I want to lose a stone - care to join me?

[RattusRattus]

This is the first time i've joined in on a thread with others and I'm hoping the mutual support will give me more motivation.

I've realised that I've gradually put on a stone and I want to stop expanding and start decreasing! My clothes feel tight and uncomfortable and I need to do something about it now. Its about 6 weeks until the whole Xmas things starts to go into overdrive and I want to do some damage limitation before then.

I'm going through quite a stressful thing at the moment which is my excuse for gorging on rubbish and indulging in that extra glass of wine. IT HAS TO STOP NOW.

So I've ordered the Davina DVDs (Power of 30 and the 30 minute work outs) and aim to eat about 1500 cals per day. I want to lose 1.5lbs a week over the next 6 weeks. Ok it's not the stone I'm really after but with Xmas in the way I need to be realistic.

Anyone care to join me?

Interested to know what people think about weigh-ins too - guess I'll plan to weigh myself once or twice a week.

Healthy lunch here - baked potato, beans, lean turkey and salad with a scattering of cheddar cheese. Just had a banana now and some grapes. Bored, bored, bored with healthy food already and wishing I could eat a cupcake.

Sigh...I weigh about 14 stone I think (don't do stones here) and am about 5 foot 8.

So well and truly fat.

I haven't actually eaten anything yet, but will go get some porridge in a minute. (It's about 9:30 am here)

I need to get healthy for myself to be sure but...also I just feel greedy. I read recently that the US consumes enough calories to support 800,000,000 people. But we've only got 300,000,000. It just makes me feel ill and greedy. :(

Cheerful Yank I weigh just under 14 stone and I'm 5 foot 5, so don't feel too bad! The stats for the UK are pretty much as bad as they are for the US. If I think too much about western gluttony I get very depressed. Have you read 'Not on the label'? It's about food production world wide and is much more interesting than that makes it sound! It's about the socio-economic effects of the production of different foods in different parts of the world and is pretty terrifying. The general point is that the amount the west consumes is sending us to hell in a handbasket.

I weighed myself today - Monday always seems a good weigh in day to me - and am 9.4. I am only 5'3" and am looking to be 8.5stone by Xmas.

Have done quite well today - have still got 300 cals in the bank, so to speak after breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Oh bummer, the batteries have gone in my scales so I'm having to estimate my first days weight loss. So I'm going with 7lbs, ok everyone?

Actually yesterday went well apart from a MASSIVE headache at 5pm after no tea or coffee for the day. Honestly thought I was going blind, it was awful. Will continue with not junk and smaller portions, as had first decent nights sleep in ages last night after not drinking my usual white wine at 7pm.

Today am aiming for eating less dinner.

Well done everyone who had their first day!

I had my official weigh in tonight and apparently only lost 1 pound, whereas it was 2.6 this morning. I feel like weighing in the evening is just not very accurate, depending on how much food I have during the day etc.

Next week I am going to a chinese restaurant with DP for our anniversary. It's a really fancy place and we don't get to go out a lot so I want to enjoy it. Any advice on how to cope, what definitely to avoid? We are going for the pre-theatre menu so it's two or three courses. And we might see a movie afterwards so I might be tempted with snacks, too . Bit scared to risk my diet this early on.

Oh and Claudia, I am sure you lost 7 pounds

Can I join too. I started a thread last week because I started a Slimfast diet. By day 3 I felt faint and started shaking so decided I would stop the Slimfast and go with low calorie healthy eating. I would love to come on at the end of the day to write down what I've eaten. I've enjoyed reading through to see what everyone else is eating. I never really know whether I'm eating the right things. Today I've had my usual all bran with skimmed milk (small amount), banana, apple and packet of go ahead biscuits (around 140 cals I think), then a yummy dinner with quorn steak, mash pots and sprouts. Oh, just remembered a yogurt (weight watchers - around 50 cals I think). Is this too much? I didn't have time for lunch hence the fruit, yogurt and biscuits.

