Sustainable and not overly ambitious weight loss: 1 stone by September- anyone care to join?

[OMGitsnotgood]

I’m 5’4 and 12 stone 8lbs.
I exercise regularly now, and am slowly losing weight ( almost a stone over a year), I now need to reduce my calorie intake to increase the weight loss. I enjoy my food and drink, so a very restrictive diet isn’t going to work for me, plus I want it to be sustainable.

I want to try to lose a stone by September. In itself that shouldn’t be too much of a challenge but that time period includes a holiday and lots of social activities which will involve food and drink.

The approach I want to take is making healthier or at least lower calorie choices.
So for example, Weetabix and fruit for breakfast instead of toast and lashings of butter; soup or salad for lunch, with the occasional sandwich rather than sandwiches every day (and always tempted to have crisps with sandwiches); evenings have a ‘normal’ meal but consider the calorie content when meal planning or when eating out. Gin & slimline tonic instead of wine etc
I don’t want to be counting calories but am aware of what foods/cooking methods are higher in calories than others.
I’m good at not making or buying cakes/biscuits/ puddings - but if on offer will eat them - and want to be able to within reason.

I don’t want to join a group such as Slimming World, but know the weekly weigh ins have helped friends stay focused and accountable, so thought I’d give it a go on here to see if there are any other reluctant dieters who would find this gentler approach in the company of others helpful.

Anyone want to join in?

That starts with not buying them of course, which I'm quite good at, but can't resist if they are there.

I only wrote that 2 days ago, and yesterday DD gave me a couple of packs of cheese and onion crisps from a multi pack as she's not that keen on them. DH was out last night and I munched my way through not just one but both packs in front of the telly.
That said, on the rare night I'm home alone and having a telly night, previously I would also have opened a bottle of wine and have bought some chocolate. So am taking that as a small victory rather than a failure. And I really enjoyed the crisps. And taken in the context of healthier eating over the last two weeks, not such a big deal.

hello, I’ve been trying but obviously enough, so I’m posting to keep myself accountable!

I was on the go all day yesterday dropping kids here there and everywhere and working too, and I inevitably grabbed food from the shop. Not one meal eaten at home, it’s hard to buy convenience healthy food but I must try harder as I do get caught out like that.

weighed myself this morning, absolutely no change.

i have this very stupid mindset that is because i am not hungry for a very long time into the day, my l brain starts thinking “maybe i just won’t eat at all! I’m not even hungry!” And then WHAM I’m whacked with hunger and I snack / eat / pick all evening. All that needs addressing. I need to get in front of it.

anyway, we go again! Today!

So yesterday I did 10 minutes on the exercise bike and today 15.
im at that stage where I’ve had a good first week but I’m now frustrated at how far I’ve got to go and that I’ve allowed myself to put on this much weight.

I go away in 6 week, I’d love to lose a stone by then but I think it’s pushing it.
Anywya I am out tomorrow and going out to eat. But I won’t really have any dinner after it.

Spending a lot of time food prepping, trying to make ‘future me’ find dieting easier. It does help.

B: Eggs
L: Reuben salad and a Freddo
D: Honey garlic chicken &veg

I knew I’d be ravenous when I got in so made dinner in the slow cooker. Stopped me clearing the fridge!

Starting to get the hang of moderation, hopefully it’ll stick. It’s a bit intimidating to know that I’ve got 2 1/2 stone to lose. So I’m trying to think about it as ‘I’ve done well this week’ and not look any further forward than that.

I'd like to join in even though it's mid-July now.

I'm 5ft 5 and 11st 3. Binging one snacks is my problem - I can easily get through an entire pack of biscuits in one sitting. My job is pretty sedentary too. I've spent 6 months following the Body

Today:

B - Raspberry and almond smoothie
L - Beef and chorizo stew
D - Homemade burger and salad

Snacks - 2 pieces toast with jam

Hi @twoforj0y , yes I agree re the difficulty in buying healthy food on the run. Could you make a sandwich or a salad the night before and put it in the fridge? Or box up some leftovers from dinner if you have a microwave at work?

Getting too hungry is not a good idea, it weakens my resolve and I'll be passing Greg's and, well you know the rest!

@ItsBinDayToday (our bin day today too ha ha)

Well done on having a good first week!

I can understand your frustration - but you can't undo what's gone before so maybe rather than have it frustrate you, just use it as a motivator to be more focused on what you're eating each day?

You could lose enough for your clothes to be more comfortable in 6 weeks, even half a stone would do that I think. You'll be fitter too if you keep exercising.

@Makegoodchoices sounds like you're doing really well and know what you need to do to .
I like this: I’ve done well this week’ and not look any further forward than that. I'm sure that helps.

For some people it might be helpful to think about day by day, or even meal by meal

Hi @TheLoftyWriter , it doesn't have to be a stone by September, that's just my target.

