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.

Hope tomorrow is a better day @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket

Sorry yesterday wasn't good for you @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket - but well done for not reaching for cake and chocolate. Hope things improve today x

Thanks guys!
Today's food:
B. Sausage sandwich
L. Mackerel salad, grapes, yoghurt
D. Lamb and red wine casserole with cabbage and a jacket potato. Necarine for afters
Total calories 1500
I'm tempted to have something else - might have a decaf coffee

Feel a bit nervous about posting this but I need to face up to it - I had a proper binge last night, ate almost an entire packet of biscuits in one sitting. I'm not entirely sure what came over me, a few stressful things have been going on recently and my toddler has been testing boundaries and I think something just snapped. I'm not prone to binging so I'm not sure what took hold! I didn't even enjoy most of them and this morning I feel awful, headachy and sick 😔 I can't change it now, so I'm just going to draw a line under it and get back on it but I was just wondering what do people do when they feel stressed/trying to avoid temptation? I don't drink (not that that's a healthy choice anyway!) In the daytime I would usually go for a walk but not so easy in the dark after toddler bedtime...

@jill5676 please don’t be nervous, I’m sure lots of us know exactly what you were going through…I definitely do, I’ve binged so much trying to get comfort before. Young children are really hard work!!! Could you put a gentle yoga video on if it hits in the evening? Or go have a nice bath. Or, if the urge to eat is very strong try and keep in food that won’t leave you feeling bad mentally or physically…years ago I’d make up big bowls of jelly to have in the evening, or frozen berries with yoghurt, that took ages to eat so fulfilled something.
It’s a difficult time of year too, please don’t feel too bad.

So annoying how little you actually have to eat to not slip into overweight. Lost 2 stone in 2019 went from 12 st to 10st which I maintained for years but a stone has snuck on through snacking on so need to lose that.

Started on Jan 2nd and gone from 71kg to 68kg on my monthly weigh in. Am 5 6.

Hi @jill5676 , queen of eating a whole packet of biscuits here 👋
Specifically for biscuits as they're a bit of a trigger food for me I just don't have them in the house. I don't think I've ever had a packet that lasted more than two days.
For other types of over eating I find that making sure I'm not really really hungry (as in not a huge sustained calorie deficit) is the number one thing to stop bingeing. If it's a boredom/stress thing, doing something else physical helps (a walk, a bath, yoga, get DH to give me a massage).
And if you have done it just accept and move on, it was just a blip.

@MadamTeapot @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket thank you both for your kind comments, you've made me feel a lot better. I could definitely try evening yoga, that's a good idea. Also jelly, that's reminded me that I used to make up jelly mousses with greek yoghurt and jelly which were really filling but still quite healthy - might try that again! Here's to a better day 😊

Hi everyone. Came home from my holiday on Sunday. It was wonderful!
Over Christmas I had regained the weight lost and went from just over 10 st to 10.71/2. I didn’t diet whilst away but the fresh fruit and heat helped and thankfully came home the same. Am now 10.5 and determined to get back under 10 stone. Am a similar height to some of you, 5 6.

Welcome back @Patagonia21. Glad you had a great time and enjoyed your food while away. Good that you didn't put on weight and you're already on tbe way to your next target! It's a fantastic feeling when you get under the next stone.

Hi all,
Food today:
B. Toast & marmalade
L. Cheese tomato and onion omelette with toast & butter and a clementine
D. Pasta with chicken chorizo & courgette in tomato sauce. A pear & a glass of red wine

Total calories 1900
I did a good session in the gym and had a swim afterwards which always makes me hungry.

Glad you had a lovely holiday @Patagonia21

@Patagonia21 so glad you had a good time. 😊

I’ve had a busy and quite tiring day, and enjoyed my food a lot. Had tomato soup, wholemeal bread and a kitkat at lunch and mince, turnip, broccoli and green beans for dinner. Did 40 min yoga and had a sauna.

1lb loss this week, also and most importantly, lost fat and gained muscle. Very pleased.

@MadamTeapot @Igglepigglesgrubbyblanket isn't it amazing how much you can eat for a a reasonable amount of calories?

I'm trying to avoid calorie counting by eating:drinking sensibly &!exercising more but on my weaker days warn myself that I will put myself on a calorie controlled diet if I carry on that way!!

Hello 👋

I'm down 3lb this week. I'm scared now it'll stop!

Current weight - 169.2lb
Goal weight - 150lb

Loss in two weeks - 5.6lbs

I'm trying! Feels good 😊

Hey all, I'm down 1kg on last week. Very happy with that as not really restricting too much. Though I know that its a first woosh and will not carry on like that.

I'm really enjoying my food at the moment as I am putting more thought int what I am eating and enjoying it.

On todays menu I have.

