10lbs to lose, 6 weeks to do it

[PumpkinPies38]

My weight has crept up by 10lbs in just three months- it's completely my own fault as my diet has not been great. A combination of sedentary job and long working hours in a place where food is provided and I can't just go out and get my own has been a root cause. It's one of those things where the odd pound is OK but it's getting on for a stone now and I feel pudgy and blobby and my clothes are tight. I want to tackle it before it gets any worse.

I have a wedding to attend at the end of July and I'd like to be at my goal weight (10lbs lower than I am now) by then. Posting here as a way of keeping myself accountable and on track. If anyone wants to join me please do it would be great to have some support!

I'm not planning on following a specific diet as such, just cutting out crap in particular processed food and refined sugar (chocolate is my downfall) and keeping calories to around 1600 a day. I'm also going to do three gym classes a week.

It's six weeks- surely I can stick to something that will be positive for me for six weeks?!

See Paul Mckenna I Can Make You Thin. I'm not on commission btw

The OP doesn't have a lot of weight to lose. If she had 3 stone to lose, her calorie intake would be significantly higher than 1200 per day. However, with only 10 pounds to lose, unfortunately, that's the way it is. She should safely lose 1/2 to 1 lb per week this way.

If you lost 3 stones without watching what you consumed, how did you manage it? Weight loss is a very simple matter of using more calories than you need. 3500 calories = 1 pound, there isn't really a more "magical" or "mystical" reason other than eat less and weigh less.

You could loose that very easily, download my fitness pal and make sure you don't succeed over 1500 calories a day, and also try and walk 10,000 steps a day.

I told you I follow (still do ) the Paul Mackenna way of eating which is based on HOW we eat, not calorie counting, If I put a few kilos on I just lose it quickly by being more vigilant with it. Simples (no extra exercise either). !!

Thanks for the support everyone. I just think if I'd lost a pound of feel motivated as I've been quite strict with myself and logged everything that's passed my lips! Anyway I haven't been doing it for long so maybe just haven't done enough yet. I'm not going to give up I'm determined to lose this before I gain even more! Been good today: 2 slices of wholemeal toast for breakfast, 6 small pieces of sushi for lunch, vegetable juice and satsuma mid afternoon and cooking cod and sweet potato for dinner. Resisting the after dinner chocs is the hard bit as that's what I'd usually have but going to resist tonight!

I've been good trying to have things that I can only add the calories known to MFP. I am upping my exercise too. Going to buy some ready meals from M and S to have with lots of salad!

5 weeks until my holiday and currently 11st 9lb. This is the heaviest I have ever been and it is really getting me down.

As usual I've left it until it's nearly bikini season before deciding to do anything about reducing my belly size. I go on holiday in 5 weeks, I'll weigh myself in the morning but I suspect I've got half a stone to lose - hopefully that's just about achievable?

I already exercise quite a lot - I wear a Fitbit and I also go to 4-5 classes at the gym each week. My problem is the endless snacking on biscuits, chocolate, ice-cream etc . I'm now a size 12 and want to get back to a comfortable 10, I squeezed myself into my favourite jeans today but they were seriously tight and the button was really digging in.

With a bit of organisation I'm hoping I can reduce my calorie intake - I might resurrect my old MFP account. Softpebbles I like your suggestion of M&S ready meals for an easy tea. Think I'll take a look at their Count on Us range (if they still call it that?) and get stocked up so I've got something quick and easy to have after work.

Every year I feel self conscious round the pool on holiday and look on enviously at the skinnies in their bikinis and promise myself that next year I'll have gotten rid of my belly, well this year I'm doing it!!

