General Weight Loss Support Thread

Blue Whale

My upper torso now feels very lean, in fact my ribs feel slightly vunerable whereas before they were obviously protected with a generous layer of fat.

Still have plenty of fat to get rid of though around my hips and belly especially, bum, and elsewhere.

IrishLoriii

I actually feel great! Really killed my self in the gym today and my scales has been saying Ive lost Around a stone since I started this eating healthy change! I dont know whether to trust the scales or not but I feel great and Im seeing progress in the gym

Birdsong

I stayed the same this morning, but to be honest after the bank holiday weekend, I am quite pleased, I had a birthday dinner and drinks . I think the logging on My fitness pal is keeping me focused, I am logging every day

Ilyana 2.0

Fair play to everyone with your progress

I've lost 30lbs, and I feel absolutely great. Another 2-3lbs and I think I'll be happy, and it'll be maintenance from then on. I bought a pair of size 10 jeans at the weekend, that was just brilliant.

Konata

Ilyana 2.0 wrote: »

Fair play to everyone with your progress

I've lost 30lbs, and I feel absolutely great. Another 2-3lbs and I think I'll be happy, and it'll be maintenance from then on. I bought a pair of size 10 jeans at the weekend, that was just brilliant.

That's fantastic, congrats! How long did it take you to lose that?

Ilyana 2.0

Konata wrote: »

That's fantastic, congrats! How long did it take you to lose that?

Thanks so much! Just under five months altogether, but I do have the 'advantage' of being out of work right now, so I have plenty of time to exercise and eat well. I think it would have been slower had I been working full time too.

hardCopy

Faith wrote: »

I have known rocks that have more sensitivity to change than my weighing scales. It will give the exact same read-out even if something significant happens between the two weighings. I could weigh myself, pee out a litre of water, and when I weighed myself afterwards, it would be the same weight - to the gram.

I'll be chucking it out in a few weeks, so anyone have any recommendations for a replacement?

We have this one at home: https://uk.secashop.com/products/flat-scales/seca-876/8761321004

It's medical grade, my wife bought it for work. My gym use the same one at reception. Pricey though.

I can confirm it will register weight change after a pee.

slingerz

Folks I've to get on this as I'm getting married next summer. Less that a year away and I'm feeling be pressure for some weight loss. I've tried in the past and always failed. I'm just inherently lazy. Need to lose about 40lbs and feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of it

JeffKenna

slingerz wrote: »

Folks I've to get on this as I'm getting married next summer. Less that a year away and I'm feeling be pressure for some weight loss. I've tried in the past and always failed. I'm just inherently lazy. Need to lose about 40lbs and feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of it

As the saying goes, how do you eat an elephant? Slice by slice.

Goal number 1 should be a 10lb weight loss. Give yourself a 6 week timeframe.

sawfish

slingerz wrote: »

Folks I've to get on this as I'm getting married next summer. Less that a year away and I'm feeling be pressure for some weight loss. I've tried in the past and always failed. I'm just inherently lazy. Need to lose about 40lbs and feeling completely overwhelmed at the thought of it

Less bread/pasta/rice, more vegetables, smaller portions, and more intensive exercise. Is there a bootcamp or strength and conditioning or crossfit gym in your area? Or just walk if you don't want to do that. But more intensive stuff will speed things along a bit, and will take less of your time.

Don't cut too many calories though, if you eat more healthier you can eat loads of the good stuff, you'll not go hungry and still lose weight

IrishLoriii

Have kinda been going bad the last few days letting little things slip back in
but today Ive tried to reign it back in..green tea and scrambled eggs, a glenisk yoghurt
for break, lunch of tuna green beans kale, protein bar then dinner of salmon, green bbeans,
broccoli, mixed veg with lots of water and exercise!

Faith

I'm just home after a week-long road trip around parts of the States. I tracked every day, and I tried to eat okay, by not snacking too much. Eating on the road is always tricky though, so I tried to reduce my portion sizes. Several days also included lots of walking. I was still up 2lbs this morning . I'm hoping that some of it is water weight, and in any case, I have to get back on the wagon!

