Anyone else struggling to get that annoying half stone off that won't shift for love nor money?

[MascaraOHara]

I don't need to lose a massive amount of weight but ideally would like to be half a stone lighter I'm 10.7 at the minute and would be almost in heaven if I could get down to 10st exactly!

I'm going to start on Monday and I am going to lose 7lb by Friday 14th December..

Would anybody else like to join me.. or just come here and abuse me to keep me on track?

Hi there,

I need to lose half a stone by the 14th of Dec too!

I'm going to a party and the dress I want to wear is straining at the seams. The last time I wore it I was just under 9st. I've been hovering at 9st 7lbs for a while now. Not quite sure how I let the extra 7lbs creep on because I'm usually really strict with myself and cut buck once the needle goes past the 9st mark.

Are you going to be using any particular diet (Eg: Weightwatchers, Atkins... ) or just cutting back on the Pringles and Maltesars and how often are you "weighing in"?

hi guys, having done cabbage soup for a week and only lost 2 bloody pounds i too need to find a more realistic way of shedding about half a stone, am 11 atr the moment and want to be 10,7 for a bmi of 25. I too have a works party in middle december ........ right, any ideas??????

Good morning to you both,

Right... I've just popped onto my electronic scales and I'm 9st 6.5lbs.

I'm planning to ( sort of ) follow the WeightWatchers plan. I've lost weight with WeightWatchers before and found the plan easy to follow. The only problem I had was when I had to stick to 17 points a day. I was sooooo hungry by bedtime that I ended up snacking which in turn made me feel a failure and I gave up.

Thanks to WW I know what sort of foods to eat, what to avoid and how to stick to roughly 20 points a day without having to count points. I'm also going to make a real effort to get moving a bit more.

From today ( 125h Nov ) we've got over four weeks to hit our goals which is ample time. We can do this!

Good luck to you both,

Amanda

Gingernutlover ~ Cabbage soup diet sounds horrible! I think you did brilliantly to stick to it for a week!

I meant the 12th Nov ~ It's only just gone 6.30am. My brain hasn't quite woken up yet!

Oh Mascara, you are exactly the same as me. I have put on about 10 lbs this year and would love if I could shift it in time for Crimbo.

How are you doing it?

I've joined WW online and may do it that way.

Cut out the wine
Cut back on the carbs
Soup etc.....

I'll join you anyhow.....

Hi Guys, I'm the same!

I am 11,7 at the mo (at 5'10) and I'd like to be a round 11 because it just makes things hang that little bit nicer.... I've lost 5 1/2 stone since I was younger and a lot of my weight seems to be in loose skin which is really annoying. Even when I was under 10 stone (and really not very healthy) I still had loose skin...... I've tried gymming it off but I end up muscly with flapping thighs and arms! and my stomach..... I look like I've had a baby and I haven't!

I seem to manage a few days on WW then crack last thing at night - if I eat at 7pm, by midnight I'm hungry and end up snacking too. I've tried saving points for it but.... I guess I'm too weak!

One trick I did try that seemed to work was not sweetening things, my friend told me that artificial sweetener has the same effect on your blood sugar as regular sugar, and therefore you'll get the dip shortly afterwards that makes you crave more food.... so I took to having plain shredded wheat for breakfast... hmm. Well, there's only so long I can go with THAT. It did stop me being so hungry at lunchtime though.

Anyway I have most of today off, so I'm going to try and fit in a nice long gym session. It really makes the difference for me. I also do the Davina DVD which is pretty good, the first one. I've got a Lorraine Kelly video but no VHS player at the moment. Huh!

I really want to make this half stone go this time as a guy I met while I was travelling (and 13 stone) is coming over in Jan and I want to amaze him with my svelte figure!

Morning folks!!

We are starting today.. haven't been online over the weekend so it was nice to come back and find I had some buddies for this!

I'm going to sort of do weight watchers (I have the book with points in at home) other than that I'm going to cut back on the junk I eat and eat smnaller portions more often.

