if you had 6 stones to lose - how would you approach it?

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

Am fucking massive. Massiver than I realised.

I put on more weight with antidepressants and, apparently, Vit D deficiency. Was tired, so moved less, was sad so ate more.

Am less sad, so am off the citalopram. Am on 800 Vic D a day for 6 months, though I'm going to ask if there's a faster way of sorting it, am sooooo tired that I am knackered by the time I get to the pool to swim!

Bit worried about having a stroke (got HBP, of course), and quite revolted with myself for being such a fat arse.

Am trying to fast - not eating after 8pm or before 12, every day. Is that ok, do you think? Or should it be a strict 5:2?

No alcohol except when socialising at weekend (that's rare). No sweets/chocolate. Avoiding, but, not excluding carbs. Plenty veg. Normal dinner with the kids.

Aim is to drop a couple of stones, hopefully will feel less tired and then be able to exercise.

Am due to start a Fat Club with the NHS soon enough - but, it'll praobly be another 3 months. It explores why your relationship with food is totally fucked.

What am I missing with this, slow and sensible approach?

Don't try to fast. I have been to the NHS weight loss scheme. Their advice is eat a good breakfast so that you are not hungry at lunch and then you end up eating more than you normally would because you have nothing in your stomach. Stop drinking fizzy drinks with loads of sugar in.

Get yourself to My Fitness Pal, set up an account and log everything you eat, religiously, no matter how annoying it is. It really works. I lost 3 stone doing it last year then went on holidays, ate EVERYTHING, came back in time for christmas and ate everything again, and put 2 stone back on.

Oh, and I've 6 stone left to lose now, so I know how you feel!

I know you said not going low carb, but even cutting them as much as you can makes an amazing difference. Plus having a good serving of protein plus fat makes such a huge huge difference to how full you'll feel, which will make fasting so much easier, if that's what you want to do. Fasting on a carby diet will be hell. you'll feel famished and be so much more likely to lose the will and have a binge. Drink a ton of water too. I totally recommend strict tracking, my fitness pal or the like. It's surprising how many extra cals / carbs can creep in without realising. You can do this!

Definitely don’t fast if you feel like you’re depriving yourself. Calories in v’s calories out. My fitness pal is great for tracking and you can change the macros of sugar and carbs so you can see what has sneaky sugars in. It’s taken me 10 months to lose 5 stone some exercise but mostly just making better food choices and portion control. No processed food. It really is basic but it’s taken almost 15 years of yo-yo crash dieting to work that out!

The best advice I've heard is not to change everything at once. Change 1 bad habit at a time and leave your worst habit until last! This is working well for me and I feel as though I'm making properly sustainable changes. I started at the beginning of Jan and have so far tackled doing more exercise, eating more veg and having less alcohol. I've lost a stone so far, so it's fairly slow, but my habits are definitely changing and I can stick to it!
It's worth bearing in mind that the advice to always eat breakfast is quite outdated now - intermittent fasting has health benefits and I find that I actually eat less over the course of the day if I don't eat breakfast. So, I think you sound like your doing brilliantly! Keep going!

And if you have a chocolate craving so bad that you're about to say fuckit and eat a whole bag of mini eggs or something (if you're like me 😂) try some lindt 85 or 90% dark chocolate. Two or three squares is all you'll need/want as it's so rich, but also low carb and good for you!

Viva, with 6 stones you can still claw back.
In your place this is what I will do;

1. I will tell myself I don't want to gain anymore so I will focus on maintaining my current weight
2. I will eat whatever I am currently eating but control my portions
3. I will drink more water
4. I will walk everywhere and make sure to incorporate a walk in my day 6 out of 7 days

These simple changes will bring on a loss and once you see a loss, you will be motivated to make other changes for e.g. changing the type of food you eat and doing other exercises. Take care.

Im similar and go to an eating disorders group.

We were definitely told not to do intermittent (or any form of) fasting or cutting out a food group/low carb. Things thqt work when you only have a stone to lose dont work when your relationship with food is fucked. To rebuild your relationship with food you need to not deny yourself meal times but rather eat regularly etc.

Whats the NHS thing? Here the gp only refers to the gym or blinking diet clubs which also dont have a success rate for obesity. Is it a pre-surgery group? Im wondering if its different for different areas or something i should try to ask for.