B: 2 egg omelet with spring onion and feta cheese.
L: Bacon and lentil soup with a slice of French stick.
D: I only have about 5 minutes to cook tonight, so an eat well ready meal from M&S. Prawn scallop and fish linguine.
S: Apple and probably a slice of toast in the evening as I will eat my main at 5 which is early for me.

Comes in a 1300 calories. Pretty good.

I need to find more time to exercise, but we are preparing for a house move so ALL my time is taken up with normal life chores and then de-cluttering 15 years worth of stuff.

@OMGitsnotgood thats exactly how I’m being with myself, including the internal threat of calorie counting, and it’s working.
@twoforj0y well done, it’s nice going downwards isn’t it.
@Hoolahoophop food sounds lovely, the decluttering not so much but you’ll appreciate it on move day!

I was out for lunch today and had a gorgeous chicken and rice soup, it was so filling I only managed half the roll which came with it. Pot of tea, Lovely.

Had first binge in five months. Controlled it quite quickly but still, kicking myself. It was all junk.
Today I’ve had an options hot chocolate, a protein yoghurt, tomato soup & wholemeal bread, beef and vegetable Heinz Big Soup with pumpkin seeds, a wagon wheel, two brunch bars, a Kit Kat, two packets of hula hoops. Trying to focus on the fact I did manage to stop quicker than ever before and not beat myself up which is unhealthy and unproductive.

Good morning!
I had a not great day on Thursday, I just could not stop eating. Partly the cold, tiredness, bored.... anyway, I ate loads of carbs and went way over calories. Yesterday, something just clicked and I had a really good day. Came in under calories and carbs under 100g 🤷‍♀️ who knows! I'm determined to have another good day today and I might just see a small loss this week when i weigh in Monday.

@thenewaveragebear1983 @MadamTeapot I've had a couple of binges this week. But I think we should step away from using 'binge' because it has such negative connotations and evokes guilt. I am trying to tell myself I'd had a 'calorific' day. - and that I will focus on eating more healthily over the next few days to compensate. Sure the weight won't come off as quickly if we do have some days with a higher than ideal calorie count but i think more positive outcomes longer term.

I know what you mean @OMGitsnotgood and normally now that’s how I would think of it, in neutral terms, it’s more the aspect of “automaton” that scares me not the actual amount of calories…but it shows me not to get complacent with my mental wellbeing around food.
All good today. Having a nice lunch out with DH and a walk along the canal.

Late starter signing in!

I've been 1.5 to 2.5 stone overweight since my late 30s (I'm now 62) and the only time I've successfully lost weight in that time was in early pregnancy - due to not being able to eat! - and after my first child was born when she needed to be walked for a couple of hours in the pram every day to get any day time sleep. I think the lowest my weight went down to was 9 stone 12. I'm only 5 foot 2, so I've never been slim slim as a grown up.

Now I'm at my heaviest weight ever, but it is stable. I've been the same for about 10 years (since menopause). I can tell by the feeling of my clothes, I have a skirt that is 10 years old I try on now and then to keep myself in check! I wear a size 16 and of course that is obese for someone of my height.

But this year something's clicked (I think it's getting older and stiffer and less fit) and I definitely want to lose at least two stone. I've bought some new digital scales and will weigh myself at the end of February. I don't think I've weighed myself since 2008 . I will make a super big effort with food and exercise this month so that the number on the scales doesn't come as TOOOOOOO much of a shock!

Hi @LindorDoubleChoc . I started this thread to look for people who were wanting to adopt a similar approach to me (slow and steady for the long run) and although we don't all post daily, we're a friendly and supportive bunch.

Losing weight certainly doesn't get easier as you get older! I'm a similar age to you and decided increasing my activity levels was the main way in which I was going to lose weight as I love my food and drink and most of my social life involves some sort of calorie consumption!

I don't profess to be a diet expert, far from it but I do think it helps to work out what the main issues are that have led to weight gain/not being able to lose.

For me, it was:
Lack of exercise (fixed)
Alcohol consumption (a little more controlled now)
Healthier food choices (better some days than others)
Portion control, especially when really enjoying my meal (getting there)
Snacking on unhealthy stuff (doing well at not buying but rubbish if they are on hand!)

So you're new but have helped me already @LindorDoubleChoc by helping me remind myself what I need to focus on. Thank you!

This is such a great supportive group

This may seem odd, but I am spending more whilst restricting my food intake and I’ve realised that it is a way of rewarding myself instead of eating something sweet. Is this just me or does everyone do this? I cannot think of an alternative which would give the same rush of endorphins. I find bubble baths underwhelming and am already spending time outdoors.

The scales today told me I’ve put on 5 pounds in a week 😧 that simply cannot be true! I’ve been eating much better - not perfect but I was hoping I might have actually lost a little bit. Quite tempted to just throw the scales out at this point.