If you've lost a stone or more and kept it off: a poll!

[YoullCatchYourDeathInTheFog]

Planning a new year weight loss campaign to lose a cosmetic stone and an half, and get down from BMI 25.5 to BMI 23.

I'm curious as to what's worked for other people, plus, I love a poll.

If you've lost a stone or two and kept it off for at least a year then what worked for you? TIA

• Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
• Don't count calories, but...
• ...remember any calories I eat above what my body really needs right now (so they'll be stored) will have to be balanced by not eating the same number of calories some time when my body does need them (so it'll have to go to storage for them). Is it really worth it, whatever it is? If yes go for it but be sure to enjoy it.
• Weigh daily, get to know the pattern of randomness and non-randomness (a salty meal means higher weight the next day for example), daily reminder that every day counts.

Have a much smaller lunch rather than a big lunch and big dinner which is what I was doing before. It took me a year to lose the stone but I’ve kept it off.

I did find counting calories helpful, but as a means to better understand what I was putting in to my body and how it affected my appetite if that makes sense. So for example understanding that a smoothie, and a bowl of porridge with fruit may have the same calorie count, but the porridge would keep me feeling full all morning.

Using salad and veg as fillers.

More protein.

More (in terms of quantity and effectiveness) exercise - two martial arts and some additional cardio.

Being brutally blunt with myself - do I want that doughnut badly enough to have more weight to lose? Also working out what desserts/treats I enjoyed enough to be satisfied with a very small amount of (so one or two really good, rich chocolates that completely satisfy the craving and don't leave me rummaging in the biscuit cupboard).

6 stone down 👍

I started with increased exercise and intermittent fasting (5:2) to kickstart the weight loss, and then switched to eating sensibly and keeping up the exercise (jogging, swimming and gym). It took a long time but I went from a size 16 to a 10 and kept it off.

I went to the gym 5 times a week religiously. I even went on holiday. I kept an eye on what I ate, everything cooked from scratch, no biscuits/cakes/cheese but broadly ate what I wanted. I kept 2 stone off for 7 years.

Until....

Perimenopause caused me to become very fat indeed. Gym stopped working, diet stopped working.

Eating low carb, but not no carb. Using healthy plate model for lunch & dinner: 1/4 carbs, 1/4 protein & 1/2 vegetables, or 1/3 protein & 2/3 vegetables. Usually eat porridge with nuts & fruit for breakfast. Eat these 3 meals a day with 4-5 hour gap between them.

Avoid ultra processed foods, cook from scratch. Avoid all forms of sugar.

Thanks all, it's interesting to get details as well as the stats. Stats for those using apps who can't see the poll are attached, I'll update occasionally to bump.

I couldn't vote sorry OP because I didn't do just one thing... I did intermittent fasting and more exercise/a more healthy lifestyle. I lost two and a half stone in 9 months in 2019. I actually gained half a stone last year for some reason. But I'm still two stone lighter than I was pre 2019. So I've managed to keep two stone off for 4 and a half years.

My intermittent fasting was the 5/2 diet. I used fitbit too and walked 3 miles a day. (I still do walk 3 miles a day most days!) I have been back on the diet for a few weeks at a time in the 4 and a half years too, when I feel I am gaining a bit!

Initially Keto, boosted by strict intermittent fasting during the pandemic (18:6). Probably more low carb now, rather than keto. Went from an 18 to a 10. I’ve put almost a stone back on gradually over the last year, so definitely the upper end of a 10 now. Going to do strict keto and IF again for a bit in the new year to get rid of it. (I’ve not been keto at all over Christmas and I don’t really do it on holiday.) Some of my nice dresses are a bit tight, so it’s only going to be until they fit properly again.

I lost 32kg / 5 stone in 11 months & kept it off.

I did it by eating less, eating much healthier, moving more & trusting the process. I also tried to take emotion out of it as much as possible and think about it as basic physics : Energy consumed < energy expended = weight loss. No calorie counting, no fad diets, and acceptance that significant weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.

For the first few months I stopped drinking alcohol & stopped eating cakes, biscuits, pastry, puddings, cheese, chocolate etc etc completely. It’s easier to do if you just stop having these things in the house. After that, I allowed myself a few treats at weekends but was still strict on weekdays. I ate far more veggies, more fruit, more lean protein & fewer carbs. I walk at least 10k steps per day & go to the gym 3 times a week.

