Help needed!

Vahevala

Hi

I am a target member of Slimming World but I would ideally like to lose another 5 or so lbs but SW isn't working for me anymore (hasn't really worked since last October so I want to try something else) my weight is going up...

I have to be overeating I am thinking about either trying weightwatchers or possibly even calorie counting..

I am 5"2, weigh 9 stone 12 lbs but I guess the thought of literally weighing everything fills me with dread but no pain no gain... I suppose.

Anyone got any idea of how I can kick start the losses again?

Irishcrx

5 pounds could be done in 2 weeks easily enough. Slimming world isn't for everyone , some people swear by it and for others it just doesn't have the desired effect.

Counting calories is the tried and trusted way for most , download myfittness pal and track what you eat. Eat 500 below your maintenance which is 2100 , so aim to eat 1600 for two weeks. Yes you have to weigh and watch your portion sizes or else you'll fall completely off but honestly it isn't that hard , get an electronic food scales from argos for 10 Euro and it'll become second nature to you.

I use them even when I'm looking to gain weight , I've become so used to using it that everything smacks the scales before the pan and I even remember what weight everything was when I input it an hour or two later.

Do this method correctly and you'll lose whatever weight you want to.

jokettle

Hiya,

I use calorie counting, I've been doing it since January 4th and I've lost 16.8 pounds with 1.2 pounds until I reach goal (I've posted a fair bit in the general weight loss support thread if you want a nosy!).

Through using myfitnesspal, happy scale (on iOS, the android version is Libra), and support from a few different forums, I've found it all pretty easy. Food scales are cheap, and weighing things only takes a second. Plus myfitness pal has the option to import recipes you find online, and they calculate all the nutritional values including calories per portion for you. You should check they've done it right (eg anytime i enter garlic as an ingredient they lost it as over 1,000 calories per clove!), but after a few days it's just habit.

I also plan some meals in advance. I tend to cook a big batch of something for my lunches during the week, and I always eat the same breakfast. So that's two meals I can pre-log in myfitnesspal every day, and I only need to worry about logging dinner and snacks and making sure they fit my calorie goal.

Speaking of calorie goals, I'm sticking to 1200 and myfitness pal tends to suggest that to most women no matter your size or goals. I'd suggest you try a few different online calculators and see what the average says.

Good luck!

Vahevala

Irishcrx wrote: »

5 pounds could be done in 2 weeks easily enough. Slimming world isn't for everyone , some people swear by it and for others it just doesn't have the desired effect.

Counting calories is the tried and trusted way for most , download myfittness pal and track what you eat. Eat 500 below your maintenance which is 2100 , so aim to eat 1600 for two weeks. Yes you have to weigh and watch your portion sizes or else you'll fall completely off but honestly it isn't that hard , get an electronic food scales from argos for 10 Euro and it'll become second nature to you.

I use them even when I'm looking to gain weight , I've become so used to using it that everything smacks the scales before the pan and I even remember what weight everything was when I input it an hour or two later.

Do this method correctly and you'll lose whatever weight you want to.

Thank you for the reply, it was really helpful for me.

I plan to try to walk more, I have found that I have got so lazy recently :eek:

Thanks, I have the food scales already, do you weigh say meat precooked? Do I have to weigh the fruit & veg as well? Just would like to get a rough idea of what I am doing before I start

cormie

I'd just suggest to learn more about food and health in general. Learn what's put into certain food and what it does to your body. I always tell people, don't aim to be slim, aim to be healthy and being slim will come as a result of that. This includes exercise, enough sleep, managing and releasing any stress, improving your surrounding environment as well as what you put into and onto your body.

I'd be an advocate of a plant based diet with as much organic and whole foods as possible. Try cut out processed and packaged foods. If this becomes your base line of what you eat, then you really shouldn't need to worry about counting anything and if fruit an veg is making up a large portion of what you eat, then you don't really need to watch the amount you eat, in fact, you might need to make sure you're not eating too little as opposed to too much. Try keep the likes of oils and fats balanced but don't be afraid of them at the same time.

This may seem like a big shift to undertake, but the result will be an overall healthier you and the result of that will be an aesthetic you're comfortable and confident with.

Good luck

Vahevala

jokettle wrote: »

Hiya,

I use calorie counting, I've been doing it since January 4th and I've lost 16.8 pounds with 1.2 pounds until I reach goal (I've posted a fair bit in the general weight loss support thread if you want a nosy!).

