If you've lost weight...

[Caniaskyousomething]

...how did you do it?!
I've read various books on nutrition/diets and I think as a result, I've bamboozled my brain and I have no idea what might be the best way forward!

There's the obvious 'calorie deficit' but how to do it? Slimming World? Weightwatchers? All I read is that these kind of things are the devil incarnate however 20 years ago, I lost 2.5 stone with weightwatchers and kept it off until I fell pregnant with DC2. So how successful have you been on SW or WW?

Calorie counting and use my fitness pal or nutracheck? Is a calorie just 'a calorie'? I've read it is not necessarily true.

Insulin...according to Jason Fung, is the lead hormone that causes weight gain, so should I follow a plan that reduced spikes in blood sugar? Ie do something like zoe?

Noom/second nature...tried the latter, made not one jot of difference.

Slimpod...again, no difference (for me)

Hypnotherapy...made no difference for me.

As you can see I've tried lots of things but remain obese. Need to lose 4 stone to be in the top of the healthy range for my height. 54 and menopausal. Sedentary job, limited exercise time as look after elderly parents and work.

I'm at a loss as to how to begin losing weight. So, please give me a boost and tell me what worked for you! Please 🙏 thank you for reading

I lost two and three quarter stone in four months last year buy reducing my carb intake and aiming to eat 1200 on average calories a day. It was the easiest diet I’ve every been on. I ate lots of satisfying eggs, salmon, prawns, salad, fruit, veg and yogurt.
I went on three holidays (two of which were cruises and the other one America) during this time and didn’t gain any weight. I also gave up my daily diet soda.
I didn’t do fasting as I liked the flexibility to eat whenever I wanted.

I wonder if I'm burying my head in the sand and not actively engaging in a weightloss regime as it seems unsurmountable...I mean, 4 stone!!! Im already feeling defeated at just the thought of taking that first step to commit. This negative mindset needs to change.

A change of mindset and lifestyle is key.

A healthy, Mediterranean type diet
Vegetables, protein, limited complex carbs, healthy fats, dairy
No UPF and virtually no sugar or refined carbs 9
Don't drink calories
Intermittent fasting, eg 8/16

Exercise - minimum 20-30 minutes a day, 5-6 times a week
To start with: Lucy Wyndham Read
Cardio: Growingannanas
Planks: Bowflex 3-minute plank
Basic abs work: Rebecca Louise
Weights: Caroline Girvan
Plus brisk walking whenever/wherever possible

Rome wasn't built in a day, and the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. If you commit, you'll get there. And it will be sooooo oworth it. (Ask me how I know...)

But exercise will not result in weight loss unless you do a lot of it every day.

Doing proper exercise three or four times a week can still significantly add to your overall weight loss goals. That is an extra 1200-2000 calories burnt a week, equivalent of roughly one and a half big mac meals. On top of that regular exercise increases your resting metabolism so even when you are sitting on your arse you are burning more calories then an unfit person.

by living a very consistent life every single day pretty similar in a calorie deficit, doing the same things for a very long period of time (months.. nearly a year) so they become habits

less snacks
less booze
making better choices with food
planning ahead

Op, just pick any of them and stick to it. I'm trying the new WW as I'm trying to go back to basic, healthy foods, and this is what this diet is. Plenty of 'free' food to snack on.

Just pick one...

Hmm if I'm absolutely honest, it is easily identifiable: I eat:
-far too much refined sugar items...like Costa mocha drinks (4/5 a week) 🙈, sweets, chocolate and I use sweeteners in my coffee.
-portion sizes are too big. I eat same amount as DH who is 6'4" and I'm 5'5". We need to start using smaller dinner plates, the last ones we bought are huge! They barely fit in the dishwasher.

• constant snacking. I eat when I'm bored.

