Need to lose 1 stone? Gather around....

[froidIci]

Not sure if this will get any clicks, but I wondered if there are folks who need to lose about a stone or a bit this way or that who might want some accountability?

BTW When I say "need to lose a stone" this means basically a stone to get to your own, individual target (which could be a random number, a random BMI point, just anything).

For me - 1 stone off takes me to weight before conceiving Baby 1, and 1.2 stone off takes me to my lightest adult weight and a very comfy size 10-12 as opposed to a size 12-14. I have added motivation that a 40th birthday tails off 2024 for me, so I've got a deadline.

My downfall? Carbs. Salty carbs. My body absolutely magically loses if I cut out rice, pasta and potatoes. And yet, alas - it specifically is those that I crave.

Anyone want a loose accountability thread?

@Cathy31 my tip would be to focus on what your doing rather then what your not, even a walk with baby in a pram is exercise.
Also your carrying a small baby about...there was a study recently that showed in 1 day if a mum was carrying a a baby for a total of 108 minutes then it equated to 218 burpees equivalent!

https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/forget-those-burpees-study-shows-taking-care-kids-burns-calories-5

So don't stress that you haven't been to the gym your doing the equivalent if not more then the gym!

Focus on little wins I also use sugar free coffee syrups and options hot chocolate I find it helps hit that sweet desire without high calories. I also keep mini bags of haribo as they are 40 calories each if I need a quick pick me up. Yes a apple is better for you but sometimes you need sugar. Some ice lollies/mini milks also pretty low calorie wise and can give you that craving hit.

Hi everyone. I haven’t been on for a while so I look forward to catching up and reading about how everyone is doing and your wonderfully helpful tips.

I joined this lovely group 3 weeks ago tomorrow and I’m 8lbs down since then. I’m feeling very wobbly though as after a loss of around half a stone I tend to take my foot off the pedal and gain back some of the pounds I’ve lost. However, I have to keep reminding myself that it’s so much harder to lose now I’m a bit older - and with young DC! (I can’t believe how much easier it was simply before my pregnancy tbh - which was only a few months ago.) So I really don’t want to prolong this weight loss!

I am finding the motivation about my health isn’t as compelling today for some reason. I know it’s ridiculous as our health really is everything and health is usually my greatest motivation alongside my DC never seeing me dieting. I think I’m feeling a bit knackered and not thinking straight. Anyway, as a more shallow incentive, I have told myself I’m going to buy a fabulous dress in a style I haven’t worn since pre DC (Sleeveless? Maybe even above my knees which I’ve always avoided?!) when I reach my target.

Hi Cathy. Really sorry you’re feeling a bit rubbish. Be kind to yourself. I also reach for the sugar (and carbs) after a bad night. It’s so much harder to say no when sleep deprived and this is down to brain chemistry hence it feels impossible to resist - in my experience anyway.

First of all, you mentioned you didn’t go to the gym. If it helps, I haven’t been since before I was pregnant. Nowadays, I walk and use my carrier when I can. I play all day, we go to classes.. Sometimes, on days DC are unwell, we have a day at home playing and don’t go out for the walk even. Don’t beat yourself up about not getting to the gym. Of course if it’s something you really enjoy and not as a means to the end of losing weight, prioritise it for you.

I also used to do the snacking then say to DH “Oh I’ve eaten my equivalent of dinner in snacks.” They are always so much less filling of course and it leaves me in a sugar slump and bad mood as I haven’t had the same far more nutritious dinner as my family. But I didn’t know how to stop. I found three big meals a day and two or three small snacks (spaced evenly) helped keep me on track and ticking over between the filling meals. We also meal plan here (vast majority of days) which has been a game changer. I look forward to dinner and usually have all the ingredients in the fridge so no top up shops needed, where I end up buying treats which take my fancy when “starving”.

Definitely commit to one habit change first. I really enjoy the meal planning personally. It’s also dramatically reduced our waste and added variety to our diet.

All great ideas @Cathy31 but especially seconding the meal-planning. Doesn’t have to be boring because you start with what you think is yummy. Our meals replicate restaurant/takeaway meals we love! And that forms the basis of the weekly grocery delivery. There’s no thinking involved then at 5 pm.

What is everyone having for dinner tonight? At ours Tonight’s menu is -

Whole chicken spatchcocked in a Nando’s PiriPiri garlic rub
Coleslaw
sweetcorn on the cob
olive onion and tomato salad

And for the rest of the family: to go with this Also Baby potatoes in said Nando’s rub!

We both work FT and have two smalls and a dog - and are all MAJOR foodies - and fairly greedy (!) and I’ve discovered that without meal planning we won’t cope because 5-7 pm is when our brains are dead and cannot process the mental work of “what’s for dinner tonight”

See, this sounds like you’re going to Nando’s but perhaps with even more sides so better than Nando’s! It’s great when it doesn’t feel restrictive or like a diet.

