I've just lost 4 stone and would like to share how I did it.......(long...sorry)

[hammouhouseofhorror]

Hi, have mentioned on a couple of threads that I have lost 4 stone and people have asked me how, but I haven't wanted to go into detail on someone elses thread.
I haven't followed an official diet and everything I have done has been to suit me and my lifestyle, but if any of it is of any use to anybody I'd love to share....

I was 14 1/2 stone, drinking 2 or 3 cans super strength lager a night, and a chronic comfort eater. My Grandad died and my world was rocked in a number of ways and I could feel myself slipping into depression. I decided to give up drinking for a week, but at the end of the week felt so much better and had lost a couple of pound so I decided to stick with it.

I started walking. Small distances at first at a pace I was comfortable with and then gradually picking up the pace until I started feeling 'slightly warm'.

I added extra walking at every opportunity...getting off the bus an extra stop early, or parking as far away from the supermarket doors instead of as close as we could, find a bit longer route to walk the children to school. I took up cycling when my youngest started school and gradually built that up as well. Again, I didn't punish myself, it had to be enjoyable. After christmas I added running to my exercise....started at about 1/4 mile and now I can run 8.
As far as exercise is concerned It was important to enjoy it and also to build it up so it fitted into my daily routine so it was never a chore. I am now completely hooked!

Food wise I changed my eating habits rather than going on a specific diet. I slowly cut down my food portions..taking off a desertspoon of potatoes/pasta every other week until my plate was 1/2 vegetables, 1/4 carbs, 1/4 protein. I didn't cut out gravy or sauces but reduced the quantity..and I always have pudding. When eating the meal I eat the vegetables first so that as I fill up I am left with the tasty satisfying bit at the end. I chew slowly and always have water with my meal.

I drink constantly, water, juices, tea. I don't like cold water at this time of year so I drink it lukewarm.

I also found healthy snack options that I loved..for me it is a glass of tomato juice and a small handfull of nuts. I have a small handfull of nuts at breakfast which seeems to sustain me for longer in the morning.

Where I could easily devour half a packet of bicuits with coffee, I'd now have two biscuits and a piece of fruit. I ask in cafes if they do skinny lattes. If I bought in my favourite cakes I would put them in the freezer so that I had to think about eating them and only defrost one.

I haven't stopped eating anything, but I cut down what I ate and I have found that my tastes have changed with time and I now can't eat a whole cream cake let alone devour two in one sitting. But if I want one I have it. I have a 'treat' everyday, I am addicted to kitkats, and icecream. But along with my life changes it isn't a big problem. I have days where I stuff myself but tend to find it makes me uncomfortable so I don't do it very often.

Motivation was hard at first but for me as the weight started to come off and I started buying smaller clothes it felt good and I was enjoying it. I would time how long I could stay hungry for as I figured hunger was my body burning up fat, not to the point that it made me ill, but just not eating the minute I was hungry.

This has all taken about 18mnths and the key was always to do it gradually so that I was comfortable and enjoying food and life.

It is obviously not an 'official' diet and the details are what have suited me, but I hope it helps in some small way for somebody. I actually stopped drinking (alcohol) altogether in the end, but that was just my choice.

Good luck to anybody trying to lose weight, I know how hard it is and never take for granted how difficult it was to achieve my goal weight...but it can be done.

Think I need to come on my own thread, have got the serious munchies!!!

Luckily it is the end of the week so have nothing in..start chewing on furniture.

how often did you weigh yourself?
I'm a bit addicted to that alone. I do it morning and night evry day (must get a life)

hammou - What an amazing inspirational story. I too would like permission to print this and place on my fridge. It just shows that you can truly make changes in life for the better. You sound so happy and confident now, and should be really proud of your achievements. Well done you

Every day x2 . can't break that habit pellmell. it does sort of moniter me but perhaps don't need to do it quite so often. My target weight had 1/2 stone stretsh 10st4-10st11, so that I could put on a few pounds without beating myself up, and then lose it without too much pressure.
How are you doing pellmell?

oh and thanks Fimbles5, Xposted.
If it helps, please feel free.

Someone once told me to ask myself if I wanted the food I was eating as much as I hated being overweight. For me the answer was no.

I also tried thinking of people I admired, not necessarily because of their looks but because they had achieved something. I was humbled by the lady that had cancer and yet did a lot of running for charity ( I am so sorry I can't remember her name,). When I was running I pretended I was running with Lara Croft and Elektra , it was silly but made running fun!

