Page 2 | What’s your best weight loss tip?!

Normando91 · 2022-03-25T21:17:59+00:00

Bought myself some lovely trousers today… none of them fit/don’t make me look all lumpy and bumpy 😩 I had a baby 9 months ago and I think I’ve just been using that as an excuse to put on more and more weight! I’m constantly shattered and find myself skipping meals and then bingeing on crap. I need to stop and start making healthy choices and shift this weight, I’ve never been this heavy before and it’s starting to get me down. So what are your best weight loss tips?! Any meal inspiration as I’m not very adventurous when it comes to cooking. Ideally I’d like to cut out meat as much as possible, even just having it for one or two evening meals a week… possibly not at all. I love all fruit and veg, I’ve just gotten so lazy!!

ColgateGirl · 26/03/2022 09:53

All diets are just calorie counting.

Good luck OP!

Fundays12 · 26/03/2022 09:54

PEat 3 healthy meals a day, drink lots of waters and have a glass of water 30 minutes before meals. Walk away from the snack cupboard if need be chew gum or brush your teeth. Walk at least one hour a day ideally up and down a hill with the pram and build it up to a faster pace

Original poster

Normando91 · 26/03/2022 10:00

These are all brilliant tips, thank you!

I’m intrigued by the poster who said to cut out breakfast?! I’ve always skipped breakfast, I just don’t have the appetite in the morning. But I thought this was detrimental and actually not helping with weight loss. Wouldn’t it be better to have a small, healthy breakfast rather than skipping altogether?

OP posts:

Multicolouredsequins · 26/03/2022 10:06

Lots of walking

Porridge for breakfast

2 boiled eggs and one piece wholemeal bread for lunch

Fish or chicken with veg, just a few baby potatoes

Snack on fruit/crackers

Allow yourself one small treat a day around 100 cals (KitKat/fibre one bar etc)

No alcohol

Drink a glass of water before meals

PurpleDaisies · 26/03/2022 10:10

Go to bed hungry.

Isn’t that just a recipe for lying awake miserable? Wouldn’t it be better to eat an evening meal that keeps you full instead?

Timmymagical · 26/03/2022 10:13

Eat breakfast later, and exercise before you eat it. And for main meals reduce the portion of carbs, so slightly less pasta or only half the jacket potato. Good luck 🤞

PurpleDaisies · 26/03/2022 10:18

There isn’t really strong evidence that eating breakfast is either good or bad for weight loss. It’s the balance of what you’re eating across the day. Many people eat rubbish for breakfast, or eat rubbish snacks/a massive lunch if they miss breakfast because they’re hungry. A small, healthy breakfast could help with that.

There isn’t one way to lose weight. It’s what works for you. I’m keeling over by break time if I’ve missed breakfast and I could never exercise without it. If you’re not hungry, it would be silly to force yourself to eat something.

MikeandDave · 26/03/2022 10:20

Don't think your meals have to be something fancy and hard to prepare to lose weight a simple meal is often better.

Ifailed · 26/03/2022 10:27

Meal plan for the week ahead, and stick to it. Stop buying snacks.

As PPs have stated, going on a 'diet' can help loose weight, but if you then revert to your old habits, you'll be back where you were. Any change has to be permanent.

PurpleDaisies · 26/03/2022 10:28

I weigh once a week and if I’m up to a certain number (except period week), I am more strict with my eating until I’m back down again. Then you’ve never got too much to lose.

Bigfathairyones · 26/03/2022 10:30

Go dairy free - it's f..ing boring and I've had to do it for a medical complaint, but so far have lost a stone and I was pretty slim to begin with.

PurpleDaisies · 26/03/2022 10:32

@Bigfathairyones

Go dairy free - it's f..ing boring and I've had to do it for a medical complaint, but so far have lost a stone and I was pretty slim to begin with.

What did you replace dairy with? A few friends who went vegan and replaced all their dairy cheese with coconut oil type stuff and piled the weight on.

Maskless · 26/03/2022 10:34

My one best tip would be -- soup!

I bought a soupmaker for £20 and used it to make vegetable soup every morning. (It cooks it then blends it.) I used tinned tomatoes, onions, vegetable stock cubes, green veggies like cabbage, but also root veggies like butternut squash and carrots.

Of course you don't need to blend it, you can have it with chunks of veg if you prefer that.

To this I added cubes of ham, which is incredibly low in calories. You can buy it, or buy raw gammon or a ham joint, and boil it yourself (cheaper).

Using slightly different veg recipes and swapping the ham for cubes of chicken or turkey breast, poached without fat, and changing the herbs and spices, meant it was not the same soup all the time.

Drink a big pint mug of this soup 3 times a day and any other time you are hungry. Along with the soup drink a pint of hot or cold calorie free drink, like water, fruit tea or tea/coffee with milk or not.

If hungry in between meals, chew sugar-free gum and drink more water/fruit tea.

100% guaranteed weight loss. It's also extremely healthy.

Original poster

Normando91 · 26/03/2022 10:38

@Bigfathairyones

Go dairy free - it's f..ing boring and I've had to do it for a medical complaint, but so far have lost a stone and I was pretty slim to begin with.

