Help, I need to get into my jeans - anyone want to join me for a September challenge?

[thatsnotmyfruitshoot]

Just put all my loose linen summer numbers in the loft and realised I'm bulging out of all the lovely jeans I planned to wear this autumn. Going away for half term so it would be great to be a size smaller by then.

I'm 5ft 7 and need to lose about 20lbs to be at my most comfortable, so not drastic, but enough that I'm feeling really lardy, and need to do something before I gain any more.

My plan is to eat healthily (using food focus website to keep me on straight and narrow..) - boiled egg and slice of toast with grilled mushrooms for breakfast (totally fills me up), then soup for lunch and something with veg for dinner. One treat meal at the weekend. 30 mins exercise a day (either running or exercise dvd)

Please come and join me, I'm hopeless when left to my own devices..!!

Hi everyone, I need motivating! I've been sticking to the cals for a week, and only lost half a measly pound.

Why???? I feel like I'm really holding on to the weight, and a bit bloated. I've run a few times, walked lots and done a couple of workout dvd's. I've steered clear of the biccies, and generally eaten well.

Do you think it sometimes takes a couple of weeks to get the momentum going? I'd been eating quite a lot prior to starting this. grr. Not giving up though, am determined to see this through for the whole month, and might visit the doctor's if there is no change after that time to have thyroid checked.

fruity - ok, motivation:

• • drink loads of water. It will flush through your body and helps you manage hunger pangs and help hydrate you.
• • snack on berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries - all contain large amounts of water rather than carbs etc.
• • watermelon and melon in general are also good on that level.

• raw veggies or lightly steamed.

You WILL shift the weight but, if you have a history of yo-yo dieting (don't know if you do) it takes a little while for the body to get the message that you are not about to starve it and it can actually let go of the weight.

I have yo-yoed over the years and have found it progressively harder to start the weight loss each time I start. Hence the promise that this is the last time I will do this because this is a lifestyle change rather than a short term goal.

You could very well be retaining water - and the way to get rid of water is, strangely, to drink more water! Steer clear of caffeine as much as you can and stick to plain water, herbal tea. Stay away from fruit juices they hit the blood stream too quickly and do not require the body to work at all to digest them.

Get out and moving as often as you can - just the release of endorphins through exercise makes you feel better.

I hope this helps? You WILL get there fruity Don't cut down any more than you already have and don't stop moving.

specialknickers I did get out of work early - there's always an upside

thatsnotmyfruitshoot - timbachick speaks sense. The things that work for me is increasing water intake and upping the exercise as much as I can bear as possible. The other mantra I have is that:
change is not linear and permanent change takes time.

I had over 100lbs to lose in January - I've got about 35lbs left, which is a lot, but it's a lot less! The first week I started I lost 2lbs, 2 measly pounds and I was like, what??? especially as I was sooo overweight, and I'd read stories of people dropping a stone in a week when they were obese.

But those 2lbs add up and sometimes it was a lot more that came off in a week and sometimes it was half a pound. As you said, it's just sticking to it for the month and seeing how it goes. Being premenstrual always meant I knew I was not going to lose very much if anything that week.

Keep going, you're doing really well and thanks for starting this thread in the first place. It's really helped me get back on track, and I'm feeling loads better already.

oh thanks, timba and theQuibbler.

I think drinks are definitely a problem area. I mostly drink brown liquids - tea, coffee or diet coke. Not great really. Will switch to decaff coffee (already used to that) and lots of water.

I have lost and gained the same 20lbs several times in recent years, not to mention the damage 2 babies did!! I was really steady before dc1. It's just sticking a bit now. WIll definitely stay with it, I feel healthier even if I'm not lighter yet.

TheQuibbler - that's an amazing loss! I bet you feel great for it too!!

I have some strawberries in the fridge - off to munch on them and drink a big glass of water.

