# Weight loss



## 3narf (2 Oct 2016)

I weighed myself today, for the first time in about 2 years.



I'm quite fit but I need to stop eating with impunity. A vegetarian diet will help as will reducing the amount of bread I eat. Beer, as well; four cans to last my four days off had started to creep up to eight.

I've just come back from the states so this is a perfect time to start. I need to lose *1 1/2 stone* so maybe I need to be doing it formally, via a dietitian or a local group of portly, middle-aged ladies? 

A


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## vickster (2 Oct 2016)

That's not much to lose in reality. You could pay for help or you could just eat and drink less. Not sure why it needs to be a vegetarian diet unless you're already a vegetarian

My fitness pal is fairly useful but you need to be honest on the intake 

I'd be happy with only 1.5 stone to lose!


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## Mrs M (2 Oct 2016)

Good luck on the weight loss 
I have recently just changed my routine, little things each day that will all add up 
Had to put a belt on my jeans yesterday as they were falling down  (not a pretty sight)!
Too stingy/ashamed to go to a "fat club" and want to do it myself.
I'm still a "pure chubber" but little achievements all come together and make a difference.
Best wishes xx


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## mjr (2 Oct 2016)

The States are mostly awful for finding healthy food while travelling, with a few exceptions if you avoid delicacies like their soft drinks.

That seems a bit much beer. Skip some days and it'll help.

Good luck!


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## keithmac (2 Oct 2016)

If you aim for a pound, (1/2 kg) loss a week you should be fine (500kcal deficit a day).

I just did portion control rather than weighing everything out and weighed myself twice a week to keep in check.

Do something sustainable over the long term, crash or fad diets won't keep the weight off.

My Fitness Pal forum is good for ideas as said above.

I went for CICO (calories in vs calories out), fat is not your enemy; excess calories are..


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## Brand X (2 Oct 2016)

I would suggest watching the documentary series "The Men Who Made Us Thin", you'll be surprised what the truth about diet and exercise is.


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## 3narf (10 Oct 2016)

4lb loss in a week which seems OK and sustainable. I just cut out meat, most of the beer and most of the bread.


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## Starchivore (10 Oct 2016)

I posted this in a similar thread, hope you don't mind me recycling it. I think it's good advice, about how to lose weight without being hungry all the time.

http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articl...Common_Sense_Approach_To_Sound_Nutrition.html

"Calorie density is simply a measure of the amount of calories in a given weight of food, most often expressed as calories per pound. A food high in calorie density provides a large amount of calories in a small weight of food, whereas a food low in calorie density has much fewer calories for the same weight of food. Therefore, for the same number of calories, one can consume a larger portion of a food lower in calorie density than a food higher in calorie density. On a day-to-day basis, people generally eat a similar amount of food, by weight. Therefore, choosing foods with a lower calorie density allows us to consume our usual amount of food (or more) while reducing our caloric intake. 



Foods low in calorie density also tend to be higher in satiety so by consuming foods lower in calorie density, one can fill up on much fewer calories without having to go hungry. In addition, the foods that are lower in calorie density (fruits, veggies, starchy vegetables, intact whole grains and legumes) are also the foods highest in nutrient density. Therefore, by following a diet lower in calorie density, one also automatically consumes a diet higher in nutrient density. "


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## coffeejo (10 Oct 2016)

Pft. All things in moderation. I lost four stone a few years ago and didn't cut back on a single ounce of meat or dairy, other than through portion control.


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## Starchivore (10 Oct 2016)

coffeejo said:


> Pft. All things in moderation. I lost four stone a few years ago and didn't cut back on a single ounce of meat or dairy, other than through portion control.



I haven’t been in a position of needing to lose weight, but I think I’d struggle with that. I like to eat and eat fairly large portions and I get hungry otherwise and don’t like being hungry. So for me it would make more sense to eat a large plate of steamed potatoes with broccoli and vegetable gravy (which is typically what I like to eat anyway.) I think the main reason people fail with diets so much is because they try to eat small amounts of what they used to eat, instead of changing what they eat. So they are hungry all the time and that’s hard to take.


