how did/are you losing weight? food and exercise tips please

[justonesherryformedicinalpurpo]

I want to lose 2-3 stone but I'm unsure how much exercise I need to do to help get me there. I'm joining the gym this week and my little one will spend an hour in the crèche. Realistically I will get to the gym three times but to begin with would prefer to go classes. I will occasionally go for a swim and spend an hour using cardio machines in the gym but generally I will go to classes such as bums & tums and kettlebells so either toning or resistance exercise which I prefer over cardio!

I'm just wondering is this enough or do I need to get to the gym 5 days a week?

I don't drive so will also be walking to and from the gym so that's about an extra 50mins. And I usually walk to wherever I need to get as well so probably at least 2 miles walking when I'm out and about which is most days.

I'll be eating things like oats in coconut milk with a bit of protein powder mixed in and toppings such as chia/flax seeds, cashew nut butter, fruit. If no fruit I add a tsp of pure maple syrup. Snacks probably hummus and 2 brown rice cakes or carrot, might force myself to eat a bowl of veg but not sure how likely that is...

Overall, how much do you exercise and doing what? And what do you eat and do you enjoy what you eat? How can I make veg and salad more exciting in a healthy way?! Dinners I'll always have meat with wholewheat noodles/pasta/wholegrain cous cous with stirfried veg, homemade sauces etc. Quite carby perhaps but I tend to have dinner done by 5 so not too late..

sorry for this mammoth post, I have a tendency to ramble... any advice will be greatly appreciated!

So i can't help on the exercise one but what i would make the following points

1. Please don't feel that the, in order to lose weight, you need to be eating the current "trendy" foods - like chia/flax/coconut etc (unless you have a medical reason for needing to avoid things like dairy) - yes these foods are good but they will see you lose pounds faster from your purse than from your body. The best foods are those that are as unprocessed as possible with fruit and veg being key to that

2. watch your portions sizes - it's easy to think that, if you are eating "healthy" foods then you have a bit of a free reign with them - but things like hummus, nut butters, seeds, maple syrup etc. are quite calorie dense and so you really need to keep an eye on the portion sizes.

I know a lot of people have found that getting a spiralizer has helped them to eat more veg - using courgetti in place of spaghetti (either entirely or just reducing the amount of pasta) or cauliflower cous cous instead of (or as well all) normal couse cous - it just takes a bit of experimenting

Hope some of this helps - good luck with your goals - it sounds like you are definitely putting lots of thought and effort into it - well done!

You need to work out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight at your current level of activity. Then from that you can deduct UP TO 500 calories from food a day, and 500 calories through exercise. That leads to roughly 2lbs lost a week. Any more than that is considered unsustainable.

You can lose weight doing any form of exercise providing you are creating a calorie deficit. Resistance is very good, but if you focus on that, then you will be building a slight amount of muscle as well. You should focus on a balance of cardio/resistance training for the best result really.

Please don't fall into this ridiculously simple minded fad of "carbs are bad"! Carbohydrates should be making up to 70% of a person's overall diet, combined with regular exercise! You just need to make sure you are being very honest with portion sizes, and in keeping track of your calorie intake.

Exercise is about 10% of weight loss.
THe other 90% is eating less than you need to stay the same size.

Work out your TDEE and go from there

I started using My Fitness Pal app and it's been brilliant. I set myself a limit for my calories each day (I put 1500 as I think, for me, that's reasonable and not too restrictive). Then I track everything I eat and drink, whilst the app (on my iPhone) syncs with the in-built pedometer and reflects how many calories I burn each day whilst walking to and from work (around 250).

It's really interesting to discover quite how many calories are in certain things. Rice for example. And couscous. I think overall, it's helped me to focus on what I'm eating and how much exercise I'm doing. I might decide to have a small lunch so I can have more wine later. Or I might try and do an additional 2500 steps to get me closer to my 10,000 step target.

I started tracking calories about 7 weeks ago and I've lost 8 pounds so far. Plus I haven't felt deprived at all and have had several weekend blow outs in that time, then got back on the wagon on the Monday.

OP please don't inbox J24E. It's a hideous way to lose weight and you're virtually guaranteed to put it all back on once you start eating normally again.

You need a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Work out your TDEE and use Myfitnesspal to track your calorie consumption. Try not to eat back the exercise calories you used up.

Carbs are not the devil but protein fills you up for longer. Carbs should make up about 50% of your intake.

J24E is a spammer. Please ignore, and really don't inbox him/her

have reported them

Thanks for tips and warnings!

What does TDEE stand for? And will definitely look into myfitnesspal!

I could never let go of carb as I LOVE it too much so phew that I still need 50% intake yay!

Right I'm going to start with classes and one weekly cardio sesh, work out my TDEE? and start logging cals and exercise on the app.