I lost 1.5 stone and have kept 1 stone down by cutting sugar and white bread/pastry etc. Its just empty calories and crap so not missing it x

Just adjusted to healthier eating habits / smaller portions.

Cut out unhealthy snacks, ate healthy lunch, normal dinner but smaller portions of the higher calorie elements.

Upped exercise. (Not outrageously but am a lot less lazy / sedentary now)

Thanks all. Here's the poll update for those who can't see it.
For anyone who also can't see the picture for any reason it's
Calorie Counting 24%
Exercise 12%
WW/SW 5%
Low Carb 12%
IF 22%
Something else 25%
59 votes

Not surprising really but it's nice to have things in black and white.

You can only have 6 options otherwise I'd have put some more nuanced choices in - I had to make a broad stab at what might be the most relevant choices: maybe I should have left out WW in favour of the"bleeding obvious" eat less crap approach which some commenters seem to favour, and indeed is my preferred option.

I dod low carb, smaller plates, and introduced a 20 minute walk each day. So i couldn't really pick one option as i think the combined thing worked.

Interesting SW and WW are so low. I list loads of weight on SW, made some friends in my neighbourhood, and all of us have left and put it all back on! I'm interested as I need to sort my weight out. Did half hearted low carb but now have raised cholesterol, so I'm not sure what to do about that.

Eating less and continuing to be active. I just walk but walk 40-60 miles per week. Lost over 2 stone and kept it off.

Quit booze and started intermittent fasting. Weight dropped off at a rapid rate but I was a big drinker. Intermittent fasting is brilliant for me - it feels like it rewired my brain and made me think a lot more consciously about what I was eating.

What form of intermittent fasting do you do? I was thinking of doing 14:10 because I'm not a lover of breakfast but I don't lose loads weight on it. I tend to on 5:2 but don't stick to it for long enough.

What form of intermittent fasting do you do? I was thinking of doing 14:10 because I'm not a lover of breakfast but I don't lose loads weight on it. I tend to on 5:2 but don't stick to it for long enough.

Mine is exercise, calorie counting, intermittent fasting and 5:2/variable calories.

No breakfast.

No chocolate/cake/biscuits/sweets.

Almost 2 stone down (5’4” and 9.5 stone). Looking to get (and stay) below 9 stone.

I voted something else. I have very little self control / discipline, so any of the fad diets, calorie counting, or denial of any sort were out for me. Also, I can't stand the gym, so that was out too. The only exercises I get on with are swimming and walking. Also, I'm not prepared to eat stuff I don't like.

So, my approach was to have a look at what foods I do like have the most / least calories. In general I mean and not on a meal by meal basis. Then, on the basis of it being a matter of burning more than you consume, I worked on the basis of moderation. A fry-up in the morning meant not going for a curry in the evening, and vice versa.

Lastly I made it a point to walk 6 miles as quickly as I could 3 times a week. Since my work patterns made it difficult, I had to force myself sometimes and would go early morning or late at night. I averaged a loss of about 2 pounds per week over the course of several months during 2013. This approach was something I could largely stick to and I have mainly kept it off since, apart from over covid when I put a bit back on.

Wife and I took on a rescue dog this year, so the walking has increased, and the covid stone has now gone.

Something else, I lost 15kg and am now struggling to keep my bmi above 18.5. This was purely through cutting upf and added sugar/starchy carbs. I eat everything else and do not miss these things.

I lost 1.5 stones in January 2021 on Slimming World and I've kept it off. I am still overweight and have struggled to lose any more than the original 1.5 stone - I lost that during the second lockdown when I wasn't going out or doing anything so it was easy to stick to a healthy eating plan. Since then I've kept with SW but it seems to be maintenance only - I always gain a little over Summer and can shift it with a strict September, same with Xmas and a strict January. But I don't want to live my whole life on any kind of strict eating plan, which is why I can't lose any more weight as I just enjoy food and going out too much 😂

I feel like I've found the secret to enjoying life and not gaining weight, I just wish I was doing it from a point of 2 stone lighter!!

Owing to another problem i had to go on a low fat diet this year. I lost over 20 pounds quickly. It's not a popular diet, but since i got used to it I've found it easy to maintain the loss. There's been a little creep up with Christmas treats and exercise (I've just started and exorcist the scales to go up with muscle mass for a bit).