Fruitshoot - you may not feel like it, but you're doing brilliantly. It's so demotivating when you don't loose what you think you're going to (lots of reasons for that - water retention normally and I think the brown caffinated drinks probably exacerbate the problem there is a big one) but YOU ARE LOOSING WEIGHT!! Which is fab, any way you cut it. You will have random weeks where you loose 3lbs without trying remember... it all evens out over time.

If you need motivation have a look at your food diaries - you've really been sticking to your plan, you WILL see the results soon. We all have rubbish weeks, the key is to keep going regardless.

And to second quibbler, thanks so much for starting this thread. Perhaps you should be adding up the total weight loss for all of us on it each week? Massive motivation and loads of weightloss karma there....

Algebra, yes do weigh your pasta. If you know you'll get the evening munchies, why don't you allow yourself some calories for that? Then you can choose a little choc, cake or dessert for around 100cals.

Timba and Special, well done on your brilliant weight loss. Three cheers!!
Timba, glad to hear that all is well.

Fruity, have you tried cutting out diet coke? I don't know how much you drink but I've seen articles on how it makes people fat. I do think that you'll see a big loss next week if you stick to it. That happens to me quite often.

My day was affected by those darned tube strikes too. Food was good - pretty similar to yesterday and I avoided my colleagues birthday cakes! How good was that? They were all yummy looking ones from M&S too.

Not much of a chance of getting to the gym today unfortunately.

I'm weighing tomorrow and I feel quite bloated too. My trousers are still a bit snug so I'm not expected much of a loss tomorrow!

theQuibbler - you've lost around 70lbs!!! That is AMAZING

Hello - can I join too? I am trying to loose a stone - I am calling in baby weight but my baby is 16 months old now .

I have been on a diet for a week tomorrow and so far so good. Weight stayed exactly the same for first 2/3 days but since then lost 2lb so very pleased.

Am desperately trying to only eat meals and no snacks (and especially avoiding all the cakes at work)but am feeling very hungry a lot of the time - hopefully this will pass.

Muller lights and options hot chocolate drinks are my friends .

Good luck everyone.

Ha ha Jan, my baby is 6 years old! Welcome x

Hi jumpy - welcome welcome, come on in, sit down and grab a raw carrot stick .

Tons of motivation and tips on here so far - if you haven't read it then it is worth while reading back through the thread cos there are a few things that may be of interest.

Try not to cut down too severely. You want to still feel as if you are eating enough. Again - quite a lot of tips in this thread for healthy munchies/snacks.

Quibbler - you rock girl! 70lb!! Wow

Thank you, specialknickers, what a lovely post

shaxx - diet coke can make you fat?? Light dawns.... There goes my remaining vice in life, will have to find a new one now

Welcome jumpyjan (fab name) - have you made friends with Marmite/other flavoured rice cakes yet? They are fab for staving off hunger pans.

Back to the water..

P.S. jumpy - my 'baby' is 10

Thanks I do feel better. Loads better.

I'm not quite sure how it happened in the first place, though. Contentment? Eating the same size portions as my 6'2" DH? Drinking too much wine? I do think alcohol is evil for really helping pile on weight. I was always 'normal' - could have done with losing 10lbs or so, like most people. But then it just got of hand. And the horrible thing is once you've got into actual obesity, you don't actually need to eat that much to stay there.

But that was then and this is now.
The longest journey starts with a single step and all that. Just going to focus on doing this right until the end of September.

(But, do you reckon we can persuade Fruitshoot to start another one for October? )

And hello to jumpyjan, too.

Perhaps we can start a petition to give fruity a heads-up ... October thread please fruity - you have been notified

Duly noted!

hello all - and welcome to the newbies! plenty of room here and lots of motivation and tips! :)

today's been... interesting. had a tiny breakfast and was starving by the time I'd dropped DD off at preschool. managed to resist the smell of takeaways near the school, and waited until I'd got to town and had a Boots Shapers meal deal - I love that I can choose any combo and it's definitely under 500 cals, sometimes by a long way.

then came back to town with DD, and I dunno, just really didn't want to go home so we walked to Pizza Hut... but I was really good and had a salad, and shared wedges with the kids. had one of those teeny tiny shotglass desserts though

but karma found me - we were on the bus home and there was a car on fire so we had to get off as the bus had to turn round. so we walked a fair way up a steep hill!

