I am going to lose this 2 stone, for good!!

[FlossyMcgrew]

I will be taking "after" pictures on July 1st.

I took before pictures yesterday and they are awful. I have at least 2 stone to lose. I have joined other threads here before, with some success. Then quit after getting halfway to my goal and gaining everything back in half the time it took me to lose it.

I am 5 foot 6, have been wavering around the 12 stone mark since having my 2 dc within 13 months. Youngest is now 2.

In my "before" pictures (which I won't post until I get to post them with my afters!). It is painfully obvious that nearly all of my weight is around my middle. This is particularly worrying as my family history is full of diabetes, heart problems, cancer, strokes- you name it.

My plan is this:

MFP to track my calories

30 day shred or alternate 30 min workout 5 times a week

More conscious eating. Re-reading Paul McKenna, "I Can Make You Thin."

Easy on the carbs. My current 2 slices of toast breakfast, 2 slice of bread sandwich and crisps lunch, and insert random carb heavy dinner here, is doing me and my middle no favours.

Drink more water. At least 4 pint glasses per day.

Chew gum instead of mindless snacking.

No baking. I can think up any excuse to bake, and then of course I have to test my product--no more!

And that is basically it.....

I am hoping that I can make all of these things my new way of life, rather than a diet.

I am tired of hating myself in every picture.

I am tired of refusing to buy new clothes in this size, and looking like a slob as all of my clothes are old and don't fit properly.

I want to be healthy and I want to be here for my kids for as long as possible.

I want to be a good example for my kids.

I would like to feel attractive again.

I am going to check in here at least once a week. Monday morning weigh in to keep me honest over the weekends. Please feel free to join me, or cheer me on.

I don't want to be a diet bore in real life so I am going to use this thread for my rambling instead.

So here goes......

Week 1
12 Stone 7

Hello

I'm struggling with the easter chocs hanging around too!

Doing ok this week - I had a really big salad for lunch yesterday with prawns and then was hungry when I got in after work so finished off my little one's chicken sandwich left over in her lunch box (yuck!). Then, after I put them to bed, I thought about what to have for dinner but wasn't hungry so thought I'd grab something later - but then never got hungry enough! That is unheard of for me. I get so used to just eating because its meal time, I forget to think about whether I'm actually hungry. So for the rest of the week I am going to try and listen to my body a bit more and not just eat because its supper time.

Still haven't managed to do any exercise - I'm the queen of excuses!

Have a good day everyone

Hiya
Having a wobble too with all the chocolate and out to dinner tomorrw but will drive so i cant drink. Sticking to my calories for the next few days but not hopeful of losing anything, i just dont want to gain!

The sun is out, or it was earlier - hurrah. Except this means I can no longer hide my bulging love handles under a jumper.

I have also realised through careful checking in every window we went past that my posture is terrible and makes me look even lardier than I am. So, I think maybe I need to do yoga or something to help?

My target weight is about 10.5 stone I think, I would love to be less but I started at 12.12 so want to be realistic about what is achievable and maintainable.

I am struggling this week, not managed my 10k steps everyday as it hasn't been great weather but have done an Insanity workout class and a cardio fitness dvd will try and do a dvd again today.
Weight is sticking though and I know it will shift eventually but I find it so hard to be motivated when that happens!
(plus I keep nibbling Easter chocolate!)

Ooh, I feel like having a bit of a blowout tonight. But I can't as I've been too bloody efficient at removing all the crap naughty food from the cupboards. Probably for the best.....

Good effort howiwonder, I have inhaled 3 creme eggs today. I'm just messing this up for myself, i really am.

I'm messing it up for myself too, how can we snap out of it and break the cycle?? I kept thinking today as I was dutifully logging my chocolate egg onto MFP, "this is not the food diary of someone who wants to lose weight"

It's ridiculous!

I'm going to come back in a minute, going to make myself shred now, although I don't want to, I'm in damage control mode now.

I woke up feeling rough and didn't shred this morning. Had a baguette at lunch with brie and homemade coleslaw so not great but have eaten less than I would have before the diet.

My problem is eating after dinner so I allowed myself an apple and 2 kiwi fruit before getting into bed.

I find with losing weight that I have to be in the right mind set or it just doesn't happen. Have either of you tried Paul McKenna? I lost quite a lot a couple of years ago by listening to the CD.

Good suggestion Amelia, thank you! You are so right, a positive attitude makes all the difference. I have that cd on my old iPod, I am going to dig it out. I found the visualizing the healthy me part especially helpful in the past.

Time to snap out of it and get back on track. I need to stop making excuses. Right now it's easter chocolate, but later it will be bbq's and summer wine, next it will be comfort food in the autumn, then Christmas food and on and on it goes.

Must get back to work on changing my mindset!

Good luck everyone

hello can i join too? i have at least a stone to lose, ideally 1.5 stone. my main motivation at the minute is getting into 3 gorgeous pairs of summer trousers i have waiting for me. im also quite down about it because i knew i'd gained weight but until i stepped on the scale i didn't realise it was this much. i have tried low carb and it didn't work for me (unsustainable for me) and i tried 5.2 but i just binge on my off days. i feel i need to do something drastic, but i know if i do it will probably backfire on me. i wish i could just learn to eat sensibly and cut down a bit. a lot of my problem at the minute is fatigue, which means i dont do much activity. i am determined to lose this weight.

Jan2014 I had that shock in February. I knew I was bigger but hadn't realised how much.

I have never tried low carb as that would involve changing my whole diet and didn't get on with 5:2 as first day ended with a migraine.

This time I started doing slim fast and have now replaced those with low calorie foods. I find in the evenings I am too tired to do any exercise so qm trying to do it first thing. Would that work? Even just walking more can really help.

