Long term calorie counting/exercise diet. Starting Monday 17th August. Anyone care to join me?

[surprise]

Had no luck with posting this in chat! Must be a skinny bunch in there. Seriously need to shed some weight. After lots of failed attempts over the past few years I'm determined to stick to a long-term plan, reducing calorie intake by a small amount and doing more exercise.

My plan is this - I'm reducing my calorie intake to 1600 per day (to maintain weight I should have 2100) and aim to do a 20 min brisk walk 3 times a week, plus 20-30 mins aerobic exercise 3 times a week (fitness video or Wii fit or swimming).

If anyone is interested in joining in, with maybe a weekly weigh-in then I'd be very glad of the company and support!

Bought some body fat measuring scales yesterday and my body fat percentage is almost 39% which I don't think is good somehow.

aaarrrggghhh, am reading this eatin a kitkat

It doesn't help that there is a wine box in the fridge that calls to me of an evening.

"Driiiiiiink me, I'll make you feel warm and ffuuuuuuuuuzzzzzyyyyy"

I'm also partial to a sherry or two. You may as well drink lard

But I'm going ok, I'm sure my bra is looser (the tits are always the first to go )

i have the same wine box problemo Bumdiddley, habe done bodypump ystdy and tday tho.

I applaud your efforts MABS. I just can't seem to motivate myself to do excercise. I do walk for about 45 mins (to and from work).

I just can't physically drink one glass. I have to have two...maybe I should get bigger glasses...

I WISH my boobs were the first to go! Under the boobs is the first - always have to land up buying new bras with the cup size getting bigger and bigger all the time. I try to be philisophical about it but it's hard.

I can't give up wine. So am trying to compromise - only drink it every second day. Today's an off day. Can already feel the "but it's been a long day" whining going on in my head.

Are you all feeling hungry for your meals? I think I used to snack so much I never really got that hungry - or appreciated the taste of food.

Think I may need to up the cals a bit though; think I might be under eating and if I do this I will be more likely to binge on rubbish. I am well down on my target 1330 cals. Will have a snack before dinner.

The wedding dress is gorgeous. We have been married 15yrs so I had the traditional big hooped job! I was so skinny at the time - my size 10 had to be taken in and i'm 5ft 8.

Hey ladies, glad you are all getting in to the swing of things!!

Wine isn't such a big deal for me, I can take it or leave it really, more of a social thing really.

I think you can 'use' the extra calories from exercise if needed, ie if you are off out for a meal, but I am trying not to use them at the in the belief (right or wrong?) it might help kick start my weight loss?

Also need to get back in the habit of drinking more water. I can usually do about a litre but any more than that I struggle with. I also find that helps to make me feel less hungry too.

Seems like we all know what we need to do, but it's actually getting into the routine of doing it properly thats the tough bit!!

Bling - congrats on the impending nuptuals! I had a gorgeous but huge dress when I got married (so know what you mean medogs) and (if) I ever do it again, I would be determined to look a lot better than I did.

Welcome sonnet and bumdiddly - there seem to be a few of us that are 5' 2" sonnet! And any exercise is a bonus bumdiddly, even just a ten minute quick walk.

Romy - hope dh's grandad is doing well.

Went for a half hour walk with the kids, well dd (6) went on her bike so me and ds (13) kept having a race to catch her up, so there was the odd burst of running (me with one hand holding my pants up and the other holding my norks down). What a sight!

Kids off to their dads later so may well wonder into town (2k walk) and get some healthy stuff in from asda.

Keep up the good work girlies!

Good work Mutha! I'm impressed. Jealous too.

Hi. Would you mind if I join you a week late? I had a baby almost 5 months ago and haven't really stopped snacking since. I'd love to lose about 1 and a half stone.

Only two days late - we weight in on Monday. So Welcome!

weighed in even.

Thanks a lot! I've never really "done" diets before, so I'll try really hard to be more active and choose healthier. (I've had loads of reason to before mind you, but I've never cared enough to bother...)

Hi Just got back online

Thanks for the welcome

Not had much sucess in the weightloss department before but have never followed a diet - just eat healthily etc - maybe that is my problem??

For the ,oment I am trying to

1. Eat proper meals
2. no snacking!!
3. No wine
4. Drink more water
5. Exercise....

So far today:

Breakfast: slice of malt loaf, melon
Lunch: Small Jacket potato and a small portion of homemade curry ( canteen at work), followed by an apple
Snack: 2 slices of malt loaf
Supper: Roast chick, roast pots and veg - although will not have pots

Tis hard...Mum and Dad are here looking after DC whilst I am at work hence roast chicken tonight

It is exercise I find diff to do - when to fit in. I work 3 days per week and am too knackered in the evening.....
BUT I NEED to do it for my health

I saw some photos of me from holiday and I was ed.....

Would any of you guys recommend following a programe? - just going to look at food focus

Oh no - having problems with Food focus:

How do I owrk out chickne and veg?

only have 900 claories ( after exercise - can't do this....)so changed to 1lb and it will take me forever......
Help what am I doing wrong???

