2 stone to lose in 2 months? Mid 30s? Have pre-schoolers?

[goteam]

Have seen weight creep up since having second DC 2 years ago. 5'5" weighting 11 st 5 and want to lose 2 stone in two months. Was always around 9.5 stone pre kids and size 10. Now even 12 is getting tight...
Do join if you are similar. Very hard with small kids, they are 2 and 4 and sleep badly so I find it hard adopting a healthy lifestyle but feel sluggish and overweight. I work a demanding job 3 days a week too. Fortunately work from home so can fit in a swim after dropping kids off those 3 days and intend to start running early evening for 20 mins or so on the other days. Hate yoga and gym.

Currently worked out that I'm taking in about 2500-3000 calories most days as eat junk food (pizza, takeaways, crisps, cake etc) and drink most evenings (half bottle wine or gin and tonic or bottle of beer) I need to cut down to 1600 calories a day I think so aiming to cut booze right down and limit each meal to 500 cals ish with 100 for fruit mid afternoon.

Vegetarian and can't do 5:2 as I'm a fainter! Would definitely be at risk of fainting on fast days especially in heat.

Will link to 500 ish cal recipes on the thread

Well done Bish.

Welcome Spikyballs.

Not a great few days here and have stalled at 11 st. Met some friends after work yesterday and had a few cocktails and some standard issue not too healthy pub food. I thnk real life often gets in the way of the best intentions. They were friends I havent seen for a few months.

Today's been better, if a little bread based. Toast and marmite with orange juice for breakfast, avocado on toast for lunch and tomato bruschetta (in café and was the only veggie option - wasn't planning on bread for each meal!) for dinner with a tiny bit of DH's chocolate cake.

No snacks but had dinner at 5.30 and struggling with a few hunger pangs! Had a swim earlier and have been fairly active today.

How's everyone getting on?

Ok here, keeping to my calorie count and exercise. Won't weigh in again until the weekend so no idea if its having much impact this week.

I'm frustratingly stalling on 11 st which I think is why I haven't posted for a few days. More active and have cut right down on the junk. I lost 5 lbs in the first week and nothing in 4 days now. Need to push on but feeling demotivated now. Toddlers sleeping terribly which isn't helping and work very stressful. Resisting wine so far this week (I know it's only Tuesday but still...)

Please can I join? I've managed to lose 10lbs on slimming world (4weeks) but I'm really not enjoying going to the group at all. I just need some motivation to keep going at home and I'll use the hour to do some exercise instead.
I'm 5'10" and 12st13lbs with 7,6 and 2 yr old dc. Still have 2st to go before my nice clothes will fit properly I think. I've cut out all the evening glasses of wine and most of the chocolate, bread and biscuits I had been snacking on.

Hello, can I join? Have a 3 yo and still haven't lost the weight I piled on after a bad birth and other health problems. I'm 5'2 with a small frame and shamefully need to lose about 3-4 stone! Currently weigh about 12 1/2 stone and my normal weight pre-DD was around 8 1/2 stone, though I also look OK about 9st.

Anything close to 9st would be fine with me - I'm so sick of feeling fat and unhealthy. And all my nice pre-baby clothes are getting dusty in the wardrobe while I go about in black tights and baggy t-shirts in this heat! The weight is now making me feel very sluggish, tired and ill (not to mention the chub rub and heat rashes, never used to get those before!) I'd also like another baby but can't face it at the moment because I feel so physically out of condition. I also have a joint condition which mean I can't do high-impact exercise so I need to rely on diet to shed the bulk of it (I walk a lot but am limited in the kind of exercise I can do).

So I'm determined to shed as much as I can this summer and autumn. I was a bit chubby in my mid-20s and managed to shed it by going low-carb. It was glorious to be a size 8-10 and I managed to maintain it easily for years; but I'm finding it difficult with a 3 y o and job to get back into the zone so to speak.

I eat reasonably healthily, but too much of it (and DD is being very testing at the moment so I'm often resorting to a glass or two of wine after toddler bedtime ) My experience is that I need to go below 1500 calories to lose weight, but then it comes off at a nice sustainable pace at about 7lb a month. It's just getting started that I can't manage! Hoping you can all inspire me!

I also struggled to loose weight after my second. It didn't fall off easily like the first time round.

I did the 5:2 and have lost about a stone and a half. As I was busy anyway I found it pretty easy and feel like I can still eat the things I like but have lost weight. It's tough at first but your body gets used to it.

Welcome georgette and 3boys. The more the merrier!

Well done on getting started. I'm finding exercise really helps because I don't want to sabotage the hard work with silly eating.

georgette, do you have hyper mobility syndrome or EDS by any chance? I do and have really struggled, but it's so much easier when I'm lighter as less of a strain for my joints.

