6 stone to lose - my journey!

[StanleyOscar]

Hi everyone, long-time lurker here but decided to pop my head up and talk about my weight loss journey which I have just begun.

49 years old, yo-yo dieter for approx 20 years. Never have much problem loosing weight, just can't keep it off. So, I joined Slimming World on Wednesday and have around 6 stone to lose. So far I have lost 3lb, which is to be expected in week 1. Very much enjoyed the group meeting, and the meals/recipes are good too.

So far, so good. Anyone else on their journey too?

@WheresMyTweezers going well thanks. This morning I weighed and measured, and I am 209.8, so down a stone since I started. My waist is down 2.5 inches to 32.5, and my hips are down to 48.5, which is only 1.5 inches but still a good start. Slightly wish the waist and hip losses could be switched!!

Bubbles have burst at school which is not great as it means I will be partly back to sitting down and teaching to a computer screen. Last time I did some lunges at my desk, so might try to start that again!

Definitely noticing my trousers are looser. Hoping it won't be long until I go down a whole size.

@ThroughThinkandThing sounds good!

@StanleyOscar you know it's just a bizarre fluctuation and it WILL come off. You've lost a lot in a short time so it must feel odd not to see continuous losses but you know it's just a blip and will sort itself if you keep going. Stay positive!

I'm saying that from perspective of seeing a gain this morning. Tbf I did expect it as although my evening meal was relatively low calorie, it was salty and carby. A month in I'm confident enough now to know I've probably got a bit of dehydration and if I carry on doing what I'm doing it will come off again. Funnily enough though I was hungry from the second I woke up yesterday whereas today I'm still full from the heavy meal. Anyway,on we go...

Well done on losing that stone and all those inches ThroughThinkandThing! How are you doing it? Calorie counting, IF?
Still feeling rough today. Wanted to eat chocolate so bad last night. I ate two Celebrations, for me that's amazing restraint!

Calorie counting. I still have three meals and at normal meal times, still have treats, but more rarely (eg met up with friends at the weekend, and had a scone with them), I just count everything and so I know what I am having.

Still a long way to go, and I know that it will get slower the more I lose, and that I am on holiday with friends in August and that will be tricky so maintain it. But it is what is working for me, and because I can still have eg pizza, I don't feel deprived of food I enjoy but know is very calorific.

Thank you all for the encouragement!

I'm sorry you are still feeling horrid - excellent restraint on the Celebrations front! I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you. Sounds like you've got your food/diet sorted.

Weigh in day today, think I'm going to just maintain. Need half a pound off so I can get my 1.5 stone award, so close. It's times like this that I think I really should have had a blast at the BBQ last saturday as being good didn't make any difference this week.

Wish me luck!

Fingers crossed @stanleyoscar

My gain on Tuesday has gone now. I knew it wasn't a real gain and would come off so I just pulled back yesterday, had a fairly low carb/low calorie day with loads of fluids and I'm back to Monday's weight. Suppose that is one benefit of weighing daily - I had an immediate incentive to pull it back. Slightly disappointed I haven't got to a stone in a month, but 13lb will do me nicely! I imagine I'll slow down a bit now but my immediate targets are:

1. • first stone off (hopefully this week!)
2. • 1.5 stones off (maybe by end of July? Although maybe not if we're going away?)
3. • next stone bracket (hopefully before end of August).
4. • two stones off (hopefully by end of August, but if not, then mid-Sept seems achievable).

It's 3 that will really make a difference to me. Much as it's size I want to tackle, I was horrified when I saw my starting weight and moving through two stone brackets (even if I'm at the higher end of the second one!) will take me to somewhere I'm more comfortable with - although still far too high. You might have noticed I haven't put my starting weight - I just can't, I'm mortified but at least it's given me an incentive!

Anyway, long way of saying @stanleyoscar (and anyone else!) don't worry if today's weigh in isn't quite where you want it to be, it will count somewhere along the way.

Good luck StanleyOscar!
I feel like I need to 'confess.' I'm off the wagon till Monday. I have been dieting since February and apart from my unplanned binges, I haven't had any official 'time off.' My cravings at night have become so immense they were overwhelming, last night they needled and pushed me till I give in. Honestly, it was bad. I think giving up smoking was easier than that. I was planning a fantastic binge of ice cream, cake and chocolate and honey Cheerios, but having stuffed 4 Fibre One bars, 4 squares of dark mint chocolate and a Alpen bar this morning I went to amend my Sainsburys shopping and could only face adding ice cream and a muffin (Actually ended up buying salad!). I haven't been exercising as I've been off colour (Feel almost back to normal today, 97% better, still that lingering last dregs of feeling off.) either. So I have decided to officially give myself time off until Monday, weigh myself then, and start again. Will go back to weighing once a month as I find that easier.
Good luck all, I hope you make what ever goals you are setting for yourselves.