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## coffeejo (10 Oct 2016)

Starchivore said:


> I haven’t been in a position of needing to lose weight, but I think I’d struggle with that. I like to eat and eat fairly large portions and I get hungry otherwise and don’t like being hungry. So for me it would make more sense to eat a large plate of steamed potatoes with broccoli and vegetable gravy (which is typically what I like to eat anyway.) I think the main reason people fail with diets so much is because they try to eat small amounts of what they used to eat, instead of changing what they eat. So they are hungry all the time and that’s hard to take.


It's not about small amounts but a suitable amount. I reduced it gradually, got used to it. It was sustainable as well, until life, injury and illness got in the way. I've just got back on the wagon: I've had to cut out bread for health reasons and have given up chocolate* this month, but I've lost 5lbs and have actually started eating red meat again now that we're back in autumn and the slow cooker has therefore been pressed into service once more. Can't beat a hearty bowl of beef or lamb stew. 

* To clarify: it's a combination of everything in moderation and limited snacking, so sugary snacks as an occasional treat rather than every day


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## vickster (10 Oct 2016)

First week will mostly be fluid loss too


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## 3narf (10 Oct 2016)

I definitely didn't starve myself! I would be happy with 2lb a week though.


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## ColinJ (10 Oct 2016)

User46386 said:


> Thats too much really, for a sustainable weight loss you are supposed to be aiming for a pound to 2 pounds per week. If you starve yourself and loose a lot you tend to binge eat and put it all back on again and more besides.


It depends how big you are to start with!

I think a better target is 1% loss/week so if you weighed 200 pounds, that would be 2 pounds/week.

If you weighed 400 pounds then 4 pounds/week would be reasonable.

A 100 pound person would only be aiming to lose 1 pound/week which makes more sense for a small person. (They would have to be very short though for _any_ weight loss to be sensible!)


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## srw (11 Oct 2016)




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## 3narf (12 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> It depends how big you are to start with!
> 
> I think a better target is 1% loss/week so if you weighed 200 pounds, that would be 2 pounds/week.



Yes, just under 200 lbs...


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## ColinJ (12 Oct 2016)

3narf said:


> Yes, just under 200 lbs...


200 lbs would be a low weight for someone who was 6' 6" tall with a very muscular build! 

I am 6' 1" and a medium build but I think I peaked at about 250 lbs! 

(High 180s now and wanting to get back down to about 175 lbs = 12 st 7 lbs)


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## subaqua (12 Oct 2016)

currently at 118Kg . I was 128Kg on 1st July . I was 125Kg when i got back from Holiday mid august . 

thats 7Kg in 7 Weeks 1kg a week , just a about perfect on the %age figures. 

mainly by NOT drinking copious amounts of beer/alcohol in the week. 

only problem is is that to get trousers to fit my thighs ( large and muscular - Yes really - best feature of me according to wifey) i need a size 42 waist. which is FOUR inches too big so i look like a tramp when i tighten the belt.


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## User6179 (12 Oct 2016)

subaqua said:


> only problem is is that to get trousers to fit my thighs ( large and muscular - Yes really - best feature of me according to wifey) i need a size 42 waist. which is FOUR inches too big so i look like a tramp when i tighten the belt.



I am the same , I have lost 9 kg over last 9 weeks , waist size 42 to size 38 but my thighs are still 28 inches , my goal is to lose at least another 9 kg and get down to a 34 waist but I fear I will be cutting about in a pair of trousers from the MC Hammer range .


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## 3narf (12 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> 200 lbs would be a low weight for someone who was 6' 6" tall with a very muscular build!



I'm not...


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## srw (12 Oct 2016)

Crikey. The things you learn.

At my weight nadir I was 14 and a half stone - just over 200 pounds or 92 kilos. I _just about _managed to squeeze my waist into 38" trousers. Those trousers have been banished temporarily to the back of the wardrobe until I can lose the four-odd stone I've put on since then. I thought my frame was reasonably normal, but obviously not - I must genuinely be big-boned as well as over-weight.


