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.

Hi @Hedonism - it's always a bit of a guess - I just put things in mfp & measure using tablespoons or cups or looking at calorie lists on menus.

B - whole meal toast
L - half a tin of tomato soup, Boursin roll, some nuts
D - small chicken breast, sweet potato, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion.

Trying to eat but feel urgh still…got to eat 3 times solely to be able to take my medication. 12 pills today - I’m rattling!! Only managed a little yoga today, no walking. Hope I feel brighter tomorrow. I’ll try some porridge I think, line my stomach.

Thanks!

It's not working for me either sadly as it sounds interesting!

Just saying hello to everyone, welcome to newbies and well done for persevering through January in spite of leftover Christmas goodies! @MadamTeapot sorry you aren't well I hope you feel better soon. And @Patagonia21 Goa sounds amazing enjoy every minute!

Sorry for not name checking everyone the @ list thing isn't working for me. I've apparently put on 0.25 lbs this week in spite of being in deficit. Like @Hedonism I succumbed to a sweet treat after dinner last night (a mince pie in my case) so maybe it was the quarter lb - in which case it was totally worth it!

The OP on that thread gives really great advice. I really think she's right about the need to lose the diet mentality for decent, sustained weight loss. For me adding protein is the key to not overeating carbs but I've also accidentally reduced my 'good fats' because of calorie counting so I need to keep an eye on that. I don't want to give up my daily walnuts.

I've no idea what I'm doing wrong with that link as it works for me!

I've had a lot of VERY calorific days this week already, catching up with people I haven't seen for a while, and out for a friend's birthday tomorrow and other friends' anniversary on Saturday, so I'm not going to list what I've eaten. I've also not been to any gym classes. Will weigh myself at the weekend. I don't want to not enjoy these occasions, am working on my mean plan for next week, trying to include lots of healthy meals.

@OMGitsnotgood it sounds like you’ve had a lovely week though ☺️.
@Jabtastic succesful long term needs a complete mind set change doesn’t it…I did low-carb fifteen years ago for a couple of years, and I still feel an odd guilt if I eat fruit! Nowadays I try hard for moderation but nothing is ‘denied’.

I have some great news this morning - my bmi is finally down to the healthy range. So, so pleased. I’m steadily gaining muscle too. Weight loss aim is another 10lb in total, but done mindfully.
I’ve lost 4 stone in the last year, but I’ve gained so much more - better medical health, enjoyment of daily exercise, calmer eating habits, I feel I recognise myself again.

Thanks @MadamTeapot, yes been a lovely week out again tonight though.

I have some great news this morning - my bmi is finally down to the healthy range. So, so pleased. I’m steadily gaining muscle too. Weight loss aim is another 10lb in total, but done mindfully.
I’ve lost 4 stone in the last year, but I’ve gained so much more - better medical health, enjoyment of daily exercise, calmer eating habits, I feel I recognise myself again.

What a heartwarming post and will confess to filling up when reading this. Many congratulations, you should be very proud iof yourself.

Oh my gosh @MadamTeapot what an amazing achievement! 🥳 Well done!

I am like a human hoover today and making terrible food choices. The electric was off earlier so I ended up eating too much bread and peanuts. I'm blaming the storm!

Lol, I'm blaming the depressing rise of the far right, but it could be PMT

Thank you for the lovely encouragement.

I live in the West of Scotland, right on the Atlantic, and we have been battered by the storm today…power’s been out 12 hours already and not due back till Sunday morning. Every garden fence has been destroyed. Our 25 acre horse field is badly flooded and the horses needed moving…that was…fun. But, I’ve had the stove on all day for heat and cuppas and made a lovely beef stew on it; we ate by candlelight.

@MadamTeapot I'm glad you got a decent meal at least!

Oh gosh @MadamTeapot, sorry you had it so bad, and having to move the horses must have been hard & unpleasant work. On the bright side you'll have burnt a few calories doing it!
Glad you managed to have a hot meal.

I weighed myself today for the first time since I started this new thread on 2nd Jan and I'm 11 st 12, so down 2 1/2 lb
Not quite sure I believe the scales as we've had lots of very calorific days since then .
That said, i've been very active and have had good days too so maybe things have balanced out a bit. Will see what the scales say next week!

