Anyone starting tomorrow and not planning a ''quick fix''

[LadyPrigsbottom]

Hello!

I have gained a shocking amount of weight and absolutely need to regain control of myself.

I do not need another drop-some-lbs-quickly-to-look-lovely-in-my-new-frock-diet. I think it is more serious than that for me now and I need to completely transform my relationship with food, as it has obviously become unhealthy.

I have come crawling back to dieting, (and to MN), to hopefully find some weight loss buddies.

I am planning to do the "No S Diet". The rules are:

1. No sweet treats
2. No second helpings
3. No snacking between meals

Except on "S" days; Saturdays, Sundays and Special Days, (birthdays, Christmas etc).

On "S" days, the theory is that you stick to your three, square meals and also have a special treat or two over the weekend. It isn't that you can then eat a whole tub of ice cream every weekend or anything.

It is meant to be a lifelong plan, (aren't they all?), not a quick fix. So I am not expecting rapid weight loss. I honestly just need to stop gaining at such an alarming rate. Even if I stay as fat as I am, (and I am quite fat), I could live with it, but the rapid weight gain has scared me tbh! I have gained approximately two stone in less than a year . Two years ago, I had a normal BMI and I'd just had a baby. Now, I am on the cusp of obese.

I am circa 14 stone, (a few lbs under), and need to be circa 11 and a half stone. At this point, I'd settle for anything under 13! I am 36.

Would love some company .

It has now been 5 days here without a snaccident (snack accident). I am free to attend my medal ceremony anytime this Saturday.

I think it's gone well this week. Just trying to break the habit of night time snacks and I havent had any. I think I might try and complete 2 weeks like this then perhaps start a bit of kcal tracking too.

16:8 is hard. I definitely couldn't manage it if I wasn't at home. I'm up a 8ish and not very hungry first thing so I can do 10 until 6. I really want to be under 10 stone before I'm back at work. I worry that if I don't lose it now it will balloon on me because I'm perimenopausal I think.

Ha! I love "snaccident" @TheDaydreamBelievers !

So, yesterday became what I am calling an "impromptu s day". It was sort of planned, but I decided last minute that as it was a big day in our house for dc1, I was going to have an S day...probably cheating a bit if I'm totally honest, but I was super last weekend, so I'm justifying it that way!

All fine here so far today. Getting ready for lockdown summer holidays 😬! Dc1 is going to be soooooo bored... I'm trying to find things to do, but I'm honestly a bit anxious about the boredom! But maybe it's a good thing?

Anyway, yes, I also found 16:8 tricky, as dh and I often eat quite late, so if the dcs decide to get up early it's a struggle. It does work though. I found it so much easier to reduce calories when I did it.

I'm a person who does 16:8 by accident as I don't eat breakfast and haven't done for almost my whole life, even as a child. I used to force myself to eat breakfast on some of the diets I've been on over the years. I usually eat at 1pm and 8pm.

Still about 30lb heavier than I should be!

16:8 is a funny one and I genuinely don't think it works for everyone @Chicchicchicchiclana! Interesting that it is your natural way of eating.

I remember doing 16:8 and telling a Muslim friend, who thought it was hilarious that I thought I'd lose weight, because she said that when she fasted during Ramadan (obviously not for weight loss purposes), she often gained a little weight! I think fasting can go either way, depending on what your habits are during the non fasting period of the day / week.

I did 5:2 and found it 'made' me binge on my NFDs, (obviously it was me doing it and I can't really blame the diet )! I've heard the best way for, well, greedy people, like me, to do IF is to do alternate day fasting, as it is quite difficult to make up the additional calories that way.

But I don't have the will power and it is actually quite antisocial for me doing alternate day fasting, as the days are set in stone.

Anywho, none of this is especially relevant as I am not doing intermittent fasting, of any kind at the mo!

It's been an ok week here, but could definitely have been better. Need some healthier meals next week, especially breakfasts and lunches. Maybe I'll try and do some batch cooking over the weekend, so I have stuff ready.

