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.

I also have not lost a stone! We've just come back from a very relaxed week's holiday, where I ate more and exercised less - I've not stepped on the scales yet! But I do feel ready to get back into some sensible habits now. Today has been a good day - 4 mile run, 3 sensible meals, no snacking, and I even turned down a glass of wine with my Sunday roast 😇

Does anyone follow Sally Gunnell on Facebook? She talks a lot of sense about moderation and good choices, e.g:

Overindulgence is a normal part of life. Enjoying these special moments without guilt is essential for a truly sustainable and healthy approach to nutrition and fitness.

She has some good tips on her page, I'm finding it quite helpful.

@Hedonism glad you had a relaxing holiday and hope you enjoyed the food, guilt-free. I think a break from being sensible helps you refocus. I am impressed with your start, especially turning down a glass of wine - not sure I’ve ever managed that, other than when driving. I will take a look at Sally Gunnell, wise words she says there and actually the approaxh I try to take. Unfortunately the overindulgence has become more than a special occasion for me these last few months. Looking at what is lined up the next couple of weeks I am expecting a gain, then will try to rectify it.

So my bmi has gone from 26.6 at start of thread to 21.1 now. Feel great, enjoy my food and enjoy my daily exercise too - still do 1-2 hours of yoga a day generally. Am in size 6 jeans which I still can’t get my head round tbh!

congratulations to those who have done very well and dont worry to those who have gained/maintained/not lost as much, you are fine! the reason i liked the idea of this thread was because i dont want to approach healthy eating with this kind of pressure, it's no way to live! we dont always hit the aims we go for and that's ok.

in other news, no idea what i weight now as i dont weight myself but i have recently fitted in to an old pair of jeans that i could not remotely get into when i started! so happy because i do not like having to buy new clothes 😅

@MadamTeapotthat’d amazing, well done! @jeomeollibyeoldulthank you for your wise words and reminding me that’s precisely why o started this thread. It is fantastic that you can fit in your old jeans, so rewarding.

So I've done badly. Not lost any weight but not gained either. I really need to sort out my snacking in the evening when I'm tidying up the kitchen after dinner. I'm not hungry as I've just had dinner.
I think I'm just not as focused as I've only got 7lbs or so to lose now and I'm 90% happy with my body.
I really want to push through this and sort my head out and get down to 10 stone.

@HayleyBeanyou really haven’t done badly. If you have managed not to put on weight in spite of the snacking, you must be doing lots of things right the rest of the time of the time. Unfortunately snacking is just a habit that needs to be broken, or in my case, ensure you’re snacking on healthy things. Medjool dates or British strawberries for me. Woukd I rather be eating crisps or cheese and crackers? Hell yes but so far am managing to avoid buying crisps etc. if they are there, I will definitely eat them!

Hello all, I have been absent for a while, life has been bonkers.

But trying to get back on it again now. Quick review tells me that from when I joined you all and started tracking back in February i have lost 3.3kg so half a stone. But in that time I have had a very stressful house move which set me back so I am quite happy. I would like to loose another 6kg ideally, but am in the healthy weight range now and will be happy to stay here.

I shall be continuing the new healthy habits, cutting back on portion sizes and snacking, but cutting out nothing and enjoying meals out as I always have done, just making the normal more healthy and moderately sized.

I don't really like my dinner plates and they are too large to fit in the cupboards of my new mini kitchen, so perhaps its time to splurge on some smaller ones which will also help on portion size.

@Hoolahoophopto have lost so much during a stressful time is pretty impressive - and proof that sustainable weight loss can work even during the tough times. I think that new healthy habits do stick and help counter our more indulgent moments

Just popping in to see if anyone is still watching this thread. I’ve gained 1kg this past month, but have had the best part of 3 weeks away, and definitely not been making better choices. A small win was stopping at a service station on the way back from one of tbe trips and managing to walk past Gregs and the smell of their pasties which are so tempting when you’re really hungry. I also picked up fruit to go with my chicken sandwich instead of crisps. After what I’ve consumed these last few weeks it was a very tiny win indeed but you have to start somewhere.
I am still 8lbs lighter than this time last year so at least I am keeping some of it off.
it’s a bit cooler than it has been here now, I made some soup yesterday which will do me a few lunches. I’m also back doing several gym classes a week.

hi @OMGitsnotgood , i am still watching the thread, things are rather busy in my world 😃seems like you've been up to quite a lot too, keeping some weight, any weight off is half the battle so i dont think you're doing too badly! well done on saying no to greggs -- not sure i would have been able to do the same 😆

personally im still plodding and have not particularly been strict lately, though still trying my best to home cook and eat my veggies whenever i can. im lucky i only go into office once a week to be honest as our canteen does lovely food and i had an amazing spicy chicken wrap and chips from there the other day. 🙈

@OMGitsnotgoodi’m still watching it as well, but I haven’t posted for a while. I joined a few and then found I was posting the same on each one and couldn’t remember which ones 🤣 I hope you’re doing ok? I have this last few weeks really given myself a kick up the arse. I could see the weeks to my holiday trickling away and my weight staying the same so I have (shock horror) actually stuck to my bloody plan and lo! I have lost 3.5lbs this week. Which for a seasoned dieter is a huge amount. So I’m pleased, but also annoyed. It seems I did actually know how to do it all along 🤔

I’ve been focussing on my protein (100g each day minimum) and my fibre (30g every day minimum) - achieving this by adding a fibre supplement into my morning protein shake, drinking loads of water, and weighing and tracking every morsel of my 1500 cals allowance.

