i've set myself a goal, anyone got any tips

[storminabuttercup]

i'm new on this board, so please be gentle

i've always been big, before ds i weighed 12 stone 4lb and was a size 14, i went up to 16st when pg, nearly a year later i am 13st and 13lb

i know why i am fat, i drink a big glass of wine daily, i snack on crisps and if i open a big bar of chocolate i cant rest until ive finished the lot, basically i'm a greedy cow.

i want to get down to 12 stone by october, so twelve weeks to lose 1st and 13lb.

So far i have decided on doing the following for a few weeks to see if it helps -

No chocolate or puddings on week nights
Limit the glass of wines to 3 nights a week
No crisps whatsoever (i dont even like them that much)

the meals we eat are realitively healthy all home made and lean meats etc its the extras that are doing it

am i being realistic? and can anyone give me any tips.

I have a wardrobe full of clothes i need to get into as i cant afford to buy new and tbh my weight is really getting me down.

Sorry no, not realistic at all, you want to loose 27lbs in 12 weeks just by cutting midweek chocolate and puddings, and limiting wine to 3x a week.

That?s probably a plan to stop you gaining more weight, or by very gradually loosing weight over a longer period of time. You?d probably loose 2lbs or so each week for the first couple of weeks and then be back on here saying it wasn?t working.

Loosing consistently over 2lbs a week over several weeks requires serious commitment, along the lines of:

a) No puddings or chocolate at all, other than very small treats (100 cals) occasionally as part of calorie limit
b) Ideally no alcohol at all ? but if you want wine include as part of calorie limit
c) No white carbs (ie no white bread, white rice, sugar, white pasta)
d) Calorie counting / portion control ? guess around 1500 cals a day to start with
e) Regular exercise, ideally daily.

thanks forever, those things were just to start me off, planned on that for the first two weeks rather than going full pelt and then quitting :-D

i will be starting a 12 week fitness plan with my personal trainer friend too so that should help!

Agree with Foreverondiet, except the carbs thing. I managed to loose just over 2 stones in 3 months without totally cutting out carbs. I think it is mainly about calorie counting, like she says try to keep to around 1500 calories a day to start with and I can't praise the effectiveness of regular excersise enougth.

I said to cut white carbs, not all carbs. They are empty calories - have brown rice, brown bread, brown pasta etc. Also ok to have treats, which will contain sugar in small amounts as part of calorie limit.

Walk. When you're done walking, walk some more

I lost 4lb last week from upping my dogs walks and aiming to walk a bit faster. Borrow someone's dog for motivation.

DooinMeCleanin, i like that idea, i have ordered a step counter and i am going to aim for 10,000 steps a day out pounding the streets with the buggy!

I wore a step counter for a week, and managed to get up to 18,000 on quite a few days and even 22,000 one day!
It was a ki fit (pedometer plus other things) and the point I took was that the calorie useable is not huge, and actually not really much more than housework, ie ironing. Def go out walking if alternative is sitting on sofa, but if you are busy otherwise...

to be honest forever i think i will probably use more chasing after ds now he is starting to toddle :-D

Try to keep an accurate diary of what you eat. MyFitnessPal is good for this, and there are others out there too. Don't be tempted to 'cheat' your entries.
Watch the fat content as well as calories (no word of a lie - a colleague will eat 2 doughnuts because 'she has the calories for them in her plan').

drink plenty of water it really helps.

have you thought about slimming world? i am doing really well on it and i can still have wine/choc just in moderation. I tried losing weight on my own but found after a couple of weeks I lose motivation.

Get some light weights (two 1litre bottles would be ok to start with) and do a range of arm workouts and squats/dips/lunges etc 3-4 times a week to help you start building up your muscle.
Remember that all the boring everyday stuff adds up to calorie burn; you're not vacuuming you're working out!!

You also need to look at your portion sizes, maybe use a side plate sized dish for your meals for a few weeks? It may help you get used to being fuller quicker/cutting down on meal sizes.
Go a week without wine, alcohol is empty calories and will not help if you're on a diet, gradually re-introduce it but not back to the level you had before. Have a 'new dress' fund, the amount of money you save each week by not buying wine/chocolate/junk food, put into a jar so you can see how much you're saving by eating better...plus you get to spend it at the end

For the next few weeks write a food diary, and be obsessive with writing in the size of portion you have & if you're eating because you're stressed or bored write it down (see if there is a link to when you're snacking & your mood). tot up the calories at the end of the day to see how you're doing (loads of great sites online for this; livestrong.com/myplate is my favourite, also loseit.com is good).

Stick a picture of you when you were slimmer/around the weight you want to get to on the fridge/whever your downfall is (so maybe on the wine cabinet/bottles) OR stick on a picture of an outfit you really want to get when you're at your goal weight, so you know that everytime you snack on junk you're one step further away from dream outfit.

Don't get obessive with losing pounds, as with increasing exercise you're bound to put on weight/muscle. One day a week take your weekly measurments (bust, waist, hips) so you can judge if you're losing inches.

Good luck! x

wow - this is all fab

i will be doing the measuring etc with my personal trainer thing.

will be upping my water intake and looking at my portion sizes too.

i like the idea of a food diary too!

Oh, and try to plan your meals ahead so you can shop/eat accordingly. I plan DH & my evening meals a week ahead so we know what we're having.

Have a little treat once a week. Not an entire cream cake, but a couple of squares of chocolate or a weightwatchers dessert (bloody lovely) gives you something to look forward to

storminabuttercup, forgot to add I've got a really sweet tooth & have a daily ice lolly to stop me snacking.
I normally have the Tesco Cola, Lemonade & Cherryade Lollies (box of 10 for 99p) and they're 43 calories each, yet to find an ice lolly with over 100 cals in!

Another vote for slimming world here! I'm going to slimming world to get back into my pre-preg jeans and it's the closest diet I've found to 'normal eating'. Lost a stone so far, about 9lb to go!

Good luck, however you decide to do it!