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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Half a stone off in August - we can do it!

325 replies

beforeihit30 · 31/07/2018 09:09

Following on from the ‘half a stone off in July’ thread - everyone welcome - we're hoping to lose 7lb in August (but any loss is a win!).

Any and all diets, approaches etc welcome, a place to check in, keep focused and encouraged.

OP posts:
Lexilooo · 03/08/2018 15:21

If it was me Peach I'd swap the oatbran and peanut butter for an egg or an avocado or a full fat yoghurt. I would also see how you got on with no breakfast, if you have some fat in your evening meal you might not need it, going 16:8 is a great kickstart for weightloss.

theredjellybean · 03/08/2018 15:31

Apologies.. I might be over estimating calories.. I Google them and can of drained tuna = 184 but just checked tin and it was 108...oooh I am owed 80 calories!!!!

Allycumpooster · 03/08/2018 16:11

Peach, I think lentils and beans are low carb, quinoa is a great source or protein too if you are vegetarian. I have used Patrick Holford’s books on low GI dieting and he LOVEs quinoa, lentils and beans (we are 90% in this house)

pliable · 03/08/2018 16:38

Lentils aren't low carb. They're lower than pasta, but not low.

www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegetables

Foreverlexicon · 03/08/2018 16:44

I was reasonably well behaved yesterday.
First day of nights is always a weird one. Not the best day for calories to be honest but it could of been worse and that’s my general technique!

I didn’t have breakfast then had toast with Dutch chocolate sprinkles for lunch 😳

I had an early dinner date so had a couple of nice drInks as had to stay t-total for work but picked a healthy main (black bean and sweet potato rice bowl). Spoilt this by having churros but I did leave some!!

Overnight at work I was good - didn’t get any sleep in the day so thought i’d be propping myself up with sugar but I didn’t so that’s a win!! Just had what I packed which was falafel, flatbread, hummus and carrot sticks.

Most toast and chocolate sprinkles (this is actually an acceptable meal in Holland!) before bed.

Woke up at lunchtime ravenous so had some crackers with pate/cheese, a pepperoni stick and some chopped mango/kiwi.

Gonna pull myself together a little as after a few rubbish days last week my weight is up 4 pounds and I really want to hit 140 by end of August! If not a bit less!

Chocolate sprinkles will now be a rest day treat and I’m gonna do an abs workout in a bit! Healthy food planned for work tonight so game on 💪🏻

WhatAmISupposedToBeDoing · 03/08/2018 19:12

I had been doing ok
Toast peanut butter strawberries for breakfast.
Ham sandwich and side salad for lunch
No snacks no sugar
But a bottle of beer and a big bag of Skips for dinner Blush
It is very very hot

MuddyElephant · 03/08/2018 19:48

Can someone give my head a wobble please? Or else sew my mouth shut 😂 only 3 days in and already struggling. Anyone any tips?

Peach6789 · 03/08/2018 20:06

Thanks for all the advice, very much appreciated. I will have a look at beans, lentils and quinoa, they were my go to for protein before, but due to health issues had to take them out of my diet. I might try adding them back in gradually and see if my symptoms come back (candida). I'm feeling that diet doctor website is going to be very helpful Grin.
theredjellybean is that for a normal size tin of tuna or one of the tiny ones? Was talking to DP the other day saying tuna is SO expensive, but I think that's just all meat and fish. Another reason I'm struggling to eat more meat.

Maybe I am eating very small portions without really realising it.
This is the lunch box I tend to use sistemaplastics.com/products/to-go/820ml-multi-split-to-go
I fill the big bit with leaves, one of the small bit is cucumber, pepper and tomato and the other chicken. I weighed out my chicken at 75g. Seemed like plenty to me, but like I said I'm not a big meat eater.

Felt like there was loads of salmon for tea, and had more veg than I usually would, to make sure I would be full. I am full as in I wouldn't eat any more veg but craving junk food.

Peach6789 · 03/08/2018 20:10

Muddy I find I've got to be in the right headspace to start otherwise I just cannot do it.
Is there something you can do to motivate yourself to make good choices and put in the effort to eat healthy and then something else to keep you busy?
On MFP there was some advice about distractions from cravings, stuff like concentrate on slow breathing, keeping your hands busy and getting out and about away from food. I find being out for a walk helps (until I get back) but playing some of these crappy addictive games on my phone wastes a lot of time if I'm sat thinking about junk food. Not so easy if you have children or work to do.

Fluffiest · 03/08/2018 21:49

Mixed day again for me. Healthier breakfast and lunch but DH wanted a takeaway and I caved pretty easily. But I didn't order a naan and didn't scoff the whole portion, and I've skipped my habitual Friday night glass of wine.

Oh and I did a twenty minute workout video, which means that I have managed to exercise for twenty minutes every day this week.

I keep thinking today that I may not have all this diet stuff right yet but I am doing better than I was last week. I ate less junk and I did more exercise. That's my motivation right now, not expecting to be perfect but just be a bit healthier than the week before.

Lexilooo · 03/08/2018 22:39

@MuddyElephant low carb high fat - kills your appetite and changes how you taste sweet stuff, I have had to stop drinking one wine we often have as it is too sweet now.

JulianOfNorwich · 04/08/2018 07:37

2 weeks since I weighed myself - after a week's holiday where I didn't even attempt to log the endless takeaways, bread and rosé on MFP- I gave my sedentary self another week back on the 'regime' (moderate carbs within 1200 calories) before weighing.

Managed 2lb loss over the 2 weeks, so v pleased.

Now lost total 1stone 7lbs since 1st June. Determined to carry on and get those extra 7lbs off in August.

