I need to lose 9st+! Help!

[Modestandatinybitsexy]

Have you done this? How have you done this?

I'm 5'8" and 19st.
I know I need to eat less and move more.

I have small children and I'm still breastfeeding. Apart from the standard chasing a toddler I'm pretty sedentary. I do all the cooking, not terribly unhealthy food but probably much too much of it.

Help me give myself a kick up my huge arse please!!

Hello OP, just wanted to pop on and say hi, as I'm also on this journey.

I'm also 5'8, I'm 17 stone.
4 weeks ago, I was 18 stone.
I have completely cut back in the snacks, like crisps and chocolate and I have been making healthier meals and my plate now always has salad or veg on (about half the plate) whereas before, it wouldn't have any! I've also started couch to 5k for some exercise.
I'm hoping to get to 12 stone, I'm a long way off but in the right frame of mind.

You've got this! 💪🏻

I would start by thinking very carefully about your current eating habits, and what's good/bad about them, what issues you have around eating/cooking, what (if any) methods of weightloss you've tried in the past, how successful they were/why and what lifestyle limitations you have.

Then, from that list, make a list of small, simple changes that you can easily incorporate into your life. It is absolutely pointless deciding to go for a run every day if you don't have anyone to watch the kids, or going on a keto diet if you hate meat! Small, simple changes that fit into your lifestyle and that you are likely to be able to stick to without thinking about them too much will be waaaaaaaaaaay more likely to stick. It may result in slower weightloss than a crash diet, but this approach should mean you keep the weight off long term.

I would suggest things such as:

• increasing fluid intake: aim for 2 litres low calorie drinks per day minimum (ideally water as that's the lowest calorie drink possible but any will do). It's very easy to snack, thinking you're hungry, when actually your bored or thirsty. Drinking a glass of water will fulfill your thirst and give you something to do for the boredom.
• if you are a snacker, then think about WHY you snack? Are you genuinely hungry? If so, find some lower calorie snacks to have instead (sugar free jelly, rice cakes, veggies etc). If it's boredom then a make a plan of things to do instead, such as arts and crafts, dancing round the living room with the kids etc
• if you are a "volume eater", which it sounds from your post like you might be, then drink a glass of water before each meal to help fill you up a bit before starting to eat, and load your plate up with vegetables (low calories!) first before adding the rest of your food. You'll still be eating the same "volume" of food, but far fewer calories!
• when you were younger, what were your eating habits like? Did you often skip breakfast? If so, maybe eating only twice a day (lunch and dinner) is an approach that would work for you?
• is it your sweet tooth that lets you down? Try diet fizzy drinks instead, for the sweetness without the calories.
• if you wish to "properly" diet then can you commit to eating really low calories twice a week, and then eating more normally the rest of the week? If so, maybe the FAST diet would work for you, where you eat 500 calories two days per week and normal food the rest of the week.
• would a support group of other slimmers and someone to provide advice and guidance be helpful? If so, perhaps slimming world, weight watchers or another group would be helpful.

Increasing your exercise is great, but don't rely on that to burn calories. Consider it a bonus for getting healthier. You won't burn NEARLY as many calories as you feel like you have and if exercising means you'll eat more calories as a result then I'd dial back the intensity of any exercise to ensure you're not more hungry than you currently are.

Personally, my approach has been to log ALL the foods I eat via a calorie counting app and keep my daily intake of calories below the amount they need to be in order for me to lose weight. I also don;t eat back any of my exercise calories. I use one called myfitnesspal but there are loads available. You set your desired weightloss and get the app/website to calculate how many calories you should eat. I'd set it to no more than 1lb a week to ensure it doesn't cut your calories too harshly and then you can't stick to it!

I didnt have this much to lose but I found

1. Make a 7 day list of everything you eat. Do it on pen and paper so its easily at hand

1. Add everything!

1. Take a long hard look at what you are eating. You will be horrified I suspect but remember YOU can change this.

1. Look at portion control. Have a smaller plate so it looks more than it is.

1. Take a look at how much alcohol you are drinking? Are you a pint drinker? Cut that right out. I guess with bf you wont be drinking but normally?

1. You will look fab and have more energy if you stick to this but it is up to you....

Help me give myself a kick up myhugearse please!!

