Sustainable and not overly ambitious weight loss 2025: 1 stone by June - anyone care to join?

[OMGitsnotgood]

Happy New Year!
I started this thread back in June in an attempt to lose a stone by the end of September. I wanted to do this through making better food choices and exercising more, rather than following a rigid diet. (Read the old OP for more details). Posting made me feel more accountable and made me rethink my eating after a calorific day (or week! )
I didn’t lose a stone but did continue to lose weight slowly, gaining some weeks but overall a reasonable loss.

Time to refocus after the excesses of December, and it would be great to have some company.

Welcome back to those who kept me motivated on the old thread and welcome to anyone new - you don’t need to ask to join, just introduce yourself and tell us what you are trying to achieve, and hopefully the encouragement and support we can give each other will help us all.

This is my info, feel free to post whatever helps you to keep track and use this thread as you see fit.

Height: 5’4
Heaviest ever: c 13st 4
Weight June 24:: 12st 8
Lightest since June 24: 11 st 11
Current weight: 12 stone 1/2lb - which is hardly surprising, i didn’t watch what I ate or drank for most of December. I think some of that will come off easily when I refocus. Going to have a few days away visiting various friends so expect that won’t help but I don’t want to be able to enjoy those times, and be extra careful at home .

My short term goal is to get back under 12 stone by the end of January..

My dream would be a stone by June. I'm not optimistic but a reasonable goal to aim for.

That Is fantastic @Hoolahoophop, that’s a lot of weight to lose and keep off, you’re doing so well. And you have a realistic next target. Trying to increase exercise really does help, although I appreciate it’s not always possible to fit it in around work/family etc. Kayaking sounds like a real calorie burner!

@OMGitsnotgood thank you. I appreciate the encouragement. We have just bought a house with access to the river so looking forward to a hot summer with lots of time on the water....and some good core and arm workouts!

@Hoolahoophop Well done! I'm also short and trying to lose a few pounds. May I ask - what are your strategies for losing weight that are working? Are you calorie counting?

I find it so hard to lose weight. I think being short makes it harder (I only need to lose a few pounds but every extra pound is on my stomach and needs to go!).

@Autumnleaves82 yes, calorie counting. Trying to stick to a genuine 1400 a day averaged across the week. I'm eating shredded wheat for breakfast. Have soup, a salad, leftovers or a bagel thin with cream cheese for lunch, then a tightly controlled portion of whatever dinner I fancy. But that usually means half a plate of salad or veg then small portion of rice and curry, pasta and sauce or protein without much potatoes so tiny portion of chips, half a baked, spud mash etc. then treat 2 posh chic of an evening. I drink black coffee and herbal teas and only have alcohol once a week. It's not been too bad really and in actual fact I've not felt like I'm missing out at all. Just reducing portions of usual stuff to suit a shortie.

Best of luck and strong willpower to you.

Thanks for replying @Hoolahoophop That’s great that you’re losing weight on 1400 calories. I’ve also been averaging 1400 calories but I’m not losing any weight. I’m reluctant to drop my calories too low as I’m quite active (Caroline Girvan weights workouts and walk around 20,000 steps a day). I’m a healthy weight/BMI but just too heavy for me/my small frame. I know that I will feel/look better around 7 pounds lighter, but I’m not managing to lose anything at the moment! But it’s encouraging that you’re losing on the same calories. Hope you continue to be successful.

Is anyone else on this thread also quite short with only a few pounds to lose? Any other tips?!

@Autumnleaves82 last time I tried loosing I failed on that sort of calorie count (at the time I was running 10k at least 3x a week, plus cycling and I walk - not as many as 20k steps but a round trip to work of about 3 miles a day) I tried 5:2 So Monday and Wednesday (which were my rest days) I fasted until dinner and had a 600 calorie meal. The rest of the week I was eating between 1400-1600 a day. The weight fell off with that routine. But this time I couldn't face it so am doing a slow and steady loss, hoping that I can then maintain as it will become what I do rather than a diet. So the original fast 5:2 might be worth a try.

@Hoolahoophop That’s interesting. You must have read my mind! I use Nutracheck to log my calories and I’ve been lurking a bit on the forum and I’ve seen 5:2 recommended. The thing that was putting me off was they seem to suggest eating ‘maintenance’ calories on non-fast days and not going below this. It suggested 1800 calories for me on non-fast days, which felt too high (although when averaged out with the fast days I guess it would still be similar to 1400 calories per day). Your post has made me think maybe I should consider doing something similar to what you did and using the numbers you used. Thank you so much - it’s so helpful to share ideas with someone who can relate to the challenges of being shorter!