The Raptor

Faith wrote: »

I'm just home after a week-long road trip around parts of the States. I tracked every day, and I tried to eat okay, by not snacking too much. Eating on the road is always tricky though, so I tried to reduce my portion sizes. Several days also included lots of walking. I was still up 2lbs this morning . I'm hoping that some of it is water weight, and in any case, I have to get back on the wagon!

You can't be as bad as me. I'm back from holidays a month and I'm just getting over my holiday mood diet. As in, everything went out the window. It was post holiday depression.

I put on so much weight which i lost earlier during the year. Only this week I'm back tracking. I've got 3 days straight done. That's pretty good.

Ilyana 2.0

Well folks, I hit my goal weight this morning - 128lbs! I am absolutely made up, I can't believe I actually managed to lose 33lbs without starving myself or going insane. I actually weighed myself 5 times, just to be sure!

It probably won't really sink in until I see that number a few days in a row, I don't quite believe it yet. I'll probably give myself a little bit of a break this weekend but from Monday it's Operation Maintenance all the way.

Have faith everyone, it'll happen one day!

Faith

Well done, ilyana!! You're such an inspiration

Ilyana 2.0

Faith wrote: »

Well done, ilyana!! You're such an inspiration

Aw shucks! Thank you

cactusgal

Ilyana 2.0 wrote: »

Well folks, I hit my goal weight this morning - 128lbs! I am absolutely made up, I can't believe I actually managed to lose 33lbs without starving myself or going insane. I actually weighed myself 5 times, just to be sure!

It probably won't really sink in until I see that number a few days in a row, I don't quite believe it yet. I'll probably give myself a little bit of a break this weekend but from Monday it's Operation Maintenance all the way.

Have faith everyone, it'll happen one day!

Congratulations!! That's a fantastic achievement, well done. Any words of advice/inspiration? I'm having such a crap time of it, mostly down to the fact that I've been working crazy hours all summer and all attempts at healthy eating have only lasted a day or two

Ilyana 2.0

cactusgal wrote: »

Congratulations!! That's a fantastic achievement, well done. Any words of advice/inspiration? I'm having such a crap time of it, mostly down to the fact that I've been working crazy hours all summer and all attempts at healthy eating have only lasted a day or two

Thank you! I don't know about inspiration as such, but meal planning was really helpful for me. Breakfast and lunch were the same almost everyday, regardless of what time they were eaten at. I always had enough food in for five-six days worth of dinners too, so ordering a takeaway was just too wasteful to justify. Having healthy food at hand all the time makes it easier not to make bad choices IME.

Faith

The day before I left for my holidays, I had hit the 13lbs lost mark. I'm back a week now and I've lost the holiday bloat/gain and I'm back at -13 . I'm struggling a little with motivation, just because I feel like I have been at the same weight for the last 3 weeks, rather than gaining and losing a couple of lbs. Happy Scale is predicting that I'll hit -15 by September 3rd, which would be nice! I fly back into Ireland on August 31st so I'd like to be near that goal by then.

I feel like I'm losing weight really slowly, but Happy Scale says my overall progress is still 1 lb per week, which definitely isn't bad. And I still drink alcohol and eat in restaurants quite frequently, so my lifestyle really hasn't taken a hit at all. I could lose faster, I reckon, but at least this way I can lose and not feel in any way deprived, and it feels like I could keep going like this indefinitely. I'm making healthier choices in restaurants, and I think this pace will help when I eventually move to maintenance .

IrishLoriii

Ive gained a bit and im not too happy but no idea what to do..Ive been
trying to keep my main meals really healthy but the snacking is killing me!

leahyl

I just have a quick question - do people count calories here when losing weight? If so, how many calories should a moderately active 31 year old woman be consuming on a daily basis if she is trying to shift say 7-10 pounds? I'm currently trying to stay at the 1500 mark but it's hard sometimes! I'm eating as many good foods as I can!

