If you've lost two stone, come and tell me the benefits in your life

[growlingbear]

I have zero motivation and willpower. Definitely not a yoyo dieter. More like a never-dieted. But I now MUST lose two stone. I want some motivation. What's different in your life?

I want to be able to do plough pose in yoga without suffocating on my own fat.
I want my asthma to improve.
I really really want more energy.

Also - what plan did you use and how are you keeping the weight off?

@PeriComoToes long term motivation can be a really tough thing. I’ve been dieting for almost 7 months now and lost 3 stone. There’ve been times I was highly motivated and days when I couldn’t really be bothered.

What’s helped me a lot is to think of losing weight as running a marathon. I wouldn’t get annoyed with myself if I ran a marathon and had to walk bits of it, or may be even take a short break. So I try not to beat myself up if I have a day, or a couple of days when I go over target. As long as I get back on track, that’s all that matters!

Also, the longer you diet, the more you start to realise that the occasional blow-out doesn’t actually make much difference to your weight at all. It’s what you do the rest of the time that matters.

I also think I got a lot better at finding different ways to deal with stress/ tiredness etc. Chocolate, full fat coke and painkillers used to be what I turned to if I felt rough. Now, I take a fast 15 minute walk. If that doesn’t solve it, I’ll have whatever I fancy. A lot of the time that little bit of exercise is enough to reset my head and get rid of any cravings

That's good advice crazzzycat I like the marathon analogy.

Def another vote for OMAD here. It's changed my life and I can honestly say that it makes things sooooo much simpler only having to fanny around with one meal a day. I'm officially 25.5lbs down from the beginning of June from doing it.

Hey just reading your post, you say your eating healthy and your still gaining weight. Have you been to see the doctor about it? I know this might be quite personal but have you ever been diagnosed with PCOS? As it causes weight gain no matter how much you exercise or eat healthy in some cases

Sorry that was meant for someone else on this post!

One meal a day people do you find you don’t get dizzy during the day and has this helped alleviate bingeing (if you were a binger)?

I've had a few spells where I've felt slightly light headed but it's never lasted for long. The hungry feeling comes and goes and you get used to ignoring it pretty fast. Sparkling water really helps fill you up.
When I started I thought I'd end up eating absolutely loads for my one meal but I've found that I can't, after nothing all day my stomach can't handle loads. I just eat a normal sized meal and feel really full. I've started using a lot more butter, cream and cheese in my cooking just to make sure I'm getting enough calories.

Thanks oyster 😀

How heavy is your kettlebell @ContessaLovesTheSunshine?

I do squats when I'm cleaning my teeth. At least 20, sometimes 25 or 30, so an average of 50 a day. I can really tell the difference.

I've lost a stone and a half since Feb. Was 11.1 now 9.6. I'm so much happier now! Did slimming world. Still doing it as I want to get to 8.7. Love it!

growling 6kg - bit of a starter weight but I wanted to start slow!

Anyone know of any promotions on weights? Even Decathlon seem a bit dear!

Thanks Contessa

I used this place to build up the barbell combos I have at home

www.fitness-superstore.co.uk

Can someone tell me about 'one meal a day' diet or link to a thread? Sounds interesting & achievable. Is it every day or some days?

Technically it's supposed to be every day but I found that I got a good loss by doing 4 days and I don't believe in making my life harder than it needs to be. I do Monday - Thursday. It's really up to you to decide what works for you. It's very simple, one meal a day and no other calories. You can drink black coffee, black and fruit teas and water. Still or sparkling is fine. The meal can be anything, you don't need to count calories. Lots of people do keto as well but it's absolutely not compulsory and I don't do it. My thought was if I started off with full blown 7 days of KETO OMAD then there isn't really anywhere to go if you plateau. Luckily 4 days has been enough for me to get the loss I want.

I really like the sound of that weekday regime @Oysterbabe. At weekends with family, I can be sociable and eat Sunday breakfast with the papers or have brunch with them. But on weekdays just coffee and water until dinner. Which is the diet I naturally thrived on in my twenties. Just never occurred to me to eat until the day was done and I could relax. I will give this a go.

I’ve been having a homemade smoothie for breakfast and lunch, and then a normal dinner (and 2 snacks during the day) and I’ve lost 3 stone. I thought I would be ravenous as I’ve got a huge appetite and used to snack all day long. I’ve not felt more than a few twinges of hunger though and I’ve been sleeping better too. My bloating has also gotten loads better.

Pros for losing weight - sleeping better, less bloating, less chafing on my thighs when I walk, more confident in the bedroom, can wear skimpier clothes during hot months without feeling self conscious and sweaty, less anxiety, less fatigue, can walk for ages without getting out of breath, my partner fancies me more (he loved me when I was bigger too but he clearly finds me sexier now), less aches and pains, heart palpitations have stopped. The list goes on

@Ellabella989 - Great post - all the problems you mention have vanished are ones I currently have, which is forcing me to see they are linked to weight gain. Heart palpitations, anxiety, fatigue, breathlessness, sweat...

I lost somewhat more weight about 3 years ago (mainly by eating less and proper portion control)

When within 1 stone of target, I started running. It has transformed my life for the better - I was the useless one at sport at school and believed I was all the wrong shape to run. I took it up sullenly, as a chore I had tomdo as it was good for me. It took months before I came to like it, let alone enjoy it.

But I became stronger, it conquered fatigue, it gave me headspace. It became my 'go to' to lift spirits and energise on bad days. I made new friends. I achieved milestones.

If you had told me 4 years ago what I wouid be doing now, I'd have laughed in your face.

And I love being able to choose clothes because I like them, not because they're the least bad and at least fit

@Ellabella989
What do you have in your smoothies please? Well done on the weight loss!!

I usually make something green like spinach or kale the base of my smoothies with almond milk and then add 3 different things each time like banana, nectarine, raspberries, ginger, pear, apple, cucumber, carrot, pineapple, mango, seeds etc

Thanks. I might start doing that. Do you use a juicer?

Sorry I know this is kind of the opposite of what we’re doing here but I’ve gained over two stone in a year and I feel terrible for it, so down and just constantly think about my weight, I’ve ‘let myself go’ in other ways eg don’t bother with the hairdresser anymore, my clothes are shabby because I hate shopping now and am really wearing things a size or two too small but I feel if I go shopping and buy new clothes I’m accepting I’ll stay this size. I started a new job but the one meeting I’d had with the boss had been a year prior to me starting and I just knew when he saw me he thought ‘that’s not the girl I met’. I constantly feel shame and take myself out of and avoid any social situations. I just hate it so much.

This time a year ago I was thin and I was so so happy. I could walk into any shop and buy a size 6/8 and it would fit. Actually that’s a lie, I couldn’t buy clothes in Asda or Sainsbury’s because their smallest size drowned me.

You posts have all given me such motivation. I felt the way you all felt when I lost weight before and I KNOW I can feel it again and I’ll have so much headspace for other things. Thank you.

I had my best run today so far. I use the running machine as the gym as its easier on my joints.

Now that I've lost the weight I can run faster and burn more calories. Felt so damn proud today, burned 780 calories in an hour, and the shower afterwards was the greatest of all time.

I haven't eaten the calories back, I never feel tempted to because I know how hard that calorie burn was. It's a virtuous circle.

I use a nutribullet. Most juicers remove the fibre from the fruit and veg whereas things like the nutribullet keep it in so it’s healthier for you

Right, I'm getting my Nutribullet out @Ellabella! How long did it take you?