When I was at my heaviest I made a decision to accept the way I was for the time being even if I didn't like it, so if I bought clothes, I would make sure they fitted me comfortably, instead of forcing myself into a size too small so that I would think I was that size. The painful red welts on my waist just made me feel worse.

Wishing every success to anybody trying to lose weight.

Thank you

....fedda, it is amazing how much it helps to get support...mine came from Mnet in some of the other things I was struggling with, not quite there yet but as long as Mnet is here...

You are absolutely right, support helped me as well but I'm still struggling at the moment as after a very good and steady weight loss I'm gaining my weight

well done hammou, i love the way you are inspiring people so many people who have more than a couple of stone to lose look at all those skinny people and think its guna be too hard so give up. But you show that you do what keeps you happy a bit at a time and before you know youre buying those perfect fitting clothes!! c'mon people lets get losing!!!!!!

I'm in if it's okay.

hammou, you sound so inspiring but also very understated. You've said more in one post than most diet books or dvds say in several hundred pages or hours of guff. You should write a book, alas without some sort of celebrity endorsement, it may well go awry but you speak more sense than several thousand others before you! Congratulations - whilst you await national recognition, I too will print and stick to fridge!

Thanks for the lovely compliments from you all.

Fedda, i'd love to support you in any way I can....
Can you focus on just stabilising your weight for the time being fedda? Whilst you might not lose any, it has got to be a start to stop it from rising, so that you can sort of assess your next move. And think of a small goal to achieve. When I thought of the whole 4 stone it was overwhelming, but breaking it down into about Half stone chunks made it more manageable.

I stumbled a couple of times but sometimes remembering things I hated about carrying excess weight helped..My thighs used to get sore where they rubbed together if I wore skirts. And I do have a determined streak that kicks in sometimes. It was just learning to use it.

It took a long time but I figured I'd slowly conditioned myself to believe that food is a reward or treat or made me feel better, and it would take time to turn that back around a little bit.

Some of the stuff I write will have come from various diets as I have looked at the odd one. But the only thing I really used was a British Heart Foundation leaflet that gave advice on portions.

Thanks onceinalifetime, I'm not sure about a book. I wish I had kept a diary though, maybe someone else could who is in the middle of it..Something that people can relate to...it is a great idea. Could be endorsed by mumsnet.

Night for now, and thanks again to all. I'm so glad I posted.

Well done Haammou - you write a lot of sense. Like someone has said, you say it all succinctly and in a really easy to relate to way very inspiring. I think the alcohol thing is a biggy - I am now giving up, it just bloats me. I smiled at the knitting thing - I think the hungry French peasants used to knit just before the Revolution, to keep their hunger at bay! Good idea though - distraction and a delaying technique. Thank you again for your honesty and inspiration.

I'm doing o.k thanks!
I feel determined again.

wow!

Hammou, thank you for taking the time to share your amazing story. We all know what we should be eating, but anyone who has more than 2 or 3 stone to lose needs more support than just being told what to eat.

Your post does that

I'm also a chronic comfort eater. And I turn to food when stressed. Someone else mentioned they eat when the kids are naughty, I can also relate to that I used to get home and pour myself a huge glass of wine while stuffing my fat face with Haribos and crisps while trying desperately to control the kids. I was so unhappy then.

My youngest (twin boys) are now 8 years old, so my life is less hectic, but I'm still trying to lose all the weight I put on when they were small. I desperately need to lose 4 stone, but I need to get out of the binge & diet yo-yo mode (which gets me no where, but yet I still resort to). I will be taking your brilliant "real" advice and try to lose the weight sensibly and properly for once in my life.

thank you for your support, hammou. i have to admot I often eat for comfort and when I'm on my own I think what should i eat now? I've stopped myself on number of times just asking myself whether i felt I needed anything and the answer, when I had a good thinking time, was negative. I eat when I'm bored, happy, upset, on my own, with the company - any excuse! When i like my food i eat more because i like it and when I don't like my food i eat more to get rif of the taste! You get the picture! Well, my goal is not that big - I'd like to say good bye to 3 kg. I like your advice and I'll try to follow it. Thank you so much!

Hammou, could I ask a big favour. Could you give us an idea of what you ate for B/F, lunch & dinner while losing the weight ?

