Even if they don't loose a single ounce I have the most tremendous respect for them showing themselves on tv in their swimming cozzies, showing just how big they really are. Only me and my permanently shocked mirror ever get to see that sight!! I find myself really urging the two heaviest blokes on!!

Hello, skinny's back in town......and so am I! Diet is going ok, am slowly slipping back into Atkins mode after the weekend's indulgences. Will probably go to the gym tonight, if the trauma of taking all 3 kiddies and myself to the dentist today doesn't make me want to hit the old gin bottle when I get back. Have got my Mum staying for the week, and she did think I looked slimmer, so I must be doing something right for a change! Glad to hear everyone else is doing well.

Pamina - Has your gym got those terrible scales where you have to slide the weights along to balance them? I find them really hard to use, but then maths never was my strong point!

At least they're not 'speak-your-weight' scales, I suppose!