-I sit around, doom scrolling when I could be out walking 🙄

I certainly have a lot of bad habits that can be improved on. I need to get a focus and start with 1 or 2 habit changes, start small.
Thank you for helping. It's appreciated 😌

There is so much contradictory advice out there you just need to find what works for you, what works for me my be seen as too restrictive. In the long run it has to be sustainable for you, good luck OP.
@Woofygoldberg exactly! So much info, I've just confused myself!

I was so surprised not to have lost any weight during dry Jan. So frustrating! But I clearly 'ate' the alcohol calories instead!

See, that's how I need to start viewing it. That anything I do, to lose weight, will have to be a complete lifestyle change.

Ah go on...how do you know?

(And what you've written all makes sense!)

OP if you want to keep things simple, ditch your Costa habit and you’ll lose a stone in a year based on you buying five per week.

You could try that and serve up three quarters of your old meal size and you’d probably hardly notice the changes.

On top of that regular exercise increases your resting metabolism so even when you are sitting on your arse you are burning more calories then an unfit person.

• *and this was why I joined a gym!! I have a weights program as one of the things I've read, is weight bearing is good for women, especially in their 50s/menopause. I need to jiggle my day around, so I can get to the gym more frequently and build consistency.

@FinallyFeb I've definitely decided to knock the Costa drinks on the head. It's a no brained. I mean, a small mocha can easily fit into my daily TDEE but the sugar content is off the scale, ergo, unhealthy habit that needs changing.

You lot are so blimmin lovely. 💖

Thank you all, so much for the info and recommendations. They are really helping. It's making me realise what I need to really focus on.

Don’t think of it as four stone but as quarter of a stone, half, 5kilos, a stone etc, etc. I was reaching my mini targets all the time and this made me feel positive rather than thinking I’ve lost half a stone and still have three three and a half to go etc.

How did I lose weight?
2 ways, not to be recommended but here you go.

1. Grief. Dad died last October, okay, and lost a stone in weight within a month - that said, I haven't lost any more since then and it's nearly March now. It's not just the stress or anything, rather a shock like that pulls you into the present. Often, we eat too much I think because we're carrying the past around with us, and worried about the future - so we're not just eating for today, but yesterday and tomorrow too.
2. Being skint, simply couldn't afford booze and junk food.

Otherwise, yes, ditch any Costa habit and start as you mean to go on - brown rice and half a tin of 'sardines in water', with sliced tomato and onion, bit of broccoli and so on. Have that for lunch too. Avoid the old banana and toast stuff all day, or croissant etc Eschew biscuits - don't have 'em in the house.
I have also done a 'one-day fast' - really, seeing if you can go without food until noon, with just green tea and black coffee, then carrying on, I usually have something around 6.45 and 7pm but it does teach you to boss your hunger pangs.

That all said, I am on a plateau now and have to think of something else to push through to losing another stone. I do run for only 10 minutes around the block every day. But my body has got wise to my routine now and is not budging.

Many years ago I did the gym three times a week and while I must have been mega fit compared to now, I stayed overweight and at the same weight.

I've started on orlistat medication as well as using nutricheck app. I'm mainly tracking fat and calories. It's early days for me and its going to be hard but I've recognised I need to make a lifestyle change and hopefully this is it. Can't wait for my next weigh in.

I lost 12.5 kilos in 6 months. I did intense exercise 6 out of 7 days, plus lots of walking. Drank lots of water, tried to get 7-8 hrs sleep, and tried not to eat until at least 11am, and stop eating by 8pm. Counted calories by logging everything on fitbit, ate more protein, and made sure was in a deficit every day. I still had some alcohol, and didn't cut any food out but was generally more mindful of 'empty' calories. Did also allow myself days where I didn't track everything, as wouldn't have stuck to it for so long otherwise. It helped that I had a goal of a summer holiday (wanted to feel confident in a bikini). Have managed to keep the weight off for the past 6 months but I am very aware of what food I eat, and still exercise daily.

My complete shift in mindset around diet, health and weight was triggered by listening to a few podcasts about ultra processed food. The information about ingredients created in labs and just how much food has changed ovovethe last 30 years completely reframed my approach to diet.