I am looking into counselling too. And am reading up on relationship-with-food type stuff. But its hard.

Check out the NHS 12 week weighloss plan:

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/start-the-nhs-weight-loss-plan/

It’s an easy to follow plan that is sustainable in the long term, which is really what you need if you’re looking to lose 6 stone.

I’ve been on it for 12 weeks and lost 1.5 stone. I’ll be on it for quite a bit longer as I still have a lot to lose, but that’s ok as the plan has completely changed the way I feel about food and made such a difference to my energy levels already.

This may sound cheesy, but I think by far the most important thing you can do for weight loss is to be kind to yourself. What matters is not that you’re overweight, but that you’re taking control of the situation and doing something about it. You can totally do this!

Oh and there’s usually a “losing half a stone in March/ April/ etc” thread knocking about in the weightloss forum. That’s a pretty good rate of weight loss to aim for, so if you feel you would benefit from some extra support, feel free to join us!

Im not convinced about any "lose a stone" type approaches or diets. It creates am either "on" or "off " plan mentality and research shows diets lead to bigger gains after all as the weight is usually regained in the year afterwards.

Longer term approach for obesity is needed looking at regular eating to reduce binges and relarionship with food/self esteem/reasons for eating type work.

Well I have 4 and a bit to lose. So far lot 1 and a bit.

This is how I have gone about it.

Blood sugar diet - have the book. Minimal to no alcohol. No sugar at all. Fitness Blender Low Impact programme. Then got fitter and moved on to other programmes.

Bought loads of cookbooks - am eating massively more veg than before, not a lot of carbs. Have made a lot of Michael Moseley recipes from the Daily Mail website, his newer book I think is better but I'm not buying 2 books. Don't feel I am doing keto or low carb (and most importantly neither does DH who is eating same food and doesn't need to lose weight) just loads of veg. Chuck DH some potatoes or rice and we eat the same.

Followed lots of threads on this forum for inspiration/motivation.

When I want a treat stop and think, do I really need a treat and does it have to be food. Often first answer is No and that's the end of it. If we go out to eat I check the menu online and work out what I can have before I go or we go somewhere else with healthier options.

Regarding the breakfast thing - I definitely think it does depend on the person. If you're hungry in the morning or find it a struggle to go without, then I would eat it (if it were me). But, I've realised that I genuinely don't feel hungry until lunchtime, so manage a lot better without.

Fitbit and My Fitness Pal combines keeps a log dog input and output.

I would also do yourself a reward chart and give yourself a treat for every half stone you lose. Start small and work up to a big treat at the end when you’ve reached your goal.

Fasting on a carby diet will be hell. you'll feel famished and be so much more likely to lose the will and have a binge

Yes this has always een my experience. I'm not a big faster tbh but I do find that a carb rich diet leaves me absolutely starving.

I used to think eating porridge for breakfast with skimmed milk and sweetener was the "right" thing to do, then I'd be famished by 11 and want to eat all the things. I have learned that if I eat a lot of protein I eat less and stay fuller.

So I always eat a banana now and lots of ham (or bacon with fat trimmed off) and eggs. Makes such a difference and I never feel deprived.

I'd say low carb has been the easier diet for me to do with a non dieter.

Basic meal - Fish, veg, potatoes - I just don't have the potatoes.

More fancy meal - Pasta and roast veg. Swap to wholemeal pasta, make far more roast veg than I used to and tipmore pasta into DH's portion and less into mine.

Or curry - more veg than before, less meat, stick some beans or chickpeas in, either don't bother with rice or serve the rice to DH only and don't have it myself.

On other diet efforts DH has complained about food or moaned he is hungry. This time round he is enjoying the food and we are both healthier as he is also eating more veg.

I'd definitely join a support group/ slimming club.

I have always been prone to gaining weight, always managed to shift it with diet changes etc. Turned 40, piled on loads, tried EVERYTHING over the next 5 years, nothing worked. I would lose a stone then end up falling off the wagon and putting it all back on. Finally joined one of the big slimming clubs as a last desperate attempt (won't say which one, not trying to advertise, think they are all much of a muchness). Have lost 3.5 stone in less than 7 months, eating lots, feel great!!

I think psychologically going to be weighed every week focusses the mind, and the support of friends you make in the class is useful too, especially if you have a bad week- stops you going "fuck it!" and blowing it altogether.

