Needing to lose 4st+ - support thread!

[HippyJess]

Since I want somewhere to track my progress I'm gonna do it here and have it act as a support thread for anyone else who wants to join me - because it certainly feels daunting and we can use all the help we can get!

I am 5 foot nothing and post DS (almost 6 months) I weigh (as of this morning) 95.2kg which I believe is around 14.5stone, but I avoid using st and lbs as I find it triggering. I would like to be back down to my pre-baby weight of circa 80kg by BiL's wedding in June. So...

HippyJess
SW: 95.2kg
GW1: 80kg (June)
GW2: 68kg (September)
UGW: 58kg (March 2016)

Short Term Goal: Do Davina's 15 Minute Fit every day for a week, starting today. I did it, and some of the easy versions were hard :( which is why I need to keep going.

Hope someone out there will want to join me! Hoping to post once a day to keep myself on track :) now off I go to make myself an omelette and veggies for lunch!

agree with Pippi - 40 lb in 6 weeks is unrealistic, healthy weight loss is 2lb per week? anything more is a bonus.
I did a three mile brisk walk at 6am this morning - feeling better had a spring in my step. The birds were singing and the rabbits and squirrels charging around the lane - it made me feel cheerful and face the day with enthusiasm!!

I agree with breaking down into managable chunks, I am working towards a three stone loss (36 at the moment) so 6 to go by end of August I hope. I am on holiday next week so aiming for a stay the same there, will adopt ww Filling and healthy where you can eat what you like of the zero hero stuff and eat til you fell 'full' which for me is when I have to undo the button on my trousers!!!

I also agree that you need to set yourself realistic goals, Maniq30

Have you worked out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)? That should give you an idea of how many calories you need to burn to lose weight. I found the "science2 part of weight loss helpful and motivating - if I know what numbers I am working towards, and can track them using an App like MyFitnessPal and a Fitbit to track movement, it keeps me on track.

There's a helpful calculator here

The BMR is the amount of calories you burn a day just by being alive
The TDEE is the amount of calories you burn according to your lifestyle.

For example, when I started this quest to get fit and not be fat, My stats were:
Weight: 111kg
Height: 170cm

BMI: 38.4 (obese)

I had a very sedentary lifestyle - I did absolutely no exercise at all and have a desk-based job

My BMR was 1797 calories
My TDEE was 2156 calories

In the first couple of weeks I lost 7kg, which was highly motivating but ultimately I was losing water weight rather than fat. Since then the weight loss has been between 0.5kg and 2kg per week, depending on how much I eat and my activity levels. That's between 1lb and about 4lb. To lose 4b I have to basically eat nothing and move like a demon! It's not sustainable.

To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume i.e. to lose 1 pound of fat you need to use 3,500 more calories than you eat.

My stats are currently
Weight: 85.2 kg
BMI: 29.5 (overweight)
BMRs: 1539 calories
TDEE: 2385 calories

As your BMI goes down sadly so does your BMR! But I walk everywhere, doing at least 10km a day, so my TDEE has gone up.

If I want to lose 3lb per week I have to burn 10,500 more calories than I eat which means expending 2,500 calories a day and eating no more than 1,000

Sorry to the other folks on this thread that this is a bit repetitive of stuff I have posted before, but I hoped it might be helpful to newcomers who may not have had a chance to read the whole thread.

The numbers and science are the single thing that have stopped me from bingeing! I know how bloody far I would have to walk to burn off a binge and I am no hero.

vicki your walk this morning sounds glorious! and you sound so happy. lovely to see.

very interesting- thank you London

Your stats are very impressive huffy puffy, 111 to 85 kg is. Truly motivating. I am still 102 kg 5 feet 8 so my him is about 34. My bar is about 1,700 calories, I guess my points allowance at wow takes account of this and roughly equates to calories. I have just had chicken casserole from my slow cooker which has simmered all day. Yummy.
Are you a scientists your explanation is very scientific?

My basal metabolic rate is now 1268 calories. Which is kind of grim, but I'm finding I'm just about able to grit my teeth, and embrace (ha!) the world of exercise in order to reach my deficit target.

I ignore TDEE because it makes it too easy for me to decide to eat just a little bit more.

Your morning walk does sound lovely, vicki.

I'm off to walk on a treadmill for a bit while watching a film about Lance Armstrong. I wonder what EPO does for weight loss... probably not as much as cycling full pelt for six hours a day.

Does anyone else sometimes really wish that they enjoyed sport or activities? I'm at my most content curled up on the sofa reading a book. Especially if I have a bar of chocolate to keep me company. And that, I suppose, is the root of my problem.

I don't use My Fitness Pal but I understand it won't recommend you eat fewer than 1,200 calories a day, mumslife, as that's generally the arbitrary level that nutritionists say is required for getting all the nutrients you need. You can get away with a bit less but you won't find anyone recommending it, unless you're closely monitored (like Lighter Life, I think) or doing it as part of intermittent fasting.

So, that's where the exercise comes in. To lose 2lbs a week, you need a calorie deficit of 1000 a day. Eating 1,200 calories would give you a 641 deficit, so you need to do 359 calories worth of extra activity. That's about an hour of aerobics (not the really, really active kind).

Of course, all the BMR and TDEE stuff are just estimates, and you might be more active than the calculator thinks.

I'm not a scientist, I'm a lawyer, but I'm fairly autistic so need facts and figures for focus (ooh I like the way that sounds! )

BUT pippi is absolutely right, as many of us have discovered, that the science is not actually that scientific! Because there are so many other variables, including hormones, what you eat, when you eat it, how much you drink etc etc. I'm using my numbers as a general guide to what I should be eating and how much I should be moving. The weight loss really does vary from week to week, though. I find it slows mid-cycle (ovulation time) and just before my period.

