How can I lose a couple of pounds by Saturday? Is it possible?!

[waitingfornaru]

I've never been on a diet before. I'm 43 and currently 12stone 10 and height five nine, according to a BMI scale I'm overweight :(

I've been really lacking in energy lately so had blood tests done for anaemia and thyroids but came back fine, I live in a village and walk everywhere, but apart from the school and nursery run do no exercise. So, clearly, it's the weight.

I'd like to kickstart my diet by losing a little weight for a do coming up this Saturday, so if I just ate a banana and yogurt for breakfast, porridge midday lunch and a small salad in the evening, would I actually lose a couple of pounds by this Saturday do you think?

It would spur me on to start a more balanced diet/exercise if I could lose a little for this party, is my thinking.

Any advice would be really warmly welcomed, as I said I have never dieted in my life, was a beanpole size 8 until I had two children close together around age 40, have been stuck at size 14 since! I want to have my energy back and I know a crash diet thing won't work in the long run, but initially I'd like to lose something at least, I never, ever seem to fluctuate from my current weight, regardless of how little or much I eat, it's bizarre.

I never fluctuated when I was skinny either, always rigidly seemed to stay at the same weight. I read that your metabolism alters when you have children so I guess mine must have changed from fast to slow after having children.

Any advice? Thanks so much :)

Bump bump please help!

OK, yes tis possible.

Breakfast - special K cereal with skimmed milk.
Lunch - low fat cup a soup, a ryvita, apple or orange
Evening - fish plus veg. Or chicken salad. Or veggie salad.
Snack - apples/rice cakes
Drink loads of water

(avoid carbs...potato/pasta/bread/cakes. Watch your portions. Drink water if you're hungry.)

Exercise each day - either a Shred DVD 30 mins in your lounge, a 30 min run, a 30 min rowing machine, a 30 min something to make you sweat. More if you have the time.

eat less, move more.

By sat you should have lost 2 lbs. :)

OOh also, try 'My Fitness Pal', its online or iphone App. You log what you eat and can calorie count really easily. I'm currently on 1000 calories per day (women normally have 2000) and have lost nearly 2 stone since Aug. :)

Definitely.

Madamme has given you a really good plan. I am also a big fan of stir frys. Very filling, chuck in a few prawns and a dash of chilli sauce if you find just veg boring.

Good luck!

agree - drink lots of water and jasmine green tea or fennell tea too great for cleansing etc

cut down on carbs

try a few sit ups of pilates type exercises on a mat on the floor for 20 mins everyday too - will tone up tum in no time! there s lots of pilates lite apps if you have a iphone

Definitely reduce the carbs. Salads instead of sandwiches at lunchtime, steer clear of any cakes, biscuits etc. Just a few omissions this week and you will definitely lose a few pounds and find that waistbands are slightly looser. Sit ups every morning (plus leg lifts whilst in the lying position) will tighten up the tummy area. Or you could just try this champagne diet:-

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2066967/A-diet-raise-glass-You-drink-Champagne-stay-slim-according-fizzy-new-weight-loss-plan.html

If you do hard core low carbs you drop quite a few pounds by Saturday - the key would be only re-introducing small portions of complex carbs afterwards so you don't just pile it on again. I do this when my weight creeps up by 3/4 lbs (maybe once a year/18 months.) You won't feel hungry, but you probably will crave different food. By hard core I mean no veg/fruit/ceral/bread/pasta etc. Protein and low fat dairy. So for example unlimited amounts of:

salmon - fresh or smoked
tuna
Chicken
prawns
ham
fat free fromage frais (add two large spoons of oat bran too to bulk out once a day)
skimmed milk
pork/beef steak (with fat trimmed off)

You can have 1 or 2 Activia fat free yoghurts as a treat daily.

This is basically just the first stage of the Dukan. I will be honest and say that I have never gone on to stage 2, which involves doing protein only only on one day and then having some carbs on the next - this is because I have reached my target weight on the first stage so haven't needed to keep it off. I usually find I keep the weight off by avoiding bread and having v carefully measured small portions of pasta/rice. Lots of big salads and healthy soups (without the bread!) I do eat cheese (not on the programme above, obviously!) and I have a piece of cake everyday. I exercise 5/ days a week doing circuit training, running and pilates. Last week I noticed my weight had crept up after a few social weeks (dont usually drink much) so I did the protein only for 2 days - lost 5 lbs. 1 or 2 of that will go back on when I go back to eating normall, but not all of it.

watching with interest, since going back to work my waistbands are definitely more snug than they should be...

I started WW and lost 4 1/2 pounds in my first week so it's definitely possible don't starve yourself, just reduce your portion sizes, eat more fruit and veg, less carbs and more water. Good luck

Half a grapefruit first thing in the morning is supposed to speed up your metabolism for the rest of the day. I've no idea if grapefruit juice has exactly the same effect though.