My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join the chat on our Weight Loss forum.

Weight loss chat

13.5 stone down to 10.5 stone - how did you do it?

29 replies

18eggs · 29/09/2020 10:51

If you have managed to lose three stones and keep it off, please share your recipe for success (pun not intended) as I am in this position and am desperate to get the weight shifted.

I’ve realised I’ve put on about 3lbs per year for the past ten years so can’t go on like this.

How did you do it? 🙌🏼

OP posts:
Report
Wolfff · 05/10/2020 13:18

Another reason the Fast800 programme (the paid one) is good, is that it trains people to shop, cook and eat properly in a sustainable way. It also introduces other elements like HIT, resistance training and mindfulness. So an holistic approach. I never thought DH would lose weight/eat healthily and we even tried an 'intervention' previously but this has really clicked with him.

Report
MsTSwift · 05/10/2020 07:00

Totally agree. Michael Mosley is my hero. Am impatient so going in hard and fast worked for me.

I was inspired by a routine medical where confirmed I was bmi 27 officially overweight. Not horrendous but at 45 knew if I didn’t act would just get gradually larger as I got older

Dress size 14 now 10

Report
Ragwort · 05/10/2020 06:59

Low carb / 16:8.

The low carb Boot Camp on here is very helpful.

Report
WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa · 05/10/2020 06:48

I've lost 3.5stone over the last 15 months. Started off on SW, but lost the main chunk of it on the Fast800.

I'm now doing a more realistic/hybrid to lose the last stone/stone and a half I want to lose.

Fast 800 works and the fast losses are very motivational.

Report
MsTSwift · 05/10/2020 06:47

Started 11st 9 now 9st 9

Intermittent fasting. Lunch 11.30 12 ish healthy snacks
Dinner on small plate then 16 hour fast from dinner to luncH
Didn’t change what I ate just less of it and cut bad snacking
Eat normally at weekends
1 hour turbo sessions most days

Lost 2 stone in 4 months 1 year on stayed off

Report
Loseastonein21years · 05/10/2020 06:46

I dropped from 12 to 10 stone in five months. I basically just cut calories using MyFitnessPal and lost 1lb per week. I didn’t exercise because it makes you gain muscle and retain water, which means you can be losing fat but the number on the scale doesn’t drop, and I knew I’d be discouraged from dieting if I didn’t see my weight decrease. I want to lose another stone but my weight loss has stalled, so I’ve reduced calories even further and started doing a limited amount of exercise.

Err, no, what it does is make you lose lean tissue and muscle as well as fat, so you end up what is known as skinny fat and your metabolism will be slower than if you had preserved muscle through strength training. Why would you be more concerned with a number of a scale that nobody will see rather than trying to be as healthy as possible? Not to mention that nearly everyone looks a lot better with some tone.

Report
justanotherneighinparadise · 05/10/2020 06:44

My starting weight was 12 stone 3 and I’m currently 10 stone 11, goal weight 10 stone. I’ve achieved it by eating low carb. In recent days my correct ratios for continued weight loss seems to be very low carb, low-moderate protein, high fat. Im 45.

Report
Dontfuckingsaycheese · 05/10/2020 06:37

I lost over 4 stone in about 1.5 years with Weightwatchers. I've since (a year) put one stone back on but I now have some of the tools to drop that last stone again. But I really do recommend the whole package - the psychology of the accountability - weekly weigh ins etc. It really helped me stay committed and probably wouldn't have regained the last stone if I'd carried on tracking, going to meetings etc. But my lovely coach quit and replacements were nowhere near as good! But I'm mainly back eating the right stuff and enjoying it. Lots of veg, eggs, fish, chicken breast etc and fish and chips on Saturday.

Report
feelingverylazytoday · 05/10/2020 06:27

I lost over 4 stone. Basically just got my eating under control and exercising a lot. It took me a long time though, but I've maintained for nearly 2 years now, apart from a couple of kgs that I keep gaining and losing over lockdown.

Report
CodenameVillanelle · 05/10/2020 06:01

@Mosasaur

I dropped from 12 to 10 stone in five months. I basically just cut calories using MyFitnessPal and lost 1lb per week. I didn’t exercise because it makes you gain muscle and retain water, which means you can be losing fat but the number on the scale doesn’t drop, and I knew I’d be discouraged from dieting if I didn’t see my weight decrease. I want to lose another stone but my weight loss has stalled, so I’ve reduced calories even further and started doing a limited amount of exercise.