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## Firestorm (12 Oct 2016)

A year ago i was just over 100kg , and I got down to 78kg in about 9 months
Being diagnosed as type 1 diabetic i ditched most of the carbs , just having the odd small portion of root veg ( not potato) and uping the exercise
Hasnt moved much in the last 3 months , largely down to the odd bad diet day and missing training sessions, but my blood sugars are good
Going to up the exercise now , get the long sinday rides back in and a bit of jogging to see if i can shift that last 8 kg


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## subaqua (12 Oct 2016)

User46386 said:


> Get stretch jeans, then they will fit your thighs and your waist.


Jeggings !


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## Shut Up Legs (12 Oct 2016)

Firestorm said:


> A year ago i was just over 100kg , and I got down to 78kg in about 9 months
> Being diagnosed as type 1 diabetic i ditched most of the carbs , just having the odd small portion of root veg ( not potato) and uping the exercise
> Hasnt moved much in the last 3 months , largely down to the odd bad diet day and missing training sessions, but my blood sugars are good
> Going to up the exercise now , get the long *sinday rides* back in and a bit of jogging to see if i can shift that last 8 kg


 Sounds like fun! Where do I sign up?


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## Firestorm (12 Oct 2016)

Shut Up Legs said:


> Sounds like fun! Where do I sign up?


My fat fingers is one area I haven't lost anything......


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## PHL67 (12 Oct 2016)

I cut out carbs and eat more salad and veg with meat and currently at nearly 2 st loss. Working at losing some more now.


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## uclown2002 (13 Oct 2016)

[QUOTE 4508865, member: 9609"]*how do you measure your waist ?*
[/QUOTE]

At the thinnest point, about an inch above your belly button in relaxed state. It will typically be several inches more than the trouser size, so 36.5 sounds about right.
waist to height ratio should be less than 0.5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waist-to-height_ratio


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## uclown2002 (13 Oct 2016)

srw said:


> I thought my frame was reasonably normal, but obviously not - *I must genuinely be big-boned* as well as over-weight.


An over-used phrase!
*"While a larger frame may account for a couple of pounds, she says, it’s definitely not getting you off the hook for an extra 30. “Most people’s weight is carried in their soft tissue — muscle, fatty tissue, their organs,” says Lajam, “so blaming extra weight on your bones is not accurate.” And she should know: While performing knee and hip replacements on overweight patients, she sees those bones firsthand. “One of my mentors would say: ‘I have seen your bones, and they’re not big...”*

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/03/are-you-big-boned-truth_n_6075706.html


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## 3narf (14 Oct 2016)

I lost 1 lb this week; I suppose that's more like what I can expect!


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## User6179 (14 Oct 2016)

3narf said:


> I lost 1 lb this week; I suppose that's more like what I can expect!



Do you weight yourself at the same time each week , I find my weight fluctuates 2-3lb during the course of a day so I weight myself at the same time each week , first thing in the morning as I am always at my lightest then .


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## 3narf (14 Oct 2016)

I'll admit I'm not very scientific about it! I try remember to do it once a week on Friday or Saturday...


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## gavroche (15 Oct 2016)

ColinJ said:


> A 100 pound person would only be aiming to lose 1 pound/week which makes more sense for a small person. (They would have to be very short though for _any_ weight loss to be sensible!)


I don't think a 100 pound person needs to lose weight as it is already skinny.


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## ColinJ (15 Oct 2016)

gavroche said:


> I don't think a 100 pound person needs to lose weight as it is already skinny.


It is quite possible for someone _not_ to be 'skinny' at 100 pounds (7 st 2 lbs) - _IF THEY ARE SHORT ENOUGH_! 

I admit that very few people _are_ that short but my sister just told me that she has a friend who is 4' 11" tall, weighs about 93 pounds (6 st 9 lbs) and is slim, rather than skinny. If she put 7 pounds on she might very well want to lose it again.

I have a friend who is 5' 1" who weighs 100 pounds and she thinks that is about the perfect weight for her. She lost weight through illness a couple of years ago and looked terribly skinny then.