Snacks are a killer aren't they and difficult not to reach for biscuits etc. I'm snacking on strawberries every night - the English ones are in at Tesco now and they are very sweet and juicy . Obviously not quite a chocolate biscuit (or several!) but enough of a treat feel to them.

Hope you find this thread useful. Use it however it helps you.

I've decided that I'm going to try fasting for a bit. I did quite well on it last year, lost a few lb but had to stop due to various reasons and never got back into it. Today was day 1 and it went well. I'm actually looking forward to getting into the habit again 🙂

Well done on a good day 1 Hedonism.
I'm just trying to cut down and lose weight slowly, love my food to much to fast!

Had a reasonably healthy turkey mince chilli tonight with a small baked potato. Rest of the (very slim!) family had grated cheese on top but I managed to resist.

Friday is my weigh in day:

start weight:71.9kg

current weight: 70.5kg

need to watch the weekend now. No plans to go out so hopefully I can keep my calories down.

I've absolutely failed with any attempt at healthiness this week. Sometimes a void just opens up and I feel like throwing food and alcohol in it might help.
I'm off on holiday next week, and my plan is just to try not to overdo it and only have things I enjoy.
Then try again after that.
I hope everyone on the thread is doing ok!

I know that feeling only too well @MavisPennies , but 'tomorrow is another day' as they say.
I've got a bad week next week - not on holiday but lots of social things that have just happened to be have arranged in the same week, and all involve food and drink. All I can do is try to minimise the damage by trying to eat and drink less and where possible to for the better choices.
We have to be able to enjoy our social lives and holidays without worrying about what we are eating and drinking.

I'm due my period in a week so I'm hugely bloated and carrying massive water weight.

Maybe I'll get a whoosh next week when that comes away and I'll feel better and get back on track.

@HowIrresponsible same. Had a massive lunch yesterday but no dinner.
weight is back up to where it was but it’s a mixture of period weight and salty food. I get so tired with my period it’s hard to do any exercise. Will see if I can force myself later.

I remember that period bloating, very unpleasant. Thankfully I'm through that although with age I'm finding it easier to gain weight and more difficult to lose.
I weighed myself today and have lost another 1lb. Expect I'll regain that and more next week with lots of calorific events to attend & a couple of days away but at least I'm starting from a better place.

I haven’t done another weigh in yet, saving that for Monday but I am feeling generally more positive just from taking some action.

I haven’t been perfect this week but making a point of being ok with some good rather than falling completely off the wagon is a great one for me to learn. I’ve never managed ‘moderation’ but that’s what I need. Got a meal out tonight which I have looked forward to all week. Back to sensible tomorrow 😄

Enjoy your meal @Makegoodchoices - perfect user name!

We're out for a meal and drinks tonight too. Am going to start with G & slimline T, much lower calories than wine, then a glass of wine with dinner hopefully rather than half a bottle.

Shame you don’t want to calorie count as it would make it a whole lot easier!

Thanks @Loubilou23. I agree that calorie counting is a great aid in losing weight and if I am unsuccessful with the approach I am taking, I will do that. . I want a change for life, not just for a few months til I lose the weight otherwise it will just go back on.
I did a calorie controlled diet many years ago and it was highly effective. As well as losing weight, it educated me about calorie content of different foods / portion size. I think I am using thar learning now in my 'making better choices' approach..

Hello, can I join? I am 5 ft 4, currently 12 stone and want to get down to 11. My usual diet is quite healthy but the problem is stress eating. Or more generally eating too much in the evenings. Need to avoid stress for the weight loss to happen!

Morning all, I hope everyone enjoyed their meals out last night 😁 we had a movie night with some Friday night snacks and watched Paddington 2 with the DC. I didn't feel guilty as I've been pretty good the rest of the week.

The IF is going pretty well, I find the fasting part fairly easy once I get into it, but do need to make sure I don't panic and eat solidly all the way through the eating window 😂

I will weigh in on Monday so will try to keep that in mind over the weekend....

@SantiagoSky I recognise that behaviour! Reaching for food/drink in times of stress or even just boredom is a hard habit to break. We each have to find our way through that. For me, it is not buying unhealthy things in the first place. Although we always have cheddar in for cooking and it's hard to resist the odd chunk!
I'm enjoying juicy English strawberries and watermelon these days .
Also finding something to do other than watch the telly helps me - a jigsaw, gym class, going for a walk or a long overdue job like tidying out a cupboard or drawer.

Anyone else got any anti-snacking tips?

I've lost 8lb in 3 weeks, kicked off by Covid. I don't know if this will help anyone but it helps me. I make a massive batch of veg soup with lentils & beans and have as much of that as I want around 7pm, to fill me right up as I can't stand going to bed hungry. Nothing after that.