Losing a stone and keeping it off

[Egrette]

Almost every Monday I start another diet and after a few days I pack it in. I need to lose a stone; not a huge amount, but it makes me miserable. I have tried most diets going over the years.

I'm not on here for diet and exercise advice; I know what to do (and have had successes in the past), but the regimes that I have tried so far are not sustainable for my lifestyle.

Today I am starting the No S Diet. No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds (other than on days that start with an S). There are a couple of provisos: you can include Special days (birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and the like) but you can't have free reign on any of these S days, otherwise you can undo all the gains (i.e. losses) that you make.

I have too many things going on in my life to starve myself or limit certain food groups, so I'm hoping a more sensible approach will work.

I'd rather lose a pound per week permanently than keep losing and gaining the same few pounds.

This thread is to make me accountable, fess up if I have a bad day, and post any losses.

Everyone is welcome to join me for mutual support .

My motivations:

I have a big birthday coming up in 3 months.
I live in jeans and baggy tops, despite having a wardrobe full of lovely clothes (that are too tight at the moment).
A pound a week is doable, so, hopefully I'm not setting unrealistic expectations.
Maybe if I lose enough, I'll finally have the confidence to join the gym (walking is all I do currently).

I am in exactly the same situation...birthday in 4 months, though :). I am desperate to loose a stone and just don't manage to hold it. I have nice clothes waiting to be worn again, too. I try again this week to do a 16:8 combined with the s-diet . But usually at the weekend I just eat too much and then the pound or even kilo that went off says hi again.

I try to take the saying "If you do, what you have done all the time, then you get what you have all the time" to heart and I know I need to change some aspects - probably the situations when I think I can eat what I like, which that just lead to derailing everything again.

So this time, no "reward eating", but being sensible - as in just one treat, maybe, every two weeks. But then Easter is around the corner.

Exactly Cheesecake.

I get so impatient when I don't see quick results, irrational I know.

And I know slow and steady is best in the long run.

I started by cutting out alcohol a week ago, and I don't really miss it, so I know I do have some willpower. I'm hoping that having proper meals helps with those feelings of deprivation. More of a delayed gratification, seeing as nothing is off limits at the weekend (within reason).

I'm a fully functioning adult, no reason why I can't get long lasting results for once, it's just eating real food in moderation, after all.

I'm in the same situation. Want to lose a stone, although I'd be happy with c.9lbs. I'm just a bit overweight, but it makes me miserable. I can't wear many of my clothes as they just look awful on me. But, I'm still breastfeeding my toddler so I don't want to do a very restrictive diet. Plus I always always cave! The more I try to be 'good', the more piggy I am. I also have very little time for exercise but I know I must try!

Hi Lasso.

Losing weight is more about what you eat than how much exercise you do. You can't out train a bad diet. I'm going to cut myself some slack, in the hope that I can increase my exercise gradually.

In the past I believed going to the gym meant that I could eat anything - not true.

I'm trying to focus on eating sensibly most of the time, and hoping that I can incorporate small lifestyle changes, such as cutting right back on alcohol, junk food, takeaways etc, along the way.

That sounds really sensible Egrette. You're right. I've been a great one in the past for the post-gym pizza reward 😂. I'm not in denial about my diet, I'm just finding it harder than ever to say no to the cake/mini eggs/custard creams. (My name is Lasso and I'm a sugar junkie!)

I'm hoping that because I can have that snack or sugary treat at the weekend or on special days, that it loses its appeal the rest of the time.

It's hard to deny yourself all the time, true. I like your plan but I might need to be sensible - got a holiday coming up and DH's birthday, all over Easter! Temptation central

Easter is a problem, all those yummy treats! Could you limit yourself over the holidays? Not cut out totally, you are still breastfeeding after all.

I'm away Easter week, so am planning to stick to three proper meals daily, try to limit alcohol and have one or two treat days, guilt free.

Yes, I think I can limit myself. I need to eat balanced meals, plenty of nutrition. You don't actually need that many more calories when breastfeeding - and especially now my kid is 17 months so isn't feeding much, nor for sustenance. She's a big fan of veg so I should eat what she eats! I'm basically not drinking anyway it's just the holiday chips/ice-cream/chocs to avoid. I'm reminding myself of the nice clothes I used to wear as motivation! If we get a really big Easter egg we can make it last! 😁

That sounds like a plan Lasso.

Thinking about being able to wear nice summer clothes is a really good motivator .

Food-wise, I have similar breakfasts and lunches most days - yogurt and berries, cereals or toast in the morning and a sandwich around 1pm.

Dinner is usually pretty healthy, but I know I can improve with more home cooked meals, fewer takeaways and no puddings.

Also cutting out wine and snacking.

I'm hoping that's enough to see a loss this week. I'm going to weigh in on Monday, and take it from there.