I'm 10st5lb this morning, down 2 lbs since last Friday. I'm going to try to stick to 16:8 until I'm under 10 stone. I think it's the best diet for me at the moment just because there's so little routine in my life since lockdown. As I'm not working and the teens are constantly snacking I need some concrete limits on my own mealtimes.
I'm sure no snacking is key as well. If I had kept eating junk like I was at the start I think I'd easily be over 11 stone by now and that's getting close to BMI 30 at my height.

Well done on the weight loss @WhistlersandJugglers

I agree with the 5:2 diet @LadyPrigsbottom, I couldn't have coped with it - I know a couple of people who've had amazing results but they could schedule their 500 cal days to be less busy ones. Sadly with twin toddlers there are no less busy days

I've been watching How to Lose Weight Well on Channel 4 which is really interesting, participants try out lots of different diets. Sadly there doesn't seem to be any magic solution for losing weight quickly (oh how we wish there was!!), but the people that lose most over the long term were those who found a sustainable eating plan which fitted in with their lifestyle (like @Chicchicchicchiclana's 16:8 eating). I'm trying to bear this in mind as I plod on to lose the 48lbs I need to...

That's fab @WhistlersandJugglers ! I'm not weighing myself till next week.

I'm about to start trawling through recipes books for recipes which:

A) contain vegetables
B) everyone will eat
C) are minimal faff

Maybe I'll start a thread in recipes actually...ask the hive

@RubySlippers77, omg toddler twins! No, you have no quiet days! I'm amazed you are functioning at all frankly. I have one toddler and an older dc and it's plenty.

I also love HtLWW! The only one I was sold on and nearly bought because of it, was the Jane Plan thing. But then I read other reviews and also just thought about it and realised it was just a bunch of VERY expensive, teeny ready meals. The likes of which you can buy in tesco express, but more expensive and you're tied in to buy loads in one go. So I didn't bother.

Definitely planning more planty, healthy week next week. This week has been rather beige...

Evening everyone! great to hear of all our small successes ... please keep posting them as they're very encouraging.

Something you said in your op got me thinking LadyP - we all have an amount of weight we'd like to lose ideally, and probably also a smaller amount if we're being realistic, but we shouldn't forget the small triumphs of losing 1 lb or an inch or a slight feeling of tightness around the waistband or thighs or wherever it is. All losses are good! Would you rather weigh 1lb less tomorrow or 1lb more tomorrow?

I think that's the feeling you've got to hold onto if you (collective you) are in it for the long haul.

My small success today is that I left about a third of the rice dh served me at dinner time. Gotta get used to eating lower carb, I think it's the only thing that will budge my post-menopausal midriff .

So true @Chicchicchicchiclana! The small triumphs are important too, as eventually they will (hopefully) add up.

Again, I am in total awe of your carb resistance! I love the carbs. I was just saying to DH that I need to try to aim for my food to be less...beige this week.

@LadyPrigsbottom the vegetarian River Cafe book is a good one, or Jack Monroe does a lot of recipes which can be easily adapted. I also really like the Gill Holcombe books for plenty of ideas!

I've just watched the Jane Plan episode and don't those meals look tiny?! I mean I guess that's kind of the point, to make you realise how much you're eating, but still... I'd rather do Slim Fast if I was that desperate!

My small success today @Chicchicchicchiclana was doing another HIIT workout! You're right though, we do need to celebrate the smaller things too to keep ourselves going. Have you ever read the India Knight diet book? I didn't follow the actual diet as low carb is not for me, but there was an interesting bit in it about her fellow dieter Neris feeling fed up that no-one cheered her 'small triumphs': turning down cake, not getting a takeaway when one was offered, not having an extra portion of lunch etc. And that's what dieting is for me, plodding along and not indulging every time I want to, even though no-one else might notice/ care...

Thanks @Chicchicchicchiclana, I will check those out! I love recipe books . I used to have JM's original one...is it Cooking On A Bootstrap? I loved the speech at the beginning and the story, but I didn't ever make anything out of that book in the end, so I gave it away. I have no idea why, just nothing ever jumped out at me.