Hey can I join? I've got 7lbs left to lose. I've successfully lost 22lbs by calorie counting and hitting the gym. I've been fannying around for the past 2 months and losing and gaining the same 2lbs. Thinks it's because I'm fairly happy with where I am now so not being as strict. Would like to get to target for the middle of June

hi everyone, i hope it's alright for me to join at this late stage.

i saw the thread and the concept of slow, steady, sustainable weight loss really appeals to me. im not into crash diets at all nor cutting out entire food groups, but have been consciously trying to make better, healthier choices since the start of the year and have already started to reap the benefits.

im 170cm and i dont own scales or weigh myself at all so no idea how much i weigh, but im generally a size 10 on top and 12/14 on bottom. im not personally motivated by appearance but i DO hate not fitting into clothes that used to fit, it feels so wasteful and i don't buy very many clothes so i need all that fit i can get.

my own approach is to eat sensible portion sizes and try to make healthy homecooked food when possible. i will still eat my cake and have my hot chocolate but try to keep that to once or twice a week at most. im also trying to get more red meat in as im a chicken/fish/egg girl but last time i checked at the doctors my iron levels were borderline.

wrt exercise, i need to up it and especially get walking more (walking is an amazing low impact form of exercise which uses every muscle group of the body). im definitely not a gym girl but i do sometimes do home workouts.

Hi all, I hope it's ok for me to join in. I've really struggled to lose weight over the years and I'm finally trying to take a more consistent, healthy approach. My target is to lose 1kg a week, so between 3 and 4 kg over the next month, do you think that’s realistic? We’ve got quite a few social events coming up and I'd love to wear some of the clothes I’ve had tucked away in the back of my closet for far too long. I’ve been holding on to them for years hoping I’d get back to a place where I’d feel good wearing them again. The biggest challenge for me is staying consistent and avoiding processed food. It’s just so easy to grab something quick when you’re juggling work and everything else. Stress has also really taken a toll on my weight and health in general over the years, so I’m trying to work on that too. I’m ready for a proper change this time. Small steps, but in the right direction. Wish me luck!

Hi newcomers, welcome!

I hope everyone is having a lovely Easter. I am feeling zero guilt about all the chocolate today, I will be back on the healthy choices tomorrow 🐣🐇😁

With regard to avoiding processed food - planning is definitely key to this. I try to prep a big salad or soup at the start of the week to use for lunches, otherwise I do end up grabbing something upf / high calorie / not very filling at lunchtime and regretting that choice for the rest of the day.

Lovely to have new people join this thread, you’re so welcome.

@HayleyBean- that is an amazing weight loss, congratulations. I am in a similar position in that I have lost a stone and a half over the past 18 months, could do with losing another stone but have been struggling with motivation, combined with a lifestyle that includes a lot of food and drink. You’ve just helped me realise that it’s because I am so much happier with my weight than I was that I’m not focussed enough. Thank you for that and let’s see if we can help each other through the next 7lbs! I’ve readjusted my expectations - no longer trying to lose a stone by June as per the thread title, just trying to average half a pound a week. Lost 0.66 of a lb this week so on track.

@jeomeollibyeoldul this does sound like the right thread for you! I want to be able to enjoy my food and drink but still need to lose weight. Portion control is a big part of that, also not buying things like crisps, cakes, biscuits routinely so there is not temptation in the house. But will by crisps for a picnic for example. I try to have a ‘make better choices’ approach. E.G instead of toast with lots of butter and jam for breakfast, I mainly have weetabix or porridge with fruit. Healthier and keeps me full for longer. Lunches I try to have soup or salad, sandwiches occasionally but not daily and stop myself buying things lien sausage rolls and pork pies on a regular basis.
I wasn’t a big fan of exercise but have upped my game there and I think that is key to losing weight without an overly restrictive diet.

@Blackbrook49I’m no diet expert at all but my feeling is that 1kg a week is ambitious. I guess it depends on your starting weight - losing 2.2lb in a week is more likely to be achievable if you’re very overweight than if you’ve just got a few pounds to lose. Maybe it would work over a short amount of time, with the specific aim of fitting into clothes (that’s such an amazing feeling!) Not sure how sustainable or advisable it would be longer term, but as said, I’m no expert. Maybe others on this thread will have more knowledge. But we’ll be here to support you whatever.