Good luck :)

I had a blow out too at dinner last night, had a family meal out, and they had one of those old fashioned sweet trolleys, i indulged and had trifle. Was gooood and dont feel too bad actually. It is so rare we go out together, or i go out at all, it was nice to treat myself.
Back on it today, hung the dress that needs to be a little looser in 4 weeks on the outside of my cupboard to remind me every day.
X

That's the thing- keeping the motivation. I think you just have to refresh yourself on why you're doing it, dig out that dress or jeans, look at the before pics, whatever gets you back on track. The problem is dieting is bloody boring, I'm starting to find inputting on mfp monotonous and the novelty of the whole things wears off after the first week or two. So I think treats here and there, without guilt, are an essential part of keeping it sustainable.
I love Pinterest and have created a whole secret board on there of fitness and weight loss inspiration, I do find it genuinely motivating to look at from time to time.
Off to dig out my old Paul mckenna as well, I have never really read properly.
Chin up all

I need to get my Paul McKenna out again too,

Motivation needs a right kick up the backside again, it's now 9 weeks till my holiday and I still want to lose another 7lbs.

I am going out on my bike tomorrow morning before breakfast. Then I am going to plan my exercise in this week with dh.

Dieting is so hard as Paul says your imagination is stronger than you will.

I had Oatcakes with low fat cream cheese, cherry tomatoes and cucumber for lunch. Do people actually like those? They weren't too bad but I think the box they came wouldn't have been much worse :)

I am going out for lunch to the local Table Table with my parents tomorrow. My dad always orders a dessert and I find it really hard not to when I am with him even if I am full already!

If you go onto the NHS BMI calculator it gives you an idea of how many calories approximately you need to lose weight. Mine is 1410.

BMI Calculator

Hi all. Well I tried another 25 min run on c25k yesterday and flagged at 17 mins. I'll have to try again today before I can move on to week 8 (28 min runs). I am finding the c25k really challenging but I will be so so proud of myself if I eventually get there. I am not a natural runner!

7 weeks to our holiday and want to lose another half a stone by then. Had a look around the shops at bikinis but went for a tankini in the end, alas I don't think my stomach will ever be fit for public exposure after two big babies and horrific stretch marks ah well at least I am (just) back in the healthy bmi zone now.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend!

Amelia i think doing the exercise in the morning is always the best idea for me, because like you im too tired at night and also my motivation isn't the same later in the day. but i find it hard as i have a toddler a lot of the time! i do have gym membership but its not working for me at the minute so im debating wether or not just to cancel it.

spoon you have done brilliant with your running.... i am impressed! i used to run but can't run the length of myself now. the fact you can do 17 minutes and are motivated is just brilliant.

today i ate well, until after my dd went to bed then i scoffed carbs. i was kind of expecting to do that, its been a stressful day, but i just wish i could have stopped myself buying the freddo and crisps earlier today knowing full well i was going to eat them tonight, instead of sticking to a healthy snack before bed.

Haha jan2014, I don't often hear many people (other then me)say that expression - can't run the length of myself! You might be from same part of the world as me!

I went for a bike ride this morning, am planning a run tomorrow morning, I have to do mornings too. I find it ridiculously easy to talk myself out of exercise if I leave it till the evening.

Thatsnotaknife - you are doing great with your running, it's really hard to get going on it. I'm doing walk/run when I go out, not sure if that's how C25k works too?

I sneakily stood on the scales this morning, tomorrow is weigh in day, I've put on 2lbs. So, I have scuppered myself again for this week. Muppet.

Ah thanks jan2014. I am just back in from my repeat attempt at 25 mins and managed it this time, so am chuffed. I slowed my pace and think that's the key, I keep getting ahead of myself ans trying to go too fast.

I know exactly what you mean about buying crap half unconsciously but sort of secretly knowing you're going to eat them while telling yourself you won't. I have a cupboard full that catches my eye every day when I go to get something else and it's a test every time for me.

I lurk on the 5:2 threads a bit and the hardcore posters there are very big on not snacking, which I'm trying to adhere to. It's kind of freeing in a way to know once dinner is over the kitchen is closed and there's no excuse to eat. It's a slippery slope for me even if I try to eat healthy stuff like rice cakes, eventually I'll give in to something much worse. So doing my best to stick to that!

I'm a single parent and youngest is 3 so finding time to do exercise outside of the house is difficult. Apart from when DD3 is at preschool 3 days and I am at college at least one of them is with me at all times.

I would love to start running again but the 3 days I could possibly do are altogether which probably isn't great.

We went to table table for lunch and had seafood linguine followed by plain strawberry ice cream. Was so full after I didn't eat again until DDs were in bed.

Here's to a positive week for us all.

No change this week. So, aiming for 14.7 next week. I updated mfp to show my current weight and will stick to calories. Lets see! X

12.8 this week so 2lb gain from last week. This was not the plan.

I had all my gear out for a run this morning, the dc's had other ideas & were both awake at 6. Will go tonight instead.

Going out for a buggy walk now.

If DD2 and DD3 wake up while I'm doing the shred they try and join in. It is very amusing though a little distracting. DD1s solution is to get up earlier! I think 7 is early enough!

RunningKatie do you have special running shoes? I started the 30 day shred last year but had to stop when my shins started really hurting. I want to start restart but I'm a bit worried it will happen again.

Sorry runningkatie just saw your question, yes the first half or so of the c25k program is run/walk intervals, initially maybe only 60 secs run then 90 secs walk for 20 mins total. I was wrecked at the start so am really happy now I can run longer times with no walking. It gets easier with time but as you can see from my previous posts I still find every run a challenge abd if I do manage a 5k eventually I won't be breaking any records. I reckon it'll taje me 40 mins if I get that far.

I just wear cheapish asics trainers, so far have avoided any injuries.