I'm also going to get back tot the gym, focussing on arobic/cardio work to burn calories and fat rather than build muscle. I will be doing some weights to stay toned but muscle is heavir than fat and at the moment my goal is 10stone. I am reasonably toned already.. lots of stomach crunches girls... I will be aiming for 100 per day for the first week 150 for the 2nd week and 200 from then on.

If you are not used to doing them and you fancy work that tummy a bit start doing 2 set of 8 reps in the morning and 2 sets of 8 reps before bed.

also do your pelvic floor exercises once and hour and when you pull up, pull in the lower part of your tummy too!

So I'm not doing a specific diet as such but I am determined lol

I was 10.8 when I got on the scales this am but came on today so might be a glitch. Lets weigh in each Monday morning and see how we're doing.. the thought of weighing in on a Monday might help us over the difficult weekends!

If you drink more than a glass of wine a night cut right back - very calorific!

Morning! Well I was 11.4 yesterday and 11.6 this morning and... something like 11.2 last week. Water retention is awful for me, I'm due on Saturday but my boobs have been a size bigger and PAINFUL since I last week, so I make allowances for TOTM.

I love WW because I'm veggie so I just make a curry or whatever, if you use dry spices and minimal oil you can make practically point free main meals! You just allow for the rice or bread, unfortunately I HAVE to have something sweet afterwards or it doesn't feel like a real meal. So I'm eating loads of WW fromage frais and fruit salads and things.

Or a mincemeat toastie, 2 slices of nimble and some mincemeat, satisfies the Christmassy cravings

Oooo share some of your free points recipes Niffy... I'll be needing them for the days I fall of the wagon.. TIA

Hmm well fajitas are always good, just make sure you use fry light or something.... and your own spices not the sachets because they'll have sugar in them.

Chillis and curries - I like putting mustard seeds, fenugreek and loads of cumin in my curries, fry a bit of aubergine in fry light til it's browned then chuck on a can of chopped tomatoes.

Roast Butternut Squash with a coating of paprika and minced garlic (you can get it in jars) and eat with a pitta and a dollop of yoghurt or low fat cream cheese.......

I am veggie so I have to watch my protein doesn't slip too much but as I said I tend to make that up in yoghurt type puddings!

Roasting things is really satisfying because you get loads of flavour, those baby onions that are coming into the shops for Christmas are great with a sliver of cream cheese and baked into filo pastry.

Sadly not all 0 points but pretty close! enjoy! Pass on any you discover because I'm always up for trying new things.

Hmm, up to 12 points today, have 10 left but will fit in a gym workout before dinner. If I ever drag myself away from the computer...

it's the snacking that gets me and the wine (sob)and not enough time to work, parent and go to the gym 4 times a week. I'm on the carol vordeman diet but can't be doing it right!

I've not been very goopd today.. why is ith that when you start dieting you automatically feel more hungry than normal?!? what a pain.

I started the day well by eating breakfast though

Snap!

I decided to have a wander into town with my son (all part of my "move more" plan) for a little light Christmas window shopping.

So, as to avoid the temptation of hot chocolate and cake in Costa Coffee I filled up on WW toast with a small tin of beans, two eggs scrambled and a huge pile of baked mushrooms before we left.

However... We popped into a cafe for a drink and somehow a chicken and sweetcorn filled baguette ended up in my clasp! The silly thing about it is that I wasn't even hungry. It was just because I saw it, knew I shouldn't have it and felt a bit deprived. Anyway, as penance I'm skipping dinner (although I might have a Cadbury's light choccy trifle in a min).

I hope the rest of you had a better first day than me. How did you all get on?

Amanda x

Big thing for me - I had no wine today and am going straight to bed now so no temptation. I'm not an alcoholic or owt, just alwasy have one glass, sometimes 2 a day.

So no wine. Cut back on Carbs - about 2 small slices of bread, sml portion rice with tomatoe curry. And went to step class.

[did have some of kids biccies tho]

One day at a time girls, one day at a time..........

