Losing 3 stone in 3 months.

1940sGal

Anyone else think I'm crazy to aim for that? I mentioned it to my doctor today and his reply was 'ooh look there go some flying pigs' :rotfl: Wasn't meant mean though, he's a joker! But he did say i was being 'ambitious'. But what's wrong with that?

Christmas is a little over 15 weeks away now. I'm currently 13 stone 2 (compared to the 13 st 3 1/2 i was on sunday!) and i'm 5'4" and would ideally like to be as close to 10stone as poss by then.

Since I started on Sunday I'm averaging about 1000 calories a day. I thought I'd struggle on this but I'm actually fine. I have a good breakfast in the morning, lunch around 1 and then another good meal around half 5. Anything in between is fruit. I've started drinking at least 1 litre of water a day (i have a weak bladder and anything over 1.5 leaves me a bit...flustered )

I've exercised every day since Sunday, minimum 30 minutes. I've cycled 10 miles twice, been jogging/walking, done some heavy gardening (which i love) and today I've done some Yoga and aerobics.

what do you think? Am i on the right track? I'd love some tips for any other good exercises I can do at home. I love walking too, so will be doing plenty of that. Money's a bit tight though at the mo until i find a new job so joining a gym/slimming club isn't really an option for now.

Oh and if this is too 'medical advice seeking' and breaking any rules, sorry!

Tiglath

You might find 1000 cals/day too little; I'd be aiming for something closer to 1400-1600 myself as I know my body panics if I go below that and starts to batten down the fatloss hatches. I certainly think you could have a good go at losing 2 stone by Christmas; 3 stone might be pushing it, but good luck Don't get too hung up on numbers - see how you go, with consistency. I've found that weightloss ramps up if I add in weight-training 2-3x week as muscle is metabolically-active, but I can no longer do that.

arbroath_lass

I don't think you're eating enough either. Either calorie or vitamin/mineral wise. You can lose a stone a month on a very low calorie diet (meal replacement with shakes etc) but these can be expensive. Normally around half a stone a month is achievable.

1940sGal

Tiglath wrote: »

You might find 1000 cals/day too little; I'd be aiming for something closer to 1400-1600 myself as I know my body panics if I go below that and starts to batten down the fatloss hatches. I certainly think you could have a good go at losing 2 stone by Christmas; 3 stone might be pushing it, but good luck Don't get too hung up on numbers - see how you go, with consistency. I've found that weightloss ramps up if I add in weight-training 2-3x week as muscle is metabolically-active, but I can no longer do that.

To be honest, after writing down everything I've eaten since Sunday, I'm struggling to think of something I can add that will bump up the calories. Though it's fair to say I might have my calculations wrong. I guess I'll know more when i see the dietician but the earliest I could get in was middle of next month

1940sGal

Also, when I showed the doc what I'd eaten he said it all looked fine.

Tiglath

Then stick with what you're doing as long as it works and you're not suddenly hungry and going face-down in the biscuits I'm the same height as you with the same longterm goal, but starting at something over 15 stone. I do better with lowcarbing than calorie control, but to each their own

1940sGal

Tiglath wrote: »

Then stick with what you're doing as long as it works and you're not suddenly hungry and going face-down in the biscuits I'm the same height as you with the same longterm goal, but starting at something over 15 stone. I do better with lowcarbing than calorie control, but to each their own

See this is exactly why i need to see a dietician. Short of reading every pack of everything that's bought, i don't know off the top of my head what's low carb and what's not. I know some things are obvious but not everything is.

I tell you what though, I haven't had any potatoes since Sunday which is very unusual in this house. Perhaps I should include them in some things...

Tiglath

When I'm doing Atkins, I log everything on Fitday and just mentally deduct fibre from carbs to give me the net carbs. By now I'm used to knowing what's lowcarb and what isn't. Atkins is very structured as you add in foodgroups and move up the rungs of the second phase, but it wouldn't necessarily suit everyone. If calorie-counting suits you, go for it

daska

Low carb can be as simple as 'avoid anything white' (think sugar, flour, pasta, potatos). Or eating meat, eggs, dairy, veg that grows above ground (salad leaves, cauliflower, mushrooms) and no grains (bread, pastry, pasta etc).

We're very helpful and friendly over on the low carb thread if you want to find out more.

1940sGal

daska wrote: »

Low carb can be as simple as 'avoid anything white' (think sugar, flour, pasta, potatos). Or eating meat, eggs, dairy, veg that grows above ground (salad leaves, cauliflower, mushrooms) and no grains (bread, pastry, pasta etc).

We're very helpful and friendly over on the low carb thread if you want to find out more.

thanks, just having a look on there now so will maybe appear at some point. If not i'll just be lurking in the corner

I think for now I'll see how I go with the calorie counting and if it starts going t**s up I'll try low carb

Also going to look at what exercises i can do that build muscle because that's not something I have been doing.

Fire_Fox

It's not recommended to drop more than about 500 calories from your daily intake except under medical supervision - state registered dietician, hospital consultant - so around 1500 calories for an average female. Few GPs are knowlegeable about nutrition, although they should at least have pointed you in the direction of the healthy eating guidelines. This is particularly important if you are exercising as well because your net intake of calories (in v out) is small on those days. You will end up burning muscle off for fuel which will make you less 'toned', work at a much lower intensity. Plus crah dieting affects hormone levels and the immune system, not just female hormones but the ones that control every bodily process. It is extremely difficult to drop more than 2lb a week of bodyfat, you have to be doing a really punishing training routine which includes strength training. If you don't eat enough your body cannot store water effectively, so you will dehydrate and may seem to need to pee a lot.

To get all the nutrients you need to fuel exercise and maintain health you should be having at least five portions of fruit or veggies a day in the full rainbow of colours (preferably nine), three portions of reduced fat dairy a day, protein little and often from breakfast, 50g a day of healthy fats a day including oily fish several times a week, several portions of mineral and fibre rich foods a day (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds or wholegrains), two litres of fluids. Obviously by choosing certain foods you can hit more than one target so keep calories down - nuts and seeds are rich in minerals, fat and protein for example. To get all this in 1000 calories is very difficult, people generally resort to supplements instead of real food.

When you do have a little money I highly recommend a Flexi-bar - you can pick them up on eBay second hand. Works everyh muscle down to the smallest and deepest, suited to most skill and fitness levels, loads of different exercises options, get fat burning and strength training done simultanously.