If you have lost a lot of weight, how did you do it?

[chickpea1982]

This has probably been posted before, but I'm just wondering if anyone out there can share how they have lost a lot of weight (and, ideally, kept it off).

I have dieted successfully in the distant past, but I now have 3 children, including a baby, a job and a house to look after and I despair of finding a way to lose weight that I will actually be able to stick to. But I really, really need to lose at least 30 lbs. It doesn't have to be fast, but it has to be sustainable. I'm also still breastfeeding so don't want to cut down by calorie intake too drastically to avoid damaging my milk supply.

Any inspiration would be gratefully received!

Most people don't have 20-30 hours a day to exercise though

They do in a week (which is what I said). 20 hours a week is about 2.5 hours a day. If you have a dog, that's basically two good dog walks and then maybe 30 minutes gardening. If you commute into the office and get the train, that's getting off a stop or two earlier each way and maybe going for a long walk at lunch.

It actually adds up very quickly 😊For example, yesterday I walked from London Bridge to London Victoria (then did the same at the end of my working day). That was six miles, so an hour and a half walking at my speed. Then when I got home in the evening I did an hours run with my dogs. It's actually entirely doable if you fit it around tasks you have to do.

there is only one way I can ever lose weight:

no breakfast

small/healthy and carb free lunch - ie filling soup or chicken salad or salmon salad or omelette.

normal (and big) dinner including carbs.

cut out pretty much all chocolate/cakes/biscuits - this is my real downfall so I have to go cold turkey as once I start, I can’t stop

hardly any alcohol - this I find easy as I’m not a big drinker.

exercise - lots of walking plus running 3-5k 3 times a week

but the key thing for me is I need to be able to have a big nice dinner and a big portion, including seconds if I want to. Can’t bear being hungry in the evening or going to bed hungry. To achieve this I eat very little for the rest of the day and I find this pretty easy as I have a busy job that distracts me. But I’m always hungry in the evening so pretty much save my eating for then!

You're not a parent, are you? 2.5 hours a day is a massive amount of time to find.

Thanks for this - I've just watched a few of her videos. She makes a lot of sense.

Thanks for all the replies.

I really admire people who can calorie count, but I just find it really hard. For instance, yesterday I made a spaghetti bolognaise for dinner. How do I count how much spaghetti I had when served from a communal pot, or what the calorie count is of a portion of bolognaise when it's just ladled out? I have no idea.

You weigh it as you serve it. You can look at the calories in cooked spaghetti. Count the calories in the entire pot of bolognaise. Put your plate on the scales, zero it and add spaghetti, zero it again and add the bolognaise.

How do you know the calories in a home made bolognaise?

Hi I'm on a couple other threads as starting the weight loss journey first the third time (after dozens of false starts).
I have lost over 50kg twice before. The answer: calorie counting. Weigh everything until you have a really good grasp of portion sizes.
I averaged about a kilo loss a week (10lbs/month). I didn't drink back then so no alcohol. Plus, I walked a lot - three miles either to or from work, sometimes both, and did exercise videos three times a week (Cindy Crawford's Next Challenge was a particular favourite).
But, I was also single and child free. No one else to cook for, and had the time to do the videos/walk.
I'm now decades older, have kids and also type 1 diabetes. It will just take a bit more ingenuity to do it.

@BarrelOfOtters you literally weigh the ingredients! On MFP there's a recipe keeper so you do it once and it's stored. Yes it's a pain but to be accurate that's what you have to do!
I would not bother weighing things like onion and mushrooms (lo cal veg like that) as it's really negligible when it comes to individual portions, but the all the ingredients for the sauce, the pasta, the cheese plus the oil you cook with.

Keto

Mostly cut out sugar
Eat vegetables every single day. Including unpasteurised sauerkraut.

No pasta/rice/bread. Cauliflower rice helped a lot.

I dont diet, calorie count or weigh stuff. Too much hassle I can't be bothered.

Potatoes, but only as 'Resistant Starch' (ie cooled then put in fridge overnight before eating, an MNer mentioned it as a tip so I tried it. Look up Resistant Starch.

Home exercise (I hate gym/running) so - aerobic step, hip thrusts using sofa, dumbbell YouTube routines.

Making sure if I sit down Im not immobile for ages. I wfh mostly so its important. I lift dumbells, do leg raises, knee raises, stand up and do 15/20 squats on the spot then 20 calf raises etc.

Also walk more, if I have to get the bus I will leave a bit earlier and walk the first 2/3 bus stops. If I have a meal out I'll up the exercise.

For me its about being a bit mindful of what I eat as a lifestyle, and not being too sedentary