My boring story and a calorie question

[mostlyhappywithsomelowpressure]

Hi,

I've only been on this part of the forums once and i only come on infrequently but i'm a bit confused and couldn't think of a better place to get sound advice!

I need to lose ideally 6 and a half stone (would be happy with 6).

I have tried many things but my innate laziness and extra excuse gene has meant i failed, gave up or excused myself out of it.

I fell from 18st to 15st in a short period of time 6 years ago but don't know what part of the came off the pill/went on metformin/started smoking again/was doing a stressful course/went to clubs alot (again) combination caused the weight loss.

I put a stone back on pretty quickly but then got pregnant very easily and have never gone much below 17st since - fluctuating between 17 and 18.

I have PCOS, hence the metformin, but have been back on it since and it had no effect so I'm attributing it to any of the other factors mentioned above.

My attempts to lose weight have always ended with me going 'i'm not unhealthy, my husband loves me so....' But this time i've had enough. I don't want my DS being overweight because i am, i don't want him being embarrased at school as he gets older and a very long list of other things.

I've never been more determined and I'm not going to let scales destroy my confidence and make me feel like 'what's the point'.

So... i've got 'my fitness pal' app on the iphone and i've been fastidiously entering all my food for over a week now. (i didn't lose anything this weekend but am continuing). I'm also walking every day and plan to swim every other week (for now).

I know it doesnt sound like much but it's more than i was doing. I'm also doing simple things like parking further away from work and school.

I'm quite proud of myself so far and am hoping that if i add things (or take them away) in 4 week intervals i'll see some results. The equivalent of a 1lbs a week for 18 months will see me at my target weight and that seems reasonable to me. I used to want to see stones off in weeks so...i've got some sense this time!

So the question is .... the app i'm using is really good and accurate and i have checked packaging so i know it's right but i'm under my calories every day which is good but if I dont eat at least 1200 calories it tells me my body could go into starvation mode and i wont lose weight - but tonight i'm stuffed and i need to have 400 more calories to be at 1200!!!

Weird thing is I don't think i'm eating much less - but the curry on a wednesday, chinese on a friday and mcdonalds/kentucky/toasted sandwich fuelled weekends are stopping (very hopeful that that will make a difference!)

What do you ladies think? Will stopping the takeaway make a difference? Will i go into 'starvation mode' if i don't reach my 1200 calories and if so what the heck can i eat to get it up? (can't fill up on bread as i'm a bit intolerant to wheat!!!)

Thank you

Well done, great you are still motivated, its lovely to see shape changing isn't it? shred ready helps with that. Don't worry if weight loss is slower, shred will help ensure you maintain muscle mass whilst dieting (although important to eat plenty lean protein) and its much better to lose fat slowly than risk losing muscle by too fast weight loss or weight loss without resistance training. 1lb a week ideal. Also better for your skin to lose very slowly (ie more chance of it shrinking back). Keep on applying lots of moisturiser each day. Dieting is long slow and boring though...

re: shred, great you feel ready for level 2! its harder BUT level 3 is roughly the same (in hardness) as level 2.

I now have the after body, even have definition on my tummy (lines at side, but not 6 pack!) although the skin on stomach is a bit ruined (crinkly) from being pregnant/fat. But elsewhere skin seems ok, despite having lost 10 inches from waist & hips and 5 inches from each thigh.

I let my hair down so to speak at the weekends I continue to be careful in the week as I feel I've worked so hard i want to maintain it!

Well done - i dream of tummy definition!! I'm still loosing inches (measured today) so though i'm no lighter i'm still happy and so proud. I do get bloated around various 'times of the month' which doesn't help with confidence sometimes but...heyho. My tummy and arms are gonna struggle to shrink back i think due to stretch marks but i can but try and i am determined to do it now while i'm still in my early 30s before i get nearer 40 and end up having loads of loose skin!!!!!

Thanks again for your support. It means alot.

Inches are good, you'll find with the weight that no weight loss for a few weeks, then suddenly 6lbs come off at once!

And yes I think you are right about skin and age, the older you are the less likely it is to shrink back. I do have some stretch marks, on thighs / hips - mainly from pregnancy as the weight gain was so quick then. They do fade over time though.

As I have said before I am now very focussed on making my diet as healthy as possible. I have given up aspartame - (although did have one diet coke this week as went out with colleagues to pub for lunch and decided diet coke was preferable to beer / orange juice). Also I am increasing the (wholegrain) carbs I eat especially on days were I do a lot of exercise.

I have pcos too and definitely know how important eating low carb is.

I have been over weight all my life and on and off diets forever too. I did manage to lose large amounts of weight twice, but each time got pregnant and gained it all back and more. Three kids now and I am done. My youngest is 3 now and I started dieting again 10 months ago. Initially I did weight watchers type points counting. As my weight dropped and started slowing down, I changed go calorie counting. But throughout I have eaten very low carb. My carbs come mostly from lots of veggies and some fruit. I eat a little oats and other grains but no wheat. I cut sweeteners out of my life two months ago and eat very "clean".

I have now lost 6 stone and still have another stone and a half to lose to get to my ideal weight. I have lots of loose skin and flab. Mostly bat wing arms, flabby stomach, and horrible skin/flab on my inner thighs.