I'm still at 150lbs but I played a match last night and for the first time in 18 months I had a genuine turn of speed and was able to play the whole thing without gasping for breath. I guess the running is paying off!

Alas, it was too hot to play in my usual leggings, so I just wore a skort and was so sweaty and hot that I have chafing . All the more reason to keep going though!

How's everyone doing? I was a bit deflated last week (not literally, unfortunately) as progress seemed slow and I had a few bad days of booze etc due to social events. However, I'm down to 10 st 12 so I think losing the daily habits (drinking every evening, crisps, cake etc) is paying off. I'm not being that much more active but just pay more attention to what I eat and ensure that on most days lunch is the bigger meal with a small dinner.

Last night's dinner was sweet potato wedges with guacamole, tiny bit of halloumi and salad and tonight's is brown rice with miso sauce and cucumber, chilli, ginger and spring onion.

Hope everyone's doing ok!

Frustrating week for me last week. Having lots 5lb in week one I lost a grand total of nothing in week two. I'd kept rigidly to my calories, was a lot more active etc but nothing. Trying not to get disheartened because there's definitely been a change to my shape. In fact, my driving instructor just mentioned it! Fingers crossed for better progress this week.

Don't lose heart, Bish. I had a period of around 5 days last week when my weight stalled and I stopped weighing myself for a few days after that as it was getting me down. I think it does tend to slow down after the initial weight loss. Onwards and upwards!

Hello! All a bit frustrating here too. My husband is away so I can't run which has the double whammy of lacking endorphins as well as not losing weight. I'm still at 150lb. My clothes are definitely looser compared to two weeks ago though!

I have been making up for the cake by eating smaller meals so given everything (the sleep deprivation, lack of exercise, and general hecticness) I think that's fair!

Hi, can I join too please? I'm mid thirties with a 4 year old and a 2 year old. I'm 5'6'' and 11 stone 2lb. I've lost about 5lb in the last month by not eating choc/cake/ice cream (with a few exceptions!), so I'm feeling pleased but need to keep going, I would like to be 10 stone again - pre children weight!

Well done to everyone on their weight loss so far :)

Can I join too please? I could have almost written your op myself!

Am also mid thirties, 2 children, vegetarian and work 3 days a week from home.

Like many previous posters I was always quite slim before having children. I haven't managed to lose the baby weight, but that's probably because I haven't tried hard enough. I keep hoping it will somehow magically drop off, but with the amount of sugar I eat to get me through the day (also have poor sleepers/early risers) that's never going to happen.

I now feel fat and horrible. Would like to lose about a stone and a half to get back to where I was before dc.

I'm really impressed that some of you managed to lose 5lbs in the first week. How did you do it? I know I should aim to lose slowly and steadily but I really feel that if I could lose a decent amount to get me started I'd be more motivated to stick with it.

Have also got a few things on in 3 weeks time, so would like to lose as much as possible by then. After that I'd be happy to lose at a slower rate. Any tips?

You're both very welcome!

Strict low-carbing will usually see a decent weight loss in the first week so if you can get through the sugar withdrawal it is a brilliant way of eating. Restrictive as a veggie (for me at least) and I have found it difficult this time with having an older child to feed too.

I'm on holiday this week so I'm not really on the wagon, but I'm still going running, getting my steps, and trying to be sensible about food. We had a massive lunch out yesterday (I had a delicious salad but also lots of chips) so we had a cheese omelette in the evening, and we have been sharing cake or ice cream instead of getting one each.

I have a hen party next weekend so really don't want to be feeling all lumpy!

1lb on this week :( But I have been eating some cake so I guess it's more incentive to cut it out completely.

On the positive side I seem to have broken my chocolate addiction. I used to crave (and eat) it everyday but haven't had any for a few weeks now and the cravings have gone.

Sharing food sounds a good plan for holidays (as I don't want to go without completely!). Not sure I can cope with sugar withdrawal from low-carbing so think I will just aim for healthier eating for the time being.

Fingers crossed for a better week this week. How is everyone else getting on?

I'm back down to 150lbs after a lot of running. I think I did ok on the holiday but I deliberately didn't weigh in for a couple of days so the damage could level off!

I have a hen party this weekend so trying to low carb properly for a few days. We had an horrendous night with the baby last night (teething) so I'm at a low ebb this morning. Did well yesterday though.

Not much progress here. After the 5lb loss in week one nothing else has really come off since. Been sticking rigidly to my calories, plenty of steps and running but still nothing. Just going to keep at it though and trust that the loss will catch up at some point....

Well done on sticking to it bish - that's great. Try increasing your water intake, maybe. It can't hurt. Have you ditched caffeine? That is supposed to help too.

I don't really drink much caffeine. Am trying to up my water intake though.