oh dear god I need to lose weight and fast

[SoManyLovelyKnickers]

aaargh! my midriff is out of control, my bum is nothing but wobbles, my thighs meet in the middle and chafe - I've had it! I feel bloated and bulgey and I do not like it, not on elittle bit

please, please, please someone tell me how to sort this out

I eat well, I think, but don't get much exercise. Do tend to nibble a bit too much here and there perhaps, and have a bf who is extremely tall, hence can eat what he likes and is an excellent and enthusiastic baker (note to self NEVER agree to move in with him - it will be the end!)

also think have IBS which isn't helping (lots of unpredictable bloating)

what tactics have you used and have they worked? and HOW oh HOW oh HOW do I manage not to eat when I feel peckish, cold and bored???

[moved thread from style and beauty - in hope soem of you will be able to help]

My brother always carries an apple in bag his coat pocket, then if out with friends and they get a snack or takeaway, he'll have his apple. Has been swimming and playing squash too and has lost 3 stone.

I've been eating with the DC (as DH is working away) so don't eat after 5, I think my portions are smaller now too. Walk to the shops with the buggy and a rucksack so only get the food we need / I can carry. Also I have no-go aisles at the supermarket. Have lost 2 stone. Also drinking plenty of water / fruit juice seems to help too, and nabbing one of the baby's fruit pots if I'm really peckish.

Know what you mean about the thighs, I still need to drop a little more before I can comfortably wear a skirt on hot days this summer.

Hi SoMany :) Here are my top tips, but what would be really useful is if you could post what you'd eat and drink in a typical day.

1. Make sure your not taking in loads of calories through drinks like fruit juices or by having sugar in your tea or coffee. If you are drinking any of the above then swapping all soft drinks to tea or coffee (without sugar) or water should help you to make an impact.

1. Opt for high density but low calorie foods for meals such as porridge and soup.

1. Get out and go for a 20-30 minute brisk walk, if this sounds a bit boring then maybe take an mp3 player with you (music, stories, podcast?).

1. When you're cold and bored have a hot drink and a slice of toast with jam/marmalade/honey on (no butter - jam type things are 1/2 the calories) this might satisfy your comfort food craving but should be (depending on how much topping you put on and which bread you choose) less than 200 calories so not bad for a snack.

1. If you drink alcohol - cut down as much as you possibly can.

1. Accompany all main meals with a massive portion of salad/veg and cut down on the starchy carb portion (but not altogether).

HTH :)

hi guys

yes, more apples, more water, fewer cakes...that might help!

prinnie typical day might be

breakfast - tea with milk no sugar, homemade wholewheat toast with butter and marmalade

halfway through morning will have a milky coffee no sugar

lunch will be soup, or salad with hummous, or something like that. with water and green tea.

if I am with BF we'll have a piece of cake, so that's maybe once or twice a week

mid afternoon might have some oatcakes, fruit

builders tea with milk

evening meal, hmm...when at home (am single mum of two) will eat with kids - wholewheat pasta with pesto cheese and corn, or chicken with homemade potato wedges etc...sometimes a beanburger or like

evening snack - sometime go wild and have some chocolate if its there, otherwise multiple teas, no sugar

try to squeeze in a yoghurt if I can, probiotic, for teh biotics and the calcium as apparantly my calcium is low

when I am eating with BF - twice, 3 time s a week, will have bigger meal, featuring more veggies, stew or casserole etc. About 2 or 3 times with him will have homemade cookies or a slice of cake.

when with BF we might share a bottle of wine, so am drinking approx 1.5 bottles wine a week ie about 6-7 glasses a week

IS this outrageous???

never drink soft drinks or have sugar in tea etc...maybe once a month will have a low fat hot choc (options type thingie)

the weight has been creeping up this year - keep blaming bf and his wonderful baking...

It isn't outrageous, fairly well balanced and good quality food, but that's for maintaining weight, not losing it. Take the cakes out, or add in a bit of exercise, and it would probably be balanced but the weight has crept on. You have to do the equivalent of these cakes in reverse to get it off, not just cut them out.

I used a calorie counting website (my fitness plan, food focus) and only weighed food for the first few weeks until my portion size was a bit better. The diary part of this might also help you identify IBS triggers. I carry an oat bar for the mid afternoon dip and did considerably more exercise - but that is because I was mainly trying to recover from a period of illness and getting fit was as important as the weight loss. The exercise did mean that I could eat pretty much anything though.

thanks runnerhasbeen - what you say makes sense actually - I did do a month long detox (jane scrivner - healthy - not some crazed foot patch or silly drinks thingy) in teh summer and didn't really even lose weight or tummy then, shich really surprised me

is the site you used this one ?

