Right.... thats it! I've had enough of being fat. Come and give me advice on how to lose 2-3 stone.

[spookycharlotte121]

Im 5"4 and weigh about 13 stone. Im about a size 14-16. I dont want to be this big anymore. Its making me unhappy and i feel very lathargic.

I have exercise dvd's that I can do at home and I want to start going swimming twice a week.

Can anyone give me advice on meals I can do that will suit the kids too.

How many calories should I be eating a day? I would be more than happy to lose 1-2lbs a week.

Any advice would be greatly recieved.

I'm 5'6" and was about that size too about two years ago. I have a small frame and all the weight had nowhere to hide, IYKWIM. I ate about 1200 calories a day, but I wasn't fussy about counting, so maybe more, maybe less. I hate to feel I'm depriving myself, so I settled with myself that I would eat sweet things, but only if I baked them myself, and that was fine for the DCs also, because we could do some baking together. Also, I knew I couldn't give up chocolate, so I had my special chocolate time to enjoy a square of dark choc slowly with a cuppa. I never did any exercise at home except for a step machine and I watched tv while doing it because it was boring otherwise. The only thing I was really tough on myself about was going out for a 45 minute walk every day, rain or shine. If you're the main cook, examine your recipes for fat-laden items. Try to use the absolute minimum oil for frying, avoid rashers and sausages - try to cook lean meats that have been marinated instead of relying on fat for flavour. Add less sugar to recipes (you can't tell the difference if you cut down sugar by about a third in most recipes). Eat smaller servings and cut back a lot on added butter and gravy. Have a protein rich breakfast, even an egg, and whole grains, and ignore the midmorning snack. Have protein again for lunch, with some carbs (whole grain again). Snack on cheese, yogurt, nuts, and other non refined carb snacks. You can probably reduce your evening meal size by about a fifth if you're eating protein during the day. Don't forget beans have both fibre and carbs. You can still cook the same things, just examine the recipes and eat a bit less. Try to limit convenience food, and avoid too much eating out. Don't try too much exercise all in one go or you may feel tired or even injure yourself. Work up to more as you feel more energetic. If you find yourself not feeling very motivated, try joining a group.

Thanks for the advice. Most of it is common sense really isnt it.
I really like the idea of going swimming. Its something i used to do a lot of as a teenager but had to stop to concentrate on school. I have always found it very relaxing so I think it would be less of a chore to do this than more robust exercises.
I dont eat breakfast or drink enough water so Im hoping that making these changes will make a difference.

How long did it take you to notice a difference in the way you look?

I was thinking of making my own soup and having this everyday for lunch.

What would you recommend for eveing meals and how do I go about calorie counting. I have never done it before.

sorry about all the questions.... I just really want to make this work.

thanks.

I gave up bread, potatoes and really limited my refined sugar intake. Therefore I had no need to calorie count, I hate the thought of doing that, it seems to make life so difficult!

I lost two stone or thereabouts.

Oh and I would eat a different lunch to the dc, so I found it helpful to cook a large batch of something like soup or chicken breasts with veg and tomatoes, and have it for a few days. If you don't have to plan from scratch every day it makes it easier to stick to.

Key points: no snacking, no or very little sugary stuff, no snacking, no finishing off the children's plates, smaller portions of healthy food. More exercise. Meal planning.

I was very overweight after a serious illness (fairly similar size to you). I've only managed to lose a stone so far but feel a lot better than that as far fitter and more toned. I have lost nothing over school holidays due to excessive cake baking, finishing off ice creams and so on. I'm finding it very difficult to stick to the no snacking and no sugary stuff. In fact I've just chomped my way through a large handful of waitrose "cheerios". I find that if I eat sweet stuff I want need more sweet stuff.

I used food focus to help me work out what I should be eating. I did it for a week or two to get a good idea of portion size and the right balance of foods. It was very helpful. I need to go back and do it again to retrain myself.

Eat healthily and exercise. That is it.

I needed to lose 2 stones too. 1-2lbs a week is a good and realistic goal and you are far more likely to keep it off by doing it gradually.

My honest advice is that dieting or faddy exercising is not the answer. The answer is to just change your lifestyle in small and manageable ways. Exercise should be something you look to continue for the longterm for your health, stress levels and most importantly for your enjoyment. If you like swimming then brilliant, it's something you can do regularly, is good for you and the children can do it too.