You're going to need self-motivation on a Herculean scale. So frankly, if you need someone random on the internet to kick you into action then it won't happen.

I lost 8.5st in 10 months by:

● Eat low fat protein
● Eat low carb (and no processed carbs at all)
● Eat low sugar (inc "healthy" sugars in fruit)
● Eat loads of vegetables
● Eat real food, substitutes won't help you
● Eat to a calorie deficit every day, every week. I ate 800-1000 cal per day, every day, for the first 5 months (5st) of weight loss.
● Don't fear hunger, you are supposed to allow your body to feel hunger several times a day.
● Live a healthy lifestyle, so think about your heart health as well as your weight. Build at least 30 minutes of exercise (that makes you out of breath), into your daily routine - every day.

Hi @Modestandatinybitsexy, I have got seven stones to lose in total and I am on the way to the first one since lockdown began.

What I've done so far is not diet but to regulate what I'm eating. I now eat a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of skipping a meal because I 'wasn't hungry' and then eating wayyyy more calories in snacks. I now have time to meal plan which I didn't make time for before which is helping.

I've started exercising every day, whether it is an hour long walk or a bike ride and I've started couch to 5k which was unbearable in week one but gets easier fast.

I am still allowing myself treats and I try not to beat myself up for it as I am no longer eating an entire packet of biscuits practically every night in front of the television.

I will keep you company if you like? I'm trying not to be overwhelmed by the huge amount I've got to lose but to take it stone by stone. I ducked under 17stones for the first time in years just this morning so the next milestone is to get to 16st 10 and then I've lost 1 stone. Then the plan is to get under 16stones as that feels more achievable than my target weight of 10stones which is what I was before I had the DC.

Hello!

I'm 5' 10 and was 16 stone at the beginning of April. I'm doing Michael Moseleys Blood Sugar Diet, highly recommend reading the book for full details, it's short, clear and has recipes.

There is a thread on here for people doing the diet which is helpful too. I'm completing week 3 tomorrow and when I weighed today I was 14st 13.

@FATEdestiny you're my idol! If I can do anything like you have I'll be thrilled. So inspirational.

Thank you everyone!

@FATEdestiny well done on your weightloss! And thank you for the tips. It would be great to be committed to losing that much that fast. Did you do it by yourself or as part of a plan?

Going forward I'm going to be more sensible about food choices, let myself be hungry and start moving more. I've already built in a PE hour for me and the kids and I think I'll try and drag the dog on C25k with me in the evenings.

@Duckduckgosling and @Fantasisa it's great to know there are others doing the same thing, it would be fantastic to keep up with how you're getting on, I'm wishing you good luck on your journeys.

I found the first week of couch to 5k the hardest and I am repeating weeks when I find them too much of a struggle, I figure that for me that is a better way for me to keep going rather than giving up because I feel like a failure.

@Fantasisa that's a good approach, I've just read through the program and it seems possible. The dogs going to be confused with the stop and start to the runs though!

I've just bought running shoes so wish me luck!

Good luck! Let us know how you get on. It is amazing how quickly fitness can improve, I can get up the stairs much more easily now.

Did you do it by yourself or as part of a plan?

No commercial plan, just me. I worked on the basis that I am an intelligent woman and could make intelligent choices.

I recognised that (for me, but I think for most people too) a good 90% of my barriers to weight loss were psychological and so overcomable by simply thinking rationally and logically. Things like:

● I have loads of fat cells. Fat cells are there to store calories to use another time.
● Therefore I could eat very small numbers of calories and not go hungry - fat cells are there to be used.
● Massive psychological barriers to feeling hungry. I researched physical signs of hunger and realised that most hunger signals are in the mind, not physical responses.
● When I waited for physical hunger signals before eating, I was finding that I didn't need to eat breakfast or lunch (when I was obese, so has lots of fat cells to use).
● Even at BMI 25 and when running more than 50km a week, I am never physically hungary enough to need breakfast.
● The need for snacks between meals is 100% physiological.
● Ditto puddings or anything sweet after a meal.

