I need to lose 3 stone, where do I start ?

[GeneLovesJezebel]

Just done my BMI and I’m officially obese, need to lose 3 stone. Where on earth do I start ? I’m also peri menopause so have fat on my front and back.
I do two one hour classes of cardio/weights a week, plus walk the dog most days. With work and home I’ve no way to increase that.
Where do I start ?

@TottersBlankly

Yes. First cut out processed food. And takeaways.

After that it’s all about eating habits. One slice of bread won’t make a huge difference to your weight - but if having bread in the house means a fridge and cupboards full of butter, cheese, jam, marmalade, honey, chocolate spread, peanut butter, - then you’re making your life harder. So cut out bread. And all the things that go with it.

And meat. Because planning meals around meat just encourages carbohydrate consumption.

Give up alcohol completely - tell yourself it’s for Lent. It’s not just the sugar - the alcohol increases appetite while at the same time decreasing the ability to make sensible decisions about huge tubs of crisps.

Also forget the existence of all fizzy drinks and all shop bought juices, smoothies, whatever. Replace with the best peppermint tea you can find and rink it all day. (No need to deprive yourself of your morning coffee!)

Do you have a regular veg box delivery? Do this if feasible, otherwise ‘manually’ increase your vegetable intake by a lot.

Pulses and beans won’t actually decrease your weight - but they require a change in cooking habits and fill you up.

Have nothing but EV olive oil in the house. No butter, margarine, other oils.

That all looks a bit scattered. But it really is about completely changing your habits for good - not ‘going on a diet’.

Totally agree with this.

Firstly you need your total daily energy expenditure (tdee). When you have that number, deduct 500 and that’s your calories for consumption per day.

Look into intermittent fasting.

Drink water.

Eat more veg (limit potatoes).

A carb heavy diet is not your friend.

Not all fruit are low calorie, especially dried fruit & large bananas.

Eat protein.

Weight train.

Indeed. Which is why I prefer to offer a suggestion based on habits I have successfully evolved over about 15 years.

OP, I’m talking more about slow decrease and weight maintenance rather than any sudden loss of weight. Enjoying food and staying at a size you’re happy with are not mutually exclusive, I promise you! But you do have to be prepared to make changes.

(And FWIW, while I can happily forgo alcohol for months at a time I generally prefer to drink much more expensive wine on rarer occasions.)

@TottersBlankly has got it spot on.

@TottersBlankly

Indeed. Which is why I prefer to offer a suggestion based on habits I have successfully evolved over about 15 years.

OP, I’m talking more about slow decrease and weight maintenance rather than any sudden loss of weight. Enjoying food and staying at a size you’re happy with are not mutually exclusive, I promise you! But you do have to be prepared to make changes.

(And FWIW, while I can happily forgo alcohol for months at a time I generally prefer to drink much more expensive wine on rarer occasions.)

As I said earlier, I want to make food changes for the rest of my life, for them to become a habit. I know I can’t diet, I just get hungry and end up eating even more. And I also know that if I eat too much fruit it makes me feel sick, as I’ve tried it before. If I can start to make changes like 2 litres of water a day, and cutting my frothy coffees down to one a day with the intention of stopping completely, I think I’ll be on my way. It’s the habits I need to break.

Agree that "why we eat (too much)" is excellent. I listened to it while walking and it was an easy listen.

I've lost about 2 stone, albeit over 7 months by making small changes and meal planning. I have prep weekends every couple of months where I batch cook loads of stuff. Cottage pies, meatballs, meattza, burger in a bowl etc. I cook them in a healthy way with loads of veg (loads) then i freeze and plan off that. It's not for everyone but it suits my work/commute. Planning in something for if im ravenous like an apple with a tbsp of peanut butter, means im not often tempted by coffee shop goodies. And I take a black coffee unless im out for coffee with friends. It all adds up and is sustainable.

After 20 years of yotoing dieting I realised I needed a sustainable way to lose/mainten weight. For me doing intermittent fasting (16/8) and 10,000 steps a day has been life changing. I lose weight so easily on 16/8 and feel much healthier.

Best of luck to you, OP! As others have said, you have to find the approach that works for you, fits in with your lifestyle, doesn’t leave you unsatisfied and can be sustained long-term.

For me, I find a 1400 calorie diet works well, with one day off a week where I eat 2000 or so. I also do some cardio and weight lifting (this could be squats or press-ups, as you are lifting your own weight). I’ve also introduced a 24-hour fast each week (I have Sunday dinner then don’t eat again until Monday dinner, just having plain water or plain green tea in between). I never thought I would be able to do it, but I can! I also only have a 10-hour eating window on the other days, which is another form of fasting. The health benefits to fasting are proven to be excellent (lots of info online about it). There are many variations on a fast, all of which are beneficial.

Personally, I try to keep things simple. It’s ultimately calories in and out. I don’t deny myself any foods and factor in a small treat each day (eg a biscuit with a cup of tea). That approach might be unpopular with many, but it works for me and stops me binging. I try to make the rest of my calories quite balanced, with lots of protein. This tends to happen anyway, as 1400 calories is better spent on filling foods, rather than a big bag of crisps.

Also, don’t punish yourself or give up if you have a slip. Just say “oh well, these things happen” and have a good day the next day.

You can do it!!!!