Diet wise you should be eating healthily, not restricting food groups and counting calories but trying to maintain a healthy attitude to food. It's important for children to see this too instead of polarising food as 'good' or 'bad'. I find the idea of saying 'I'm not allowed' something ridiculous because if I'm healthy and realistic then there's absolutely no reason why you can't have things you enjoy in moderation as part of a balanced diet. You end up setting up this scenario where you crave and think about the 'banned' stuff and don't enjoy food for what it is.

I took up running and now run 6-12k 5 times a week. I lost the weight slowly, I'm much fitter and running is just part of my life now, one that I enjoy and crave.

I have never really had much of a stamina so swimming has always been something that has been natuaral to me.

I would be quite interested in getting a personal trainer for one session a week once I have built up some stammina and also once Im working and have a better income.

Im going to make a start by defrosting the freezer so that I can make lots of wholesome meals and have them at hand so that Im not tempted to eat something not so good for me. Thanks for the helpful comments. I have found them very constructive.

I really didn't count calories apart from sitting down initially and reading about what was high in calories and what wasn't, because I thought it would be easier for me to feel carefree and less under pressure if I (a) didn't obsess about calories by counting every day and (b) had a large list of what I should eat for good health and good results instead of focusing on what I 'couldn't' eat. I hate rules... So I made my list of foods that were good for me including chocolate because that was good in its own way . I also didn't weigh myself every day, just about once a week or so. The hardest part for me was getting organised and doing just one shopping a week, and sticking to my list, but I found that it actually saved me a lot of time to do it that way, and knowing in advance what dinner was going to be reduced the anxiety and the stress-related eating I was doing in the afternoon. Plus I didn't have to think about food every day because my plan was made on Saturday morning for the coming week. I think I noticed a difference after about a month. Felt very encouraged and upbeat.

Sorry didn't see your Q about dinners. I like citrus flavours so had a nice lemon chicken recipe, as well as a few other standbys. I rotated the recipes about every two weeks until DCs got tired of them. (Sprinkle a little s&p over boneless, skinless chicken breasts, brown in a little oil, add chopped garlic, onion, as desired, add a little chopped parsley or basil (even dried) or whatever you have in the way of herbs, then try to remove a lot of the fat on the pan with a spoon or a turkey baster. Then add a little clear chicken broth (a few tablespoons) plus about twice that amount of lemon juice or lime juice about half a small mug. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Uncover and reduce the liquid over medium heat. Serve with rice or couscous equal parts chicken and rice for you, about a fistful of each, plus veggies. The citrus sauce went well with cauliflower, broccoli, and green beans) Look up epicurious.com, allrecipes.com, and others for buckets of recipes, or get a heart healthy cook book for ideas.

thanks mathanxiety. That chicken sounds lovely. Have found a few good recipies so im quite looking forward to trying out some new things.
I had quite a good day today.... was a little naughty at lunch time but at dinner time I had roast dinner.... only ate untill I was full and ate the veggies first and only ate one roast potatoe becuase I was full. Also went for a walk for half an hour so Im hoping to have another good day tomorrow.

I lost 2.5 stone in 6 months (13 stone to 10.5 stone, 5 foot 7inch tall) after having DS by:

• having a banana for breakfast
• eating prawns, cottage cheese and ryvita for lunch (every single bloody weekday!)
• not having second helpings at dinner
• no snacks
• exercising (running usually) at least 4 times a week
• no beer during the week

I wasn't completely obsessive about cutting out certain foods (couldn't have got rid of wine...), but just tried to think every time I ate something whether I really wanted it. We didn't really change what we ate for dinner - I just tried to have less. I also tried to be relaxed about having the occasional blowout (7 course foie gras-laden meal at Club Gascon!).

I honestly didn't think I could do it, but once I started losing weight, it gave me the motivation to continue IYKWIM.

Good luck!

I was 13st 9lb when I joined WW and got down to 12st 4lb just before the summer holidays.

Have been crap during the last few weeks but know I can get back to it when we are all back at school. I work as a TA so am at school too!

Rice Krispies 30g for breakfast

School fruit at 10.30am

Salad and soup for lunch

Banana at 4pm

Roasted veg/pasta and salad for dinner

Cut out alcohol and lots of carbs after 6pm and exercise!