I’ve also just scrolled back to the start of the year when I joined this thread and I am shocked to see I have actually lost 10lbs since 5th Jan! Wow, i actually didn’t realise it was that much. I feel like I’ve been bobbing around losing the same pound over and over, but something must gradually be coming off.

Thanks @jeomeollibyeoldul, yeah life gets in the way sometimes doesn’t it?! If you’re home cooking more and eating more vegetables, that is such a positive change - likely more low calorie and definitely healthier. I was really impressed re tbe Greggs as I absolutely love the pasties and tbe sausage rolls, as nutritionally empty and calorie full as they are! Once I. A while it is fine of course but I had had a shockingly bad coupke of weeks, had to draw the line somewhere! This is why I’m so glad there are still people watching the this thread, makes me feel more accountable.

@thenewaveragebear1983 I’m OK thanks , hope you are too. Could you kick me up the arse too please?! I’ve been struggling to do that for myself and slipping back into bad habits, hence tbe weight gain that I felt I needed to confess on this thread!. Congratulations on the 3,5lbs , that is a huge amount in a week - and tbe 10lbs since the start of the year, that is really good going.

I’m not following any kind of restrictive diet as I want it to be sustainable, am trying a ‘make better choices’ approach, which for the most part has been working but I’ve taken a ‘sod it’ approach recently so need to get my act together again.

thank you both for posting, it’s making me feel more accountable already!

@OMGitsnotgooda couple of things are helping me. Properly tracking (as in actually weighing everything and not just guessing) and also actually stopping when I reach my limit. This sounds so obvious, but it’s really eye opening. I have allowed 1500 calories each day. Getting my fibre intake up, and drinking loads of water.

I read somewhere “just because something fits within your calories doesn’t mean it fits within your goals” and that’s really struck a chord with me too

@OMGitsnotgood I needed a kick in May when old habits reared their ugly heads. I definitely struggle with worse pms these days and that was effecting everything all of a sudden. I concentrated on focusing on why I’m doing this (health) and managed to get back on track. Hope you do too.

I’m finding the biggest weight loss tool is definitely yoga, I do an hour a day minimum and it is an enormous help. Love that I’m fitter than I have been in decades, and that I can stand on my head in the middle of the floor at my age 😂…kids just walk round me now lol. I’m that sad that I eat better to do my yoga better…but it’s so worth it as I’ve gone from being one appointment away from being prescribed hypertension medication to having an absolutely great blood pressure!

@MadamTeapot that's brilliant. I wish I could get into yoga, I'm sure it would be beneficial but I don't seem to be able to make time for classes and am reluctant to try it without proper instruction.

@Hoolahoophop it’s hard finding time isn’t it. I started almost by accident, with Yoga with Adriene’s Yoga for Comfort and Nourishment online and it made me cry…I realised I had been putting myself far too low on the list of priorities. I then found time for classes, and didn’t back down from going even though I have enormous social anxiety…I’ve found really nice new friends through yoga class which was a lovely unexpected extra.

hope everyone is doing well and sticking to plan as much as possible. just wanted to share that ive weighed myself for the first time in a while (i never usually do as i don’t want to be obsessive) and since starting in january i have lost 25 lbs or almost 2 stone! im delighted and glad i decided to do this slowly and sustainably. im now more than halfway to my ultimate goal and hoping to lose about 15 more pounds in the same gentle way. onwards and downwards!

@jeomeollibyeoldulthat is absolutely amazing, very well done. What are your top tips and what kept you focused to do so well?

I’m not losing weight at the moment but am hovering about the same weight. Having lost 8lbs since June 24 and 1.5 stone over the last couple of years I am ok with that. I could do with losing some more though, so even though this is no longer a busy thread, please do post your achievements or ask for support or advice if you are struggling. Most of us on this thread are trying to lose weight slowly rather than on a ‘quick fix then put it back on’ approach but all are welcome.

thank you so much @OMGitsnotgood , you’ve done brilliantly as well. to summarise what ive done over the past months

• I don’t count calories — i find it rather soul sucking. that being said i am vaguely aware of what foods are very high calorie like peanut butter, cheese, cream, chocolate etc and i moderate them
• i home cook my dinner whenever i can. i always cook a mix of meat, veggies and carb. my favourite carbs to include are white rice and potatoes. I’m quite sure the home cooked dinners with “whole” ingredients are the big contributor to my loss
• i have fruit for dessert. my favourites are strawberries with a meringue crumbled on top, chopped up bananas with whipped cream, i will also eat whole punnets of cherries and raspberries, chopped up nectarines etc. im going to miss strawberry season so much because you can eat absolutely tons of them and they’re so delicious and good for you too 🍓
• i don’t deny myself things when the occasion calls for it - i will eat dessert at a restaurant, a packet of chocolate at the cinema, cake and cream on a birthday etc. this stops me from feeling deprived

disclaimer that everyone is obviously different and what worked for me may not for others, but hopefully one or two tips there will help someone out.

I’m sure my loss will slow down now as I’ve gotten closer to my goal and therefore less to “whoosh” off me but im happy with that, im still in this for the long term.

@jeomeollibyeoldulthank you for taking the time to write all of that .That is pretty much the approach I took too. I totally agree that understanding relative calorie content is really important. I absolutely love pork pies but tbey are no longer on my weekly shopping list!
What also worked for me was to always try and ‘make a better choice’ - that seems to have gone by the wayside recently so need to get my head back on to that.