Hey lovelyknickers ;)

I think you do have a healthy varied diet which is as Runner says more geared up to 'maintaining' your weight rather than losing. Could you stomach your toast in the mornings with the marmalade but no butter? I know it makes it extra yummy but you could probably save around 100 calories a day just by removing the butter which over a year would really add up. I cut out butter from toast 4 years ago and I'm sure it really helped me lose weight and then maintain the loss (along with other changes) and now when I do have a 'treat' piece with butter it really is as delish as a chocolate bar or something!

I think you probably need to check that your portion sizes are appropriate for someone who wants to lose weight - you'd be suprised how small a 300 calorie portion of pasta is. Have you got a decent pair of kitchen scales and a calculator? I'm not suggesting long term weighing of food but I have found working out what a sensible or diet portion of pasta, chips, potato, rice etc. looks like very helpful. If you're really restrained on the nights in with your kids then it means you can worry less on your nights with your BF who sounds like a great cook!

It doesn't sound like you're drinking a lot but even 6-7 glassess of wine per week is still around 1000 calories - which is 1/3 of a pound. So again - anything you could cut off here - or the homemade cakes would probably really help (by your food diary I'd say you probably eat about 1000 calories of cake a week as well) so that's 1 days worth of calories per week just on wine and cake.

I now feel really mean, please don't think I am - it's just that I've been there and needed to lose weight and it wasn't until I worked it all out for myself as above that I was able to make the changes I need. I'm not saying you should cut out the wine and cake completely.

Make a few changes and add some exercise and hopefully the pounds will slowly go for you :)

heh heh - thanks prinnie - and don't worry about sounding mean - you don't - you sound lovely and helpful

it really REALLY is helpful to have you put it like that. I was just in a spin thinking - I eat healthily, why am I getting podgey ??? but of course when you put it like that its obvious!

joined gym near work about two months ago as never manage to get to exercise when kids are around but haven't managed to go last 3 weeks - kids ill, snow and too much work on to catch up, but have determined to go for an hour tonight before I go to a concert with BF. We'll be eating beforehand and I am going to go for something grilled and no wine.

yes, need to get back exercising. It'll lift my mood apart from anything else I guess....

at a days worth of cals on cake and wine btw - jeez - I sound like Marie Antoinette or someone!

made it to the gym last night - 30 mins on cross trainer - then went for something to eat and had grilled liver with salad and water, then choral thingie and ruined it all with 3 glasses of champagne at reception afterwards

ho hum

have had porridge and bacon and eggs today so far [what diet does this fit into??? - I was trying to do atkins with the bacon and eggs but then was hungrey cold and feeling unloved at 4pm so made some porridge to keep me going] - out tonight to book club - festive one so lots of food and booze - have volunteered to drive so I won't drink at least

I work full time and am single mum of two (this week is VERY unusual in the going out stakes!) so am on the go all the time, at work, getting kids to school, picking them out, doing bedtime etc...by the time I am finished at 9pm from a 7am start amd absolutely KNACKERED

I joined a gym near work with view to trying to go at lunchtime as is only chance, but of course I am so up against it at work due to only getting in at 10 (kids drop off then race to work) and then needing to leave at just before 5 to pick them up from childminder/after school clube that it is tricky to always be able to justify swanning off for over an hour to a class etc...

I'm working hours in the evenings to make up the time

tbh it all feels a bit relentless and impossible at times...

BUT ex has the kids tonight so I will get up early tomorrow and go to the gym before work (like that's what I REALLY want to do!!)

oh and I went on mr dukan's site and he tells me I need to get down to 9st 12lbs - aaargh - feels almost impossible...

Well if you only had bacon and eggs and then porridge at 4pm that sounds pretty good to me! And well done on going to the gym - did you enjoy it?

It sounds like you're busy at the moment so don't beat yourself up about not being able to be as devoted to your cause - just be mindful to try and make good choices (like driving to bookclub :) ) so that you don't gain anymore weight and you might also start to lose.

Sounds like you've made a better start than you thought to be honest :) Also at choral evening followed by champagne!

30 Day Shred DVD - 20 mins a day (fairly hard 20 mins - but only 20 minutes!!) There are plenty of people here on MN getting really good inch loss without starving themsleves using this approach. With your busy life you need something that doesn't demand much time.