May I join you? I am in the USA too, a little south of CheerfulYank and eating some of those extra calories she mentioned. My extra stone has crept on over the last couple of years and I just don't seem to have the motivation to shift it even though I know what I am doing wrong. I am 5'5" and 10 stone. Do you think that I should weigh every day?

GD - would weigh in morning - that is your lightest point in the day before you fill up on food all day!

As for Chinese, it is only one meal and a rare treat so why not just cut back a little more during teh week and on the day, have low cal foods before hand - I find a couple of eggs can fill me up for hours.. and then enjoy it without going bonkers - I find dropping the rice and crackers a good way to not got too mad .. reduce the crap carbs and fill up on lovely prawns and chicken etc.. as for cinema - pop corn with salt is quite low cal... but again I would still build it into the diet plan if it is a rare treat - you have a lot of time to catch up and really how mad can you go on chinese calories wise!!

Hi all, I'm in Australia so it's the start of the day for me. Nice to have an international contingent to the diet.

Today I will be eating porridge and kiwi for breakfast. Tuna sandwich and veggies for lunch. Snack of banana and Kiwi (cheap at the moment) then dinner of mince and something or other.

Re Chinese food, I agree with zzmum, don't go mad but make sure you enjoy it too, food should be enjoyable. Cut down on the lead up to your meal out, avoid the rice and deep fried stuff and blow out on prawns, veggies, chicken, etc yum.

I don't really understand the going to the cinema to stuff myself thing, but def avoid handfuls of sweets. Congratulations on the anniversary btw.

NoGoodGirl, I would only weigh in once or twice a week tops, otherwise it's too depressing. Also focus on how your clothes feel rather than just weight. If you're one of those super sporty types you can remain reasonably heavy but super slim and fit. A la my mate who is a fit as a flea but quite heavy - looks great tho.

Thank you ZZMum. I will keep weighing in every Monday morning in addition to my sliming world class. Just seeing how I basically gained 1.6 pounds extra throughout the day was a bit upsetting but I don't want to starve myself on Mondays either (or try not to drink too much like some other member mentioned tonight!).

I will try and be relatively good on Monday but will try and not use all my syns this week. As I will be having a starter I don't think I will need rice, so I can definitely save those calories. I might check out the menu and see how many syns they approximately are with the booklet.

And I simply love eating at the cinema, even after a meal out . No idea why, but somehow I always fancy it.
I think I might buy a really small serving and try and ration it throughout the movie. Or I could share with DP, he hoovers everything up in no time ;)

I guess I will just try and relax. It's an important night out for us and while I want to lose weight I don't want to miss out on those happy moments either.

Thanks for the congratulations Claudia, we aren't actually married so it's 'just' an anniversary, but we don't get a lot of treats lately and it will be nice I am sure.

I love how international our little group is becoming. With support from all over the world I am sure we can all manage to shift at least one stone

Right I need some help from you all...

I am actually fairly good at eating healthily. However, I seem to have a chocolate/sugar addiction! Is this possible? How do I overcome it? I can't keep it out of the house because it's not fair on the other members of my family.

This morning I had eaten 2 twix before 9am for example!

How do I get rid of the craving? It is worse than giving up smoking - I kid you not!

Hmm, im as mad as a really mad thing becuase i made a low fat chicken Korma and small portion of rice for tea last night, did well all day too, but them my friend phoned and asked me if i wanted to go out for tea...
I said no but that i would join her her a drink...
She demolished a plate of salmon and chips, i had a drink with soda water in it...
Then
she said...have some pudding...
SO I DID, chocolate fudge cake to be exsact.
DAGNAMIT, why,why why???????
So, im off for weigh in tonight, then 100% taking it meal by meal, day by day...thats the only way.

Im like a food addict or something..GAHHHHHH

So lost 2lb - which is a good start - givin up wine really does help stop the carb cravings the next day ...

I think best way to lose sugar craving in my experience is just to go cold turkey - I do think sugar and other carbs - the crap ones at least - just make you crave more of the same so you need to stop the craving at source... I find when I drink wine I need more and more but never get the same craving with spirits - same with bread and sugar - once I start, I get hooked. I think that curring out any white carbs would help and also taking chromium which is supposed to keep blood sugars level so stopping slumps that make you crave...