Am i too late, can i join too? i am 10 st 7lb and really want to be closer to 10st by christmas. i have done WW in the past, but this last few pounds will not move and its driving me mad!

Morning girls, I was naughty and had toast this morning, I need to allow myself that though or I go on a bread frenzy after a few days.

For lunch I'm having a 'Healthy Living' Noodle pot thing-y which doesn't seem to bad calorie wise and I have a couple of pieces of fruit.

I am going to be good today as I'm cooking tonight and will have wine.

That's what I love about WW there is nothing naughty about having toast for breakfast! Wholemeal's better for all the reasons they tell you about whlegrains and so on but sometimes you just need white bread....

Amandoh I found that if I skipped meals my metabolism can slow down, so I lose less... you really need to eat something in the evenings, have a salad and fruit, but don't stop altogether!

I did OK til midnight when the bran flake cravings set in. I think it's OK, probably counterbalanced by the workout I did yesterday afternoon, and it's def not more than on the maintaining plan..... today I had bran flakes, followed by a Nimble sandwich with cream cheese and LOADS of salad but then a 500g tub of fromage frais!! Ooops, still, only 9 points so far and I'm babysitting so hopefully I won't be tempted to steal food that isn't mine. I hate it when they say "help yourself" because the temptation is there to just start...... doing exactly that!

Oh yes and skipping meals encourages fat storage so should always have something even if just a snak..

NN - you're lucky that you have bran flake cravings, I have cravings for much worse things!

I had my chow mein noodles - caclualted WW points of 3 so even if my toast was 6 this morning I'm still OK for 9 so far.

I had a jacket potato last night with chicken and sweetcorn in mayo (the extra light mayo) so I think that wasn't too bad points wise though I did have butter which probably screwed it right up.

Afternoon all,

I know you're both right about not skpping meals. I figured it wasn't really "skipping" in the true sense of the word as I'd had my lunch then the baguette shortly after so could count the baguette as a very early dinner. I did have my choccy trifle followed by some mixed nuts (Those nuts were probably negative calorie foods as I needed the strength of Garth to break the shells open then the speed of an Olympic runner to retrieve the nut from the other side of the room before my dog ate it! Honestly, I was worn out!)

How's everyone doing so far today? I've not had anything yet myself. Awful cold and not much appetite but I'm going to have some WW soup in a minute. The chicken noodle variety is nice and very low points. The jacket potatoe you had last night sounds nice Mascara. I might make that for dinner tonight myself.

Amanda x

Hi, would it be ok for me to join in?

I have been following ww on and off since by ds was born nearly 2 years ago. I shifted about 3 stone no problem at all and then I got complacent and half a stone has crept back on!

I'm about 10St 5Ibs now but at my lightest I was about 9St 10Ibs and very pleased with myself. For me that half stone is the difference between a size 12 and a size 10. Getting to under 10St was a killer. I had to diet every day and excercise at least 5/6 times a week. Now I have a more relaxed approach - I try and stay good during the week and excercise about 3 times. I tend to be able to relax a bit at the weekends and maintain my weight although just recently I have been relaxing durin the week too which is why this half stone has crept on!

I have loads of social engagements between now and xmas so I'm dreading the thought of starting the new year a fattie!

I have loads of top tips and recipies I can share from my experience of doing ww successfully - I just need my will power to kick in again so I can get back on track! I promised myself yesterday I was gonna start a fresh but by 9.30 last night I was watching I'm A Celeb with a cup of tea and a cream cake

Anyway, wnough of me waffling on - is it ok to join in???? Monday weigh in would be ideal as it might incourange me to behave over the weekends! Although thinking of it I'm on a girlie shopping trip on Saturday which isn't going to be ideal is it!

Oh dear - have I killed the thread!

I'm starting to feel geared up to getting back to some serious dieting. I used a thread on MN last time and found it to be a tower of support - that was when I got down under 9St. Hopefully this thread will give me the same kick up the backside I need.