Alf Veedersane

leahyl wrote: »

I just have a quick question - do people count calories here when losing weight? If so, how many calories should a moderately active 31 year old woman be consuming on a daily basis if she is trying to shift say 7-10 pounds? I'm currently trying to stay at the 1500 mark but it's hard sometimes! I'm eating as many good foods as I can!

You don't necessarily need to track religiously but it works for people.

It depends on your weight and height and how active you are. Do you have a desk job?

There's often an argument where people say you don't need to count calories if you eat good food. That's not strictly true. Good food tends to be less calorie dense so it's much more difficult to overeat but you can. Also, what people consider 'good' may not necessarily be what they think.

The better your diet is, the better chance you have of not eating too many calories.

leahyl

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

You don't necessarily need to track religiously but it works for people.

It depends on your weight and height and how active you are. Do you have a desk job?

There's often an argument where people say you don't need to count calories if you eat good food. That's not strictly true. Good food tends to be less calorie dense so it's much more difficult to overeat but you can. Also, what people consider 'good' may not necessarily be what they think.

The better your diet is, the better chance you have of not eating too many calories.

Yes, I have a desk job but try to get out for a walk a few times a week (in the evenings and during lunch time at work) and do yoga....not sure if that's enough exercise....need to get back into a bit of jogging/running again as I've kind of given up on it in last few months.

I've started back on a relatively healthy diet since this week only (after hols and generally eating crap!) - so been having eggs and avocado and wholemeal toast for brekkie/porridge/Weetabix and then for lunch a salad with tuna/ham/bit of cheese/avocado, snacks would be greek yogurt and fruit and a dark chocolate rice cake (:o) with peanut butter(the good kind - meridian!) , a handful of unsalted pistachios during the day maybe if I get the munchies . I then just have my normal dinner in the evening (I live at home so whatever is going there...). Writing it down it sounds like a lot and I am satisfied but I just feel guilty if I still feel a bit hungry or want a biscuit or whatever! It gets much harder to give up sweet stuff as you get older I think!

Alf Veedersane

leahyl wrote: »

Yes, I have a desk job but try to get out for a walk a few times a week (in the evenings and during lunch time at work) and do yoga....not sure if that's enough exercise....need to get back into a bit of jogging/running again as I've kind of given up on it in last few months.

I've started back on a relatively healthy diet since this week only (after hols and generally eating crap!) - so been having eggs and avocado and wholemeal toast for brekkie/porridge/Weetabix and then for lunch a salad with tuna/ham/bit of cheese/avocado, snacks would be greek yogurt and fruit and a dark chocolate rice cake (:o) with peanut butter(the good kind - meridian!) , a handful of unsalted pistachios during the day maybe if I get the munchies . I then just have my normal dinner in the evening (I live at home so whatever is going there...). Writing it down it sounds like a lot and I am satisfied but I just feel guilty if I still feel a bit hungry or want a biscuit or whatever! It gets much harder to give up sweet stuff as you get older I think!

So I used a calorie calculator and plugged in some numbers: age 31, height 5' 6", weight 10 stone/140 lbs. Just numbers plucked out of thin air. Put in that you do 1-3 hours of light exercise a week. 1,900 is your daily calorie allowance. That would go down if you were shorter and lighter (less body for your organs to run). To lose weight, obviously eat less than 1,900.

It might be no harm looking at MyFitnessPal just to get an appreciation of the calories in what you eat. An average avocado would be of the order of 220 kcals, 2 eggs would be about 150 and a slice of toast would be 75. That's of the order of 25% of your daily calories.

That doesn't mean you're eating too much or there's anything wrong with that as a breakfast. It's good food. But if you're trying to lose weight, it just means you know what's left for the day, ball park.

If nothing else, MyFitnessPal is a good educational tool. It lets you get a handle of what's in what you're eating.

jokettle

Go to sailrabbit.com/bmr, and choose Sedentary Lifestyle under the Activity Level. I advise this because the vast majority of calculates over estimate how many calories you burn through exercise. Under Weight Goal, you can put that you want to lose 1lb per week, and it will show you your calorie intake target.

You can also look at the calculator on losertown.org and see how they compare. I found them both really useful.