I got huge sugar cravings too, it's ridiculous. I could eat candy all the time. I never had it before starting the pill a few years back, I think there might be a connection, because I actually physically feel a huge need for candy, not just want if that makes sense.

I will look into chromium. Do I get it from boots?

I also talked to my mother the other day and she said that most sweeteners still influence your insulin and give you cravings. She has diabetes and got told by her dietician to use stevia, which apparently sweetens without influencing insulin. Haven't looked into it yet but thought it might be good advise for all of us.

Gigglepin, don't be too hard on yourself. These things happen! Did you tell your friend you want to lose weight?

Oh and I forgot ZZMum: Well done on two pounds! That is a very good start indeed.

me too, have a few stone to lose but just thinking about the first one to start with and should be able to manage it by christmas with some effort. Bad habits are wine and choc. Doing sw and will try and do 4 aquagym type classes each week. Started yesterday and the scales are the same today . I have have have to do this.

thanks 2 down about 30 to go !

Yes you can get chromium from boots and I have read the same about sweetners - apparently just the taste of sweet stuff in mouth can trigger the insulin reaction which is why a lot of low carb diets say avoid the low cal drinks .. not sure how stevia works but sounds worth looking into - but my plan is just to avoid any sort of sugar other than in low carb fruits for the time being... hence why giving up wine - now I realise that it is basically a bottle of (delicious) sugar water I can more easily drop it...

and gigglepin - I would not worry - the odd treat is not an issue - you have to still enjoy life whilst losing the weight.. stick to good 80% of the time and focus on that and not the few times you fall off the good path!

My scales were actually two pounds heavier than yesterday morning DelGirl. I really think daily weighing is bad as sometimes you have a late dinner or whatever and that influences your weight the next day but not in the long run. but I find it really hard not to step on them first thing in the morning.

4 classes a week is a lot!

I wanted to do couch to 5 k but it's so cold here now and always dark in the morning and I really don't feel comfortable to run in the complete dark with my ipod in. I might start swimming, got a pool only a few minutes away.

Woohoo, 3.5lbs after week 1 :)

On the subject of daily weighing, I think it's fine as long as you look at the trend - don't get hung up on each day's weight but put them on a graph or something. Otherwise it's too easy to obsess!

Congratulations Pippa that is fantastic. Are you doing WeightWatchers? I have a terribly sweet tooth too but think that it has become habit out of boredom. I am starting a new job next week so I am hoping that will help. I actually prefer healthier food it is just that junk is so convenient.

Imho zzmum is right the only way to beat the sugar cravings is to totally go cold turkey. I am a massive chocolate fiend - I cannot just eat one or two pieces like my husband I have to gorge myself. So I have to completely and utterly give it up. It's miserable for about 3 days then totally fine and I don't miss it at all.

I've just given up tea and coffee and have had the grimmest of grim headaches for 2 days - but they seem to be fading now, on day 3. They'd better be gone today or I'm back on the double espressos.

Well done those that have lost weight, excellent work. I'd personally advise against weighing yourself daily, it's too depressing. Too much fluctuation.

Gravitydefyer can you do a dvd at home?

I'm off shortly to walk the kids and dog to school, not really exercise as such as we go at a snails pace. But better than being in the car.

I am going to cut out sugar too. I've just been feeling blah lately, no energy, etc.

Well done Pippa, that is an amazing weight loss!

Cut out sugar completely? How sad . I will really have to do that though if I can't control those cravings.

Had a good day today. Had a chicken sandwich with lettuce and a tomato this morning, pasta with leftover homemade vegetable and tomato sauce for lunch and a roast chicken with potatoes and loads of steamed veggies tonight. Sounds like a lot but was all pretty good food and worked out well with my slimming world plan so I hope it was ok. Haven't felt hungry at all although I feel like something now. Might have some fruit.

Claudia, I do have the 30 day shred dvd here as well as some yoga and pilates ones. I guess they would be a good idea for these dark winter mornings.