What small every day tweaks for weight loss do you use?

[Hazel444]

I want to finally try and lose the 3 stone I put on over lockdown and since. It all seems quite overwhelming, I know I need to eat healthier, be more active etc, but what little things do people do to incorporate that into their day to day life?

I am sitting here WFH wondering how I can kick start my weight loss in any small way I can.

This is my meal plan for today which I am logging on MFP, and by the end of the day I will have walked around 12k steps:

Breakfast: 2 slices toast and an egg
Snack: 12 peanut m&ms
Lunch: sugar free nutty granola, plain greek yoghurt, mixed berries
Dinner: Paella, air fried kale and leeks
Evening: Herbal tea

I know the peanut m&ms are not the best choice for a snack, but I will still stay within my calorie limit, and they completely quench my craving for something sweet. I was planning to start couch 25k but it is pouring with rain, and I can't face it!

Any small tips or advice gratefully received :)

Don't eat any sugary crap, even fruit.

Another vote for skipping breakfast. It's a fairly modern thing us having three meals a day. Even more modern to include snacks.

Just lunch and dinner, no snacks

Every time I want a snack, I make a cup of tea and drink a glass of water, 9/10 times that sorts the craving for me

Or any of you skipping breakfast doing any exercise? I would keel over if I tried a lunchtime erg having eaten nothing all morning!

Yes, I do strength training twice a week first thing on an empty stomach and then hold out till lunch. It's fine for me but I have never been a morning eater. My DH wakes up hungry, I never have

Yes. Strength training / HIIT at least 3 times a week. 3 mile walk or run every morning.

Weirdly I don't feel faint or anything. I think you just get used to it. And to be fair my meals are big enough to mean that I'm probably not running on empty that often! Just enough to keep the weight off!

Well done on your maintenance. I’m trying to follow
a lot of the same principles now I’m done having children and have recovered from some MH problems.

It was painful admitting it- but from watching and observing slim people, they honestly do just eat less. It’s not always a case of zoomy metabolisms. Skipping breakfast because not hungry get, stopping eating when full, putting the other half of a twix in a pocket as one biscuit is enough for now.

Eat less and move more is simplistic- but once disordered eating is unfucked and some medical issues addressed, it really is a case of just eating less.

Now I’m at a very gentle weight loss phase (I only want to lose another 2kg), I probably could eat breakfast and have a mid-morning snack, but that’s 3-400 calories that would need to go from elsewhere. I want to sit down and have a nice, generous portion of dinner and a glass of wine with my husband. So no breakfast and a light lunch it is.

I’d rather two nice meals and fast, than constantly eating low calorie foods. My problem was that I couldn’t stop shoving things in my gob from the moment I woke up, so it’s good to get out of the habit.

Yes, I always exercise fasted. Running, spinning, weights.

If I’m going for a run in my eating window (1pm-8pm) take in some more calories 1-2 hours before a run if my lunch has been especially light.

Interesting.

I row and have double outings on the water at weekends, roughly about 25 km in total and I am human dustbin as I need the fuel. I have energy crashed a few times in the past when I have skipped breakfast and it is horrible.

Nose breathing.

Also: 16:8
minimise processed food
calorie counting
Max protein, low carb

I weight lift heavy weights, almost always fasted

@Suprima - the other thing I notice about slim people is that they don't eat things they don't want because of social obligation. I am trying to get better about that.

For example, if someone has me and the 3 year old over for a playdate, they usually put out tea/coffee and biscuits or cake, I actually don't really like biscuits or cake but I used to eat it anyway because it felt awkward otherwise. I am trying to kick that.

Aim for an enjoyable long term change in lifestyle. Can you slot in your 10,000 steps a day, include more fruit and veg and increase your protein intake. Reduce alcohol and sugary snacks but still allow yourself some in moderation. Eat more mindfully and focus on the additional benefits of a healthier lifestyle as well as weight loss. Weight loss with lots of restrictions is often a vicious cycle where you’re either being ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Things we changed...

Not really having many sweet things in the house
Getting to grips with portion sizes and calorie counting (I use the nutracheck app).
Upping the protein. I tend to have a home made soup each day plus something like Greek yoghurt with berries and chia seeds or some leftover cooked chicken or half a pitta with some tuna.
Exercising more - while calories are mostly lost or gained in the kitchen I feel if I'm exercising well, it encourages me to eat well.
Cutting back on booze and snacks at the weekend.

Exactly what I'm saying. It's not the fasting, it's eating less, which can be achieved in lots of ways outside of fasting.

OP for more protein, I recommend Kvarg yogurts. They taste like yogurts but are high protein and satisfy a sweet craving!

Oh Jesus

Amazing thank you so much everyone. Lots to think about, but will start the 16:8/skipping breakfast tomorrow and upping the protein. I didn't ever used to eat breakfast but have got into the habit of eating with my DC in the mornings before school.

No bread or wine for me either. Otherwise I maintain.
I try and push back breakfast if I'm not hungry. Or have a smaller amount. I cant skip it though.
I lose weight very slowly!
Lots of protein and soup.
Try and be active most days.

Reading this is so depressing. I do SW, I eat what I want (within reason) I can eat as much pasta as I want. Ive gone from 11st to 9st. I tried CC but it was really dull and I didn't enjoy it

You do you- my way of eating means I don’t need to ‘syn’ an avocado and I am liberated from my disordered mindless eating and binging.

Hope if stays off and works well for you. My mum has been going to SW, losing and gaining the same 2 stone for 25 years.

Shop frequently for fresh veg such as celery, carrot, salad etc for snacks

Slow cook a whole chicken at the weekend for the broth and meat throughout the week.

Have tins of tuna and sweetcorn and jars of olives to make a big batch of tuna mayo for lunches.

Prepare lunches the night before even when working from home. Especially when working from home perhaps.

Have rice cakes and ryvita in a tub to keep them fresh. My go to snack is a flavoured rice cake with a smear of peanut butter with either sliced apple or chopped celery.

When I was pregnant I gained 10kg in the first few months from stuffing my face. I got diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I followed the diet advice on a website I found. Low carb, high protein, foods rich in natural fats always pairing carbs with fat/protein and of course going sugar free. I was 26 weeks pregnant and literally stopped gaining weight u til my last week of pregnancy when I gained 1kg. Baby was 7.5lb so obviously got enough calories, but I was amazed that I was eating such a rich diet and wasn't gaining weight.

I went back on sugar when she was born and really regret it. I did learn that protein and fat, coupled with low sugar (and carbs) create such a satisfying diet. I stopped obsessing about food and never needed to snack. Sugar, carbs and snacking can be a serious detriment to weight loss. Cutting down on these makes a very quick difference

More protein, lots more fat! (Mainly animal fats)

You need way more protein. Go to Bulk and order the pure whey isolate. It’s about 30g protein for 100 calories. Wonderful. Just add water and have one scoop in the morning and one in the afternoon. I get the chocolate flavour.

I’ve swapped sugar for the protein and lost half a stone since Xmas.