Through using myfitnesspal, happy scale (on iOS, the android version is Libra), and support from a few different forums, I've found it all pretty easy. Food scales are cheap, and weighing things only takes a second. Plus myfitness pal has the option to import recipes you find online, and they calculate all the nutritional values including calories per portion for you. You should check they've done it right (eg anytime i enter garlic as an ingredient they lost it as over 1,000 calories per clove!), but after a few days it's just habit.

I also plan some meals in advance. I tend to cook a big batch of something for my lunches during the week, and I always eat the same breakfast. So that's two meals I can pre-log in myfitnesspal every day, and I only need to worry about logging dinner and snacks and making sure they fit my calorie goal.

Speaking of calorie goals, I'm sticking to 1200 and myfitness pal tends to suggest that to most women no matter your size or goals. I'd suggest you try a few different online calculators and see what the average says.

Good luck!

So if you are doing batch cooking of something, do I need to weigh each portion out?

jokettle

Vahevala wrote: »

So if you are doing batch cooking of something, do I need to weigh each portion out?

I don't weigh out the portions, I weigh all the ingredients and figure out the calories in the whole thing, then roughly divide the batch into however many portions I need (I usually just measure with ladles at this stage). So if the whole batch is 2500 calories and I divide it into 5 portions, I can estimate it's 500 cals each. Sure, one portion might actually be 450 and another 550, but it evens out over the week.

Edit: with weighing meat, you can do it cooked or uncooked. Just make sure you choose the right value in MFP. I also Google values just to make sure. And yes, I would weigh the fruit and veg too. Fruit especially can be high in calories, beg is easier to fill up on with much fewer cals.

Irishcrx

Vahevala wrote: »

Thank you for the reply, it was really helpful for me.

I plan to try to walk more, I have found that I have got so lazy recently :eek:

Thanks, I have the food scales already, do you weigh say meat precooked? Do I have to weigh the fruit & veg as well? Just would like to get a rough idea of what I am doing before I start

Sure ,

Yes weigh the meat before you cook it, so say a steak take it out of the pack and slap it on the scales (Example - A standard striploin steak is around 180 grams) go into myfittnesspal and add striploin steak 180G , say you bought it in tesco it'll have that steak on the app and verified info with a tick , add it and it'll add it's calories and nutritional values. Yes , also weigh fruit and veg , add everything you eat...even sauces , everything counts.

If you want to do some exercise maybe try rowing machines , burns a lot of calories and is a great workout, a fitbit for running walking is handy as well.

But one piece of advice , don't go mad on exercise and don't do what a lot of people do and overestimate the calories you think your burning. It takes a fairly decent run or workout to even burn 300 calories and eating 1600 a day is low enough. You could eat that and lose weight fine without adding to much or any exercise.

For guys losing weight it can be a bit easier as we tend to carry more muscle and can eat higher to lose weight, when I'm dropping weight I can eat 2200 or so maybe more if I'm very active that week which I tend to be. For a woman because of their size and weight they have to eat lower, just keep this in mind.

fussyonion

The big problem with slimming clubs like Weight Watchers and Slimming World is that they don't educate you on healthy eating.

They don't give you tools for life when it comes to what's good and what's not.
What happens when these people lose their weight?
What will they eat?

They'll be clueless because they've been on a "diet" for so long.
I think people should learn about food and make sure they're eating a balanced diet.
Treats are alright once your overall diet is good.

Get the knack of this and you'll go through life educated on food, instead of leaping from one "diet" to another.

anewme

fussyonion wrote: »

The big problem with slimming clubs like Weight Watchers and Slimming World is that they don't educate you on healthy eating.

They don't give you tools for life when it comes to what's good and what's not.
What happens when these people lose their weight?
What will they eat?

They'll be clueless because they've been on a "diet" for so long.
I think people should learn about food and make sure they're eating a balanced diet.
Treats are alright once your overall diet is good.

Get the knack of this and you'll go through life educated on food, instead of leaping from one "diet" to another.

This!

I've used slimming world in the past and it worked to a certain degree. However, I tired of it because the focus was not really on healthy foods. Our group was more about bucking the system and I hated the way things were described as being good or being bold. I also could also not stand the Term "body Magic".

It has its place definitely and is great for people. Who (a) need the motivation of the talk and someone standing over them weighing them in and (b) people with a lot of weight to lose but once you outgrow it you won't go back.

I think your problem is that you are more or less there, it's harder to shift the last couple of pounds. I had five pounds that just would not go.

Up the exercise and down the calories. Properly. My fitness pal is brilliant.

Totally agree - lose the diet and think of it more as a lifestyle change.