Let's lose a bit of weight.....

[buzzingtalk]

I went swimming for an hour the other day, was lovely. I really recommend it to anyone on here, especially bigger/older people as it is no impact on your joints and recommended by doctors for people to get moving again. Did about 40 lengths, if any of you are in Norwich at all and want a swim buddy let me know. I'm going to go again tomorrow, aiming for twice weekly, then gonna add in a gym session before swimming (just waiting for gym induction as I swapped gyms).

Add to that cycling in to work a few times a week (6 mile round trip) and I'll be fitter and healthier for summer. Still got a long way to go though, I'd like to lose about 15KG...

[growerkari]

Week 1, Day 1

My halo slipped a little, but not a bad day.

Br: Yogurt, half an apple, 2 slices ham
sn: hummus and cucumber sticks
L: Chicken and sweetcorn soup plus 2 slices of carrot & pumpkin bread
sn: slice of toast with peanut butter
D: small portion of spag bol

plus: some pineapple, dates, choc digestive and a glass of red wine

exercise: 10 mins of yoga, walked about 3 and half miles & 3hrs worth of housework

[Two_Sheds]

Week 1, Day 1

2 slices ham... 2 slices of carrot & pumpkin bread...peanut butter...plus: ...choc digestive and a glass of red wine

That seems like an awful lot of treats to me, in one day ?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Week 1, Day 1

My halo slipped a little, but not a bad day.

Br: Yogurt, half an apple, 2 slices ham
sn: hummus and cucumber sticks
L: Chicken and sweetcorn soup plus 2 slices of carrot & pumpkin bread
sn: slice of toast with peanut butter
D: small portion of spag bol

plus: some pineapple, dates, choc digestive and a glass of red wine

exercise: 10 mins of yoga, walked about 3 and half miles & 3hrs worth of housework

That seems like an awful lot of treats to me, in one day ?

Blimey! If I'd done 3hrs of housework, I'd want a choc digestive & a glass of red too!

Seriously, I've read that some peeps do better by grazing (or splitting their meals up into 5 or 6 so that you get fewer peaks & troughs of blood sugar) although it doesn't work for me - I'd just end up eating all the time, which cannot be good!

Assuming that those portion sizes are modest, (and the yog fat free) the only thing I'd be a bit wary of was the dates (super sugary!) and the peanut butter (full of fat!).

Remember that you want to be looking at about 1200-1400 calories a day (girlies) to lose weight sensibly - I work it loosely based on Rosemary Conley, which splits as about:
200 breakers (bowl of cereal)
300 lunch (beans on toast; or can of soup, bread, yog)
500 dinner (120g meat, 100g pots, twice as much (or unlimited) veg)
200 for 3/4 milk for cereals, tea, coffee
100 treat - 2 small & plain bics
100 SMALL glass wine, 1/2 pt beer

[Hilary B]

Blimey! If I'd done 3hrs of housework, I'd want a choc digestive & a glass of red too!

Seriously, I've read that some peeps do better by grazing (or splitting their meals up into 5 or 6 so that you get fewer peaks & troughs of blood sugar) although it doesn't work for me - I'd just end up eating all the time, which cannot be good!

Assuming that those portion sizes are modest, (and the yog fat free) the only thing I'd be a bit wary of was the dates (super sugary!) and the peanut butter (full of fat!).

Remember that you want to be looking at about 1200-1400 calories a day (girlies) to lose weight sensibly - I work it loosely based on Rosemary Conley, which splits as about:
200 breakers (bowl of cereal)
300 lunch (beans on toast; or can of soup, bread, yog)
500 dinner (120g meat, 100g pots, twice as much (or unlimited) veg)
200 for 3/4 milk for cereals, tea, coffee
100 treat - 2 small & plain bics
100 SMALL glass wine, 1/2 pt beer

Our lunch tends to be nearer 100, treat is not every day, but often 2 glasses of wine. Dinner varies between 400-700.
That is for me, OH tends to have more wine, more spuds (or alternative) with dinner, and more variation in treats.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Our lunch tends to be nearer 100, treat is not every day, but often 2 glasses of wine. Dinner varies between 400-700.
That is for me, OH tends to have more wine, more spuds (or alternative) with dinner, and more variation in treats.

Yes, I trade treats for wine/beer too!

[growerkari]

That seems like an awful lot of treats to me, in one day ?

I am hypoglycemic and have to eat every 2-3 hrs, so snacks are essentials, my meals are very small portions so it allows me to incorporate decent snacks into my daily allowance.

I'm also meant to have protein at each meal, hence the ham with brekkie & the low sugar peanut butter in the afternoon.

The dates were very naughty, but I only had 4 & they were sooooo yummy!

[Two_Sheds]

you want to be looking at about 1200-1400 calories a day (girlies)

That's too many for me, that's my maintenance intake. Hence why I thought Kari's intake was high ... I need to be on 1000-1200 cals a day to lose weight (I'm Kylie size, well I will be again by the summer )

[growerkari]

That's too many for me, that's my maintenance intake. Hence why I thought Kari's intake was high ... I need to be on 1000-1200 cals a day to lose weight (I'm Kylie size, well I will be again by the summer )

I had my magic number calculated a couple of years ago by a dietician as 1655, that is to loose 1lb per week, then I'm meant to exercise to help loose another 1lb per week, but it varies from day to day, some days my symptoms are worse than others so I have to eat more.

