5 stone to lose - Anyhow that works for you - thread 3

[stillplentyofjunkinthetrunk]

If you have (or had) more than 5 stone to lose and plan on doing so over many months in a reasonably sustainable way and would like to hang out with a supportive crowd this could well be the thread for you.

I took the title of the thread based on the previous threads some of us were on which turned out to be lovely supportive threads. With a mild edit to clarify no I'm not guaranteeing everyone will lose 5 stone in 6 months.

Super happy for anyone who likes the sound of this to join us. Weigh ins have typically been once a week on Monday. I generally prefer working in kilos because the maths is nice but stones are also perfectly fine.

General medical advice for most people is to aim to lose 1 - 2 pounds a week, or somewhere between 0.5 - 1kg. If you've quite a lot to lose a kilo (2.2lb) a week is perfectly healthy and sensible amount to aim for. That is a 1000 kcal deficit a day. = 26kg (4 stone in 6 months). This is clearly a VERY ask if your total daily energy expenditure is 2600 kcal than if it is 1600 kcal. This advice does rise up to 2-3 pounds a week or 1.5kg a week if you have a high BMI, (so e.g. the person below has an estimated total daily energy expenditure of 2591 so could quite sensibly aim to eat 1340 kcal a day) but do get medical advice if you aren't sure what a good target for you is.

Absolutely no pressure on anyone as to how fast you should be aiming to lose weight. I would like the priority always to be getting healthier bodies and healthier habits.

you can calculate your total daily energy expenditure with a site like this one

https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=metric&g=female&age=49&kg=124&cm=168&act=1.375&f=1
Calories Needed for a 49 year old, 124 kg Female

@ohheckwhatnow I am the same this week. 0lbs lost 🙄so I'm still sitting at 11st 11.5 lbs.

I have one month until I fly to Australia and 6 weeks until my sister's wedding, so I've got to get my head fully in the game over July!

Hope everyone else has had a good week 😄

Oh dear . Gained almost a kilo, from 102.7 to103.8. I’ve been away, but we walked loads and ate fairly healthily. I had a problem with my tooth and could only manage soup and yoghurt for a few days.. still, just have to keep going.

I’ve done well this week, 3 pounds down. I gave Fast 800 a proper go (more like fast 1000 for me).

But I am so bloody over it. I am at home on extended maternity. I’m literally obsessing over food. Looking up recipes, menus, cooking shows on YouTube etc. 30 pounds down. Another 30 to go. I feel extremely overwhelmed that this is my life for the rest of the year at least.

Have lost weight in the past but I was in the office and it was just a side thought. The fact it dominates my life is very hard.

Baby is not as easygoing as I would have liked. Tethered to home.

Just glad I won’t be a fat lump at sister’s wedding next year. Have a pic of a slinky, sage green slip dress on fridge.

I've lost another 2lb this week
Sw 17st 7lb
Cw 16st
Tw 12st

Feel so much better in myself, had got to the point where I was parking as close to the shops as possible to avoid walking but this weekend I've been out and on my feet all day Saturday and Sunday.
I couldn't have done that 2 months ago. Simple as that.

Well done, cuppa and vopik, so encouraging.

Thank you.

As hard as dieting is physically/mentally it doesn’t compare to how emotionally distressing overeating and being unhappy with my weight was (when doing nothing to improve it).

I’m just reminding myself that time will pass regardless, might as well diet and feel better whilst it passes.

Good luck to you!

You are welcome. I weighed again this morning and actually registered 102.3 which is well down, so Monday must have been an anomaly!
I do agree. Being obese is grim. Anything over 100 kilos and I struggle to move, I get nasty rashes, swollen ankles, my clothes do not fit. But I need to get to where my Dh is. If he goes over 80 kilos he starts to feel uncomfortable, and takes action. And of course, I would love to weigh less than Dh, he’s 2 inches taller!

Morning all!

2lbs off for me this week 💪🏼 so technically a great week and I'm very happy in terms of numbers. However, I just feel like I've taken a step back in terms of too much snacking/more processed foods.
So starting today I'm going to limit myself to one mid arvo snack and 3 nutritious meals a day. No booze for me for the next week either. Let's do this!!

SW: 18 stone 10lbs
CW: 15 stone 7lbs
GW: 12 stone

I've got just over 4 weeks until our family holiday to Spain. Id love to be as close as possible to the 14s by that point 🙏🏼

Have a great week xx

Morning, another Saturday another weigh in!

S/W 17st 9lb
C/W 16st 11lb

5lb off this week, I'm really happy this morning 🙂 I think some of it was a catch up from last week. 1lb to go for a stone, I didn't think I'd be able to say that 4 weeks ago!

Reading all your posts in here is really helping, everyone is doing so well just chipping away.

@Zebracat my other half just has to say I'm going on a diet and instantly loses 2kg! I would love to weigh less than him!

I am finding posting on here is really helping me stay focused, that and going on holiday in 2 weeks! I really want to carry on when I'm back but I find it so difficult when I have nothing to keep aiming for.