Today is going well so far:
Weetabix and banana for breakfast
Aerobics class done
Turkey bacon and egg for lunch
We're having duck this evening, with potatoes and lots of veg

Hi all,
Hope everyone is ok. Yesterday's food:
No breakfast
L. Small Croque Monsieur, cup of roasted veg
S. Apple & peanut butter
D. Fritter burger & fries from honest burger
Total calories 1592

Hello all, I'm here telling tales on myself again.
B.toast & butter with baked beans & mushrooms
L.cheese toasty, an orange, 4 squares of dark chocolate
D. Beef and ale stew with mashed potato
Total calories 1816
I did go to the gym.
On Saturday I'll weigh in to see what I've lost since 1st January - the aim is to have lost at least some weight & ideally 2kg so I will try to stay on track over the week.

@Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket I love that you eat 'real' food - and that you tell tales on yourself! Today was ok for me:

B: 2 weetabix and milk
L: 2 crumpets, margarine, lime marmalade
D: liver, mash, veg, gravy
S: 5 celebrations (from what seems like a bottomless box!)

12,000 steps (gym, shopping and general pottering)

@Jabtastic i seem to have been hoovering since early December and cant quite get out of the habit.

Today will be better.
Weight this morning was 59.9kg. I cannot put it to 60kg.

I had an early at work this morning, and didn't pack lunch so my day is going to be terribly processed.

Plan was...

B: Oats so simple cinnamon with semi skimmed milk. (205)
L: Itsu satay noodle pot. (207)
S1: One of the wrinkly apples on my desk and hopefully just a small handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit. (258)
D: Chicken Kiev with jacket potato and veg (988)
S2: 2 posh chocolates from the Christmas presents. (158)

For exercise, i will walk about 5km at speed with a heavy bag on the commute.

But that's 1848 calories and I should be on 1340 so I will have to cut something out.

I will struggle to cut out the posh chocs, so maybe the snacks during the day. (total snacks do make up as much as my combined breakfast and lunch) And perhaps just half a jacket spud and the other half for lunch tomorrow. And no butter on the potato, use the butter from the kiev instead.

But that doesn't feel like happy sustainable weight loss, it feels like calorie counting and cutting out things i want to eat.

What's your maintenance amount @hulahoop

Failing to edit stuff here. I was going to say so long as you're not over your maintenance @Hoolahoophop it's not a disaster.
Today I've had:
B. Yogurt granola & berries
L. toast & marmite & an apple
D. Chicken tikka masala
S. An orange, 3 squares of chocolate
Total calories 1690
I think I'm premenstrual - the choc cravings are real!!

Our power and phone signal was actually down from Friday morning to half an hour ago…it’s been a long 4 days. Food wise it’s been make-do-and-mend, definitely more processed than usual and I just feel a bit bleurch but that could also be with the stress and being unwell last week. Lack of usual exercise and fluids too. Yesterday I had a small handful of nuts and raisins, an apple and a tin of mackerel, a packet of crisps and tinned vegetarian chilli with wholegrain rice. Negligible steps.

Today I’m going to make a big, comforting chicken stir fry, buy more yoghurt and have lots of water.

Coming to join this thread in hope of some accountability and support. Started trying to improve my diet a couple of weeks ago, it’s been going fairly well overall but I drank a lot on Saturday night and then yesterday ate a huge huge piece of cake. Now feeling absolutely grim and like I’ve gone all the way backwards again :(

@MadamTeapot wow, that's a long time! I'm glad you have power back now.

Yesterday I had
B: muesli
L: tomato soup, a flatbread, a handful of nachos
T: beef stroganoff and rice, a yoghurt for dessert
Snacks: 3 or 4 Christmas chocolates.

No idea how many calories that comes in at, but I'm pleased that I avoided snacking for the main part.

@Uol2022 welcome! Sometimes drinking and sometimes eating a huge piece of cake is ok, as long as it is balanced out with days when you don't do that. Everything in moderation 🙂

@MadamTeapot that's really was a long time and you have to do what you have to do in those circumstances.i'd have used it as an excuse to finish off the Christmas Cake, eat the Belgian Chocolate biscuits someone gave us as a present and to dig out the leftover crisps etc that I've put aside for when we have visitors. Sounds like you did better than that!