how to deal with having 3-4 stone to lose?

[nearlyfinisheduni]

hi i have between 3 and 4 stone to lose and have been overweight for the past four years. Every day i 'start again' as i sabotage my healthy eating the day before. I think it is because i have a significant amount of weight to lose it just seems so impossible, how do i deal with this and sort it out once and for all?

I would not think about 4 stone and instead think of 4lb - this can be achieved in a week or two if you are careful and you will get a sense of achievement from it - so next time, you can then make a new goal - if you are 5-6lb off a certain number of stones then aim for that - then next goal is to go under it -just by a couple of pounds ..... and so on .. as you achieve and grow your confidence, you can then set bigger targets...

I'm in the same boat!

And can't exercise right now due to an ankle injury. No motivation whatsoever!

I'm afraid I don't really have anything useful to say. Just wanted to add that I'm in pretty much the same position with amount to lose, how long it's been a problem and the constant self-sabotage! I started weight watchers online for first time a few weeks ago and am just plodding away. Have tried slimming world and various other diets countless times but am hoping my head just seems to be in the right place this time... Good luck, it's really hard, isn't it. Hope someone comes along with some useful advice soon!

Ooh people already have! Good advice from zzmum. Small goals...

I'd start by setting a realistic target, maybe half a stone? This is achieveable, and then you'll be spurred on by seeing that you're making progress.
Also, don't start on a fad diet; they are almost impossible to stick to!! Start by trying to make more healthy choices on the things you like e.g. if you love toast (like me) go for smaller slices of bread, and clover light (yum).
A good diet is one you can stick to!
At the same time, try to more active. I know it sounds simple but once you make a start you'll begin to enjoy it and want to do more and more.
My Fitness Pal (free website) was a real eye opener for me, exactly how many calories I was eating and the things I could enjoy for less iykwim.
MFP helped me to set goals I felt I could reach and I enjoyed keeping track in my food diary.

HTH

thanks for all the advice! I think small goal is the ways to go, so maybe 4lbs by the end of the month will be my first! I do not want to do any kind of diet but am going to try healthy eating and walking as exercise to begin with

I have lost over 4 stones. I would agree with setting yourself smaller targets. I think I initially aimed for about 18 pounds loss, this was enough for me to notice the difference in clothes and so motivated me to carry on.
The most important thing really is to find a way of enjoying it, ie a way of eating that you enjoy and exercise that you like and feel good at [walking is a great start]. That way you don't feel deprived.
I also made a point of buying a few new outfits for myself as I lost weigh [I had to as I had been fat for so long], and always doing my hair and make up etc, to build up my self esteem.
Lastly, don't panic or give up if you don't lose weight every single week. You will have your ups and downs, weight loss isn't always constant, especially for women.
Good luck!

Hope you don't mind me adding my bit, my Mum has done this recently. She joined weightwatchers and has lost 4 1/2 stone since February going from a size 22 to a 14/16.

She was also set small targets and a slightly bigger target. WW give give glass pebbles for every 1/2 stone and set this as a target, as well as aiming for a 10% loss overall, once met they aim for 20%. (I think). Mum doesn't stay for the talk afterwards, she just needs somebody going "ooh well done/not done too well this week" to motivate her and the thought of spending a fiver to put on weight also keeps her on track. In fact when she lost 50lb she was supposed to hang around for a certificate, but was mortified by the idea and slipped out. The certificate thing does work well for others though.

I know from talking to Mum that it has taken her many tries to get to the point where she was motivated enough to stick to ww, but as soon as she and others could see a difference in her shape it made a huge difference to her commitment and I have seen a massive change not only in her health, but in her overall happiness as not being able to shift what she calls "the weight" was really getting her down. For her it was a vicious circle of felling low about her weight, eating to feel better and putting weight on, so feeling low....

Sorry about the mammoth post, I hope it doesn't come across as suck eggish, it's just that I'm really proud of her and the differences I see in her.

My HUGE motivator was seeing a photo of me. I thought I looked great, but got photographed from the back and actually looked bloody awful. Joined SW one week later and within 18 months lost 3 1/2 stone.
For me, it was the motivation of wanting to look nice shallow.
I wanted to wear nice clothes and feel good. I went from a size 16 to a 10 and I felt flipping marvellous. I would do it again tomorrow if needed, as no matter how hard it was, nothing beats the feel of feeling good about yourself.

I have lost 4 stone over 2 years (also had DD during that time). I second the small goals. I used 7/10 pound goals which made it more realistic and achievable. I rewarded myself each time I hit a mini goal.

I also focused on the long term, ie where I wanted to be in 12 months time. 1/2 pound a week = 26 pounds in a year. 1/2 a pound a week weight loss is pretty easy to achieve. So if I had a nice dinner out or ate a little more at the weekend that was fine. It allowed me to keep focused on my eating as long as I was fairly careful 80% of the time I still lost weight and I didn't feel deprived. It has helped me reeducate myself so that I can keep the weight off. If I over indulge I just eat more conservatively for a few days.

I also built more activity into my lifestyle although I did/do no "formal" exercise. I probably walk at least 2 miles 5 days a week, often more, and clock up 5/6 miles on at least one weekend day.

I didn't think I could do it but I did and I feel so much better now.

I have lost just over 3stone. Have another two or three to go. Like you I found it really hard to get going but once I set myself a target of 10lbs - and achieved it - it became much easier to keep going for the next 10, and the next 10...
Have hit a bit of a block at the moment but am plugging away at these little targets...

