Best way to lose two stone?

Susannahmia

I have always been around the right weight for my height until this year . This has been my final year in college and I have put up almost two stone at this stage.


All that this year has consisted of is me sitting down in the library, coming home tired and eating crap.

I am five foot two or three and have always been 9 stone or under, now I am 10s 10ibs! I was overweight before as a child, age 10 till 11 but when puberty hit it all magically fell off!

My exams will finish at the end of the month so I will have time to start working to shift this weight. I have always been really unfit and am more of a fan of the couch so this will be hard for me, especially the training aspect.

I would be delighted to get more toned and back to my old weight or maybe 81/2.

I live next door to a gym so I plan on joining that and cutting out the fatty foods. What should my calorie intake be to lose this kind of weight? Any other suggestions would be great! Help!

Faith

There's a great sticky in the Fitness forum for calculating your basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories you'd burn in 24 hours if you just lay in bed. Then you can work out what you burn from your daily activity.

Aim to lose 1-2lbs a week, although it's harder than it sounds to shift 2! Try to exercise at least 3 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time. And by exercise, I mean do something that will have you sweating and your heart pumping - a gentle stroll doesn't count! When you join the gym, do weights, and do them before cardio. It helps you burn fat, and muscle burns more calories than fat does, so you lose more weight!

As I've found out the hard way though, exercise really only accounts for about 25% of weight loss - the rest is diet control. I've been at the gym 4 times this week, doing weights and cardio, and I've still managed to put on half a pound! (Realistically I know it's probably water retention, but still.)

Try making a food diary to help track what you're eating. Good luck with it!

/edit: This thread is what you need.

Latchy

Counting the calories in your daily/weekly food consumtion is the way to go .It doesnt mean you have to live on lettuce and water ,it's just you eat a variety of foods after counting how much the calorie count is in each item (obiously low ) and mix them up . A friend has joined slimmers world were she is giving a booklet which covers every food sold in most major supermarkets and she is able to find a nice variety to match without worrying about overdoing the calories. She has lost a stone and a half in 6 weeks. Even if you only loose a pound or two at the end of the week , it's a pound or two less and it all adds up over the months .

Stef1979

the above posters are right...its all about controlling your food intake (better food choices) and exercise...I too am trying to loose 2 stone and have managed to loose 5 pounds in the last 4 - 5 weeks (the first 2 weeks were not great food choices so didnt achieve much but now a lot better)
I find the gym really boring so I do step aerobics, pilates (just starting this - good for toning) and regular walks and training for mini marathon...I also invested in a trampette which is supposed to be good for fat burning....

Khannie

Best way to lose two stone: Slowly. I'm down a bit over two stone from my heaviest. Took me a good year to achieve. Slowly but surely.

As others have said, the stickies are superb. Once you've worked out how much you should eat, consider an electronic scales and monitoring what you're eating. It has really helped me.

Good luck!

fourmations

i lost two stone on weightwatchers in about five months

i didnt go to meetings
i just did it at home (my wife had all the stuff)

rgds

4

Redpunto

Eat little and often 4/5 a day.

Dont eat after 6pm.

Cut out pasta and white bread.

Dont snack.

And dont worry youre not overweight,,,,im sure u look lovely as u are,,final year is a tough time,,youll get back 2 normal once exams are done.

BubbleWrap85

I feel like a right heifer after seeing that 10 10 is making you feel so bad! I'm 5'3 or 5'4 as well and I am really fat. I blame my parents for when i was younger as we allways had fizzy drinks and my granny used to buy lots of junk food. However as I've gotten older I only have myself to blame. To be honest, i always had this don't carish attitude about my size. I'm 15 stone though now, and not only am I at a terribly unhealthy weight, but I'm embarrassed as now it's summer time and I can't wear the skimpy clothes that every one else can. I'm under a lot of pressure this year with my job, next year it will be easier, but I want to make a good start NOW. I suppose I don't want the embarrassemnt of going to the gym until I'm looking a little better. i bought an exercise bike and I have the weight watchers point counter book from a friend. I'm going to rely on this. It tells you how many points are in what you eat etc. I'm going to America in August and realy want to be able to wear a nice swimming costume. Can't see me ever in a bikini as my body is covered in white stretch marks and I know these will never go. Ideally I'd like to be 11 stone. "Overweight" perhaps for my height but I don't want to be skinny. Just wondering what I can do for the next 3 months to get me in as best shape as possible? I'm 22 and don't want to be wasting any more of my life like this.

Susannahmia

BubbleWrap85 wrote: »

I feel like a right heifer after seeing that 10 10 is making you feel so bad! I'm 5'3 or 5'4 as well and I am really fat. I blame my parents for when i was younger as we allways had fizzy drinks and my granny used to buy lots of junk food. However as I've gotten older I only have myself to blame. To be honest, i always had this don't carish attitude about my size. I'm 15 stone though now, and not only am I at a terribly unhealthy weight, but I'm embarrassed as now it's summer time and I can't wear the skimpy clothes that every one else can. I'm under a lot of pressure this year with my job, next year it will be easier, but I want to make a good start NOW. I suppose I don't want the embarrassemnt of going to the gym until I'm looking a little better. i bought an exercise bike and I have the weight watchers point counter book from a friend. I'm going to rely on this. It tells you how many points are in what you eat etc. I'm going to America in August and realy want to be able to wear a nice swimming costume. Can't see me ever in a bikini as my body is covered in white stretch marks and I know these will never go. Ideally I'd like to be 11 stone. "Overweight" perhaps for my height but I don't want to be skinny. Just wondering what I can do for the next 3 months to get me in as best shape as possible? I'm 22 and don't want to be wasting any more of my life like this.

Good luck bubblewrap It looks like you are taking the right steps, it is actually 10 12 or 13 now that I have checked it properly. A lil worse but yeah I know a lot of people are in much more difficult situations. The weight watchers is a very good diet, my aunt has had some success with it in the past, you have to really really commit for it to work though.

My aunt got an pair of mbts as well and goes for an hours walk every single morning. I plan to try the same but I'm such a lazy bum, might try and rope in a friend for encouragement!

BubbleWrap85

Thanks. That's my problem, I can't get up early, no matter what the intention! I'm better coming home jumping on the bike and then showering!
I heard cous cous is better than wholegrain rice. Here was me thinkin i was doin well by eating me stir fry with wholegrain rice and my friend said its more fattening than potatoes? ! Argh !

funkycat83

Weight watchers is the way to go.
I would advise to go to as many meetings as possible. yes you can do it without them but it helps more if you go.
Reading what foods have a higher points value really helps you to make smarter descions aswell, I made a few simple changes and it makes all the difference, as in losing the weight and keeping it off!
Theres also recipes in the booklets they give you.
Yes exercise is important too. 30 minutes 5 times a week! Best of luck, its not easy to stay motivated but the rewards are worth it!