There's loads of little pointers I've learnt along the way, I don't want to bore you. But aim high - you can absolutely be aiming to lose 3 or 4lb a week, every week, if you have a BMI over 30 - because you can and will be fine on a consistantly very low calorie intake. You have fat cells which will mean you won't be physically hungary, just overcome the psychologal factors. Also set loads of small targets.

I'm heavy (I have 5 stone to lose), and my tip for c25k is to run MUCH slower that you think you should. Think about touching the ground lightly, with short strides (have a google of cadence, and niko niko running). I never thought I could run, but when I learned about how to do it properly, it completely changed what I'm capable of.

I went through the whole programme a few years ago, and an now doing it again from the beginning. I really like it.

Can I join in please?

I actually don't know how much I weigh but I think about the same as you OP. Im a size 24 and reckon I have lost a size since lockdown through doing Joe Wicks, and being very strict on my diet. (Much smaller portions, no puddings etc).

Have to say that the constant references to obese patients dying of Cornona virus has scared me quite a lot.

I would love a thread like this to keep me motivated and accountable as I don't have anyone in 'real life' to talk to about this.

I am aiming to reduce my BMI but would also like to have muscles and be strong.

@Modestandatinybitsexy - I'd love to join - I wake up every day thinking RIGHT, let's do it, then join some other thread, but by lunch time I'm eating toast.

I have so much to juggle at home (like the rest of the world) - work, writing up my PhD, home schooling, blah blah blah, but I need to lose 4 stone. Before things get serious.

Regular exercise not possible (I'm a swimmer), but I can certainly get out and walk every day. Plan is MFP, that works with family life.

I very much want to do this by my birthday in November - if not all, then most of it.

When are you thinking of starting?

I've woken up feeling good about making some first steps to changing things.

Anyone want to join me?

I've weighed in at 16 stone. It's the last time I will see that number.

I've told myself that if I can give up drinking (125 days now), which I never ever thought I could, I thought I was hard wired to it, then I can do this.

Plan today is to just eat less, and no snacks. Normal meals, just smaller.

I'm in a very similar situation.. I have 8 stone to loose. I've gone up and down with my weight for years. loosing 5 stone on lighter life, then regaining, then Keto etc, every year getting older and the starting number getting higher. I am determined to get this resolved once and for all. My kids and DH are really pushing to get me healthy.

@Nixi4 I'm up for buddying up if you are?

I similarly need to lose a huge amount of weight. Been up.and down all my adult life and now need to lose about 11 st. I think normal meals and no snacks is the way to go for me, so I'm in @HouseTornado

@10cmDeTi awesome. Same plan as me.

I don't want to derail this thread. as it belongs to @Modestandatinybitsexy, so I'll give it a day and then shall I start up a new one for us? With anyone else who wants to join?

Does anyone have a preferred start date (doesn't matter if we weigh in on different days, whatever works for people). I quite like Sundays.

I think you should break it down. 10st seems quite low for your height so take it half a stone at a time and see how you feel. Don’t put yourself under pressure and make yourself ill by not losing weight healthily through eating well and exercise. You might get to 12 stone and feel good there. I am 5ft 5 and have just lost 2 stone to get to 10stone. I started in jan but it’s taken me 18 months to get in the right mindset. I’ve utilised lockdown to maximise my weight loss as we now
have no social life! I want to lose another 4lb ideally but also realistic that I like the odd drink & food treat. My biggest change has been couch to 5k. I can now run 28 minutes but it took me a few months on my journey to feel ready for exercise and I repeated some runs.
I would say focus on eating right and walking to start then build up. I use slimming world as my basis for eating. I know some people hate it but I find it okay. Pinch of nom books are good.

Slimming World is fab for this! I'm verrrrrrrrrry overweight and slimming World is the only diet I've been able to do easily and I've been eating chocolate everyday as you have a certain number of syns you can use a day.

@Emerald4512 is it working for you? Can you do it at home ok?

@Goggle1968 I like your approach, that sounds really sensible.

Thanks @HouseTornado it’s taken me a long time to get here but feeling quite positive at the moment!

Good for you, Goggle1968, and I really mean that.

I'm going to look at SW online and see if can make it work - being at home with everyone means making sure family meals are easy, both to cook and to shop for (and I don't want to fail again by day 3).