To get to 11 stone or no Australia trip 11 November 2014 at 11:30PM in Sports & fitness MoneySaving 196 replies 46.3K views

dawyldthing

Hi all,

Here's my blog and an overview: Over the years I have tried everything to get my weight off (I remember back in year 7 when I was 11 doing keep fit videos so I was slimmer to go on a Germany trip with school). So now I want to actively properly try and lose the weight, and I think this blog might help me as if I'm writing it down I'll let myself down if I run to the shop for a chocolate bar on a long day from work.

My start weight about a year ago was 17 stone 7lbs, I managed to get a stone and a half off about a year ago but not done anything since and unless I exercise my weight stays the same. I'm currently 16 stone and a size 20. I'd love to be 11 stone and be a size 14. I can't imagine what I would look like, but I'm going to give it a jolly good try!

I'm aiming for 1 lbs a week as then about next January I could well just about be at my target weight all being well. My mum often disagrees and says it should be more, but I'd like to think I'm more of a tortoise than the hare when losing weight.

I've got an under active thyroid which I don't think helps, but at the same time it don't think it should stop me, so I need to find ways to help.


So I'm going to go back to basics, watch what I eat and do as they say 'eat breakfast like a king, dinner like a prince and lunch like a pauper'.

My aim is to have

- breakfast - either pineapple, cornflakes or apple

- dinner - either steak, fish or chicken from the local butchers at the market with fresh vegetables from the market. I tried it a few weeks ago and loved it, but need smaller portions and more variety of vegetables to help lose the weight and keep doing it as I lost a bit of weight but then fell off the bandwagon and ate chocolates and sweets again.

- tea - salad with tuna, salmon or the like or an omelette if I'm on a sleepover at work as it's easier to take with me.

Snack on blueberries and nuts (what the gym instructor recommended)


Exercise:

I'm aiming for 3 gym/swimming/classes a week. Ideally 2 gym classes as when I spoke to one of the gym instructors they said the water aerobics doesn't help as much, and I used to go weekly and didn't see much difference. I do like the dance class on a Thursday when I'm off, so hoping to include that too.

I've had gym membership for about 3 years and go through phases in using it (my thoughts are if it keeps going out my account then I'll start going again soon). The swimming pool reopens in another 2 weeks so I'm going to start going swimming too. Like I say I also like dance class and aqua aerobics, so plenty to keep me bust, just need to sort it all out.

So here it goes, fingers crossed this time next year I'll be on the way to my goal. If anyone wants to join in feel free to as we can keep each other motivated.

whitewing

Good luck!

McKneff

ooh, good luck to you. The trick is to keep motivated.


You will look and feel so good and be so positive.


My daughter was the same as you and now runs half marathons, plans for the next 6 months I am so
pround of her.


Keep it up and if you start to flag, get yourself back on here, we will help pick you up.

tomtontom

You've got your saying muddled up

You need more for breakfast, some sort of protein - eggs are always good. And a bit more variety in your snacks, nuts are good but only in relatively small quantities.

Best of luck to you, I was the same size as you until a few years ago and now 10 and a half stone. Set yourself smaller targets - half a stone at a time. If you have a setback start again tomorrow, don't beat yourself up over it. The time will pass before you know it!

HollyBuns

Good luck! Australia is beautiful so definitely a good motivator. I'm sure your mum has your best interests at heart but if you don't find what works for you, including good targets, it'll be a much harder process. Don't forget the odd treat. If you deny yourself everything, the chances are you'll have a binge. The very best of luck, I look forward to reading more about your journey.

margaretclare

I agree about breakfast. You need more. You should have protein in some form because that takes longer to digest so keep you going longer. Eggs in some form are very easy and very nutritious.

Chimpofdoom

Going to agree with the previous posts about breakfast.

Eggs are the way forward!!

I had a personal trainer a couple of years ago and he recommended a protein source for breakfast. Namely eggs. As for quantity, he wanted me to eat 6 for breakfast everyday! But I stuck with two and had some salad on the side (bit odd for breakfast, but his advice not mine) and the results came through (along with all the other healthy eating + exercise).