I was considering going dairy free as an experiment to see if it helps with my skin problems. The thought of never having Boursin hurts my heart but I’m sure it will be worth it. 🥺😂

OP posts:

LovelyYellowLabrador · 26/03/2022 10:40

Consistency and slow and steady wins the race

Eeksteek · 26/03/2022 10:47

Keto, but I don’t know if it’s practical on no meat. My current diet is the Money-saving Diet and means eating whatever is in the freezer and bread, and I’m here to tell you it doesn’t work! I’m planning to supplement it with fasting, which might. Or might not (Damned bread!)

MummyInTheNecropolis · 26/03/2022 10:53

Have a list of quick, easy meals for the days when you can’t be arsed to cook and keep the ingredients for them in the house, eg. Eggs and mushrooms for an omelette, a bag of stir fry veg and noodles for a quick stir fry, frozen jacket potatoes and tins of beans etc. Something to stop you reaching for snacks or a takeaway.

Panda161 · 26/03/2022 10:53

Drink lots of water - 2 litres a day if you can, and drink before meals. People often confuse thirst for hunger apparently
Also avoid fizzy drinks even the diet ones which can give you sugar cravings
Don’t try to make too many changes at once or start a hugely ambitious exercise regime as you will never stick to it, just get outside and go for walks then build from there.
Slow and steady weight loss is far more sustainable long term so don’t be too hard on yourself if the scales fluctuate from week to week. Good luck

Eeksteek · 26/03/2022 10:54

@PurpleDaisies

There isn’t really strong evidence that eating breakfast is either good or bad for weight loss. It’s the balance of what you’re eating across the day. Many people eat rubbish for breakfast, or eat rubbish snacks/a massive lunch if they miss breakfast because they’re hungry. A small, healthy breakfast could help with that.

There isn’t one way to lose weight. It’s what works for you. I’m keeling over by break time if I’ve missed breakfast and I could never exercise without it. If you’re not hungry, it would be silly to force yourself to eat something.

When you know who said that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, you won’t think it’s the most important meal of the day anymore…

Well, I suppose it really was for Mr Kellogg…..

TibetanTerrah · 26/03/2022 10:58

When exercising, time it before you eat or at least 6 hours after your last meal.

I cannot get my heart rate up to anywhere near the same level if I've recently eaten. You burn more calories, and burn them from your fat stores, when exercising towards the end of a fast (I do 16:8) or if you can't manage that, 6-8 hours after you last ate anything.

Bigfathairyones · 26/03/2022 10:58

Hi OP, I absolutely loathe the vegan alternatives to cheese and yog so I just don't have any of it (helps with weight loss). The chocolate is vaguely OK in very small doses (also helps with weight loss). The only thing I've found is that after the first 'eek' moment with soya or other milk alternatives, they're fine. You'll find ones that you loathe (for me coconut, rice and almond) and ones you can tolerate (oat, hazelnut and full sugar soya). I love low sugar soya though (the alpro one) and it's the nearest taste to dairy milk, although a tad custardy in taste. I have a posh coffee machine and have several large lattes a day, which really help with the otherwise crapness of the situation. If I was only doing it to lose weight though, it certainly works, as you just can't have the stuff in the cupboards.

Campervangirl · 26/03/2022 11:02

I'm another one for intermittent fasting, have nothing but water or black coffee, black tea or calorie free electrolytes.
I start at 7pm and then do the biggest part of the fast whilst asleep, I usually aim to finish at 1pm.
I break my fast by having a handful of almonds, cucumber slices, carrot sticks, houmous and a pitta bread then I have a low fat evening meal, chicken and brown rice, mix some veg in.
I do this 3 days a week, every other day, I don't exercise on my fast days.
On the other days I eat fat free greek yoghurt with fruit, a few crushed nuts and a drizzle of honey for breakfast, salad for lunch or if you're at home scrambled eggs which I bulk out with egg whited (buy egg whites from supermarket) with a slice of wholemeal toast then a low fat dinner.
I don't snack but if I'm hungry which I'm not normally, I have a piece of fruit.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2022 11:08

@TibetanTerrah

When exercising, time it before you eat or at least 6 hours after your last meal.

I cannot get my heart rate up to anywhere near the same level if I've recently eaten. You burn more calories, and burn them from your fat stores, when exercising towards the end of a fast (I do 16:8) or if you can't manage that, 6-8 hours after you last ate anything.

This is not realistic for many people. Exercise when you can (avoiding just after meals of course). Exercise is not usually a big part of losing weight anyway, it's mainly what you eat.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2022 11:11

@Normando91

These are all brilliant tips, thank you!

I’m intrigued by the poster who said to cut out breakfast?! I’ve always skipped breakfast, I just don’t have the appetite in the morning. But I thought this was detrimental and actually not helping with weight loss. Wouldn’t it be better to have a small, healthy breakfast rather than skipping altogether?

No, you don't need to have breakfast as others have noted and if you're not a morning person, why force yourself?

PurpleDaisies · 26/03/2022 11:12

When you know who said that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, you won’t think it’s the most important meal of the day anymore…
It probably is the most important meal for me. It’s definitely my favourite!

Never (well virtually never) eat cereal though.