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So today I have eaten totally off plan! I'm going to do a week of cardio at the gym rather than weights to counteract the 47282 calories in chocolate I've inhaled 😂 I reckon I'll be about 10.8 or 10.9 now!

thank you for the welcomes 😌
had a very "chicken and rice" day yesterday as lunch was leftover fried rice and chicken wings and dinner was teriyaki chicken thighs with rice...and there were leftovers of that too so ill be eating it again today, but that's alright.

@OMGitsnotgood i do the same, i wont have crisps or cakes in the house all the time, if i buy it it's for a treat and once it's gone it's gone. chocolate is my weakness and i can eat whole 100g bars of it without breaking a sweat. when i was at my highest weight, clothes no longer fitting etc i was eating homemade chocolate strawberries as a snack almost every day! they were lovely and i will definitely be making them again but not so often, strawberries are very nutritious but the 50g of chocolate and cream i had with it was just too much.

hope everyone is having a nice easter. it's a quiet one here - family visited last week instead - so will try to do some cleaning today which will hopefully be reasonable exercise. for dinner ive got frozen soup dumplings from itsu to try so i hope theyre good.

Argh I cannot stop eating! I am going into the office tomorrow so will attempt to reset myself 😳

I have two teenagers who never stop eating. It's much easier when they are out at school all day, at least I can't see all of the eating then!

@Hedonism that has been me the past few weeks for a variety of reasons. Sometimes I think a little (or even big!) splurge can help with the reset. Not quite there myself yet but generally eating better than over the last little while. Hopefully your office day will help!

That's a good point, @OMGitsnotgood, sometimes you do just need to allow yourself to let go and enjoy all the things. I am almost at the stage where i am really not craving any sugar because that urge has been well and truly sated! A day with no access to my kitchen is surely a good moment to get back on the wagon.

Hello all and welcome to all the new people.

I am glad to see I am not the only one who was neither steady or sustainable in my food consumption over the Easter break! I have mindlessly eaten everything in site, even when not hungry, and when not enjoying it. Complete reverse of what I have been doing so well for months now. But in my defense, school holidays, Easter gatherings and preparing for a move have made a tricky mix.

Back to thinking about my food today, and to get the downwards trend back on track.

easter can be a busy time...i hope we can all stay on reasonable track and eat well.

im feeling very tired today even though i had a fairly good amount of sleep, so i probably wont home cook anything today. will just put a ready meal in the microwave. ive got a noodle one which at least has vegetables in it.

also didnt exercise yesterday because i actually barely slept monday night, so will change that today. onwards and upwards.

i have found two tablespoons of oats ( made into overnight oats with low fat Greek yoghurt and berries has helped me hugely switch off “ food noise” I flavour with teaspoon of protein powder x have a stone to lose for June still

I've managed to shift 2lbs of my apparent 5.5lbs Easter weekend gain. I know it's not really 5.5lbs of fat as I didn't eat an extra 20k calories over the weekend 😂 feeling better for it though.
Does anyone else go to the gym? I'm up at 04:00 to get there for 04:30. Only downside is that by 20:00 I'm absolutely shattered

4am 😱 no, I don't do that! I do often get up early and squeeze a YouTube workout in at home between 6-7am though.

gosh i'd struggle with 4am. im generally useless in the mornings so i do all my exercise in the afternoon. but whatever works, works!

dont have the time or energy to home cook today either due to my job which is quite full on. ill be away in london this weekend so dont have too much food in the house anyway. struggled with my appetite yesterday but today im quite hungry. planning on eating the strawberries in the fridge after dinner tonight, but not sure what to have for actual dinner, might just make a sandwich.

cheering you all on -- i think it's easy to flag this time of year, but hopefully sustainable long term changes help.

gosh no, 4am I would not cope with. At the moment I don't do any exercise at all, but hoping to get back into it in May.

I too have managed to loose the Easter gain and am back to where I was pre easter holidays.

I have no idea what to have for dinner tonight, its a busy one, so not much time to cook, want to keep it light, and simple enough that the kids will eat it, or an easily adapted version. I have nothing in the fridge or freezer that needs using up or can be cooked from frozen. So I have far too much choice!