Had an ok day yesterday, but again, had no meals in mind for the day time, so ended up eating ee bits of whatever I could find, then we did thai 'takeaway' (M&S ready meals). The takeaways in our town are crap, so we never bother. Today's project is to plan and prep healthy meals for the next few days, including breakfasts and lunches.

I agree, RubySlippers, about dieting being just plodding along. I just kept going at it yesterday-no crisps or snack at all last night. I'm getting my hair done next Saturday-first time since February. I think that's keeping me motivated at the moment. I'm living in my tracksuit bottoms at the moment as I'm almost always at home. I'm going to get dressed nicely and go do something in the city the week after. Even a coffee and a look around the shops would be a nice change.

Not had a great week. Very hormonal and kept picking at things even though I wasn’t really hungry. I’ve given myself a stern talking to, started a new notebook and am determined to stick to No S from tomorrow. I’ve decided if I keep to it all week I’m going to book myself a facial as a reward. I think I need rewards to keep going otherwise the scale of the task is just too depressing

I definitely think the award idea can work really well @Onthebrink67. I wasn't great at all last week. Also absolutely determined to do better this week 💪.

@WhistlersandJugglers, I was just thinking how much I want to go into London. But I wouldn't want to drive in and not sure about public transport just now. I have reached peak 'nice walk in the country'. Ditto 'soggy walk with the pushchair' and my personal favourite 'incredibly slow walk with toddler who doesn't want to walk at all, so insists on being carried most of the way'. No wonder my shoulders are buggared! Dcs aren't exactly light.

My nearest city isn't anything like London sized. It's a city in name only. I know it won't be crowded on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
I sympathise with the walking with toddlers. It takes me about 10 minutes to walk to the end of our lane but 15 years ago I used to spend about an hour in the afternoons walking the dc down and back again. Now there's no inducement that'd get them out for a walk with me.

I definitely think rewards are a very important part of setting goals (however small) and achieving them. Psychologically it is very important and as we know, no one else really sees our small but hard-won achievements.

With that in mind: I don't know how it happened (honestly!) but I found myself googling body wrap treatments this morning. I was thinking of rewarding myself for every 7lb loss with a body wrap. Is this nuts? especially considering I have never once had any massage or spa-like treatment before because I feel so uncomfortable with people seeing me more or less naked!

I've had a facial ... once, eyebrows threaded ... once, legs waxed ... once, pedicure ... once.

You get the picture .

At a salon or an at home one? I've always been curious about them. I have very stretch-marky, saggy skin on my stomach and I love to know if they work for that.

I thought I'd push the boat out and go for a proper one at a salon.

I read somewhere that if you do them regularly through a substantial weight loss then it helps avoid saggy skin.

I'm projecting way into the future here!

Go for it. I think a treat is a great idea. I gave myself a pedicure this evening. I'm usually mega lazy about grooming.
I'm trying to think of a good treat for if I get under 10 stone.

That should say for when I get under. Positive mental attitude this time.

Can I encourage you to read Jennie Murray's Fat Cow, Fat Chance? I've just listened to it over three days. Mesmerising and very VERY interesting on weight and genetics

@Chicchicchicchiclana definitely go for the body wrap if it motivates you!! I haven't had one but a friend used to love them; I think it's mainly water weight which you lose but she did say it firmed her up a bit too. If it makes you feel better then it's worth it!

I do love a pedicure though I walk a lot (and used to dance a lot) so having someone scrape all the hard skin off my feet was lovely (for me, not them, I imagine!)

@LadyPrigsbottom could you get a trike for your toddler if you don't have one? Mine loved theirs when they were about 2 and fed up with the buggy. Gives you a bit more exercise too pushing the trike and walking further. I used to love going into London occasionally for work, walked a lot, saw lots of sights... but haven't been for ages, think my DC are still a bit too young to appreciate it.

Small DC can be very frustrating - DS1 would NOT go to sleep this evening, wriggled around in bed till almost 9.30pm - I so much look forward to his tired, grumpy meltdown in the morning