People that have lost weight. How did you do it?

[JennetHumfrye]

I'm so overwhelmed by how many different diets or methods that are out there. I have 7st to lose and don't know where to start.
For anyone that has lost weight (and kept it off), what did you do and how long did it take you?

Don't worry, it can be ridiculously overwhelming at first with all the diets and strange fitness fads. Here is how I break it down into it's simplest components:

Calorie deficit - working out your maintenance calories and then cutting a little bit off that so that you're in a deficit.

Get your steps in/Get your heart rate up - Do some exercise you enjoy, whether it's running, cycling, swimming, hitting the gym, walking etc. Something that'll get your heart rate up and allow you to get your steps in.

Don't skip meals!!

2 Fistfuls of veg with lunch & tea - Veg is just packed with all kinds of good stuff, so make sure you're eating your veg with 2 of your 3 daily meals.

Plenty of water and sleep!

I did that and lost around 3.5 stone in 18 months :)

I did the Fast 800 initially, as I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. It was quite tough, but I lost about 3 stone relatively quickly (and was no longer pre-diabetic). I then switched to low-carb and lost a bit more. Then stopped, and was keeping the weight off, more or less, until Covid came along, and I put 2 stone back on during lockdowns. Decided to have another go at the start of 2022, and am now tracking everything I eat/drink on an app (Lose It). A few up and downs over the year (ups mainly to do with holidays!), but I ended up losing a stone and a half overall, and am now at it again. The app gives me a number of calories I should eat to lose between 1lb/1lb 1/2 each week, and I try to eat under that all week, so have a bit more flexibility at the weekend, for a glass of wine or two. I'm definitely going for a slower approach this time round so I can have a bit more of a life. I eat loads of veg, very little processed food, and swerve away from the snacks/chocolate section when shopping.

Lost 42kg over 1.5 years
of that 30kg was in 2022

Tips
Weight train 3X week
12k steps per day
cycle 45 mins 3X week
use MFP and log everythimy
hit calories and macros supposed to
log food going to eat day before or in advance or meal prep
if have a bad day start again next day
3-4 litres of water per day
get accountability partner prob the most important step. Gym buddy, PT, online coach. Someone that will kick your ass and won’t take BS. Google online PT as that was how I did it and progress is faster than by yourself IMO.
is a lifestyle change not a short term diet

I have been pre diabetic for years but am becoming quite frightened now. I really need to do something. This has inspired me.
I need to get motivated and feel I can do it.
I just can’t get started. I know I wouldn’t stick to 800 calories a day. I need something where I won’t get hungry or feel deprived and also find recipes that are quick and easy to make.
I lost two stones years ago by cutting out carbs after midday entirely and calorie counting . I just can’t seem to get on track this time.

Best idea ever.

Honestly, I want to say one thing, In the starting stage I also think how I can achieve my weight loss goal, how can I start this journey. Later onwards I start simple workouts in the starting stage and also following strict food diet.
Third one, Great hope and self-motivation. These three things help me to achieving my weight loss goal. Right now, I keep my body weight under control and also motivating other people to achieve their weight goal.

It was a few years ago now but when my weight crept up I restricted what I ate.

I would literally only eat fruit and vegetables during the day (raw because I was lazy), but as much as I wanted so I wasn't hungry.

Then for dinner I had literally whatever I wanted and as much of it as I wanted.

I've never been one to be able to eat a lot in one go though, it makes me feel sick if I eat too much. so that dinner thing might not work for someone who can eat a lot in one sitting.

I also walked a lot more. I lost weight very quickly and kept it off since.

Not me but my sister lost 4 stone using the virtual gastric band app.

I don't have any interest in calories, carbs, fats, apps, special clubs to get weighed etc. I suspect I would find it too boring.

I simply ate less, moved more and didn't eat at all on some days. Nothing except water after 6 pm. I weighed myself once a week.

Gone from 9.12 to 8.5 and have maintained that for several years. It would be harder from a different starting point but the principles are the same.

There needs to be a balance though. On Saturday I will eat a large pizza but on Sunday a friend and I have planned a 16 mile hike. (A lot of my social life is longish distance walking and mountain climbing with friends).

Good luck OP, you can do it.

7 stone in about 16 months.

Gastric sleeve. Best thing I ever did.

Not the most body positive approach but: skip meals.
If I'm trying to lose I skip breakfast, maybe an apple for lunch. Eat dinner as normal but something reasonable, not fish n chips.

To do this I sometimes use a rule of eating my 5 a day first. So if I'm feeling hungry in the day I eat fruit or viral veg before even contemplating other foods to fill up.

ACV or ginger shot can also stave off the hunger.

Like I said not the best approach but works for me

I did the low carb Bootcamp right here on Mumsnet. Lost three stone over two bootcamps - so about 4 months, I think? Have kept it off for nearly 4 years now.

Low carb isn't for everyone, but it really worked for me - you eat high fat instead of high carb, plus "Fuck Loads of Green Veg" (technical term 😁) so I never went hungry or felt deprived, and I've been able to adapt family meals so I eat the same meals as them, just with veg substitutes for the carb element.

The low carb Bootcamp section is full of very friendly and supportive people too.

Found this useful: www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm

Got the MyFitnessPal app, scales live on the worktop and I weigh and log absolutely everything.

Reduce fats - I’m a sucker for butter, cream and cheese.

Don’t have biscuits in the house.

Lots of movement… I have a couple of 2kg hand weights and instead of sitting down with my phone while the kettle boils or the microwave counts down, I’ll do bicep curls or lunges for a minute or two. Or star jumps or wall presses while a song plays on the radio. I walk 3-5 miles a day with the dog, swim once a week, I’ll restart Couch to 5k when I feel stronger.

I did this a few years ago and dropped 3 stone in 8 months, and I was able to run 10k in an hour! It all went back on over the years simply through me stuffing myself. Apart from running, I’ve started the rest and have lost 10lbs since the beginning of January.

I'm disabled so not able to exercise.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I started on metformin and got a free sample of a libre 2.

I used the libre 2 to track what caused the spikes in glucose and cut out the things that raised it most, so I cut out bananas.

I looked at some research papers and a couple of TED talks and decided to follow two rules.

1. Protein for breakfast

2. Low carb diet - but not a no carb diet

A typical day:

Breakfast is Greek Yoghurt with nuts, or eggs with cheese and ham.

Mid morning I have some fruit

Lunch - my main meal I have something like steak with mushrooms and onions or a salmon tray bake. Maybe a stir fry. I do include carbs here, just not many.

If I want a pudding I make sugar free jelly.

In the evening I snack so maybe some cheese and olives or humus with veg. maybe some more fruit.

I changed my diet to lower my blood glucose but as a side effect I have lost weight.

I do have occasional carbs and the odd McDonalds breakfast.

My fasting glucose is now under 7 and my A1C impressed the GP when I last saw her.

Eating only what grows

I calorie count using MFP, I've lost 4 stone in 1.5 years.