I like the idea of allowing for a treat-type snack in the evening, although some days I manage without. I think it depends how my day was, stress-wise.

here's a tip I use for making a sweet treat (i.e. chocolate) last longer. I have a big glass of water, taking a sip between every couple of bites. as well as making me take longer, it also cleanses the palate (how posh do I sound LOL) so I enjoy it more too.

I am loving this thread and all the support and useful tips! It is my first time posting on a thread on mumsnet and I think it has really helped me stay focused this week.

I have been using a tip I picked up from reading another thread for a chocolate fix. Put some fun size bags of Magic Stars in the freezer. They are only 67 calories and because they are frozen last longer when you eat them. I find they help with a chocolate craving and are better than wolfing down a mars bar.

I find it much easier to stick to healthy meals during the day if I have a planned sweet treat in the evening.

wow can you eat them straight from the freezer then?

Sounds strange but yes! I had to make myself get into the habit of eating them slowly but I think I do appreciate a treat more now.

Morning all. I just wanted to say thank you... it's only been 3 days so far for me, but it's three good days after 9 months of really struggling with my eating habits. I feel way better for having taken that first step, and it's your support that's kept me going. It makes such a big difference to know you're not alone your with weight issues. So easy to think yourself into a big negative hole and then to reach for the biscuits to try and cheer yourself up again!

I'm going to be away and off the internet now until next Wednesday evening, staying with my mum who literally bakes MULTIPLE cakes and gets very hurt if I don't eat them so I'm going to have to have nerves of steel not to go back to my old ways.

I'll do you all a deal. I wont crack for the next 7 days if you don't. Now, obviously, I'm not going to be able to get online to check, so I'm going to take it on trust that you're all going to have a great week. Then I will have to too.

Adios and wish me luck!

Best of luck with that one specialknickers, a hurt mum and home baked cakes is a tricky one.

Agree with LeQuibbler alcohol is terrible for weight gain and was my undoing too. Normally, I tend to drink 2/3 glasses of wine every night! - I've stopped now, so this diet will do my liver good as well as my waistline.

Re the evening munchies thing - I tend to keep some calories in reserve so I can eat a little something. However last night after my snack I was still hungry so had a large glass of water, was still hungry and so went to bed early at 10.30! So the diet is giving me a good nights sleep too....

knickers why don't you just tell your mum you're on a diet? I'm sure she wants you to be healthy and feel better about yourself so if you ask her, maybe she won't cook the cakes.

anyway, morning all, I've eaten too much cereal I think. made the mistake of bringing the box/milk into the living room instead of preparing it in the kitchen

you'd think it'd be healthy, as it was bran flakes, but did you know they actually have more sugar in per 100g than chocolate weetabix?!

today's lunch is going to be baked sweet potato with spring onion and feta cheese. yum! then it's off to preschool with DD, so plenty of walking, and loads of housework to burn some calories.

Think I had quite a good day yesterday;

weetabix for breakfast
cereal bar for a snack
fig salad for lunch
another cereal bar
home made pad thai for dinner
grapes.

I think I may have overdone it on the grapes a bit as I nearly finished the bag off. Shouldn't have taken the whole bag out the fridge, next time I'll put a sensible amount in a bowl.

I need to drink more water as well I think.

...that sounds like a weight loss winning formula Viva.

Mine was:
Porridge
Mid morning apple and banana
Lunch time grilled bacon sandwich
Dinner time; haddock stuffed with spinach, leek and goats cheese + new potatoes and brocc.

I was famished