MuddyElephant · 04/08/2018 08:05

@Peach6789 thanks, I think you are right. I've been struggling for a while to get my motivation sorted. I've got some weddings coming up but using other stress going on as my excuse. Going to have a word with myself!

MuddyElephant · 04/08/2018 08:06

@Lexilooo ooh I have never done that and I do love sweet things! Have you got any tips or meal plans?

Gilbert82 · 04/08/2018 08:39

Hello! Can I join please? I fell off the July thread but really need to get back on plan! I’ve got a Fitbit so will use that to encourage me to up my steps and to log my food, also bought the 30 day shred dvd so am planning on starting that on Monday x

beforeihit30 · 04/08/2018 10:35

Hi @Fairydust26 and @Gilbert82 Smile

Tried to post last night but fell asleep typing! Grin it was a long day...

Will double my support for low carb high fat, like @Lexilooo says it can cut cravings for sweets, treats etc. I’m the kind of person that when I’m on the carbs, or low fat/low cal, I’m craving chocolate, crisps etc (I can inhale vast amounts of Dairy Milk Blush), however increasing my fat a lots and reducing carbs a lot has worked wonders.

It may not work for everyone, we all have different things that work for us, but if you haven’t tried it and are thinking of giving it a go then I recommend it. Eat until you are sated (not stuffed), go for low carb options (see Diet Doctor, the visual guides are especially helpful when walking around shops!), but make sure you have fat (I like having mayo and cheese in my diet in particular, as well as olive oil).

I can’t trll you how many grams I have as I don’t know for sure, but I do know that on average I have: 20% carbs, 60% fat, 20% protein. Sometimes carbs are lower and protein higher, just depends on what I’m eating, but the fat is pretty much always in the 60% region.

I don’t get hungry (until necessary, for next meal!) and I don’t have cravings. I’m also less bloated. I am much more sensitive to sweet now and find sweet things too rich most of the time. I mainly drink water, some tea, some coffee or decaf. I have whole milk still in those, and I have some higher carb items (hence 20% carbs, not doing very low carb, so I might have some sweet potato for instance but not every day).

I average about 1600-1800 cals, based on Fitbit approximations, although this is gradually decreasing as I am getting fuller quicker and appetite is diminishing - not extremely, just a gradual subtle change.

For instance, I no longer wake up hungry, so in the morning I have a tea/coffee with milk. At lunch I have a lot of fat as I usually work slightly late so I need the energy to see me through - most of my lunches involve cheese and mayo, as well as meat, and some sort of carb sometimes (sometimes mixed veg, sometimes a few Ryvita). At dinner I’ll have veg, usually with olive oil, sometimes with cheese, and with some form of meat (e.g. chicken thigh, pork belly, steak etc).

When I started I had full fat yoghurt at breakfast and ate all of the above. I now don’t have breakfast (as I’m full still), and I’m eating less at lunch and dinner due to getting fuller quicker - usually still eat all the fat stuff and veg, sometimes have less meat or denser carbs, e.g. if we have sweet potato I have a lot less now, if we have steak I usually have half a steak.

My ratio breakdown still stays about the same though (20:60:20), this just seems to be naturally what works for me and my preference.

OP posts:
beforeihit30 · 04/08/2018 10:37

Sorry for saying this loads by the way lol, noticed a few questions around LCHF so thought I’d add my experience again Smile

OP posts:
SleepFreeZone · 04/08/2018 10:40

Hi guys. Am looking to lose the half stone I put on after a horrible pregnancy lost last year. I comfort ate and basically lost the will to diet completely.

Anyhow I’m doing intermittent fasting as my main issue is once I start eating I have a tendency to eat too much. So it’s just easier not to. I fast between 6pm and 12pm and so far I’ve lost about four pounds. Ideally I need to get back under 11 stone to feel more like myself.

MuddyElephant · 04/08/2018 11:53

@beforeihit30 thabks for the info! Am going to spend some time this weekend reading up about it 👍

beforeihit30 · 04/08/2018 13:42

@MuddyElephant you’re welcome, it’s also made cooking quicker and easier as we just throw lots of veg and olive oil in the oven (that’s how we like veg!), and then fry and bake some meat, and we’re done.

Also for anyone else to clarify, when I say I still eat all the fat stuff now - the quantity is reducing with my appetite, eg I used to have about 50g of cheese at lunch, now it’s more like 30-40g, so of course that change is also adding to my weight loss too but it’s not deliberate, it’s a natural shift.

@SleepFreeZone Flowers hope you can feel more like yourself soon.

OP posts:
beforeihit30 · 04/08/2018 13:46

Fry OR bake Blush Grin

OP posts:
ShastaBeast · 04/08/2018 14:01

I’d like to join and hopefully lose my last 7-8lb from starting low carb last year. I kinda od’d on fatty food and struggled to continue so put on a few pounds. I’ve completed 3 weeks with meal replacement, mostly exante, and am back to my lowest 2017 weight according to MyFitnessPal.

It feels epically slow going but roughly is 2lb per week. I’m having three packs (200 calories each) and one proper meal plus coffee which totals about 900-1,000 calories. Plus gym and runnning but I’m struggling due to school hols and it being too hot to run.

Holiday in two weeks and I’m planning to take food then too and one week after at least.

MuddyElephant · 04/08/2018 14:31

@beforeihit30 sounds pretty simple when you put it like that!

Lougle · 04/08/2018 15:34

I am 61.4kg today, my lowest yet this year. I am not following a plan, but I know my appetite is reducing as I'm eating more healthily.

jaxhwc · 04/08/2018 19:57

Can I ask when do you normally weigh yourselves? Which time of day? I seem to put on a lot in fluids over the day and I'm always disappointed if I weigh myself in the afternoon but maybe I'm cheating if I only weigh myself in the morning with no food in me?

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