Funnily enough @73kittycat73 I used to suffer terrible migraines and afterwards I had what I can only describe as a hangover with an intense craving for carbs and sweet stuff and it was just all-consuming so it doesn't surprise me you're feeling the same after being ill.

Fill your boots then get back on it!

Thanks WheresMyTweezers. I appreciate the understanding.

@73kittycat73 - You go for it, you deserve a blast for all the hard work you have put in. If you have been dieting and losing weight since February, I doubt a few days blast will make a lot of difference to your weight to be honest, it certainly won't undo 5 months work, that's for sure!

On that note, I too am going to treat myself. Had the weigh in this morning at SW, 1lb loss for the week which I am pleased at because not only did I not maintain, but it gave me enough to get the 1.5stone award. They also remarked on how I had loss the weight in 8 weeks, and how my clothes were just hanging off me

Total weight loss so far is 24lbs, and so I am going to have a chinese takeaway tonight, however, I will not be having all the usual dishes, I will share one meat and one rice with my wife, and so probably 35% of my normal scoff.

@WheresMyTweezers - Good advice thanks, and well done on losing that pound. I like your goals too, and don't ever feel you need to tell anyone about your starting weight, it's private to you, but also don't beat yourself up. You are tackling your weight concerns, you are doing so well, and that deserves a sticky star

Oh, and another thing. I have dropped from an XXXL clothing size to an XL. To be fair, the XXXL were very big even on me, but that was the only size I could comfortably wear. Over the past 8 weeks I have lost 24lbs, but also lost a good amount of inches around the waste etc, allowing me to fit into size XL comfortably, I can even wear size L, but it is a stretch. I am not very tall though, just 5ft 8in and so all these large clothes look ridiculous on me.

The heaviest I got to before doing this diet was 19st, and now I am 16st 8lbs, a total loss of 34lbs, hence the XXXL clothing. I am only taking into account the loss since starting SW, hence 24lbs loss.

@picklemewalnuts - How are you?

Gosh lots to catch up with! I'm very happy thanks, @StanleyOscar! Weigh day, and I lost 1.1kg, so a definite win for two weeks on holiday!

I agree with tweezers, migraines give me terrible blood sugar issues and I crave carbs and caffeine, so give yourself time to recover, Kittycat. This is a lifestyle, not a sprint, so you need to have room for bad days and challenging weeks!

And with that in mind, my Chinese take away strategy is to let my DC order all the nice things. I then have a small serving of plain rice and a taste of all the nice things! I pick out the meat and veg chunks so I'm not eating the greasy, sticky sauce. I eat a lot- but nothing like as much as I used to, and picking the healthier bits over the very naughty bits. I have a bite of a prawn toast rather than a piece, one piece of s crispy shredded pork rather than a serving, etc.

I'm blinking a little, because I've still got 25kg to go to reach the top end of healthy. I may stop before then anyway, I'll see when I'm closer, but it's a fair old way to go, still. I'm only just over halfway. I've lost 4.5 stone, almost 4 stone to go.

However that's not my real target. My real target is being size 14.

And I think the odd very light day helps me, too. So today I've had two yogurts, some cherries and a couple of slices of lean ham. That gives me a bit of a head start on the rest of the week, if you see what I mean. A bit like a low key intermittent fast day.

Same @picklemewalnuts - my real motivation is dress size.

Well done to you & @StanleyOscar on your losses.

Had some news re my break away. We're now looking at a self-catered break instead of a hotel so that means I should be a bit better placed to manage what I'm eating (although I usually hate cooking when away).

Yes @picklemewalnuts ! Almost without realising I've kind of done a slimming world/intermittent fast hybrid. Like Monday I had a carby evening meal which would have been free on SW but I had a gain on Tuesday morning (although as said I knew it wouldn't be a real gain) then yday had a very low cal/carb day and I'm back to Monday's weight. It seems to be working and giving me that balance I need. So far anyway...

