What do YOU need to do to lose weight?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.

Most weight loss advice I see says something along these lines: "cut out cakes, biscuits, sweets, crisps, fried foods, snacks between meals" and so on.

I very rarely eat those things, not even snacks really, yet I am still fat.

I think with general diet advice there is too much that is vague and, actually, it would help overweight people to really search their souls, be brutally honest with themselves, and face up to what they are doing wrong with their diet.

I am interested in the different things that make people fat.

So, this is what I need to do to lose weight:

1. Halve the amount of wine I drink.
2. Halve the amount of bread I eat.
3. Eat smaller portions at dinner.
4. Eat dinner earlier in the evening.
5. Actually do as much exercise as I tell everyone I do.

Anyone else?

Eat reasonable size portions and very few to no carbs.

(I haven't been really huge but had to lose weight post dc2.)

Mine are remarkably similar:

1. Don't drink any wine during the week as it brings on 'sod-it syndrome'
2. More veg with every meal (I love it, but sometimes don't make the effort to prepare it)
3. Smaller portions - stop eating when full
4. Eat earlier in the evening so I've not picked at an entire meal before I sit down to dinner
5. Eat more slowly

Having lost 3 stone, I've put nearly all of it back on in a year. Actually started the above regime this week. Going well so far.

I have just lost some weight over the last few weeks and I have;
eaten very little bread (or german rye bread)
had smaller portions
drank a lot more water
eaten at least 5 portions of fruit per day
cut out cakes, biscuits etc and
generally ate more fibre rich foods...

Everything in moderation. That's the key to sustainable weight loss and weight maintenance.

I've lost nearly 3 stone since January, and I've done it by doing this:

1. Cut alcohol to a minimum. I save it for nights out, and a glass on Friday/Saturday night. (I wasn't a big drinker anyway, but I started to find it was easy to drink 3 glasses of wine a couple of times a week without realising it).

2. Cut all portions by 2/3. Weight out breakfast cereal/porridge (I was having about double the portion size for my bran flakes). I find it much easier if DH does my portion for the evening meal, as I'm always tempted to give myself a bit more. If you're having a take away or a meal out, then don't stuff yourself just because you've paid for it. If it's a take away, leave half for lunch the next day, if it's a meal out, see if you can get a doggie bag.

3. Be aware of calorie content, and how many calories you should be having per day to achieve your target weight (www.foodfocus.co.uk was great for this) - I used to regularly have a ham sandwich followed by a peanut butter and jam sandwich for lunch, and thinking this was a fairly healthy lunch. It had a massive 800 calories in it, which when I was aiming to lose 1lb a week was more than half my daily "allowance".

4. Do exercise that makes you puff, and makes you ache the next day. Otherwise you're just maintining what you've already got.

5. By all means have snacks, but just stick to one. Keep your snacks in moderation, so stick to one biscuit, or one cake, or only 3 squares of chocolate. You soon realise this is plenty for you, as it's more habit than hunger that makes you reach for the second cake.

Personally, I found that cutting down on carbs really helped my food cravings. It would be much worse for the first day of carb-cutting, but then after that I just wouldn't get munchies the way I did when I was having toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner.

I also found that setting myself targets and rewards really helped. At the end of the day though, the best reward is the weight loss itself. Nothing quite compares to fitting (comfortably) in to size 12 jeans after 10 years of being size 16-18.

Hi all - bit of a newbie here! I found this thread and found it really interesting, but wasn't sure that I could really add anything as I have over 5 stones to lose! BUT .. what I would like to say is that there are a few things that are making me feel better in myself so that I'm prepared for the weight to start falling off (if that makes sense!)

First of all - recognising your weaknesses. I have a lower back issue and very 'crunchy' knees and could never work very hard in the gym because i'd start falling apart! SO ... I looked at the best way of sorting these issues out, that is, getting to root cause. Best thing I've found so far? PILATES. It's strengthened my body in ways I never thought possible so that my back pain is no longer an issue and my knees (although I doubt fixable) are definitely feeling better and, feeling stronger, I know I'm going to be able to work harder.

I still have several drinks a week which I know I need to knock on the head and I really must stop my daily latte - but at least I now have a plan! And that's as good as any place to start in my books!

Good luck all!

I need to:

1. Eat only when I'm hungry - not because I'm bored or sad or anxious.

1. Avoid eating between meals, apart from fruit if I'm truly hungry.

1. Be consistent throughout the week and not feel that I deserve treats because it's the weekend.

1. Watch my portions of carbs.

1. Bibbity - my number 5 is the same as yours.

I should:

1. Stop using breastfeeding as an excuse to eat chocolate / ice-cream / cake and instead eat more nutritious and filling food to make up the extra cals.

1. Watch portion sizes (common theme!)

1. Avoid getting over-tired and hungry because that's a guaranteed trigger for overeating.

1. Start adding some short runs / longer sessions on my spinning bike in addition to the Shred.

1. Same as flibbertigibbet: 'Be consistent throughout the week and not feel that I deserve treats because it's the weekend'.

I have weighed myself this morning and I am 2 stone heaverier than 2 years ago and it is not nice.

I've played about with losing weight but each week only suceeded in putting poundson.
I'm sitting here crying which is a fat lot of good to anyone (excuse the pun)

So what am I doing currently and what do I need to do.

Doing

Exercise
cycling a hard route once a week Snowboarding once a week, walking on hills regularly. Other stuff archery, caving couple of times a month

Not doing
Not nearly as much as I used to (MN too much probably)
Used to go to classes and swim several times a week. Just got out of the habit and started making excuses. Got fatter and used that as an excuse. (Can't go to class everyone will think fat cow!)