I’m doing a creamy sausage pasta tonight. A bit richer than the average diet meal but in my calories with a slightly lighter lunch and less snacking today.

Thank you @froidIci @Scottishskifun @Philippa7 I didn't have time to reply earlier but your messages helped me feel better today. Definitely meal planning makes sense, I used to do it but it's fallen by the wayside since the baby arrived.

We're off on holiday next week, all inclusive. This is probably a good opportunity for me to start the first good habit: eating dinner. I think this - one step at a time - will be helpful @froidIci so thank you. A week where the hotel is in charge of the meal planning will hopefully help start me off!

The gym I really enjoy, it's not a chore. Just can't make it as often as I like with young kids and lack of sleep. Very pleased to hear about the burpee equivalent @Scottishskifun !!

@Philippa7 so glad I'm not the only one who has a serious snacking habit!

What a lovely supportive thread.

@Cathy31 I don't have much to add to the great advice others have given, but just wanted to say you're doing great to even have this on your radar with a baby! When DS was a baby I lived on biscuits and was chuffed with myself if I made a sandwich 😅

Please can I join? I need to lose a stone. I’ve just seen lots of pictures of myself speaking at an event and they have made me cringe. I’m not fat but I’m carrying an extra stone that puts me right at the top of the healthy BMI range and I look chunky.

I am 43 and have two small kids (5 and 2 year old). I haven’t managed to lose this stone post DC2, probably a combination of my chocolate habit and less time to devote to myself. Enough is enough!

I already walk lots - 10-15k steps a day - and I do 2 x hour long PT sessions with a mix of strength and cardio. I aim to avoid carbs, but I’m a terrible snacker.

Things I am going to do:

• drink more water
• prioritise sleep (when the kids let me)
• avoid drinking alcohol at home and only drink on special occasions
• start c25k to increase my cardio.
• stop eating chocolate
• reduce carbs
• track my calorie intake on MFP

I’m going to use lent to give up sugar I think and as a general time period in which I’d like to make a proper dent in this unwanted stone. If I could lose the first 7lb I’d be satisfied to be honest.

Help me be accountable please!

Welcome @HappyDaze23 ! 7lb off seems like a really reasonable goal.

I'm still going at a snail's pace, but it's still generally going downward (with a few fluctuations). This morning I was still 66kg, but it flickered down to 65.9 before settling instead of up to 66.1. I'll take it! I also suspect that because I've been running and doing yoga more often, I might have lost more fat and gained some muscle. I feel a bit thinner, certain skirts fit better over my stomach, and I feel as though I look a little slimmer. Whether it's an illusion or not, it's making me happy!

Re meal planning, I don't really understand people not doing it TBH. I'm not saying I always write down exactly what we are going to eat each week, but how can anyone do grocery shopping without having several, or at least one or two, meals in mind?

That said, it doesn't necessarily help with weight loss, my made from scratch meals can be hugely calorific and harder to assess than something ready made, and I've basically been overweight since I had kids, and the oldest is 18! So what do I know? It's certainly more healthy to cook from scratch than have lots of UPF, but it's not necessarily good for the waistline.

Logging everything on Nutracheck (the Meals section is helpful when you cook from scratch) and weigh things like pasta, cheese, avocados - anything calorific really. My pasta portions used to be enormous.

Welcome @HappyDaze23. By all means give up chocolate for Lent but if you like it, why not have it? Are you saying you will never eat chocolate again? How realistic is that?

Everyone is different but for me personally even just telling myself I can't have something makes me want it. It can be harder but it's better in the long term to try and control yourself around that particular food and just moderate the intake and enjoy it rather than banning it.

My weakness is the lovely sausage rolls we have at work sometimes. I've found it better to just have them and eat less later.

Morning all!

I've hit the half stone milestone this morning and I'm thrilled! It's given me a little boost to keep it up. Ideally I'd like to lose another stone but my next mini goal is to get to 129lb (4lb to go) as I've not been out of the 130s for years.

For any gym goers, does anyone have any legging recommendations? I usually use gymshark ones and I love them but I've got 2 pairs where a hole has appeared in the inseam now

Welcome @HappyDaze23 I have a major sweet tooth and similar to @shearwater2 I find the best way to deal with it for me is to build those sweet treats into my daily calorie allowance. I've been overly restrictive in the past and I just end up giving up on the whole thing. I like to try and leave myself enough cals to have a cup of tea and 2 biscuits after my toddler is in bed.

Yay way to go @popplego - delighted to have you join me in the half stone done club!

having said that I appear to have stalled for the last few days…. Hmmm…..

