5 stone to lose, 34 weeks till I am bridesmaid at friends wedding. How much can I lose and how to do it?

[AngryFeet]

As title really. I am 5ftt 3 and weigh just over 14 stone. I need to lose weight for my health but I am also going to be a bridemaid in Sept for a good friend. She and all other bridesmaids are very slim and I would feel rubbish as the blimp in the photos (shallow I know).

I have been up and down in weight since my teens. Left school weighing around 9 stone and gained about 2.5 stone in the year after that. Lost some weight and settled at about 10 stone till I was 23 when it started going up. Had dd at 25 and was about 12 stone after I had her. Got bak down to 10 then got pregnant and ended up at 13st 11 after having ds. 2 years later i lost 4 stone for my wedding (2009). In the last 4 years I have gone up to where I am now.

I eat lots of crap. I sometime go to mcdonalds and buy 2 large fries plus a burger. I snack lots and drink too much and too often. I feel like crap but cant seem to sort myself out. Tried lots of diets in the last few years but fallen off wagon quickly.

How much could I safely lose by sept and what diet/exercise should I do?

Bump

Hey Angryfeet

Wow, you could be me! I am your height and pretty darn close to your current weight.

I have now had ENOUGH. I am planning on trying one of the various VLCD such as Cambridge, Lighter Life or Exante.

I did LL many many years ago starting at 12 stone and lost over three stone in three months, which I think is pretty average. It is hardcore though. Check out this thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/1648957-Cambridge-Diet-5-stone-goal?pg=2.

Obviously I don't know you or if this would suit you, but I didn't want you to think you were alone or leave your post unanswered.

Good luck in whatever you try.

Well, the experts advise roughly 2lbs a week loss but you could lose more if you really tried. I have lost 4lbs the first week, 3lbs the second and another 4lbs the 3rd week and all I am doing is eating healthy, and no more calories than 1200 Monday to Friday then I have a homemade curry and roast dinner at weekends, but healthier versions. They are my treats, so I don't feel like I am depriving myself too much. I am also doing a lot of exercise to try tone up so that'll be helping.

I am currently 14st 12lbs (well, was last Thursday) so got even more than you to lose, and I am going on holiday the last week of august, so got less time to do it haha. But you can do it, even at a 2lb loss a week for 34 weeks is just under 5 stone loss. Just find something that works for you, and go with it.

Good luck.

Oh, and I too was a drinker, and a McDonald's lover. Since a week into this though, I already feel less groggy, drained, just general bleurgh!! I already feel more fresh and energized and I have been wondering why on earth I ever did it to myself as I general felt shit, but I didn't realise until I stopped. Keep at it and hopefully it will be the same for you

Can I direct you to look at this thread too - its a low carb diet. On it you can eat fat which helps to keep you full, and there are lots of recipies linked from the thread too, to give you a bit of an idea. I have been doing it for 3 weeks now and have lost 9lb so far. - I do have a lot to loose and you loose more in the beginning if this is true.

You need to address the reasons behind your food habits or no diet will work, as soon as you stop "dieting" and go back to the unaddressed habits you'll just put it on again.
Think about why you eat the foods you do, in the amounts you do, and work to change your attitude to food.
I was 14st last July, and at 5' tall that was far too much.
I realised my portion sizes were far too big, and I was eating lots of cake. The reasons behind this were complex and took time to work through, partly a perceived need to finish all the food on my plate, partly an aversion to wasting food, partly emotional/boredom eating, partly a feeling that as I exercise so much I "deserved" more food.
Now I eat a healthy varied diet, in reasonable amounts, and weigh 10st 3lb, still losing weight slowly. I feel happier, fitter and more attractive, and have gone from a size 18 to 12.
That's what worked for me, what works for you, only you can work out.

Can I join you?

I have just over 30weeks until I am THIRTY!

I am off to WW tomorrow to tackle my weight. I don't have scales at home but I would guess I am around 15st (will report back tomorrow... eeeekkkk) and at 5'6" I am a (rather flabby) size 16.

I have never been skinny... but I was once a nice shapely (big boobs!) size 12. I would like to get back to that .

Paul Mckennas hypnotic band thing seems to be having good results for people at the moment.
I'm starting that.

You can lose quite a bit if you put your mind to it. My DH lost over 5 st in 7 months last year by making a few changes:

Stopped drinking calorific drinks - so just water or diet drinks, herbal tea etc.
Stopped using fat in cooking - a spray of frylight if necessary, cut the fat/skin off meat prior to cooking.
Pretty much stopped eating flour-based products - bread/cakes. Still ate loads of other carbs like pasta/rice/potatoes though
Cut right down on sugar. Lots of fruit/ fat free yogurts when he wanted something sweet.

That was it. The weight just fell off him. Once he started seeing results he found it easy to continue because he realised that certain high-calorie things he was fond of just weren't worth it. You don't have to feel hungry at all to lose weight, just choose carefully what you eat. Good luck with it.