Something clicked I'm my head and I just thought 'when I do my weekly shop I'm literally giving money to corporations in exchange for food that is damaging my health - in effect, I'm paying to shorten my lifespan'. Once I had that realisation, I couldn't unsee it and the way I shopped and ate completely shifted.

It hasn't taken over my life, I'm not obsessed with eliminating every scrap of processed food from my diet, but it's prompted more mindful consumption. I eat more whole foods in my main diet and give more consideration to processed foods, e.g., in times gone by I would have just picked up a couple of chocolate bars in the shop without a second thought. Now when I stand in the supermarket, I actively think 'is the taste of this chocolate worth the damage it will cause to my health?', and don't get me wrong there will still be maybe 2 times out of 10 where I think, actually, yes, I do REALLY want it (and make the purchase). But in the past I would have bought it 10 times out of 10, without even a second thought.

I believe there is also research re gut biome playing a role in obesity so I've actively added prebiotic foods into my diet (kimchi, sauerkraut, prebiotic plain yoghurt etc) and do feel it's made a difference overall.

How do I know... 😂

During/after the menopause I gained a lot of weight, about 30 lbs. Having previously been one of those annoying people who could 'eat anything', without gaining weight.

Once I woke you up to what was happening to me, I cut out crap food (aka UPF and sugar) and booze (not completely but limited to the odd glass of wine when meeting friends).

I started working out. Lucy Wyndham Read got me started, but I road tested lots of online trainers before finally discovering Caroline Girvan op- who changed my life.

Now I'm 70 and superfit. I wouldn't stop my daily workouts if you paid me. I regularly ski 6 hours and I go rock climbing, cycling, swimming.

Exercising does not burn many calories, but it can be a powerful motivator. It really is a change of mindset: Will I feel better if I work out for an hour and eat a ton of veggies plus a breast of chicken........ as opposed to lying on the sofa nursing a glass of Merlot and munching a bag of crisps...

It's a no-brainer, it really is.

I lost 32kg / 5 stone.

Don’t overthink it or read more books or over complicate it. Those are displacement activities. JFDI instead. Just Fucking Do It.

Eat less. Move more. When the amount of energy your body expends significantly exceeds your energy intake, you will lose weight over time. That’s just basic physics.

Specifically, eat less crap & more healthy stuff. Eat a lot less sugar, carbs, chocolate, puddings, booze, snacks, processed foods etc etc. Identify the specific problem areas in your diet & take action, eg I stopped drinking alcohol & eating desserts & pastry completely.

There are things you should eat a lot more of, too. Fruit (other than bananas), veggies, salads (other than avocados), lean protein. Obviously avos & bananas are fine in moderation.

As for moving more, again JFDI. Walk, run, swim, cycle, play tennis, go to the gym, set yourself a daily steps target (mine was 10k) it really doesn’t matter. Whatever works for you. What matters is that you JFDI.

I also use the Lifesum app to track food as the free version has a basic daily tracker/target for protein, carbs and fat. Using it helped me to realise I was seriously under eating protein, and that I was having massive portions of some food (e.g.pasta) without really realising, as the portion size I was dishing-up had crept up over time. I was oblivious to these things before so would never have tweaked them without the data from the app.

Yes to weights definately. The biggest impact I found exercise wise was doing a 15 minute weights/kettlebell routine before getting ready in the morning (I found a couple of YouTube videos so I didn'thave to get ready and traipse to the gym). I used to think it wasn't worth starting a workout unless I has a good hour or so set aside so was dubious that 15 minutes could do anything but, as it turns out, consistency has been more important than volume!

Ah, Im so sorry for your loss. Grief is different for everyone, some eat to console themselves, others don't eat. Not a good time for you. I hope you find a way to push through with the rest of your weight loss.

Oh good luck, report back after your weigh in, if you want to 😊