I ordered some excercise DVD's off Ebay last week and was hoping they would be here today as dh goes out tonight but they haven't turned up. I ordered:- Tae Bo, Jennifer Ellison dancing one and a Nell McAndrew one. I'm hoping I can use them to substitute my gym visits which I'm getting a bit fed up of!

Hi sweetheart, I am loving the DVDs at home, it makes so much sense for me as I have to get to the gym, shower and get to my next job which is a bit daunting when I only have a couple of hours off in the middle of the day.
Let me know if they're any good!

I hope I weigh so much more than you all because I'm tall

I'm 5'10 so I think 11 stone is OK especially as I have plenty of loose skin from the other 5/5 stone. Bleh.

Oops managed to bake a load of cupcakes with B today and of course I had to try one to make sure they were OK....... I swear being around children you start thinking you're going to do as much running around as they do to burn it off.... must go to the gym tomorrow!

PS Nimble bread, 2 slices = 1pt
2 tbsp mincemeat = 2 pt

a huge christmassy toastie for 3 pt!!

Hello again,

I hope you all had a good day.

I decided against the jacket potato for dinner as I fancied something a bit spicy. I thought I'd try to make a spinach and mushroom dish I'd had in an Indian restaurant. I figured as it was made of just two vegetables and some spices it would be pretty much point free. It was awful! The one I had in the restaurant was quite oily so I think leaving the oil out might have been what spoilt it. I've asked for suggestions on the "Food" thread so hopefully someone there will have some ideas as to how to make a low oil version.

I felt a bit disheartened after going to the trouble of making it then having to throw it away and as I'd already made a spaghetti bolognaise for everyone else I didn't feel like doing anymore cooking (or washing up!) so I ended up with a boring old boiled egg.

I don't suppose anyone here knows the dish I mean or how to make a diet friendly version?

Sweetheart ~ Girlie shopping trip sounds fun! I don't think it will sabotage your diet as lots of walking round the shops should burn off some calories. If you're worried about over eating while you're out could you fill up before you leave and take some snacks with you? Alpen make a really lovely apple light muesli bar (71 cals I think) and the new Ryvita muesli snacks look good. Boots sell lots of different low cal sandwiches, crisps and desserts which is handy when you're out shopping.

NiftyNanny ~ Which exercise DVDs do you use? I keep saying I'm going to buy one then don't get round to it. I remember reading a while back that the Charlie Brooks one is very good so think that's the one I'll get. Have you tried it?

Hello again!

NN - I'm only about 5Ft 5" so that would probably make our BMI about the same. I used this BMI calculator and it says mine is 24.7 www.tesco.com/health/healthy_living/health_tools/default.asp

I usually go tot he gym in my lunch hour a couple of times a week. I get a good 40 - 45 min workout depending on how fast I can get showered and changed. It is a bit of an arse but I just don't have any other time to fit it in. Plus it stops me from wondering into town and spending loads of money AND eating things I shouldn't!

Amandoh - My BIL is a brilliant cook, especially when it comes to Indian food. I'll e-mail my sister and get her to ask him about the spinach dish for you. I'm sure he'll have an answer! Do you know what it was called by any chance? Probably Sagg something (doesn't Sagg mean Spinach!?!?!?!?) If you are struggling to find recipies I have a few up my sleeve that are really good. I'm happy to share

I'm afraid the girlie shopping trip is more likely to turn into a long lunch at a nice restaurant with lots of wine and less like a trapse round the shops kind of trip! I think this week I'm just going to try and be good and next week I will start my proper strict regime as I will have my DVD's by then too (well hopefully!). I am meeting some friends for lunch today but I'm going to have some soup before I go so that I can just have a coffee - fingers crossed.

Anyway, plan for today is:-
Breakfast - cup of tea
Lunch - soup
Dinner - ummm probably a low fat curry tonight
PLUS I have a netball match tonight so that will count as my excercise for the day AND keep me busy this evening to stop me snacking.

Have a good day everyone - I'll stop rambling now!