Have you lost weight and kept it off? Pls share how! Post Reply

[ExitPursuedByABear]

That old New Year's chestnut! I went up a size after having my baby and would love to get back into my old clothes.

There are so many faddy diets and workouts out there, so I'd love inspiration from those of you who've actually done it and kept it off.

When I'm not looking after my toddler, I just want to curl up with a book or go on Facebook. What was it that helped - a particular class, gym, book, podcast? Inspire me - please!

[ebonymummy]

Hello,

In the past, I have done low carb diets, which I think are good at getting the weight off. It is hard as carbs are the nicest foods, but if you can stop eating bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and sugary foods it will work wonders. The first seven days are tough, but if you can get through that, you will be fine.

In terms of exercise, I have always thought strength training classes are the best, as they help to build muscles, which in turn help you to burn more calories. I did the body pump class for a long time, which I thought really helped me to lose weight and keep it off. A cardio class like spinning is great also.

Hope this helps. I am in no way an expert, and this is from my own personal experience. Good luck.

[Bluebird27]

I was in the exact same place as you after having 2 kids back to back. I just couldn't shift the weight so I felt a new approach was needed. Anyway, a friend suggested intermittent fasting, where you only eat within a smaller time frame of the day, for example 1pm to 9pm at night. It has great psychological benefits because you feel like you can eat more because you are consolidating all your calories within a smaller window of the day.
At the beginning yes, you will be hungry in the mornings but then after a week or two, you adjust and are no longer hungry until around noon or 1pm when you have your first big meal. I found it worked amazing for me.
The weight has dropped off surprisingly fast. I am a lot less rushed in the morning because I didn't have to worry about my own breakfast. Just a coffee and I am good to go. Then after kids are down for their afternoon nap, I can really enjoy a big meal in some peace and quite. I have a snack a few hours later, and then another big meal in the evening. I always feel very full and satiated.
I was reluctant to try it at first, because it went against everything i have been taught about dieting and all that talk about breakfast being the most important meal of the day....but in reality there is a lot of debate about that theory and some would say its not necessarily true. Anyway, all I can give is my own experience and it worked for me, I love it and I plan on continue eating this way for the long term.
Also, must be worth noting, that I use this method in conjunction with calorie counting. So I track using MyFitnessPal, which will give you an idea of how many calories you should be consuming to lose weight. Then stick within that calorie range, within your eating window and hopefully you will find it is as easy as I have. Good Luck! xxx

[Caatje]

HI! Yes I did! I did a 30 day programme at Switch gym in Earlsfield. Check out the website, It's brilliant, fun and easy with great results. good luck xx

[sw11_]

You don't say whether you drink much alcohol but for me weight loss has always had to go hand in hand with cutting down massively on my alcohol intake. I had totally underestimated how many calories there are in alcohol, and what effect a couple of glasses of wine most evenings has on my weight. It's something I still have to watch massively when I notice my weight creeping up.

Oh one other thing. I eventually got into running but before doing that I found great benefits by just "power walking" - going for long (eg. 30-60 minute) walks but at a fast pace. Great post baby activity, can be done with your child in the buggy, and a suitable app will show you how many calories you're burning - which is surprisingly high considering it's only walking.

Good luck!

[sw11_]

Oh and one other thing. I would highly recommend doing an online course run by Janey Holliday. She runs local exercise company Fit For A Princess, but also an online business called Making Things Easy. The online courses include Best Body boot camps and also food management courses etc. They are very effective and you get to keep the resources for life. (I think they are a Nappyvalleynet sponsor too.)

[Daffodil79]

Drinking more water - snacking on greens - cutting out white carbs.
Increasing intensity of exercise - as a mum I haven't got hours or the inclination to go to the gym! Highly recommend quick workouts of 45 minutes with the children - like today even in the rain the boy enjoyed seeing mum squating around the park!!! I've been doing it since new year and already feeling the benefits of it.

I have a personal trainer who is fab - wattsfituk@gmail.com / 07961730681 (Neil) - is running a free consultation through Jan.

[juliantenniscoach]

Hi,

If you want to lose weight then diet is the overwhelming factor. Exercise despite it's obvious positives is a distance 2nd and I say that as a qualified personal trainer.

Take a look at your alcohol, dairy and wheat consumption. See if you can take a little off each and see what the results are. If you can combine a little more exercise during the week, walking, swimming, riding a bike etc, all the better. That'll stimulate your metabolism and hopefully release the cheery endorphins.

Exercise fads are as bad as diet fads. Just a little less calorific intake with a little more exercise will achieve a managable, sustainable weight loss.

Best wishes,

Julian

[Mum2two2012]

Could try contacting James at FittoLast. They run a 12 week fitness programme and offer nutritional advice and monitor you over the 12 weeks including weighing and measuring. No faddy diets here.They focus on improving your diet and combine it with quite intensive classes three times a week.The classes involve using your body weight, free weights and interval training . If you listen to the advice and remain committed the results can be AMAZING Remember it is not the fat that makes you fat. It's the sugar!

[EmilyJanePlan]

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[LP73]

I've tried many thing and the simple fact is eat less and exercise more.
Cut your portion size down and increase the exercise that you do. That could be walking more steps, taking the stairs instead of a lift etc.
A Fitbit watch really helps for motivation and definitely cut out for booze as its empty calories.
Your body needs carbs for energy so whilst lowering the carbs is OK don't cut them out as once you reintroduce them the weight will pile back on.

If you lack motivation there are some fantastic and free apps that you can download on iTunes by Glenn Harold - his weight loss app is fantastic.

Also if you have time tonight or if you can watch on catch up there is a gat TV show on channel four at 8pm all about diets and weight loss.

Best of luck

[TheLondonette]

Hi,

About the low carb diet - I do the exact opposite! I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, steamed rice, potatoes and exercise at least three times a week. I'm not vegan, but vegan meals are always welcome, I assure you you can lose weight a lot faster that way. The healthier way! My day goes like this:

Morning: Oatmeal + fresh fruits + cinnamon + walnuts. Green tea!
Snack: Fruits/Nuts.
Lunch: Rice and veggies / Potatoes and veggies / Chicken and veggies + salad
Snack: Toast with honey/cottage cheese or fruits/nuts. Tea/Coffee.
Exercise: ~20 minutes. If you can - do 30-40 mins at least twice a week.
Dinner: Something like the lunch.

If you can do a 10 minutes of morning yoga for flexibility it'd be great! I, personally do a 1 hour yoga for beginners at home every Saturday.

My summary is: Drink a lot of water and tea, eat clean, exercise. And you're good to go.

[seabel]

Weightwatchers is the way forward. I did it after being unhappy with my weight after having two children. I did it online in the privacy of my own home, I never wanted to go and weigh myself in front of a load of people. I cut down massively on alcohol and I ate everything else including cakes and chocolate in small quantities. And I limited my intake of cheese. I did it all slowly and lost 20lbs in 7 months. I am now at my pre-wedding weight so am very happy with life! No other diet ever worked for me, cutting out carbs or anything else isn't logical as you really crave it so just reduce intake. Really give it a go, there are online deals on at the moment. Good luck!