I would love to be as diddy as Kylie!

[Hazel at the Hill]

I had my magic number calculated a couple of years ago by a dietician as 1655, that is to loose 1lb per week, then I'm meant to exercise to help loose another 1lb per week, but it varies from day to day, some days my symptoms are worse than others so I have to eat more.

I would love to be as diddy as Kylie!

Aha - but the bad news is that the more weight you lose, the fewer calories you need! According to the chart, when I started at 10.5 stone, I needed 1389 calores to give a healthy weight lose - by the time I am 9.5 stone, I only need 1337 - in other words, if I stuck to 1389 cals after losing a stone, I wouldn't lose any more (or lose it more slowly).

And if Two_Sheds who is kylie-like ate per my diet regime, she'd prob put on, not lose weight.

So if 1655 is enough for you to lose weight healthily at your weight, all well & good, but if you lose a stone or so (and want to lose more), you'd want to be reassessed by the dietician as you will 'stick' if you keep to the cals that you needed at your heavier weight.

(To slightly complicate the issue, the more toned you are, the more calories your muscles will use, so if you are exercising as you diet, the fitter you get the more calories you use which compensates for your body needed fewer calories if you are lighter. And there will be less flab because of the exercise too.)

[Florence Fennel]

That is what they used to do at Weight Watchers. You could start off with about 20 points, but when you had lost a few pounds you had to reduce your points to 18. Makes plenty sense.

[buzzingtalk]

I had a massive dinner Thai green curry and pineapple rice, and some tom yum soup. All homemade, but coconut milk is soooo bad (but soooo good!)

I;ve got no idea how many calories i eat each day as I never eat anything out of a packet, or weigh anything. All homecooked stuff, so impossible to figure out (especially as im vegan, so when you google stuff its all for full fat dairy stuff.) I think my problem is more eating too much rather than what i eat?? Its all quite complicated.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I;ve got no idea how many calories i eat each day as I never eat anything out of a packet, or weigh anything. All homecooked stuff, so impossible to figure out (especially as im vegan, so when you google stuff its all for full fat dairy stuff.) I think my problem is more eating too much rather than what i eat?? Its all quite complicated.

I don't think that it is complicated - everything you buy has cals per 100g on (by law, I think), except - say - loose fruit & veg, and these are easy to look up on line. If you want to keep tabs on how much you are eating, I think that you're going to have to start weighing things!

I cook everything from scratch too - I just weigh things. I make - say - spag bol to a Rosemary Conley recipe (everything weighed) in batches and freeze the extra. Then I weigh the pasta or rice. Also I weigh cereal for breakers, the couscous which I had with mackeral & salad for tea tonight etc.

[buzzingtalk]

Wow that sounds like hard work! It would be very hard for me to do, as I'm maths dyslexic so numbers are not my strong point but the hardest bit would be my job - I work in someones house for days on end and wouldn't be able to weigh everything. I found I lost weight ages ago by just eating everything out of bowls (even roast dinner) and that must have stopped me overeating.

My main problem is bread though, I love it. I've been pretty good this week only had 6 slices (used to get through at least 2 loaves of brown each week) I'm gonna try and be 'bread free' for the rest of the week, but I've never made it past 4 days or so...

[Hazel at the Hill]

Wow that sounds like hard work! It would be very hard for me to do, as I'm maths dyslexic so numbers are not my strong point but the hardest bit would be my job - I work in someones house for days on end and wouldn't be able to weigh everything. I found I lost weight ages ago by just eating everything out of bowls (even roast dinner) and that must have stopped me overeating.

My main problem is bread though, I love it. I've been pretty good this week only had 6 slices (used to get through at least 2 loaves of brown each week) I'm gonna try and be 'bread free' for the rest of the week, but I've never made it past 4 days or so...

Not really - I measure most by eye now I have the knack of it. Maybe if you think in terms of 'scoops' it might be easier (or, as you say, bowls). So if you weigh a portion of cereal once & find something to hand which holds that - say a big mug - then you know that a mugful of cereal is a portion.

Also, when you are at work, can you - say - take a can of beans with you, and have half of that on two toast? Some of my lunches are a couple of bananas and a yoghurt, or another is a can of soup and piece of bread - so it's not all weighing. If you want to cut down, but don't measure in some way what you are eating how will you know if you are eating less? You just have to work round to find the best solution for you, I guess.

I know what you mean about bread - I could happily eat it for Britain too! I haven't got a sweet tooth (I can take or leave chocolate - not bothered) but I love my savories - bread & butter, cheese, crackers, crisps - all these things I LOVE! I'm pretty iron willed when I put my mind to it, but I don't have them in the house, just to avoid temptation! No point making things tricky for yourself!