I have to go on drastic diets to lose any weight (Lighter Life or Atkins etc). I find I simply cannot lose just by cutting down. I can only last a week or so on these stupid diets and then I go back to eating normally again. I then end up putting back on the couple of pounds I've lost

I would love to find a plan where I can eat "normal" food yet still lose. I nearly think thats beyond me now

I hope you don't mind but its so rare to hear a success story from someone who hasn't resorted to surgery or by starving themselves

Showmeheaven...Hi.

Breakfast; I often have fruit (sometimes tinned in fruit juice) and a generous handfull of nuts. Coffee with sugar and milk. If Ive got the munchie I might also have a couple of plain biscuits or a two finger KitKat. Glass of water, and a fruit juice.

Lunches; Crackers with light spread or small cob with meat and tomato / lettuce ,Turkey and lettuce have feel good chemicals in them.
I love muller crunch corners and muller rice. But buy them as I need them as If I buy them in bulk to save money I just eat more, which defeats the object! Usually have a glass of tomato juice, and a cup of tea. I also sometimes include a can of diet coke, I'm not a big fizzy drink fan but do use them occassionally to fill me up.

My dinner menu isn't specific. I just altered my portions to the 1/2 plate veg, 1/4 plate each carbs and protein. And I do tend to have gravy. I eat the veg first to fill up (and get rid of them!) and then savour the rest,
I nearly always have an ice-cream for pudding.
Home made soups are great at this time of year. I stick them in a pressure cooker and make enough to freeze as well. This is a great meal if you love bread, as the soups are full of veg, the bread is a good balance. I don't eat a massive amount of bread as it triggers my IBS but can get away with it two or three times a week.

The comfort eating I tackled a bit at a time. Taking one time every month or so and dealing with it. I have Fibromyalgia which means I get dreadfully tired, so if I fall asleep during the day I would always comfort eat (half a packet of biscuits). So now I make sure I have a banana, few nuts, and a small chocolate bar (i.e freddo!), and a warm sweet drink. Chocolate gives me the sugar rush, and the fruit and nuts sustain it. I don't know what to suggets if you are allergic to nuts.

It is hard SmH, but don't lose heart, something will click into place for you. I struggled until my Dc's were both at school.

Got to wake Dc's up now but will post again later if I think of anything else.

to all

P.S Exercise wise I swore by my step counter in the early days. Even if I couldn't manage the 10,000 a day that they recommend, I'd aim at increasing my count every week.

Computer has a virus so have to leave you all for now.....aaaaarrrrggghhhh.

Thanks Hammou You don't overeat and you still have your treats ... so your plan obviously works very well for you. I just can't see myself surviving on nuts and crackers until dinner

I need to control my portion size, plus control my comfort eating. I've managed to stop turning to chocolate - by just not buying it. I found the more I ate, the more I needed, so I had to cut it out.

You have done so well, fair play to you. Its so refreshing to hear about a real weight loss story without having to resort to surgery (Fern!) or starving yourself (Posh!).

Yes, the plan is really good and i also agree that sometimes cutting out works good as well. It depends so much on the person, I think. I eat easily 3 ice-creams in one go and for me it's much easier to refuse ice-cream then to have a normal size portion. I know that French people find it natural to have a small treat and I was out with a group of friends when everyone just had a cup of black coffee but my French friend ordered esspresso with a big slice of a chocolate cake. She had a long talk with us and had some of her cake and when it was time to finish, she elegantly put more then half of the cake inside the tissue and put into her bag. I would have the whole slice without any trouble having my regrets later while she was enjoying every mouthful and staying beautifully slim.

Definately couldn't leave my cake....

I do snack in between my meals, and make a point of it. I am more of a 'grazer' foodwise. Snacks I am a bit more inventive with. Cake is my downfall, and fruit pies. A couple of times a week I have a piece drowning in cream.

I found my taste changed the less ''junk'' food I ate, like you said ShowmeHeaven, the more you eat the more you want it. Especially salty foods. I very rarely have crisps now as I can't believe they are so salty. I think I don't tend to eat so much as well because my stomach has naturally shrunk with the smaller meals so I fill up quicker.

It is funny that now I have got it under control I don't tend to think about food all the time.

I think decreasing my calorific intake and increasing my exercise was the start of it all, even though it was just a bit at a time.

I wouldn't have thought I would have been happy eating the things I do but I actually look forward to things like nuts and fruit. Some things never worked for me. I really tried with herbal teas, and do have one occassionally but it is definately tea and coffee for me!

It frustates me that people like Posh are not providing the best role models for women and wonder how happy they are. I'm pretty content now and will be satisfied if my weight just fluctuates a little around what it is now.

Hope things are going well for everybody else