Weighing and measuring all your food is the only way to know for sure how many calories you're taking in. Avocado and peanut butter are healthy, yes, but also very high in calories. I wouldn't say to stop eating them, but start measuring how much you're eating and figure out how to make that fit into your calories targets.

leahyl

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

So I used a calorie calculator and plugged in some numbers: age 31, height 5' 6", weight 10 stone/140 lbs. Just numbers plucked out of thin air. Put in that you do 1-3 hours of light exercise a week. 1,900 is your daily calorie allowance. That would go down if you were shorter and lighter (less body for your organs to run). To lose weight, obviously eat less than 1,900.

It might be no harm looking at MyFitnessPal just to get an appreciation of the calories in what you eat. An average avocado would be of the order of 220 kcals, 2 eggs would be about 150 and a slice of toast would be 75. That's of the order of 25% of your daily calories.

That doesn't mean you're eating too much or there's anything wrong with that as a breakfast. It's good food. But if you're trying to lose weight, it just means you know what's left for the day, ball park.

If nothing else, MyFitnessPal is a good educational tool. It lets you get a handle of what's in what you're eating.

Thanks, I do use MyFitnessPal (or I have in the past) but you say an average avocado is 220 calories but on MyFitnessPal it says that half an avocado is 170 calories - so how do you know that the calorie calculations are correct for these kinds of foods (ie. where the calorie content isn't on them already)?

Alf Veedersane

leahyl wrote: »

Thanks, I do use MyFitnessPal (or I have in the past) but you say an average avocado is 220 calories but on MyFitnessPal it says that half an avocado is 170 calories - so how do you know that the calorie calculations are correct for these kinds of foods (ie. where the calorie content isn't on them already)?

It depends on the size so that might be half a larger avocado. I tended to use the larger value where there were 2 that seemed plausible.

But ultimately, it's only a guide. Trends in weight will give a more accurate picture of whether or not you're in a deficit.

leahyl

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It depends on the size so that might be half a larger avocado. I tended to use the larger value where there were 2 that seemed plausible.

But ultimately, it's only a guide. Trends in weight will give a more accurate picture of whether or not you're in a deficit.

Thanks a mil, yeah I feel like I might be going overboard on the portions maybe! Perhaps one poached egg would be enough rather than two!! And not such big avocados

jokettle

leahyl wrote: »

Thanks, I do use MyFitnessPal (or I have in the past) but you say an average avocado is 220 calories but on MyFitnessPal it says that half an avocado is 170 calories - so how do you know that the calorie calculations are correct for these kinds of foods (ie. where the calorie content isn't on them already)?

Tbh, here is where weighing your food is invaluable! MFP is great, I use it myself, but the entries are all from other users. So your half of an avocado is bound to be different to someone else's half, because not all avocados are identical! The most accurate thing to do is scoop out all the avocado you want to eat, weigh it, then google (or check in MFP) "calories in Xg of avocado", and you'll have your answer.

I realise that weighing and measuring EVERYTHING might seem like it will take a huge amount of time, but once it becomes habit it takes maybe 5mins a day, tops. Plus if you tend to eat the same amount of the same foods regularly, you won't have to measure everything because you'll have learned that your lunch has 350 calories, for example. Especially since you're only looking to lose 10 pounds, those extra few calories here and there will make a lot of difference.

leahyl

jokettle wrote: »

Tbh, here is where weighing your food is invaluable! MFP is great, I use it myself, but the entries are all from other users. So your half of an avocado is bound to be different to someone else's half, because not all avocados are identical! The most accurate thing to do is scoop out all the avocado you want to eat, weigh it, then google (or check in MFP) "calories in Xg of avocado", and you'll have your answer.

I realise that weighing and measuring EVERYTHING might seem like it will take a huge amount of time, but once it becomes habit it takes maybe 5mins a day, tops. Plus if you tend to eat the same amount of the same foods regularly, you won't have to measure everything because you'll have learned that your lunch has 350 calories, for example. Especially since you're only looking to lose 10 pounds, those extra few calories here and there will make a lot of difference.

Cheers, will definitely take that on board