This is crazy, sorry
Exercise makes you retain water for a very short period of time and the muscle you grow will be tiny amounts (if at all, actually it's impossible to grow muscle in calorie deficit). Furthermore if you exercise your body will look better and your metabolism will be more efficient. Who on Earth advised you not to exercise! Get moving and you'll see that last stone move. Finally, exercise is the best prevention against osteoporosis and other ailments that come with ageing. Sheesh.
Report
ChangingStates · 05/10/2020 05:59

Forgot to say it took about 7 months

Report
ChangingStates · 05/10/2020 05:58

I lost 3 stone 2 years ago (11.5 to 8.5 - I am short & small framed). Tried weight watchers type stuff but it really didn't work for me. In the end I just watched what I ate- didn't calorie count but effectively was calorie controlled. Stopped drinking apart from socially, stopped snacks & desserts- evening dessert became an options hot choc, reduced portion size, added lots of veg, fruit & salad. Aimed to walk more. Also didn't deny occasional treats or blow out meals if I wanted them. I have kept it up by basically sticking to the above. It wasn't always easy but it felt good watching the scales go down!

Report
PopsicleHustler · 05/10/2020 05:21

I have a high bmi. I love being curvy, however I know I need to lose a bit. I'd love to really go for it after having my baby in January, god willing. Just dont know how to do it.......

Report
Ploughingthrough · 05/10/2020 04:26

I've lost 3 stone this year. 16:8 plus a lower (but not no) carb diet.

Report
Evileyecherry · 04/10/2020 22:48

I started my weight loss in May. I was 13.5 stone and now I’m 11 stone.

I’m thrilled.

I’ve used MFP. It was really hard at times and had to accept hunger.

I’m now maintaining, so life is a lot easier. I’ll have a weekend blow out and just get back on the horse Sunday.

In a perfect world I’d weight 10.7 but we’ll see.

Report
Loseastonein21years · 30/09/2020 17:06

Yup, I’ve done it (well, 41 lbs so just a pound off three stone). I did it through walking at least 10,000 steps a day and eating 20% less than my total daily energy expenditure. That meant eating quite a lot more than what average diets tell you to - about 1700-1900 cals a day. Weight came off steadily and it feels sustainable. Oh and I also do 20 mins of weight training 3 times a week. Sometimes I do 16:8 but only on days when I don’t feel hungry in the morning. I try not to get too bogged down in it but I keep an eye on what I eat and my total calories, even when my aim is just to maintain.
I went from 14 st 7 to 11 st 8 and it took me 6 months. Ideally I want to lose another 6 or 7 pounds but it’s nothing urgent and I am happy with it being at a super slow pace.

Report
FurrySlipperBoots · 30/09/2020 12:13

I haven't exactly 'kept it off' yet but I have lost 3 stone this year, and am trying to stay strong.

When I weighed myself at the start of my 'diet' I was 13.2, but I had been 'detoxing' for 2 weeks (ie, not eating my usual piles of crap, and exercising every day) so I think I must have lost a good 3 pounds in that period, therefore I reckon I was exactly 13.5 at my heaviest. I'm now 10.7 and although I haven't been 'dieting' for a month now I have been allowing myself a lot of treats due to being on holiday, so I'm cracking down a bit on myself this coming month as I have another stone to lose to be at my healthiest.

My approach was to to cut down from excessive to reasonable, and increase my exercise. As time went on I made more and more food swaps to lower calorie options. It went something like this:

2 weeks of 'detoxing' - being mindful that a glass of juice or smoothie was part of a meal, not just a way of quenching thirst/keeping to 2 slices of bread at a meal, and just one or two biscuits afterwards/having 'normal' portions of butter or cheese instead or drowning my food in them/trying to do 2 lots of exercise a day (nothing strenuous, usually dog walking).

Then came the 'diet'(ie, counting calories). However I allowed myself up to 1500 cals so it wasn't too much of a shock to the system. I focused on upping my vegetable intake. I normally eat '5 a day' but I tried to make it 7 or 8, which actually wasn't hard at all. Lockdown struck at this point so I started doing Joe Wicks, as well as my daily dog walk.