Off to watch Love Island now for some bikini-inspired motivation

Sweet lips. I've ordered a few bikini tops but know I daren't wear them. My 10s are too tight and currently a good12. Done shred a few times and a boxercise class. 10.000 steps + every day.
Been under on food apart from today as we went for tea this is my problem we get to Friday and it goes to pot. 😞

Hey,

I don't normally PM people here but your comment caught my eye as I don't want you to be another 'victim' of diet nonsense! I can tell you that caffeine does not stop you losing weight (unless it's an extra large caramel latte with cream but them, you know...!), you can eat fruit anytime, and carbs and protein can be eaten together no problem.
The only thing that makes you lose weight is eating fewer calories than you burn, so the trick is to eat the most filling, nutrient dense, energy giving foods as possible so you're not hungry and tired all the time.

Is that helpful? I'm a personal trainer and nutritionist and it drives me mad the crazy things you poor ladies are told! But it's how they keep making money - if you can't lose weight you'll stay a customer of theirs for ever.

Polly xxx

sorry you can see I thought that was going to ppeatfruit (forum newbie lol) but hopefully that's solved any confusion for anyone else! PS the MFP tip was good - most people have no idea how many calories they're eating.
Then you just need to find what way of eating works best for you (tip - more protein in 99% cases!)
x

To backtrack - before you say 'it's working'! The fact that you're being more mindful of what you put in your mouth (which is fab) means you're likely eating less junk, fewer calories, so you lose weight. It's that that's making you lose weight, not HOW you go about cutting those calories. Make sense?

Like when people take a 'fat loss pill' and lose weight - it wasn't the pill that worked it was the improvement in diet and exercise they were also doing that did it (though of course the marketers will tell you it was the pill...)!

Well, I weighed myself this morning and sadly it's slightly worse than I thought - make that 9lbs to lose in 5 weeks Maybe not quite as achievable but I'll do my best. Off to an exercise class shortly, and have re-logged on to MFP.

Useful posts Pollyanna I had been thinking similar myself, especially about the caffeine as I thought it had been linked to an increase in metabolic rate if anything.

pollyanna Your training makes you no more an expert in this strange world of weight loss than anyone else I'm sorry to say. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.

You don't mention what I said about Paul Mackenna : Iam still using his very sensible way of eating for maintenance . I was posting about losing a few pounds. I did it without trying to, by stopping daily caffeine, also by eating fruit on an empty stomach.

I have studied eating for health (which is much more important IMO) The Hay Diet , which you should know about as a nutritionist is an amazing way of stopping IBS, arthritis, bad skin etc etc. plus weight loss. If we all could eat in the way you suggest, why aren't we all slim and healthy ?

I'm not sure I said everyone is the same! Absolutely everyone is different. Your food preferences are all individual, however only eating fewer calories than you were will result in weightloss. What you eat within those calories is up to you (with some ways vein more nutritious than others of course)

Most branded diets result in health improvements as they advise healthy eating, if the Hay one is a good template for you to follow and it's working then great.

But there's nothing magic about fruit on an empty stomach! Your gut is pretty good at processing all sorts!

I go by my experience, your gut may be able to process all sorts while you're young but now I get nasty pains, in my gut and joints , bloating, acne and const. if I ignore the fruit on the empty stomach rule. If you re good with bananas they're starchy so fine after meals but usually you don't get the benefit of the vitamins in fruit if you eat it straight after a 'normal' meal because it rots on before the meal is properly digested.

I disagree that meal replacement diets are healthy, have you read the ingredients in the Cambridge stuff ? It's asthma in a glass IMO and E . DH has tried many of the traditional diets the only one that worked for him was The Atkins. He can't stick to them though His problem is that he's an emotional eater and apart from The Paul Mckenna not one trad. diet addresses that.

BTW the thing about caffeine is interesting because I lost weight after giving up a daily freshly ground coffee. But when I have one occasionally now it does speed up my metabolic rate. When we have it every day (like dh!) it stops fast weight loss.

So I had a really good weekend - 2 exercise classes and kept below my mfp calorie target. This morning the scales showed a motivating 1lb loss. But then work happened - there was cake and donuts involved! I've tracked it all and I'm actually still just within target so not a complete disaster, and I'll be back on it properly tomorrow.