Weight loss and healthy eating for a debt free life

kiss_me_now9

Hi all, very late to the thread but keen to join. I'm hoping to lose 15 - 20lbs by the end of January. I'm in a panto and I don't want to be on stage like this! I am currently overweight, borderline obese at 180lbs and 5ft 5. I have maintained 180lbs roughly since having my son last Easter. I gained a huge amount in pregnancy as eating was the only thing that stopped me vomiting and I couldn't exercise to my pre-pregancy level after about 15 weeks as I had very high levels of fatigue and breathlessness. I gym twice a week, try and run at least twice a week too, but often life gets in the way of those things and I might only manage one or two exercise sessions a week. 

I am trying to get out of the mindset that exercise is the only thing that can help me with weightloss. I know this isn't true as I haven't lost any bloody weight in the last 18 months despite going from little to no activity whilst pregnant to working out 5 times a week when I was on maternity leave! The key to this situation is what I put into my body and I need to recognise that and take it seriously.

I'm vegetarian and I try to avoid eggs and dairy as much as I can, which does make things harder. I find when I start calorie counting I quickly either give up because I don't have the mental energy to count it, see the number is too high and adjust the meal, or I get obsessed with it and make poor choices because they're lower in calories rather than choosing things that fill me up and are healthy for me (for instance - two black coffees and a slice of white toast for breakfast because that's lower in calories than the milky coffee I like and a bowl of porridge which would keep me fuller for longer because it's higher). 

I suspect though, if I just dropped 200 calories a day - a snack or two - and increased my daily energy expenditure by walking a bit more (though my job is very active and I take my toddler out on walks when I'm at home) alongside my current level of activity, I'd see a drop in weight. 

redofromstart

welcome and good luck to you @kiss_me_now9!

Love your ginger profile cat.  

jwil

beanielou said:

I just eat a lot. 

I do too tbh

redofromstart said:

Mixed results here, last week was a 3lb gain which shamed me into action.  3.5lb loss this week. 

SW does work for me but only if I actually stick to it (she says, eating chocolate covered pistachios!)

Well done on the loss!  SW works for me too when I do it!

jwil

kiss_me_now9 said:

Hi all, very late to the thread but keen to join. I'm hoping to lose 15 - 20lbs by the end of January. I'm in a panto and I don't want to be on stage like this! I am currently overweight, borderline obese at 180lbs and 5ft 5. I have maintained 180lbs roughly since having my son last Easter. I gained a huge amount in pregnancy as eating was the only thing that stopped me vomiting and I couldn't exercise to my pre-pregancy level after about 15 weeks as I had very high levels of fatigue and breathlessness. I gym twice a week, try and run at least twice a week too, but often life gets in the way of those things and I might only manage one or two exercise sessions a week. 

I am trying to get out of the mindset that exercise is the only thing that can help me with weightloss. I know this isn't true as I haven't lost any bloody weight in the last 18 months despite going from little to no activity whilst pregnant to working out 5 times a week when I was on maternity leave! The key to this situation is what I put into my body and I need to recognise that and take it seriously.

I'm vegetarian and I try to avoid eggs and dairy as much as I can, which does make things harder. I find when I start calorie counting I quickly either give up because I don't have the mental energy to count it, see the number is too high and adjust the meal, or I get obsessed with it and make poor choices because they're lower in calories rather than choosing things that fill me up and are healthy for me (for instance - two black coffees and a slice of white toast for breakfast because that's lower in calories than the milky coffee I like and a bowl of porridge which would keep me fuller for longer because it's higher). 

I suspect though, if I just dropped 200 calories a day - a snack or two - and increased my daily energy expenditure by walking a bit more (though my job is very active and I take my toddler out on walks when I'm at home) alongside my current level of activity, I'd see a drop in weight. 

Welcome!  Good luck with it.  I struggle with calorie counting because I tend to get fed up with recording and then start going for the easy option.

jokono

KajiKita said:

 Trying to find a way to make tofu edible to my palette! 😉

KK

I have a new favourite recipe for 'spicy sticky' tofu. I dice it and dry fry it on a hot pan then add a sauce made of:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic - minced / garlic powder
• 1 tsp gochujang (or any spicy pepper paste, or sriracha + miso)
• 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Fry it for a bit until it congeals (sounds delicious  ) and eat it in lettuce 'boats'

jokono

KajiKita said:

options for interesting sides that are veg heavy but low calorie without just boiling everything (which makes me reach for the butter! 😉). 

I make a sort of stir fry loaded wit veg, high volume, low calorie. I start by chopping a broccoli, including the stem, and a carrot; then depends on what else is in the fridge. Sprouts, courgette, peppers, mangetout, babycorn, etc - not all at once, my wok is not that big  
I don't use oil, I start with some soy sauce and frozen garlic, maybe ginger. I add a splash of water and cover it so it mostly steams. I sometimes finish by adding some cooked rice and/ or cubed tofu for a full meal.

Do you have an Aldi near you? They have a smoked tofu that's really nice, and very cheap!

KajiKita

Thanks @jokono, they both sound good 😊👍 I will add those to the list for next week.

KK

redofromstart

woohoo - 3.5lbs off for me for the second week in a row :-)

beanielou

redofromstart said:

woohoo - 3.5lbs off for me for the second week in a row :-)

Great result. 1/2 a stone is good in two weeks. 

I on the other hand keep gaining. 

KajiKita

redofromstart said:

woohoo - 3.5lbs off for me for the second week in a row :-)

Bravo! 👏 

I sadly, am struggling now the colder weather has kicked in and I MUST HAVE ALL THE CARBS … even fell into a bag of crisps this evening … sigh …

KK