I have increased my exercise slowly over the course of the diet. Now I run 2-3 times a week, I have started swimming lengths, and I go to aqua aerobics. Sadly, as I am approaching 40, I am not sure my skin will be able to tone enough.

So well done on what you have done so far. If I can do it, then anyone can!

Wiifitmama I didn't have nearly as much to lose, but also started 10 months ago, also have pcos, started with tesco diets, then changed to calorie counting and low(ish) carbs. I cut aspartame 2 weeks ago, although will have very occasional diet coke if out socially rather than alcohol. but was having 2 cans a day plus diet aspartame yoghurts.

I agree though about carbs esp with pcos. I have never felt better - used to have special k or shredded wheat every morning, couldn't now even bear to take a mouthful, had to throw half of special k box in bin. DH ate the shredded wheat but I didn't buy more. Now I have eggs every morning.

Same here... Two diet cokes a day plus the sweetened yoghurts! I also eat eggs for breakfast most days along with a yoghurt (no sweeteners in it!) sometimes a make a smoothie with yoghurt, hemp powder (for protein) and fruit. Very occasionally I have porridge.

Well done Wiifitmama - you sound to have had the same weight loss goals as me. one and a half down, 4 and half left to go for me. Inspiring indeed. :D

I looked back over my measurements last night and realised i'd lost 6 inches from each thigh (each thigh- some people would be down to the bone with that loss!!) and 6.5 inches from waist and 6.5 from hips.

Only 2 from tummy though!?! which is confusing because it looks flatter and i fit into smaller clothes. Very odd - the flab had definitley moved upwards (thanks Jillian M for that!)

But i'm still going, nothing getting me down, even if i wasn't changing i'd still be spurred on my my level moods, increased energy and improved strength.

Thanks as always foreveronadiet and hope to hear from you again wiifitmama.

C x

Feel shit today - measured and weighed myself and NOTHING has changed. its been a month now. I was so hoping to be all trimmed and looking fab for when i went back to work but nooooo.

I keep telling myself that i'm really proud of myself and so pleased to feel healthy but when i see no change for so much work i realise its just bulls* that i'm feeding myself and my dh to make me feel better.

I want changes. I've looked up plateus online and done what they say, eaten less, eaten more, changed up my exercise routine...

I was so looking forward to some changes 4 weeks into my exercise rountine - coz ive been told it takes 4 weeks for exercise to take, as it were...

Not happy. Don't know what to do.

Hi, sorry to hear about your plateau.

1. Maybe open your food diary on my fitness pal to those on the myfitnesspal thread (or just to me?) I / we can then comment and make suggestions.

1. I also had a plateau for that length of time, what got me over it was a few weeks of lean protein plus vegetables and not a lot else. After the plateau I lost half a stone in a couple of weeks so overall, it evened out - weight loss is not linear.

1. The body does get used to what you are doing which is why its important to switch things around. eg change of exercise / diet etc.

1. Doing exercise means you retain muscle (important) - weight loss will be slower, but it will be mainly fat and hence more sustainable.

Hope that helps....

Mostlyhappy you have done so really, really well, don't give up now. I'm sure the weight will start to come off again, try not to cheat or treat too much and come back to let us know how you are getting on in a couple of weeks.

Back to work this week, week before we were away (no regular exercise and more eating than usual (tho not gluttonous as was my original wont!)), was expecting no change again when i weighed myself this morning but... 3lbs down. And finally some movement on my tummy measurement - 2 inches off.

I am loving level 3 of 30 day shred, i can really feel it working, while level 2 just wore me out but didn't feel very effective (a ploy maybe?!?!).

Not changed much in my diet really - sugars are a bit lower since i stopped eating cereal for breakfast, lunches are small because i'm genuinelly not that hungry... just really enjoying all my exercise DVDs. Onwards and upwards - or downwards as far as lbs and inches are concerned!!

Thanks for your support once again.

Hopefully be back in a couple more weeks with more good news (Tanita scales on the way - eek - concerned they may have me higher than my wii balance board - still lost 25lbs no matter what i weigh though so...)

10lbs in 2 weeks. Finally the plataeu has shifted good style and seems to repaying me.

As usual tho i am worried that that is too much too quick and i'm not eating enough calories and will damage my muscles etc while not actually loosing fat!!!

I can't force myself to eat if i don't want to tho! MFP keeps telling me off again. But I find myself getting bored of eating halfway through a meal and if i dont feel hingry, i don't eat.

My lunch is the same everyday - ham and (a bit of) cheese between chinese leaves. I can't eat any bread or pasta, choose not to eat rice or other refined carbs so my lunchtime choices are limited. I couldn't stomach a jacket potato - too many carbs and not enough time to cook it in the microwave at work!! Even if i part cook at home. Any other ideas gratefuly received!!

But i am hoping that with the event of my periods becoming regular and my other (v embarrassing) PCOS symptoms seeming to have lessened (touch wood) that i am simply loosing weight as a woman without PCOS would ie, lower calorie intake + increased calorie output = more pounds dropped.

I am thinking of going to the docs, to tell him of my weight loss, check that how i'm doing it is okay and ask for a blood test to check my fsh levels.