I second the 'long hard look' at your diet. Alchohol pretty much needs to go, apart from occasional night out. I did a few days on the Dukan and dropped a few kilos, and it has stayed off. It also 're-set' my needs for carbs. I now rarely have bread, and very tiny amounts of potatoes etc to be poslite if someone has cooked them. Don't touch butter/marg apart from v occasionally in cooking. Cooked chicken is handy to have in the fridge for a snack - fills you up as high protein, but low calorie.

thanks you two

prinnie - I did quite enjoy the gym once I got there - AND I managed to go again this morning before work which was great (tho didn't feel so great as I lugged myself out of bed at 6.30am)

weighed myself there - 70kg which for 5ft 6 is too heavy for sure. just over 11st. It's the heaviest I've ever been (when not pg) and I feel it. Feeling VERY lumbery and wobbley indeed. Am going to measure myself again when I get home tonight but when I measured myself the other night I was 38 - 32- 42 I need to get those figures down - especially the waist measurement of 32 - not good. I don't feel good but also it's not great from a health point of view to be suddenly expanding in that area. I've always had a fine big bum but was always slim around my waist. This feels very strange to me.

Anyway. Had some omlette for breakfast (eggs and potatoes) and a yoghurt and cup of tea. WOn't be eating any refined carbs today. Might get a soup for lunch and have a light evening meal. Maybe I should do a few days on dukan just to kick start things - is there somehwere I can find out what to do? otherwise it's atkins...though wonder if should wait til after xmas to really get stuck in as xmas is just going to bugger stuff up

last night at book club I managed to stay away from the bread, crisps, dips (apart from some hummous on carrots sticks) AND stayed away from the pudding. I had lean ham, salad and some of the tortilla I'd brought. Half a glass of fizz. Cup of tea. Everyone else was tucking in with gusto and I was wondering where the heck they all put it

and yes, maybe the shred is the way to go (shivers)

You can get the Dukan book from Amazon. I didn't follow it to the letter (there are loads of different 'stages' - I just did 4 days on 'attack', which really works. It won't work if you then go and have 20 slices of tooast and butter the day after though!!)
It feels a bit hard core - no veg or fruit at all for those few days, and virtually zero carbs. BUT - I wasn't hungry. Typical day:

Fat free fromage frais with oat bran mixed in and sweetener for breakfast.

Snack on prawns.

Lunch of chicken and tuna.Followed by fat free yoghurt (you can have the fruit flavoured ones, but only 2 a day.)

Snack on shellfish.

Dinner - big omlette with smoked salmon, followed by yoghurt - or grilled steak follwed by yoghurt.

Portions of the food allowed are all unlimited - apart from the fruit flavoured yoghurt, and you can have tea/coffee.

I did get a cracking headache for the first 36 hours (be prepared with the painkillers.) You need to drink LOADS of water. After 36 hours I felt better and was able to do a gym workout etc.

I couldn't do it for very long, but the results were worth it. I wasn't overweight, but had put on a few pounds over summer holidays. I dropped 4 kilos in 4 days. 1 kilo went back on when I started eating an unrestricted diet, but I was ok with that.

thanks notyummy - I can certainly do 4 days on attack no prob and as you say that might just retune my carb habit - which would be no harm pre xmas really - will look up the book

mmm, the dinners sound yummy! although no fruit or veg? Blimey!

I would also recommend the Dukan if you want a kick start ? I found/finding it very hard as I?m not a meat lover but you liked the sound of the dinners so that?s a good start. I did three days attack and today is the first day I can have vegetables. I lost 2.5 kilos in 3 days prob because I didn?t feel that hungry so my meals were tiny, but now i can add veg will make lots of soups and have salads. I am very motivated by this loss and want to protect it (that will help you continue). Lots of dukaners here so you can ask them for advice.

Otherwise if I were you I would minimise sugar and cut the carbs or have a carb curfew I normally (pre-diet) only have one wholemeal toast for breakfast and sainsburys Olive Light spread (think I found this less than bertolli fat wise), then no complex carbs for the rest of the day although technically curfew stops at lunchtime. There are carbs and sugar in so many foods you don?t realise, so maybe even keep fruit to very small portions and stick to lean meat and veg for dinner. Its just re-educating ourselves about food and getting into an exercise routine so we can eat what we want occasionally then go off and burn it. I had a trainer for a while to recover from illness and she really taught me a few things about the gym that I didn?t realise, check you are doing the right exercise and using the equipment properly, but why not give the 30 day shred a try its very popular and gets great results and you cant go wrong with investing 20minutes of time, tone up with weight loss!! Goodluck!