@picklemewalnuts @WheresMyTweezers - Now this is something I just can't get my head around since starting this diet 8 weeks ago. So, apparently potatoes, pasta & rice are 'Free' foods, and they have a lot of carbs in. If I eat any of those foods, in any quantity, it has a negative effect on my weight, to the point that it stalls, and can even increase a pound or two.

Very odd.

Yes I'm sure there are people who it doesn't work for (maybe genetics or insulin resistance or something?) and when I followed it a few years ago I was absolutely baffled at how it could possibly work, but it did. But I followed it to the letter - had my healthy extras, syns etc and maybe it's something to do with combinations/balance? I don't know. I know of someone else who was delighted by SW as they could eat banana and yoghurt for breakfast after ages avoiding bananas on WW but didn't lose any weight. Cut the banana out, followed rest of plan and hey presto!

@StanleyOscar

SW was brilliant for me but I don't follow it now because the planning ahead doesn't work as well for me now, and on the occasions where I had to eat on the go (work events, at someone's house) it was difficult to stick to plan AND I was ravenous as I was used to such big portions. I think it actually increased my appetite! But overall I found it really effective, but yeah I don't think Every part of it works for every person?

@StanleyOscar if you're avoiding those things, I wonder if you're accidentally in ketosis and that's why your weight loss stalls if you have them?

We all react differently to food groups. You do what works for you. I cant do carbs in bread form. I dont eat much pasta- i don't find it filling. Potato, however, I can eat a reasonable amount of. Basically if it's been buttered or deep fried it's no good. If it's plain then you can eat as much as anyone would ever want to eat. So a small jacket potato, or two small boiled potatoes, are really tasty and help me feel full after a meal. I wouldn't eat four or five boiled potatoes because they don't taste nice enough 🤣. It's self limiting.

Re the holiday, you don't need to cook a lot- but planning helps. We got a meal deal from M&S which was very easy to cook (and eat!). Saved faffing about. Was a bit rich, but saved the pudding for a meal the next day, so spread the syns out a bit.

@picklemewalnuts I think I'm the same. Bread isn't great for me, but I'm having the odd bit of seeded bread/rye bread for the fibre etc, but I seem fine with potatoes. Although I do love boiled potatoes, with a tiny bit of butter & salt/pepper so I do have to be careful with those because I could eat a plateful! Rice I seem ok with.

@WheresMyTweezers - Ah! Very interesting point regarding ketosis, that's something I have heard of being mentioned frequently on these diet forums, but not something I have really taken much notice of.

Now, here's the thing, and I know I will get smacked for saying this, but it is the truth. I stuck to the SW diet rigidly for the first week or so, but like you, I didn't want all the fuss etc, I just didn't get on with the syns, healthy A's & B's etc. I like attending the groups, listening to the advice and I do follow the SW diet VERY loosely, in other words, I have changed my whole way of eating, and the way I think about food and that is all down to them.

However, the upshot is that as I have lost weight over the past 2 months, my appetite has diminished considerably, and to be honest, most days I am barely eating 500 cals, which is a drastic decline considering I used to pack in 4,000 cals a day. I feel fine, and I don’t do it on purpose, I just simply don't feel hungry, and I have no urge to eat junk food, or graze on big bags of crisps all day, or drink cans of Redbull. I know I should be eating a minimum of 1,200 cals, but it just doesn't happen anymore, especially as I no longer have any treats or junk food in the house to tempt me. Hence, I can lose as much as 5lb in a week, but when I eat pasta, rice or potato, the weight loss stalls.

So far today I have eaten 1 egg, and that’s it. I don’t feel hungry.

Your theory of ketosis and carbs kicking in sounds very plausible.

Hmm. I'm fast and loose with SW too, but mainly in terms of not being fussy about brands/syns and having approx 2 servings of dairy. Also, I have as few syns as possible, rather than actually counting them.

I'd suggest for your medium to long term health you eat some healthy fats. It sounds like you are doing keto by default, but in that case eat some almonds, cheese and avocado. Spinach, cauliflower, broccoli etc.
And a multi vitamin.

I know keto- I don't disapprove- but be a little careful because you only get this result the first time. You have to stick to it until you are ready to move to maintenance. Maintenance involves reintroducing carby foods carefully, one at a time, to see how you react.

I did keto very successfully, then went for a cream tea at a wedding and that was it. Cue bingeing and yoyoing, and finding it impossible to get back on the wagon!

That's one strategy, anyway! Your choice of course!

Basically, if you are going to fast, read up on fasting. Do it right.