What're little things you did to lose weight, and what's the best scales?

[cactussmack]

I 23F gained weight over the pandemic and I am now my heaviest (17 stone 160cm). Most of my friends are slim, active, and thriving in their physical life. I feel like as I am also in my twenties this is where I should be too, not obese!

In January and February I joined the gym with one of my friends and she was great, there was no excuses or quitting. I went on holiday and caught a cold that wiped me out for a good two weeks and after recovering from the holiday blues and cold, I felt so fatigued and lost interest in the gym. I noticed straight away the effects and how all the work I put in was now reversed. I felt fatigued, my fitness levels decreased, and I gained one stone.

I'm going on holiday shortly and I've just bought a bikini for the first time since I was a child. I know I'm not going to be a slim bunny walking around the place but I at least want to feel confident within myself and comfortable wearing it.

I've decided that I am going to go back to the gym with my friend (who still goes) and try get my old routine back for me. Back then I calorie counted but this made me obsessive with my food choices and I remember chewing a bun once only to spit it back out because I felt guilty (it was 99 calories). I will try calorie counting again but I know for my own sanity it doesn't work for me doing it full time. The first 4 weeks aren't going to be focused on weight loss but more so building that routine and finding out what works for me best.

Have you any tips for weight lose? What are the little things you did to lose weight that helped? I find I'm lazy when it comes to making lunches and go straight for a Tesco Meal Deal or wrap at the cafe next door to my work. What are some quick easy lunches you love? I want to know it all!

Also scales. My scales is an smart electronic scales from Amazon that is a mare. Your weight can change depending on the room and way the scales is placed. There's scales at my gym but I would feel really awkward as they're right by the entrance and I would love to go to the scales in pharmacies but again they're so public I would feel a bit embarrassed if someone I knew seen me. What are the best at home scales? How often do you weigh yourself?

I have 8 weeks until my holiday. 8 weeks to build a routine. 8 weeks to feel less fatigued and more confident. I'd love to shed some pounds too but that'll only be a benefit, I'm trying not to pressure myself!

Reducing carbs. Swapping potatoes or chips with veg or salad and toast is now a weekend treat rather than every morning. Works pretty quickly for me depending on how strict I am week to week. Just had a ham and boiled egg salad for dinner.

Just do keto. The weight will fall off and it’s easy to do.

You don’t need wraps and meal deals, it’s all expensive and overly processed crap.

eggs meat fish vegetables would be a good start. If you eat properly you won’t be craving snacks, honestly

I have the Renpho scales and find them pretty reliable. I like having my weight record on my phone. Anytime I feel a Mars bar coming on I can look at my graph which represents some bloody hard work and it helps to motivate me.

Stop drinking.
Cut out bread
Cut our cheese.

Easy wins! For me at least

Make protein and veg the focus of every meal, plan one snack a day for the time you usually get the munchies, increase your steps.

If you get back to the gym you'll probably find that will kick start other healthy habits too.

Weigh everyday otherwise fluctuations are likely to skew what you see. Ignore any scales that claim to measure body fat or lean mass etc - they don't!

Ideally scales should always be used on a hard level surface, preferably in a consistent position.

Even an expensive scale is going to find it hard to compensate for being used on carpet, squidgy floors, uneven floors etc.

If you don't trust your scale, start the process by using a reference weight of at least 5Kg. That will then inform you roughly of the accuracy of your scale. Then take repeated measurements every few minutes and see if they are the same to measure the precision.

I find that if I cut out foods or restrict eating times - then I obsess over food and tend to binge. Can you just try to eat less of the foods you want/like? Eg don’t eat a whole packet of xyz, just have some and combine that with some healthier choices, so have a piece of chocolate,
but also have some cucumber sticks instead of eating the whole bar of chocolate. I do try to eat little and often as that helps balance my mood and appetite.

Stop telling yourself you need to go to the gym or do lots of intensive exercise to lose weight. "You can't outrun a bad diet" is the best piece of advice I can give you. Exercise is great for strength and energy but will not make you lose weight if you don't tackle the diet.

Cutting out bread/pasta/sugar will help but so long as you're in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. Work out your tdee.

Dont go into it with the mentality of losing a few lbs for your holiday - look on it as a long term lifestyle change for the sake of your health. Your stats put you in the obese category so you really should tackle this now whilst you're still young.

Choose your hard - being slim and staying slim can be hard work and can feel restrictive - but the fact of the matter is that if you don't eat a certain amount of food and stick to it you won't ever achieve a healthy weight.

Don't eat after 6pm. Ever.

Drink 2-3 litres of cold water each day.

Move more even if it's just walking around the park.

Get fresh air everyday.

Eat more protein and cut out as much carbs as possible.

Cut back on salt as you will retain fluid.

I gave myself a nice reward when I lost a stone, some earrings, at 2 stone a bracelet and when I get to 3 stone I'm having a new ring.

do you never ever go out for dinner? Just curious. It seems a shame not to when you could stop eating at say 10pm then not eat until lunchtime the next day and the same amount of time between meals would have passed.

Reducing carbs (not cutting them out, life would be too miserable), cutting portion size and doing a bit of fasting each day - I can manage 10:14, 8:16 was a bit too much for me. Remember that doing more exercise will not help you lose much weight - diet is key.