I've started going through my summer wardrobe. I have to rotate summer and winter clothes, as I don't have enough wardrobe space. And I'm looking to bag up anything that's not flattering or has seen better days, to take to the charity shop or clothes recycling bin. I'm not ready to go full Kondo, but trying to declutter a little, so that I have less to do at a later date.

Baby steps and all that .

It's a good idea to get rid of clothes which ate ultimately just taking up space and maybe making you feel bad too. Working at home today. Going to make time for a walk later to keep me away from the biscuits!

I have a busy day today, so I'm hoping that's a good distraction too .

Having done many different diets in the past, I'm finding that the No S Diet is easier, because of the rules.

With SW, I used to find ways of 'cheating', filling up on high sugar Mullerlights, for example. And having a HiFi bar for breakfast.

Now I'm reaching for real food, because it isn't out of bounds. And that 'just one biscuit' doesn't become half a packet, as there is absolutely no snacking allowed during the week.

I'm just hoping I can get into good habits before the novelty wears off and the boredom sets in .

I'm doing No S too. I started on 18 March. My problem
Is yo-yo dieting and eating just because. The first few day, I felt like I had lost a limb: I just didn't know how to fill the void that eating fills all day long. Its absolutely no surprise I'm overweight.

It's got easier. I haven't been perfect but I've snacked a lot less, haven't binged since the first weekend and I'm generally feeling more in control. I went a bit mad the first weekend but less so the second two.

To emphasise that this is a WOE and not a diet I'm either on or off, I'm not weighing until 1 May. So I don't know if it's working yet. I'd love to see a decent loss but it's unlikely to be a gain so that, in itself, is progress.

I’ll join you all. I lost a stone in January and annoyingly I’ve now hit a plateau. Ideally I need to lose another 2. I keep losing a pound a week then put it back on every weekend. But I look forward to my weekend treats!
I suppose the answer is to carry on the diet throughout the weekend too, but that just feels miserable - and unsociable.

Welcome Steala and Any, the more the merrier!

I'm just hoping for a loss every week, however small. I must admit that I weigh myself every morning, but I find it helps me keep on track.

And even though my breakfasts and lunches are a bit samey, I do mix things up at dinner, so that my losses don't stall.

I need to start this! When I was younger I could easily lose half a stone over a couple of weeks by cutting out crap, but Have lost that knack now I’m in my 40s.

I’ve just started to read “beyond Chocolate” it is about intuitive eating. Training yourself to eat only when hungry and tune in to what your body needs and strictly no dieting!

Like you I’ve always found ways of “cheating” a diet or pushed the boundaries, so I’m hoping this approach will get me into a sustainable routine. My downfall is that I love my food and will find any excuse to reward myself - good day/bad day there’s always a reason!

To lose weight you “just” need a calorie deficit- so why is it so difficult?

To lose weight you “just” need a calorie deficit- so why is it so difficult?

Because fad diets don't work?

If they did, we'd all be thin. They promise a quick fix, but pay scant attention to the long-term view.

I'd be interested in knowing if the book is helpful, Waterlemon.

How is everyone doing this week?

Since Monday, have stuck to three normal meals, without puddings or snacking. I do have quite a few teas and coffees during the day (milk but no sugar), and will try to increase water intake next week, and cut down on the caffeine. I've also stopped having the diet drinks as I have read that these are as bad as the sugary ones.

Now it's the weekend, I have two 'S' days to play with. At the moment, I don't feel the urge to go mad, but I do have cake in the house, so maybe I'll have a piece later.

I don't want to undo all the good work so far. Overall, I'm finding this WOE very easy to stick to, in fact I'm trying to incorporate small healthy changes along the way, cutting down portion sizes slightly and having more veg.

Weigh in on Monday .

Hello. Can I join please? We sound similar @lasso im also bf a toddler, have lost the same stone again and again, I think my body's holding onto this last bit of weight until I stop bf. Which I'm doing soon, so will see if my theory is right! I want to loose a stone ideally, but I'd look a lot better just loosing half a stone so will see how I get on. That chocolate book looks good I'll try it

You have 21 meals a week. I'm losing a pound a week with one 'blowout' meal per week, and sensible for the rest.

But my blowout isn't as blowouty as it used to be! When you've pounded off 600 calories in the gym, the bread and butter basket looks less attractive and more like a bloody waste.

I gave up dieting many many years ago as it doesn't work long term and leads to overeating and bingeing. I have maintained my weight for over ten years now. Recently I started walking a mile a day and am losing 1/2 a pound a week without trying. The only change is the exercise. I rarely overeat now as when I've had enough, I'm done. I eat whatever I like when I'm hungry but it's generally small amounts. I read a lot on the subject and it took years to get to this point. I had disordered eating (as most dieters do) all my life from childhood. I now eat like a person who has never dieted in their life and has no food hang ups.

Watermelon the Beyond Chocolate and follow up book are excellent. I've been using the mindful way of eating for nearly 20 years and it works.