Have a good week everyone x

Well done on your loss@ohheckwhatnow
I know what you mean about weighing less than your partner! I think weigh a few lb less than DH now but if he decides to diet I won't weigh less for long!
Weigh in day for me and I've gained 2.25lb this week. I haven't been following any sort of diet of late so going up and down the same few lb is progress of sorts. That's what I tell myself😂 Reading everyone's posts helps. Even though I'm not losing it stops me from giving up completely and I do make some good choices! Well done everyone 👏 Hope to be back on track soon.

Hello!
I lost about 7 stone ish (49 kg) in 2020, kept it off for a year and then put 20kg (not far off 3stone?) back on 😣 I'm very good at being quite driven while I'm achieving changes but it's so much harder to consistently make an effort just to "tread water" and stay the same!

I need to shift the 16kg to get back into the healthy weight category before worrying about maintaining again anyway. I hope you'll have me as the long term journey involves well over 5 stone. I was on the lose 5st plus thread on here 4 years ago although I can't remember what my username was! I completely deregistered from Mumsnet because I felt I was wasting too much time on the site, but now I think I needed the accountability of the thread. I remember zebracat !

SW in 2020 119kg
Lowest weight in 2021, maintained for a year 70kg
Top of healthy weight range 72kg
CW 88kg
(Highest weight since 2020 91kg)

I'm have a weird virus or something (not sure what) atm and am dizzy/ woozy so am not leaving the house/ terrace but usually I'm fairly active - active job, and I either walk 5-7km or go to the gym six days per week. I'm post menopausal (lost the big chunk of weight during peri) and a bit neurotic about fearing losing muscle mass and strength, so that's motivating.

I like to fast (IF) and am reasonably good at it - I do best fasting 20:4 but do badly if I open my window early by eating at work or of course fail to close it after dinner! Hunger is never the problem, I know I misuse food for other reasons (comfort, stress, distraction, self indulgence, reward, greed, and especially instead of sleeping to combat tiredness).

Processed sugar in chocolate, ice-cream, biscuits etc is my nemesis and I have a relationship with it akin to an alcoholic's relationship with alcohol (including being aware of it but sometimes being self destructive). Eating in the evening (after dinner) is also a weak point. I know food intake makes vastly more difference than exercise in weight loss.

Hello @Whale80ne at least you’ve proved you can lose the weight, even if some went back on. It’s my birthday today, but I’ve eaten ok except for the Danish pastry for breakfast. I have a cold and sore throat and I really dont feel like eating.

@Whale80ne jow did you stop misusing food, I recognise so much on your post in myself except the bit where you succeeded in losing a huge chunk of weight . I ALWAYS self sabotage and never succeed

Sharing a day early because I've just seen 11st 8lbs and 7/8ths on my scales. So just a fraction under 11st 9lbs, which means I've finally reached 4 stone lost 😁

Start weight (June 23):15st 9lbs
Current weight: (just under) 11st 9lb
Target: 10st

Wow that’s incredible. You must be feeling so well in yourself.

Thanks @Vopik it's been slow and steady, but I feel so much better 😊

Bumblebeebum23 wow! Well done!

zebracat get well soon!

*Yogachick yes kind of. I also started walking daily and started intermittent fasting and trying to avoid processed simple carbs (by now means low carbing, just avoiding white flour and processed sugar). I read 'The Obesity Code by Jason Fung (maybe I should read it again actually) and that and some health concerns brought into sharp focus by the links between obesity and COVID mortality at the time, sort of kicked me into gear. It also all happened at a time when other stresses lifted so I sort of felt freed to concentrate on sorting myself out physically.

I really am ashamed to have achieved a healthy weight and then put weight on again, but as zebracat says at least I know I can do it. I'm a restless person and find it hard to do the long trudge of maintenance, but I'm struggling to get my head back in gear generally atm (my teenaged son presented me with a magnum ice-cream an hour ago and I happily ate it - I would have said no thank you a couple of years ago... hmm.

Oh dear 103.6 this morning. I don’t think it’s real though. I have had a birthday and some cake was involved, but on the whole, I was quite restrained. But I have a really bad cold which has massively affected my sleep, and that seems to impact on my weight. Does anyone else find that?
Worst thing is that people took photos of me. No getting away from it, and it shouldn’t be a surprise at over 100 kilos, but I look really really fat. Truth hurts.

Hi @Whale80ne. I resonated a lot with your post. I got down from 15st to 12st a few years ago and then put it all back on when I stopped. I'd been doing Slimming World but found it just wasn't sustainable for me long term.

I now intermittent fast and absolutely love it. I aim for 16:8 and eat between 12pm and 8pm but often do 18:6 if eating with the children as then dinner is around 5.30pm. I love how clear-headed and calm I feel.....and no more getting into bed feeling still full from dinner. I'm even starting to like black coffee which I would have found unthinkable even very recently. I usually had a latte every single morning before I started fasting. It has made me realise just how much I was doing things out of pure habit.