I am so bad with names - just doing a roundup of who is in - will help me in days to come
Surprise
2Happy
Romy7
oneboyonegirl
Mabs
needstodiet(fab name btw)
tibni
Shesellsseashells....
Medogsarebarking
Littlemisss
MuthaHubbard
Blinglovin
Sonnet

Have I missed anybody???

Good luck this evening - Sonnet wanders off repeating " I do not need that wine, i do not need that wine........"

I've added myself to the list - I'll add my weight tonight and start doing it properly from Monday. (Since I ate a whole tub of Ben & Jerry's yesterday I'm secretly relieved that I only joined today )

Surprise
2Happy
Romy7
oneboyonegirl
Mabs
needstodiet(fab name btw)
tibni
Shesellsseashells....
Medogsarebarking
Littlemisss
MuthaHubbard
Blinglovin
Sonnet
SalLikesCoffee

You missed me!!

Sonnet - I'm doing the same 5 point thing you're doing...

I'm going to have a peppermint tea now...luckily dh has nearly finished the wine box but I can still hear the sherry cooing at me

Sonnet - the advantage to using a site to help with weight loss for me was learning about food in general - where your calories and fat etc come from, and about portion sizes. For example - I was amazed at how little 40g of cereal actually is! I had been having huge bowls of the stuff and thus using loads of calories. Of course it was museli so I though I was being mega healthy. I've learnt to fill my bowl up with extra fruit instead.

I also learnt that I'm a carboholic, and that I needed to balance my eating so that I was getting plenty of protein too - something I still find quite difficult.

Just done my food focus for the day - I've got about 400 cals left despite the ginger cake (does this mean I can have another piece? )

I think its because I've got a bigger calorie allowance than I'm used to - now I must resist the urge to use my extra cals, because I'd only be doing it for the sake of it and I'm really not hungry.

Peppermint tea a brill idea - I've got some camomile and honey so I'll have some of that (and no ginger cake, honest).

Welcome Sal

Thanks medogsarebarking.

Ok, here goes: I'm 68kg (10.7 stone), would feel really, really happy on 58 (9.1 according to the weight converter site). So that's just over one and a half stone to go Would be so good to be able to wear all those perfectly tagged trousers bought in a moment of madness optimism.

Difficult morning with a groggy post-jabs and teething baby, I comfort ate / one-handedly-grabbed 3 sausage rolls from the fridge for lunch... Tried making up for it by making wholemeal pitas for us with grilled spicy chicken and salad filling for dinner. Will try harder tomorrow, and I know I should really, really drink more water (which shouldn't be difficult, since I'm not drinking any ).

So sorry Sallikescoffee and Bumdiddley

Well odne with peppermint tea and ignoring the wine Bumdiddley - I wasn't so good and had a "small" galss with supper
In my defence I have just been swimming and swum 48 lengths.....

That is interesting about portion size medogsarebarking... I suspect I too do that!!

I think food focus is going to be great for me too....

Bumdiddley - Please encourage me on the exercise....I'll do the same for you if you need it!!!

Off for ginger tea and then bed

Catch up with you all tomorrow...

Oh, don't worry Sonnet.

I find this decisions on what to eat all of a sudden quite strange. Dh has offered chocolate and hot chocolate so far, but I think because this is something that I really want to work, I don't even miss it. Am sure will feel different tomorrow, but baby steps.

Hi there, can I join?

Been told today that I have to lose between 10 and 15 kilos before Christmas by the doc today...

Have signed up for food focus. looks useful.

Hi cece, welcome. Foodfocus is interesting, I think, even if you're not into counting calories. It's just an eyeopener about your eating habits. for example, I appear to overdose on carbs!!
Well done anyone who managed not to have wine (or sherry!) last night. I'm trying to drink more water still.
Oof, must admit to being somewhat stiff after Davina's power of 3 yesterday Hopefully it will stop flipping raining long enough today to get out and do something. We did manage a little wander round the farm yesterday 9we live just beside one and they're great about letting the boys sit in the tractors). Unfortunately the knacker's van arrived to pick up a dead sheep, and the smell (in a boak, rather than envious way) just had us running for home (well, except dh who appears to be immune to bad smells ).
Good luck today to anyone trying to get some exercise in!

Sonnet - well done with 48 lengths!

I only had i large glass of wine last nt, so feel v proud !!! I do drink 2-3 litres of water a day so that must be helpful. Just find really hard to fit in exercise til kids go back to school next wed, can't wait

Thanks for the welcome,

I think this thread is good as this is how I lost weight last year. Counting calories for 3 meals per day and then only fruit if I needed a snack inbetween. Although I didn't write anything down I lost a fair bit. Not sure how much as I never weighed myself but I did lose 12 cm off of my waist in 3 months.

Sadly circumstances overtook me and we suffered two bereavements in 4 months hence the weight has now been put back on...

Yesterday I was shocked to find I now have a BMI of nearly 35 I don't feel that fat! Anyway before I can be considered for any treatment I have to get down to about a BMI of 32 or 31 by the time I go again on Christmas Eve.

Anyway food focus says to lose that much by Christmas I have to stick to 1090 calories per day - I was starving when I went to bed but not too bed this morning.. Haven't had breakfast yet - been trying to work out what I can have and still have some calories for lunch and dinner...