Snacks - Blueberries are good. As for nuts, only a handful

You haven't listed lunch?

Cisco001

i am not in diet, but from what I gathering, the breakfast should be a be heavier and with protein to boost metabolism.

Lunch should be balance diet

Eat dinner in early evening with mainly vegetable, a bit of protein. Avoid carbohydrates. No eating 4 hrs before sleeping...

Be careful with your nuts. Make sure you not eating too much. They are high calories.

BTW, if you go to gym, it would be best your meal is eaten 15 - 30 mins after the gym...

dawyldthing

Thank you for your help. I went to the gym today and my work out card has gone, but to be honest it must be over 3 months since I last went so I'm going to keep going based on what I have done before and go after work. I'm definitely going to try and eat more for breakfast though, will try the eggs but can only eat them at an omelette (sounds daft, but I can't face them any other way)

I call it lunch and dinner as one my service user always corrects me if I say dinner for lunch and lunch for dinner then she usually changes it, so it's come of habit.

I went on the scales on Wednesday morning and am 15 stone 13lbs, so it's a starting point.

I've had a mixed two days, being at work is a hinderance sometimes as I seem to eat more, although often end up using food up so it doesn't go off. I had an ice cream and a yoghurt which might have pushed me over the limit, but I just need to watch my pitfalls. Then today been to bingo using a groupon with a friend. I swear it should have been bingo, wine and bingo pen, but it was bingo, drink and dinner. So I had scampi, a few chips and onion rings. Not ideal, but had a jacket potato for lunch and cornflakes today, so I've not done as bad as I used to do. I always struggle with breakfast, but it's something I need to overcome. I'm quite getting into spring onions and the local market does cheap steak so had a meal of spring onions and steak which was lush yesterday, Deffo having that again.

If the gym don't do the review your workout days like they used to I might book a personal training session in once a month as a kick up the backside to improve. I've seen one online and apparently with his support someone lost 3 stone since March, which is much quicker than I anticipate but it's the toning up I will need support with so might help in the end.

Really enjoyed some me time at the gym and the rota is penning out so I should have more time to go. I'm aiming for Sunday after work then hopefully Tuesday so I've done my 3 in a week. I'm going to class my week Wednesday to Wednesday to keep track of exercise and weigh in (might have to weigh Thursdays some weeks if I'm on sleep in)

dawyldthing

Arr I nearly forgot, there's these vitals going around on Facebook that someone puts something random like just got fired or I still fancy my ex. Well my friend put on one and I liked it, had a feeling it was one of them so got got and one of them is yes! I've lost 10lbs!

I'm not forwarding it on, but it made me smile how many people liked the status which I thought was quite funny and cool

Chimpofdoom

Don't worry too much about falling off the wagon, just don't make a habit of it If you know you're going to eat something bad, make sure you're good before/after!

Eggs, ok, i'm in a similar boat, I only eat them scrambled. Omlettes will be ok, the catch will be what you put in it!

Ok, not a problem about Lunch, just wanted to make sure your not missing it

Work tends to be the downfall of most people as you get into habits that are hard to break. Best approach would be to prepare your own lunches the night before (healthy salads with a nice lean protein). Yoghurt can be good, but it depends if your eating natural yoghurt (Yeo Valley as an example) or not?

Gym's don't tend to track peoples usage, unless of course you pay for a personal trainer, depending on your area, will depend on the rate they charge (Edinburgh average is like £40 an hour). Good ol' pen and paper is the best approach (Or a smart phone).

Online Personal trainer, i'd be wary of, more for the fact that they won't be monitoring your form. As for toning up, you'll be wanting to look at free weights (squats, dead lifts etc), I can elaborate more on this, but muscle burns fat!

But more keep going, and keep posting ! You can do this, and if you want more of what i've learned over the years, i'm happy to share (if you don't please feel free to let me know )