My original point was actually that small people should only lose weight slowly -_ IF AT ALL_!


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## 3narf (1 Nov 2016)

Well, I have 5lbs to go and I've lost a stone! And all I've done is cut out beer, meat and bread (all the stuff that makes life worth living).



Actually it's been fine, and I'm sure it's sustainable. 9lbs a month, or even half that, won't take me too long.


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## screenman (1 Nov 2016)

10lb in the last 3 weeks, a bit rapid for my liking but it will even down to 2lb a week soon.


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## RudeNot2 (16 Nov 2016)

Has been inspiring reading through the previous posts and I can relate to various points all too well...

I have been battling with my weight for as long as I can remember. Having a goal to aim for, for me always helps and as such have signed up for a variety of cycling events next year. These vary from a few hours to multi-day trips. At my heaviest - approx four years ago - I was knocking on 19st +. Through attending / following Slimming World, I made it down to 15st in time for my 40th birthday. Between one thing and another since then it has crept back up to just below 16st. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to food. I know what I should be eating but invariably from time to time go off the rails and into complete binge mode.

The aim that I have in mind just now is to lose approx. a stone and a half in time for Etape Loch Ness and then maintain / lose a little more to get down to 14st in preparation for Etape Caledonia and other challenges..

I have done it before - and will again - PMA (for a change!!)


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## 3narf (1 Dec 2016)

Lost my first stone, it took two months of very minor cuts to bread, beer and snacks (and cutting out meat altogether). Hardly noticeable!


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## david k (10 Dec 2016)

3narf said:


> Lost my first stone, it took two months of very minor cuts to bread, beer and snacks (and cutting out meat altogether). Hardly noticeable!


I think this is the best way, rather than rapid weight loss, the body I'm to,d then tries harder to put it back on and it's difficult to maintain the dramatic diet that gave the weight loss, subtle changes, short but persistent weight loss should be more sustainable and long term


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## greekonabike (13 Dec 2016)

I've lost 2 1/2 stone in 14 weeks and I feel brilliant. I'm still way over my target weight but I'm losing a couple of pounds a week without going what I'd consider 'full-on'. I'm so glad I got myself a bike because I honestly don't think I'd be losing as much weight if I didn't have it. I might do a few more miles after Christmas to see if I can get down to a round number but my aim is lose 40lbs in 26 weeks.

GOAB


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## Drago (13 Dec 2016)

I'm big boned. Put on 75lbs of bone since I was 18.


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## greekonabike (13 Dec 2016)

Drago said:


> I'm big boned. Put on 75lbs of bone since I was 18.



Ummm that's a lot of bone. 

GOAB


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## albal (15 Dec 2016)

Lost 13 lb since November 1. Around 23lb to go, in no hurry but seems a couple of pounds a week feels amazing, considering I spent years driving around Europe eating everything. Six months of watching what I eat is the least I can do.


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## screenman (15 Dec 2016)

I have just eaten half a packet of digestives and a huge dollop of ice cream which just goes to confirm I have a cold developing.


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## Dayvo (15 Dec 2016)

screenman said:


> I have just eaten half a packet of digestives and a huge dollop of ice cream which just goes to confirm I have a cold developing.



Best eat the other half before you get too bad.


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## screenman (15 Dec 2016)

Dayvo said:


> Best eat the other half before you get too bad.




Nearly there,


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## Dayvo (15 Dec 2016)

screenman said:


> Nearly there,



Good man!


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## Soltydog (15 Dec 2016)

ColinJ said:


> 200 lbs would be a low weight for someone who was 6' 6" tall with a very muscular build!


I'm 6'5" & last year was down to 15stone (210 lbs) & many folk commented that I looked ill  Felt good on the bike, but they were probably right. Put half stone on over Christmas & another half stone through this year & I might look better but I certainly feel the difference on the bike  NHS weight charts show I should be no more than 14.5 stone though, how ill would I look then? 
My advice would be don't get too bogged down with your weight, if you want to change shape eat less & cycle more or vice versa


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