Good luck!

Myfitnessoal is great, but if you go down that route try not to get sucked into going as low calorie wise as the app allows. Work out your bmr an tdee and subtract 500-1000 from that. A lot of people struggle to stick to the 'magical' 1200 calories a day because its a silly figure Thats usually lower than their bmr and as such leave them feeling starving and wiped out and end up giving up. Result dont happen over night. Slow and steady. Take photos as well as the scales dont tell the full story.

Oh, this is so encouraging, thank you.

I don't mind the fasting thing at all, if I eat breakfast I eat all day. Been doing more protein and veg, less fruit and carbs - both definitely make me much.

I eat at night, can easily wade my way through wine and biscuits in an evening - so am just not eating after dinner. Don't seem to mind it.

I used MFP years ago, will resurrect the account. I HATED calorie counting, I never knew what the portion weighed and having been to every slimming club and diet known to man, calorie counting does stuff to my resolve. Makes me want to rebel. I hate it.

TDee is a good idea, I'd forgotten about that. And, I DO need to exercise - but, my joints hurt, my legs swell up, and I'm soooo tired. I used to swim a lot, and it's good for my mood. Aiming to get back to that after a month's healthy eating - the truth is I'm embarrassed by my size.

The NHS is the obesity management clinic. Took a year to get seen, but, they screen you for what the problem is - well, I know what I should be doing, I cook from scratch, I understand nutrition, my kids and DH are not overweight - bu, I eat emotionally. I eat if I'm happy, or sad, worried or relaxed, to commiserate or celebrate - and most of the time I'm not even tasting what's in my fat gob.

The psychologist suggested I join her mindfulness eating group - should get a place in 3 months for an 8 week programme.

It does feel a bit like it's get my shit sorted or share my disordered eating with my kids. Oh, and die. Don't fancy either of those much.

Join something that comes with a support group. I lost 15% of my body weight with the slimming world lot and having the support group to go to every week really helped. Also, finding some set foods that are your go to, for me it was grapes and cucumber. I snack in the evening too so I just got into the habit of going for grapes (that and trying to eat fair sized meals and go to bed earlier so I wouldn't have time to get hungry). If you know you snack in the evenings, get into the habit of going to bed at like 9/10pm.

Most importantly, don't buy anything you aren't supposed to be eating in the first place. Plan before you shop and don't shop whilst hungry.

I had 8 stone to lose at New Year, I now have 6.

I’ve been eating 1500 calories a day and doing couch to 5k every other day.

It’s coming off slowly but consistently. For me this is the best approach as I’ve got to keep it up for at least a year!!

I broke it down into smaller targets. 7lb felt far more achievable. I've lost 5 and a half stone and kept it off for a year so far x

I lost 5 stone by doing the following:

16:8 fasting. Breakfast gets my appetite raging but I don't miss it at all.

Logging food and drink intake/calories every single day. It is slow and tedious at first looking it all up but eventually you get a good handle on what you are eating. Working out how many calories I needed to maintain my weight and going for a deficit of about 400 to 500 a day. This has to be monitored and adjusted as your intake needs reduce as weight comes off.

Avoiding carbs where possible but not going mad about it.

Avoiding sugar where possible.

Cutting down on alcohol and stopping any consumption of lager (which I used to enjoy greatly)

Weighing myself daily. I accept there are huge fluctuations but it keeps me more accountable to do it daily.

Exercise. Initially swimming, now mostly weight training.

The weight stayed off for 3 years. Then I slacked off a bit and two stone crept back. Took those off, and a bit more, about 2 years ago.

I weigh myself everyday and have a log on Loseit but I only put entries in if they are a loss

Have done MFP so know what a portion is but can't be bothered this time as it is so tedious but do recommend doing it at least to start as it is eye-opening.

I also haven't put my real target in Loseit but a smaller one to break it up.

If your joints hurt and you used to swim I recommend SwimFit - I used to love it but it dosen't work for me as my ezcema hates swimming. I like Fitness Blender as I can do it at home and no-one has to see me blobbing about.

Oh, not heard of swimFit, thanks.

Am debating getting a bottle of wine for the weekend. I have been careful all week.

Annoyingly, a week's sensible eating does not seem to have made me thin.

Guess I'd better do it for a further week...

Thanks for the encouragement