10 week weight loss challenge....please join me!

darwins_mum

Good morning all, 2 weeks ago I decided to publicly announce my intention to all that I was going to lose 16lb in the next 16 weeks, and invited all and sundry to sponsor me £ for lb for charity. I also announced that I was not going on a radical diet, but was going to exercise and mind my portions. After the first week I lost 5lb, by week 2, the 5lb had re-appeared plus 1 more.

I think this is the forum for me.
In the last 10 years my weight has yo-yoed terribly, I have been between size 8 and 14, and am now nearer to size 14.

I have worked with a personal trainer and really improved my strength and fitness levels, but I struggle with portion size, nibbling on snacks and fat burning. Looking for useful suggestions, motivation and encouragement on my journey. I hope to be able to offer the benefit of my limited wisdom, and motivation and encouragement to others.
Have a great day
DM

GDB2222

good morning Darwin.

I can only tell you what seems to be working reasonably well for me, which is to keep a food diary. I use http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ but there are loads of similar sites. There are also mobile applications. I have been completely honest and scrupulous about logging absolutely everything that I eat or drink.

We have a set of digital scales in the kitchen, and I weigh everything that I can. For example, if I have some tomato juice, I put the glass on the scale, zero it, and write down the exact weight of tomato juice I am adding. Then I use a calculator to work out the exact calorie content, based on the nutrition information on the side of the packet. If I have a white coffee, I weigh the amount of milk I put into it.

I write all this on a piece of paper, and I stick it on the computer several times a day. I appreciate that this is very finicky, and a lot of people will not like the idea, but it works for me.

One of the things I have noticed is that my portion sizes have come right down as a result of weighing everything. Previously, a bowl of muesli would probably have been at least 100 g, which is over 400 cal by the time you have added milk to it.

I hope that this helps somebody.

LutonGirl

Week one, pleased to say I lost 1lb, which is about right for me.

My ex-husband used to say I had the slowest metabolism of anyone he'd ever met and if he poisoned me on a Monday, I wouldn't die till 7 days later. Nice eh? Probably why he's my ex (well one reason anyway...)

lucyfrancinetaylor

Please can I play? I have had a foodfestive Christmas and just come back from 10 days in Las Vegas, where we ate, ate and ate some more! Needless to say my jeans are verrrrrrrrrrrry tight

Will weight myself tomorrow and place it on here.... Ps, great idea!! xxx

darwins_mum

GDB2222 wrote: »

good morning Darwin.

I can only tell you what seems to be working reasonably well for me, which is to keep a food diary. I use http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ but there are loads of similar sites. There are also mobile applications. I have been completely honest and scrupulous about logging absolutely everything that I eat or drink.

We have a set of digital scales in the kitchen, and I weigh everything that I can. For example, if I have some tomato juice, I put the glass on the scale, zero it, and write down the exact weight of tomato juice I am adding. Then I use a calculator to work out the exact calorie content, based on the nutrition information on the side of the packet. If I have a white coffee, I weigh the amount of milk I put into it.

I write all this on a piece of paper, and I stick it on the computer several times a day. I appreciate that this is very finicky, and a lot of people will not like the idea, but it works for me.

One of the things I have noticed is that my portion sizes have come right down as a result of weighing everything. Previously, a bowl of muesli would probably have been at least 100 g, which is over 400 cal by the time you have added milk to it.

I hope that this helps somebody.

Thanks for the tip, but the weighing would drive me round the twist; although I will pay more attention to my portion sizes and being mindful when I eat, and stopping when I am full. I will check out Livestrong.

I had a much more positive day today, thanks to this group for "being"
DM

southerngirl_2

Thanks for the info & tips NigeWick and GDB2222 Right the nuts are now off the menu!

nicolula87

Good to see everyone staying motivated! I have updated the firstbpage although I don't have all the info for everyone, if you would prefer not to give your weight then thats fine otherwise please PM me or post on here and I will update it.

I stopped eating much bread a year ago, I have it occasionally but over the weekend we had sandiwiches on a day out for convenience and I felt sooo full and bloated afterwards, its weird how our bodies adapt isn't it? A year ago I could eat loads of bread and barely notice!

Just making pasta salad for my lunch today and training tonight si a nice healthy positive day! Keep up the good work everyone.

Wantahouse_2

I thought I'd posted here yesterday but can't seem to find it. I did my weigh in on Sunday and am now at 10st 5lbs which is another 2lbs lost. I'm happy with that because I had a very disruptive week and couldn't stick to my exercise regime - Stuck to the food though which seems to have been enough to help me lose my weekly target. I'm only 2lbs away from the 1st milestone, so I'm happy with that. Might have to treat myself to something when I get that far

NigeWick

GDB2222 wrote: »

On the other hand, nuts are deadly for a diet. They contain roughly 30 times as many calories as tomatoes, for the same weight, and they won't fill you up !

I have to disagree with the last few words if one burns fat for energy rather than carbohydrates/sugar. Nuts (not peanuts as they're a legume) are generally good nutrition and can be a food to tide one over if missing a meal. I have experience of this when walking out in the hills and always carry a packet as a standby.

murphydog999

NigeWick wrote: »

I have to disagree with the last few words if one burns fat for energy rather than carbohydrates/sugar. Nuts (not peanuts as they're a legume) are generally good nutrition and can be a food to tide one over if missing a meal. I have experience of this when walking out in the hills and always carry a packet as a standby.

Yes I have to agree with this. Nuts are a super food and should be eaten regularly; apart from being a good source of protein, fibre and healthy fats, they are full of essential vitamins and minerals.

Calories are all very well, but if the choice was an apple or nuts, nut win every time.