I do go out for meals but now usually lunch since I've been on my diet. I used to eat dinner out every week. I stopped that now and lost 2 stones and 13lb in last 3 months.

as said above weight loss is at least 80-90% diet and 10-20% exercise

1. stop eating sugar in all forms, as near none as possible ( so no cakes biscuits, alcohol, milk chocolate or sweets) 1-2 pieces of fruit a day and really dark chocolate allowed occasionally
2. have at least one carb free meal a day I mean big carbs ( bread pasta rice potatoes) not the small amount that might be present in a carrot so just protein and veg I do this at lunchtime a salad with good protein and maybe seeds and nuts or a piece of fruit after in winter it might be hearty meal type soup
3. to start with try not to eat after dinner until breakfast next day try to make this 12 hours you can increase it to 14-16 hours later
4. all drinks count as fluid but try not to drink calories and artificial sweeteners can increase sweet cravings
5. allow yourself a treat occasionally
6. if you fail you haven't messed up the whole day or diet, just carry on and make a better choice next time, if you have chips with lunch it's OK but don't say because I've had chips I may as well have cake and icecream and wine too

basically it cam be summed up as no "S" diet, no sugar, no sweets, no snacks no seconds except on "S" days ( special days and either Saturday or Sunday)

I find intermittent fasting helpful. I do 16:8 and only eat between noon and 8 pm. It basically means I'm just skipping breakfast.

Cut out sugar.
Cut out ultra processed foods.

Cut out the crap.

I’m sure you have a reasonable idea already of what’s OK and what isn’t. Meal deal? Choose water or a diet drink if you must, choose the least calorific/fatty/carbs sandwich/wrap/salad, and choose fruit or give the crisps away.

Don’t snack.

Get your eye in for appropriate portion sizes (look at those ‘feeds two’ ready meals and believe them).

Also, crucially, sort out your relationship with food. If you are 17 stone and 5’ 3” you’ve got quite a lot going on and some big changes to make.

Well done for getting started!

Introducing loads of fruit and nuts into my diet and Lentils whilst stripping out carbs. Rice and 1 piece of toast once in a blue moon. Intermittent fasting is good too for detoxing.

I'd like to lose a small amount of weight. I've started drinking more water (not difficult I barely drank any!) but I find even drinking 600ml water a day means I need the toilet about 20 times a day!!

Only have two meals a day. Whatever you want, within reason. It worked for me.
I still do it now and am maintaining my weight easily.

Weightlifting. It burns and burns calories. You look fit, feel strong.

Eat 10-12 a day not 5 - at least 8 should be veg.

Drink lots of water.

Eat healthily rather than diet. Grilled salmon with steamed veg, chicken and mediterranean veg traybakes, reduced fat feta Greek salads.

Avoid trigger foods - ones that make you crave more even if you're not hungry. For me these are white bread, anything with sugar, crisps and salty snacks.

Be in a calorie deficit , should be easily doable if you are 17 stone . You could probably eat 2400 a day and still lose .. what do you actually eat if you are honest with yourself ?

I find the nutra check app the best one .

I'm slim ish but wanted to lose another stone and this is the only thing that worked and you eat what ever you choose as long as you stay in the deficit .

Scales - go to the gym and use the body scan ones - they will show what percentage of your weight is fat/muscle/water.

Another keto low carb/high protein fan here.

I have different body stats to you OP but I still needed to lose weight and wanted a quick start approach (naturally impatient and with hot weather looming 😫)

Cut out carbs just after Easter (ish…it was kinda gradual over a couple of weeks). So about 2 months later I’ve dropped a dress size and my close peers have noticed. I’m not hugely strict, I still drink wine but I have been strict with less carbs and as much protein as possible.

Completely naturally my appetite has curbed itself. My portion size has decreased without any pain or longing - I can’t stand feeling too full now. For lunch at work yesterday I had a plate of prawns, full fat cottage cheese, ripe tomatoes and lots of black pepper. I couldn’t finish it (literally never happened in my life). Mid morning I’d been on the road and had snacked on almonds (no breakfast, I’ve never eaten breakfast since a child, just can’t face it) and they truly do take the hunger pangs away.

I need to introduce weights/Pilates now to tone up but I truly cba before.

Good luck OP and have a smashing holiday!

Personally, Keto isn’t sustainable (long-term) for my own diet but I have seen others have successful experiences.

Being honest I don’t want to do any diet because I don’t believe a diet is susitanble. I’m trying to make better choices particularly where food is concerned that can be implemented as long-term changes and not a diet, and consequently build healthier habits.

I agree though, the processed Tesco Meal deals have to go & I need to start making my own lunch in my own kitchen!

I have never dieted. But recently went on a health kick. Its better than I ever imagined and I was starting at a reasonably healthy point (healthy BMi, regular exercise).

I only drink water and one small glass of juice per day.

I eat biscuits and cake daily but only homemade ones. Ive stopped the ultra processed kitkats, twixes, cookies etc.

Salad with a slice of homemade bread for lunch. Not a big raw veg fan but I like eating peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, apple and cheese.

Smaller evening portions (but still eating carbs). Im lucky that I have a very slim DH and 2 growing boys so easy for me to eat less, I just give the rest away! I also try to limit ultra processed food.

I don't eat for 12 hours out of 24. Can't do 8:16 cos of migraines.

I have lost slowly and regularly and eat when hungry but my appetite has reduced.