After a few weeks, maybe a month, I tightened my calorie allowance to 1400. Still in lockdown so not going to work, I stuck with Joe Wicks and a dog walk, and walked round my field behind my house too most days, or had a swim.

A few weeks later I was trying to eat 1250, but if I was hungry didn't mind going up to 1350. Kept to 2 or 3 lots of exercise a day. At this point I'd pretty much cut out cheese and butter, and had made a lot of food swaps. For example instead of ordinary yoghurt I'd have a 'Light and free' one, or instead of a 120 calorie biscuit I'd have a 'fibre one' chocolate cake bar for 90 calories. I was mindful that I could eat twice as many strawberries as grapes for the same calories, and a folded flatbread felt like a pitta, but for 100 cals instead of 250, while light mayo was half of the full fat stuff. Half a tub of reduced fat caramelised onion houmous is half the cals of the same volume of Moroccan houmous! Little things like that really add up!

From mid July I got a temporary live in nanny job and my official exercise tailed right off, down to pretty much I walk a day - however I was generally more active, up and down the stairs all day, whereas at home I normally slob out in between exercise. I stopped counting calories, but kept with the sensible portions and food swaps. Despite the odd treat meal or icecream with the family I continued to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

This month I've stopped counting calories at all. I went on holiday with my parents and ate more waffles with syrup, and had more double-scoop icecreams than I care to admit to. BUT it was a walking holiday so I haven't skidded too wildly off course. As I say, I'm down to 10.7. My aim is to lose 7 pounds over October. I'm going to try 1400 cals a week and see what happens.

Report
18eggs · 29/09/2020 21:07

Thank you and well done to all who have managed this epic feat! I may investigate a VLCD for a bit of a kick start...

OP posts:
Report
heretohelpGB · 29/09/2020 11:23

Ooh just want to say hi! For health reasons need the kick in the backside to do this and have just weighed in at 13 stone 3!! 😬

Report
desperatetostaypositive · 29/09/2020 11:23

I started eating properly. Proper balanced meals. Good portions so I didn't feel hungry and start snacking later on rubbish. Didn't deny myself treats but stopped replacing lunch with a bag of crisps and a mars bar.
I was and still am very active so it was definitely that I just ate too much.

Basically changed my habits around food and apart from when pregnant I've stayed more of less the same weight since.

Report
Wolfff · 29/09/2020 11:22

I lost a lot of weight doing VLCDs and intermittent fasting. The only thing that keeps weight off is a diet change. Get rid of carbs, no pasta, potatoes; bread or brown rice occasionally, not everyday, reduce fruit if you eat loads of bananas etc and ditch alcohol as much as possible.

My DH is doing the Fast800 diet and has lost a stone in 2 weeks. He's not overweight as such but is trying to lose visceral fat to reverse type 2 diabetes.

Report
DownUdderer · 29/09/2020 11:20

Low carb intermittent fasting follow along weightloss threads for camaraderie.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Chasingsquirrels · 29/09/2020 11:19

I went from about 12 to 10 doing 5:2 over about 9 months, having never dieted before and gradually crept in my 30's & early 40's post kids. Having lost the weight I then did a modified 5:2 with about 800 cals on the 2 days or 6:1, and did strict 5:2 If I felt the weight creeping.
Totally worked for me.

I then lost about another stone through late-DH's cancer diagnosis, progression & death. Wouldn't recommend that.

I gradually started putting weight back on when in a new relationship, and have gone back to a sort of half-arsed 5:2 and I hover about 10 to 10.5 stone now.

I think 9.75 - 10 stone would be my ideal and 10.5 stone is probably more my natural weight.

Report
LaTomatina · 29/09/2020 11:19

Not eating after 7pm (late night snacking is my downfall...)

Report
SoUtterlyGroundDown · 29/09/2020 11:16

I know it sounds trite but I basically just ate less and moved more. Cut all my portions by about a third. Fewer snacks. Reduced my alcohol consumption. Walked more and bought a cheap exercise bike. I lost about 1- 1.5lbs a week so it was fairly slow but I didn’t feel deprived at all.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.