I feel it's a ridiculous time of year to start and I will be having crimbo treats BUT it's a start nonetheless!

Hi justone
Pop your numbers in here
www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
Assume sedentary.
Then using that number, log what you are eating (with really strict weighing and measuring) into here
www.myfitnesspal.com/
Do not particularly change, but accurate recording will give you massive clues.

I could never give up carbs, but I try to restrict them on at least 3 days a week - and fill my tummy with veg

If you start to eat healthily now you'll want less over Christmas and be less hacked off with yourself in January.
THis is a GOOD time to start.

Thanks so much talkinnpeace

And very good points! Plus I'd feel a bit mortified joining the gym in January like hundreds/thousands of others - I can just imagine that the receptionist will be thinking "she'll be cancelling in a few months" I remember that look from a couple of January's ago...

I lost two stone last year after having DS with weight watchers and walking around 35-40 miles a week with the pram in the summer then joined the gym for 6 months over the winter and did about 90 mins cardio 3 X a week. A stone has crept back on over this year so now I'm using the nutracheck app which is like MFP but I find it much easier to use and although you do pay for it it's cheaper than weight watchers. I've lost 5lb in two weeks so far and not done any exercise due to being at work more now. You sound like you've put a lot of thought into it which is a great start

I started a diary of what I was eating, every drink and every bite was listed.
It kinda looked like this at first:
7.00am, coffee, black 2 sugars
9.00am, coffee, black 2 sugars
10.30am 3digestives and coffee b2s
11.30 apple
12.30, 2 cheese sarnies, 2 bags of crisps, yogurt. Coffee B2s
2pm single cheesecake pot, coffee b2s
4pm cup of tea white with 2 sugars, bag of crisps.
5.30 bolognese (two first sizes with spaghetti), cheese, glass of wine
7.00pm half tube Pringles
8.00 glass of wine
9.00 bar of dairy milk, glass of wine.
10.00 bowl of cornflakes with sugar and milk.

I realised just how much I was shoveling in and not really realising. Now it's:
7.30am Coffee black with 1 sweetener
12.30pm 1 cheese sarnies, 1 bag of crisps, Coffee with sweetener
5.30pm bolognese (1 fist size with spaghetti)
8.00pm glass of wine
10.00pm bowl of cornflakes with semi skimmed milk.

No wonder I lost weight.

I found writing in the diary before I had something kept it honest and let me realise exactly what I was eating.

seeyounearertime is the coffee your breakfast? Just wondering why you would eat your cereal at 10pm instead of at breakfast time?

I don't eat breakfast and have a bowl of cereals for supper. :)

Thanks hopelass I'll check that app out too! Well done on your weight loss and as you've lost it before, I'm sure you'll lose that 1st easy peasy!

seeyou wow huge difference but you're still eating things you enjoy which is great!

I'm struggling myself!
This is today's food
Breakfast 6am 2 eggs baked with 2 slices serrano
Snack 10am LF Greek Yogurt with 4 grapes and 2 tbsp mandarin segments
Lunch 1pm Half Portion of leftover beef stirfry and rice, an orange
Snack 4pm- cup of soup
Dinner 8pm- possibly some beef stew/chicken
1.5 litres water

Sounds good lila nice combo of protein and carb and enough to keep you going; well done!

Phew. 5 times a week at the gym? No way. Its easier just to eat less!

I know you said you like your carbs, and that's fine. But why not adjust

A. Your portion size of carbs, and
B. What your carbs actually are. Big difference between pasta and chickpeas.

For me, nothing works like cutting out bread and pasta and upping the protein and the veg.

5 times a week at the gym is a pleasure not a chore for some.

'How can I make veg and salad more exciting in a healthy way?!'

You need to learn, that's all.

Make huge soups and salads, roasted veg bakes, the list is endless.

Buy a new vegetable each week and learn how to cook it.

I have a spaghetti squash in the cupboard that I need to cook. Love butternut squash, tried spaghetti squash in a restaurant the other day and am determined to cook it as well!

True, talkinpeace

You just have to find what works for you.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/2329539-Needing-to-lose-4st-support-thread
We are over here and support each other with ups and downs. We all do different things and mostly have 1-3 stone to lose. Likeminded chat keeps us all going.

I agree with talkinnpeace. I try to do exercise 5 days each week - usually at the gym but I have the Insanity DVDs for when I can't make it. I honestly and truly feel flabby if I don't go nowadays. I no longer feel tired after a workout, just energised. I mix up my gym work so 2 days are rarely the same. I compete against myself for times, weights lifted etc. It's fun.

Even if you enjoy the gym/exercising, it's simply not always possible to go - and it become a terrible obligation and make you feel guilty. So something else to feel guilty about! Weight loss is 80% diet, so don't stress if you can't exercise every day.