Come over to the My Fitness Pal thread - lots of support there

I have lost 5 stone now, but have another 4 to go. I use myfitnesspal.com as well as exercising. I started improving my habits in January but if you told me then what I was doing now in terms of food and exercise I would have told you it was impossible.

Small changes in your lifestyle add up. Start exercising a bit more and dropping the calories. I started at 2000cal a day and have dropped bit by bit until I now am around 1500-1600 per day. The bigger you are the quicker you can lose weight and the more calories you can eat while losing. However you have to alter this as you get smaller.

Every loss helps your health, so whether its 10lb or 50lb it will do you good. Break it down into small goals, both weight ones and fitness ones and it won't be so overwhelming.

I lost 5st over 6 months and honestly, the only way to go is to see it in small weekly losses. There might even be some gains in there, but as long as the general trend is down it's fine. Make yourself a graph so you have something to see your losses on, and also measure your waist and hips every couple of weeks-sometimes if you don't lose pounds you lose inches instead!

Lost just over 4 stone so far this year. (Still more to lose!) I decided on some rewards and treated myself every half a stone. I signed up for race for life.
Small changes make all the difference. Drink more water. Eat healthy food. But more exercise.
Good luck.

Go for small weights I lost over 50lb still same to go but I look at originally was a stone and buy myself a treat at the moment it's shoes and if you know my story then it's in reality very funny that I now have shoe habit

I went from 13 and a half stone to 9 stone last year. I aimed for half a stone at a time and never thought of the weight as the whole 4 and a half stone. I treated myself to some thing non foody such as nice candles or bath products after every half stone.
I cut down and cut back on things in a couple of stages rather than risk it being to difficult at the beginning and jacking it all in. Firstly I got to grips with evening snacking by eating a lot more in the day , then I cut carbs.
I have maintained for 9 months so far.
Good luck.

I am currently around 13.5 stone, losing 3 would be great, 4 would be amazing.
My plan is to start eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. No snacks. Drink lots of water. I also want to do an hours walking per day, maybe with toning trainers on? (anyone got any recommendations?)

Which scales would you recommend? The cheaper, the better.

i hit the menopause and all my joints started groaning under the strain of my weight. i have tried to shift it alone so many times and nothing has worked so i started at slimming world. i have about 6 stone to lose and am breaking it up into small chunks. i also weigh in kilos because i cannot bear seeing it in stones and pounds. i can only do it if someone else is helping me. i would love not to have to spend the money on it or give up the time but know i need it. small little targets has to be the way to go. to quote alex polizzi stop looking for the big picture and go for the small one.

kaloobear Wolfie and Fluffy how have you done this? With which food or exercise plan have you managed this awesome achievement?

Have you posted here somewhere before or do you have your own thread? if yes, would you please be so kind and link me to it?! Thanks.

I did my own plan. Last Easter I banned all chocolate, crisps, biscuits, ice-cream, cakes and sweets. It took about 10 weeks to lose a stone. I then got used to not having the treats so upped things a bit and cut right down on carbs. The second and third stone took 6 weeks each to lose. The 4 th stone took 10 weeks. I then slowly introduced carbs last October but the weight still came of until Christmas and then it just stayed the same for 6 weeks. By low carb I mean if I made a roast dinner I would just have the meat and veg and no potatoes etc. I kept things really simple and never cheated. Weight came of every single week varying from 1 pound to never more than 2 and a half pounds. I didn't exercise at all as found it made me starving and I felt my priority was to get to grips with my eating. I now do a 22 minute Davina Macall workout DVD every day at home. I still haven't eaten chocolate, cakes or biscuits but have everything else.

Come and have a look at the 5:2 thread - number 4 has just started

The thing with 5:2 (which is intermittent fasting - eat next to nothing two days a week and a healthy version of normal the other 5)
is that you cannot "fail" - as you just decide that a different day is the fast day.
AND
It's not just a weight loss programme. Its a wholly different way of thinking about food that will be with you no matter how thin you get.

The long term goal of 5:2 is to avoid diabetes / heart disease / stroke / alzheimers
weight loss is merely a means to that end.

Thanks Fluffy this is amazing. I mean truly amazing, I guess I did intuitively the right thing then, cause I stopped putting sugar in my tea or coffee, and no coke or other fuzzy drinks and am only drinking regular coffee, not the Starbucks kind with syrup etc. and am only eating cake/pies (not more than two pieces slices) on Sunday afternoon....and other than that eat everything, but have three meals, and no munching in between, and am also not hungry in between, and have lost 4 kilograms in the last 6 weeks, with sitting a lot at the desk in front of computer and no exercise at all, which I do want to start.
Thanks again fluffy I will keep reading your reply. It is amazing!!!!

talkin thanks for inviting me over, I will have a look this evening and read and then join.
I find reaching the 40mark and having change of my body, hormones, and metabolism makes it harder to shift weight. And I gained all my weight while living in the US, but thankfully have at least not gained anymore, but am trying to lose 3-4 stone within the next year or year and a half.
And want to be fitter, as in toned and fit, so I can prepare well for the next decade and possibly prevent illnesses and other nuisances...
And what you're describing seems to be the aim of that thread. I'll come over later!!!! Thanks talkin

Well done on losing 4 kg... Getting started is definitely the hardest bit so well done.