Need to do

Regular meals While our building work is being done we ahve been eating on as ad hoc basis. No good Need to get a routine going.

I've allowed my Dh/friends to tolerate my weight. Don't take that the wrong way I'm not saying he should be mean or anything but everytime I mention it I get a cuddle and told not to worry, I'm lovely, admittdly he does remind me when I moan that the workout dvd are meant to be interactive and not an afternoons viewing! He has a point!

No what. Everyweek I think I've cut back, done more exercise every week there is an extra pound.
No ones fault but my own but it seems like an unwinable battle that I'm facing and I'm going in circles getting more depressed and fed up.

Loads of typing mistakes and bad grammar in my post. Sorry but I'm angry at myself and crying.

Upahill - please dont cry. You're doing something about your weight gain and have a plan - and you WILL see a weight loss in the future. You've reached the point where you want to see a loss and you will. Join a diet support thread on here and find people who will congratulate you/commiserate with you on the weight loss journey and keep at it.

OP, for me I need to

1. drink more water - at least 2 litres a day
2. exercise - lots
3. watch portion size and cut out snacking between meals
4. cut carbs out post 5pm
5. exercise conscious eating

If I do all those, I lose weight.

I need to do what dinky has listed.

Right I'm motivated!!

I had already arranged a bike ride for later on this afternoon so that is going ahead (even though it is pouring down)Just a simple 15K on trails over the moors.

I'm just packing my gym and swim kit and goig to do a bit before I meet my mate!

I'm swimming again after tea but that was already planned with DS2 and that just ends up me watching him do his ungraceful jumps in the water and dragging on me ( He is 10 not flippin 4 so it's hard work but makes us laugh anyway!!)

Have my baby! (DC1 due in 10 days.)

Hopefully that's it. I think afterwards I will need to keep an eye on portion size and make sure I don't eat due to boredom. I'm aiming for at least 30 minutes of daily exercise and hopefully I will lose all weight gained during pregnancy quickly.

This is by far the heaviest I have ever been and I am very frightened about how I will look afterwards.

I've just loads 2 and a half stone by following the Scarsdale Diet. I'd urge ANYONE to start it as it COMPLETELY changes the way you eat and see food.

I now usually have fruit for breakfast, salad with fish or chicken for lunch, and meat with veg for dinner. I drink loads of water, don't really touch dairy ecept for cheese, and hardly drink.

I feel absolutely amazing. I have 1 more stone to go before I'm a size 10!

• walk everywhere, when my maternity leave ends I will walk 2 miles to work and back every day
• running, half an hour 2x per week 1 hour 1x a week
• go to playground with kids and run around with them
• no snacks after dinner
• if I get a hunger pang in between meals I slowly eat 2 dried apricots
• I imagine my plate to be one of those toddler plates with one large and two small segments= small for carbs and protein and the large one for vegs

one and a half stone to go to pre-baby wheight.

I need to stop thinking about it and making plans and just get on with it.

For me it's exercise, exercise, exercise. Raises metabolism - makes me feel positive. Something about the gritted-teeth determination running up a hill which makes me want to step away from the crisps later.

I NEVER go supermarket shopping - I am SO BAD about picking up crap and 'treats'. I get everything I will eat for a week delivered in one go. Buy nothing else unless I absolutely have to.

Sadly, I tend to lose weight best when I lock myself away and cut back on socialising. Alcohol is a big trigger for me - and hangovers. I'd quite happily hide in my flat for the nest 6 months if I meant I didn't have to go through the gauntlet of 'oh go on - you've done so well - just have some chips - can't be good all the time, etc'. AAARGH! Leave me alone!

fab thread idea and I'll read the rest in a minute - just wanted to get my ideas down first.

I don't need to cut out alcohol - I don't drink! I also don't drink tea or coffee. I've recently increased the amount of water I drink, and only have something like Pepsi maybe twice a week.

I generally don't keep crappy stuff in the house, but when I do, it's bad news as I eat all of it quickly.

Exercise is my main problem. DS was born in August so I've had nearly a year to get used to sitting on my arse all day while BFing. I am horrendously unfit now

I love fruit and veg - really really love it. things like watermelon and lychees have me salivating! I just sometimes automatically go for the chocolate instead for some reason

I've made a start on my no 1: 'Stop using breastfeeding as an excuse to eat chocolate / ice-cream / cake and instead eat more nutritious and filling food to make up the extra cals'

I've just had beans on (buttered) toast with cheese on top - fibre and calcium for me, fat for my little girl's milk!

Great idea to list strategies like this

I think I also need to eat more regularly. I started ADs a couple of months ago and my appetite has decreased a bit (also doing more activities with DD so less boredom). at first I thought Great, less food! but sometimes after breakfast I forget to eat until it's 'too late' - then I get physically shakey which isn't nice.

is that normal? I had a glucose test thing a while ago which came back clear.

so I think I need to prepare healthy snacks in advance for myself and the kids, and have them at set times maybe? We love things like celery/cucumber sticks but if I haven't eaten my hands shake too much for me to prepare anything.

also I'm going to be really honest here and say that DH and I also need to get better at keeping the kitchen clear. it's harder to prepare a healthy lunch when the washing up is scattered all over the counters

Interesting thread.

I eat a very high fat diet (lots of dairy and meat). But in fact, it's always the carbs that make me put on weight. So for me:

1. step away from the pasta/bread/cous cous and eat pulses and veg instead.

2. do more exercise (I do very little).

3. drink more water. (I don't drink nearly enough and I'm sure if I did I'd eat less).