And alcohol REALLY buggers it up! Even if I stick within my self-imposed calorie limits by not eating when drinking I am guaranteed to see little or no movement for a good few days after a boozy night. Which is not good. Because I love .

And the thing which has really helped me much more than calorie counting/ healthy eating is walking. I walked 22.63km today (I had a day off work). I really am not a fan of exercise but walking does not feel like exercise.

Trying to work my way up to jogging but I still wobble too much and I find it shameful. I am so ungraceful

I love walking, I lost quite a lot of weight when I went on a three week walking holiday in some national parks. I used to go to the gym a lot but now I work longer hours and don't have the time or energy!

My workday today was supposed to be 11 hours but ended up being 13. I had my protein shake for breakfast, leftover cucumber and carrot rice wraps for lunch, and then a kale and pineapple salad for dinner. After the salad, I did have some dried blueberries covered in milk chocolate. Bad. . .I know. I'm home now and just had some avacado and carrot. I could easily eat more.

I don't think I have emotional triggers, but I feel my urges are harder to control once I work over my regular 8-9 hours.

I do a brisk walk every morning, not quite sure if it aids weight loss or not. I live on the edge of the pennines and it is very hilly. A few months ago I was out of breath on the steep bits and now it is much easier so my fitness has definotely improved ( I am carrying less weight equiv to 7 bags of potatoes)

I think most of weight loss comes from controlling your food - very difficult. I have bought some smaller plates to try and reduce portions so your plate still appears full.

I'm quite old skool when it comes to tracking what I'm doing so the technology I use is a pedometer. Quite a good one so it counts steps accurately but also counts calories burned. For the calorie burning bit, it doesn't include steps used just in pottering about, just the 'better quality' concerted effort walking. I'm in no doubt that it aids weight loss as it tells me that yesterday, for example, I used 720 calories by walking. As my overall calorie deficit yesterday was 750 calories, well, it's clear that walking was a large chunk of that. The thing is though that I do have to walk a lot in order to get to that. So yesterday was about 21,000 steps which I think probably equates to about 3 hours or so of concerted effort walking.

But I think the key thing for me is activity of any kind. It doesn't have to be sport or exercise, just so long as I keep moving as much as possible. It's an effort as it's not my natural inclination, but I'm also really lucky, I know, in that at the moment, I have the time to dedicate to it. In the past when I've been tied to a desk job, it would have been much more difficult.

Yes I have a desk job but make sure I go for a walk at lunch time, again I am in the middle of nowhere so there is nothing else to do. Thankfully there are minimal fast-food places nearby - we have to drive 7-8 miles to get to a McDonald of KFC/Pizzahut. We only have local fish and chip shop ( the thought of F & C is making my mouth water). I think this is a huge factor in general fatness, I was walking round town last Sat and notice that most people were scoffing fas food of some descritption, this is probably just a snack between meals? This was me 6 months ago

brains you may just be my favourite person today because:

1. you reminded me about G&T with cucumber in it - why and how had I forgotten that?! I can get my 5 a day through GIN!

2. you told me I don't have to jog

Just checking in. Been very busy with assorted visitors. And, been a bit sad with an assortment of normal life hassles.

I've eaten a lot of shit.

Thanks for the feedback about the orlistat stuff. I knew it was not going to be appropriate, eating less and doing more and stopping eating stuff when I'm a bit sad is the answer!

In good news, I'm still running 5k (very, very slowly, but, doing it) and have been taking my kids with me in an effort to Be A Good Example. They bike and "coach" me. It's really rather enjoyable.

Am intersted in the number stuff. Can't possibly get my head round it, but, it makes sense.

So, am going to give myself a(nother) shake. I am doing fine. I am fitter. I am at least thinking about what I'm eating, even if I haven't managed to completely control it. But, that's ok.

The next goal is: get more organised and get more sleep. And, listen to the hypnosis CD thing, that hypnotist bloke who can make me thin? Go on then.

You are all inspiring and practical and lovely.

x

Tomorrow I have a work breakfast to go to. It'll be all white potatoes, fried vegetables, big chunks of toast. I think I will opt for the fruit bowl but it is going to be difficult to resist.

Yesterday I had several tablespoons of peanut butter before bed. Not good. But today I have had (breakfast) protein shake, (lunch) roasted mushrooms and spring onions on romaine lettuce and (dinner) pineapple, sweet potatoes, carrots and kale. And an apple. And a handful of pecans. It stops now.

Good luck everyone.

Running with your kids alongside sounds brilliant, siiiiigh.

Bit of a numbers FAIL for me this week, as the numbers said at least 2lbs, but the scales say only 1. Booooo. But, I have NSVs to boost me, including a whole inch off my waist. Also, a significant and personal to me boost of being able to stretch my fingers - and have them meet - around my leg above my knee.

I think I'm most pleased, though, about the quarter inch off my upper arm. It doesn't sound much, but my arms have stayed the same for the last five weeks, so it's significant to me.

my weekly ww weigh-in showaed a 1/2 pound gain which was expected after my rubbish weekend, put it behind me and move on...

Proper good, peer pressure is hard - you feel obliged to join in and get scowled at when you don't. Chip buttues and bacon sandwiches are the norm in our workplace and very hard to resist.

Pippi - you haven't failed your long term progess is super and a pound lost is the right direction