Very early good morning all from me!
2.5lbs off this week so I've got a pep in my step today 😀
No booze for me this week and pretty good food intake; I still snacked a bit too much so will continue to try to curb that. I've started Pilates at the gym which feels really hard at the moment! I'm aching all over but I'm hoping it will get easier as I get used to it and weigh less.
This week coming up I have a big night out which I plan to enjoy! I'm going to work really hard on not eating hangover calories the next day 🙏🏼 Other than that, I want to be pretty rigid this week as I'm aiming for the 14s by the time I fly on 3rd August, so I need 3 really good weeks under my belt.

My numbers this week -

SW 18 stone 10 lbs
CW 15 stone 4.5 lbs
GW 12 stone

Hello, can I join you?

I have been following your journeys whilst on my own for the last year. I started by upping my exercise then added in diet changes once I began to feel more comfortable, it seemed too daunting to do both at once. No particular diet, just eating more healthy foods and cutting out snacking and alcohol.

I'm not far off 60 and feared I would struggle to shed the weight, but it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be. Over the last few years I suffered illness and bereavement and my weight got out of control. I needed to be in the right mental space to deal with it and finally felt ready last summer. Really reaping the benefits this summer as feeling so much better physically and mentally. Still got a way to go, but feeling positive.

SW 17.10
CW 12.13
GW 10.07

I've almost finished rereading 'The Obesity Code ' (which helped me get my head straight when I lost my big amount of weight a few years ago) and it reminded me that cortisol, along with insulin, play major roles in obesity.

High cortisol levels from sleep deprivation and/ or stress contribute directly to insulin resistance and sleep deprivation does make weight loss hard/ weight gain easy! This chimed so much with me last time as I put most of my excess weight on over the first three years of my youngest child's life (he had pretty extreme sleep issues which turned out in retrospect to be linked to some sensory processing issues and meant I essentially didn't get more than two hours of sleep in am uninterrupted block for three years) and the following three years when he still woke at least once per night and I was retraining for a new career, juggling work, studying and three fairly young children. During those six years I was constantly sleep deprived and stressed and went from the overweight/ obese borderline deeply into the morbidly obese category.

When I finished retraining my kids were also all a bit older, and my youngest had strategies in place only possible because he was old enough to understand his options for calming his mind and so on, so had stopped waking me in the night, and the lifting of the stress of the studying and linked new career security, just meant I was no longer stressed and sleep deprived (despite the onset of the pandemic) and I do think this was why losing weight was suddenly possible. Cortisol and insulin.

Tldr: yes I do find sleep is massively important for weight loss 🤣😄 Hopefully you'll be sleeping better this week and the weight blip will pass.

Hello GameOfJones - fasting really works for me too, but rereading the obesity code has reminded me I also need to get back to avoiding processed/ added sugar and processed grains (especially flour) and ensuring I get loads of fibre. Also about the body's survival instinct to maintain homeostasis (set weight point) and consequently slowing the metabolism to return to previous weight after losing weight. I think I have to do some longer fasts (which I'd forgotten that I did do last time occasionally) to get out of insulin resistance again, as although I never completely stopped fasting my fasts had got short (often only 14-16 hours) and the white, processed sugar and bread had crept back in, even though not to the same extent as before I lost the weight I think I've screwed up my metabolism a bit.

I did do one 26 hour fast this week but wasn't great on avoiding added processed sugar, and my other fasts varied from 20:4 to 14:10 so a bit mediocre. Still I think I'm getting my head slowly back in gear and had a tiny loss on the scale this week (though barely significant at about 0.3kg).

Back from holiday! Some good losses recorded while I was away so well done everyone!
Ate a lot, but mostly healthy stuff, though I was not limiting portions . Drank quite a bit! Weighed this morning and only 1kg up on pre holiday weight which I'm happy about.
Not quite back in full monitoring/weighing yet, and I did eat a fair amount of Doritos and wine last night watching the tennis then the football.
Next goal is 4.4kg off by 1 August which just might be able to do with the usual first week rapid weight loss bonus. Then I'm going to aim for 1kg/week or 10-11lbs/month, which is my normal rate. That would mean about 12kg off by my next goal date of uni move in weekend. That is also my pre pandemic weight and what my body was at for years. Still 50kg too much, but I don't feel so physically impaired at that weight as I do now.

Hi all,
Long time lurker but now ready to join in after seeing you all supporting each other.
Weighed in today and I am the heaviest/biggest I have ever been. My back and knees have started to hurt and after having a baby 11 months ago I NEED to be healthy for myself and for her too.
Just here for accountability and support, the weight loss groups have worked in the past but don't have time to go to them.
I normally weigh in twice a week, one official and one to keep me on track! Will be doing calorie counting with intermittent fasting to see if that combo works.
Got a holiday booked for end of Nov so that's my timeline mini goal.

Starting weight 311lbs
Goal for Nov 28th - 275lbs
Final goal - who knows!!