Congrats @popplego!

I really like Sweaty Betty leggings, they are the only ones that never slip down and they last ages. They're expensive but if you aren't fussy about colour you can usually get them in the sale. I'm short and the 7/8 length is great. It feels like a large initial outlay, but they do really last and I'd rather have one pair of those that I have to wash over and over than five pairs of cheap ones I have to keep tugging up.

Well done @popplego !

I find the Decathlon Kalenji ones as good as any and they are much cheaper than Gymshark. They are practically indestructible, my current pairs are like, five years old now. Also like the adjustable waist and little pocket at the back.

It says they are warm - well, kind of, I don't wear them on warmer days in spring or summer, but I wear shorts then anyway. They are practically three season garments for me though and I wear them from running, gym, and yoga.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/women-s-running-leggings-warm-black/_/R-p-307361

Also I have some thinner ones - there are tons of leggings on there, mostly getting 4.5 out of 5* reviews.

I have some Gymshark ones which were a bit big for my daughter and the quality and feel is terrible compared with the Decathlon ones.

I'm in a frustrating space - I just found a great pair of trousers and I was right in between sizes. Which is exciting, but also annoying. I didn't dare buy the smaller ones to shrink into as it's too depressing if I don't manage it, so I will try extra hard over the next couple of weeks and then hopefully buy the smaller ones. I don't want to wait too long as I'd like them for a work trip I have coming up in March.

I’m also slightly frustrated - after losing the half a stone I’m now slightly stalled. I can see though that there have been slippages from the salt and carbs habits I had established mainly because I was Ill and that didn’t help.

Trying to make renewed efforts !

Oh my gosh, I came on to say exactly this! Same weight since Thursday. Really trying to not cave in to too many of the Chinese New Year treats (Happy New Year btw to anyone celebrating) as I feel a bit demotivated after a few really good days. I always wonder what’s the point in being so good for nothing. I know it won’t be pointless when the scale finally shifts though…

It is around ovulation though and this is a thing according to the internet and previous months/years for me would also suggest it is true… Does anyone else get a gain/bloat around ovulation?

Have a good weekend everyone. Great to hear about your successes.

Absolutely. Ovulation for me is ALWAYS associated with increased appetite and some gain.

Yep definitely agree, I always bloat like a balloon around ovulation. It seems absolutely unjust that as women we fluctuate multiple times a month. Keep going everyone, when we hit that stone loss it will be so worth it!

I've started using the free trial of Nutracheck (usually use MFP) and I like it so far, I might be a convert. It has an option to build in "easier days" into your calorie count for the week which I'm going to try next week. Instead of 1400cal a day it gives me 1330 per day then 1820 on a Sunday so I can indulge a bit guilt free

Happy weekend everyone, I'm having a very unproductive day, I've essentially been stuck in the house all day due to DH being away and watching other peoples kids so I can't just nip out for a walk like I would do if I just had my own DC. And that means I've also been snacking A LOT scales went down to 146.1lbs this week which I was really pleased with, just going to take this day for what it is and hope to get out for a big walk tomorrow!

I'm going on holiday next week. High risk of delicious Portuguese bakery treats and many many alcoholic drinks. Not all inc or at a resort type hotel which should curb things a bit. Hopefully being out and about all day will burn off too much excess!

April 2023 11st 8lbs
CW 10st 7lbs
Target 10st

Hi ladies. Happy Sunday! I weighed this morning wondering if my ovulation bloat had gone or went down. Apparently not as I am a mere 200g lighter than I was this day last week - after a whole week of being in a definite calorie deficit for weight loss and exercising. It’s so demotivating and I’m dying for a big roast today followed by a dessert and wine now! Anyway, I found this very basic (and a bit blurry) graph online and while it’s not really anything new or a revelation, it still has made me consider weighing every month after my period as I’m surprised by how demotivated I am right now which could actually cause real weight gain that’s not water retention if I fall off the wagon today.

@Walker182 a big walk sounds like a great plan! Hope you have better weather than me, it's freezing and foggy here 🥶

@wheresmyshoe so jealous of the holiday!! I think a generous amount of leeway is needed on holiday, life is for living after all 

@Philippa7 Sorry to hear that, it is really demotivating isn't it. I know it's not for everyone but this is why I weigh daily and use my Fitbit app to track the weekly average and general downward trend. You might've been 2lb lighter earlier in the week but then for whatever reason fluctuated up again, which makes weekly weigh ins tricky. Similarly to your diagram I've seen suggestions to compare week 1 of your cycle to the following month's week 1, week 2 to week 2 etc.

I've been measuring my waist/tummy/hips weekly since starting and the numbers haven't changed until today! Finally an inch down on all measurements